Our First Trip...Out of the House

We had to make our way back to the hospital for another blood draw to make sure that Aspen's bilirubin levels were stable. Good news...no more blue light, her bilirubin levels are normal!

Today was filled with a lot of firsts...

It was our first trip out of the house since coming home from the hospital yesterday.

It was the first time we tried out the pram/buggy/stroller (that we call the "SUV" because it is rather large and it is engineered to cut through snow, gravel, cobblestone, and anything else that gets in its way).

It was Aspen's first time on a public bus. 

It was the first time we went shopping to the grocery store with Aspen. 

And, it all went well...no major meltdowns. 

Aspen Sophia Makes Her Grand Appearance!

She's here and we are in love!

Aspen Sophia Weimer Mathies

June 24, 2013

10:15 p.m. 

3.66 kilos/8.07 pounds

20+ hours of labor (2.5 hours of pushing)

Midsummer: The Calm Before the Storm!

40 weeks with "Binsi Birth" gear!

Midnight sun...on the longest day of the year.

Midsummer is one of the biggest holidays in Finland. It marks the Summer Solstice and most Finns celebrate by going to their summer cottage or spending the weekend outside enjoying the midnight sun. For us, midsummer weekend was a "stay-cation" of total nesting (the calm before the storm). We kept talking to our baby in the belly and telling her that this weekend was not a good time to enter the world and she actually listened to her parents. It allowed us time to make one of our favorite and very time-intensive casseroles, Greek Moussaka, we took a few naps,

Thank you packages for hospital staff.

I made "thank you" packages for the hospital staff (see photo), we watched a movie, took a few walks along the lake (including a midnight walk on the longest day of the year) and we put the finishing touches on our new apartment.
Now I think we are officially ready for her to come into our world. 

It's Official...There are TWO Doctors in the House!

Nice! My parents sent this photo to my email inbox today. It's official...I have a PhD!

Presidential Fever

WOW! The votes are in...and guess who is the next EMA President? Me, me, me. I must admit I was shocked when I saw the results, because I was not even there, in person, at the General Assembly. (I could not travel to Barcelona this late in my pregnancy.) So, I made my presentation via Skype and PowerPoint...not the easiest way to win an election. Actually there were a few other things working against me too...new motherhood. But, the EMA community never ceases to amaze me and these election results are a true testament to how an international community values diversity in all shapes and sizes. Awesome! I am even more excited to lead EMA for the next two years.

Mack-daddy in Jyväskylä

After 10-days of traveling with my brother, my retired father decided to visit us in Jyväskylä for a few days before returning to the U.S. It was great to have him in our world, because he was able to meet our friends, see where we lived, and experience life in our shoes. We stayed in our old apartment (because of the extra bedroom), even though we had moved most of our stuff to the new apartment. Our time together was relaxing and included lots of good meals and even a trip to the big second-hand store for more furniture shopping. Love you, dad!

Moving!

We rented a moving van for 24 hours with only one mishap...a parking ticket for 60euro (ouch!) But, on the brighter side, we managed to move most of our stuff from the apartment and we also picked up a few important furniture items:
-a washing machine (that was FREE, from a friend of a friend),
-a bed, bookcase, and table with chairs (from a Canadian couple who was leaving Jyväskylä),
-end tables and a chair (from friends)

The rest of the furniture (desk, kitchen table, hutch for living room, and sectional couch) were delivered to us (so nice!) On a tangent, it is amazing that we were able to furnish the apartment in earnest...and every piece of furniture is second-hand. I went on a major tour of second hand stores and websites the past two weeks. Good thing I am on maternity leave!

New apartment

10 of our fabulous international friends helped us move everything which made it super fast and super easy for this pregnant lady! We treated everyone to pizza and beer after everything was moved in. Ah, now time to NEST (finally!)