Aspen: Two Weeks Old

During tummy time, we discovered that Aspen is "developmentally awesome" (as we call it)...she can already lift her head.

Aspen: One Week Old

As we learn to live with a newborn, these quiet cuddle  moments are the best!

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!) 

A BIG Birthday with Family...

In true Weimer family style, my brother had a 10-day holiday and so he convinced my father to take a European whirlwind tour (Helsinki and a few Baltic countries).

Enjoying the pub tram.

All of my favorite dudes feeling the LOVE!

Koff beer pub tram.

They flew into Helsinki just in time for my birthday weekend. So, Charlie and I hopped on a train and enjoyed a weekend with my family in Helsinki. We rented an apartment in the city center and made some killer meals, laughed until we cried, and even had a little dance party. I kept flashing my bare pregnant belly to my father because it freaked him out so much. They experienced all of my late third trimester joys (fat ankles, limited mobility, and constant visits to the bathroom).

On the pub tram at 38 weeks preggo!

Lucky them, now they really know I am pregnant! Our weekend included a picnic with falafal in a park, birthday cupcakes from Brooklyn Cupcakes, a beer tour on the Koff pub tram, and a visit to the international festival. A fun and memorable birthday weekend! 

Oulu: Never Grow Old!

Market Square Policeman...still keeping watch!

Instead of taking the overnight train back to Jyväskylä, we did an overnight in the hip-n-happening town of Oulu, the most populated city in Northern Finland. This was our first visit to Oulu and we really loved the vibe. The market square area at the seafront sports a super "cool" vibe with plenty of cafes, bars, and restaurants to choose from. There is also a small outdoor market and Kaupahalli (indoor market). Our palettes were surprisingly satiated as we stopped for dinner (and good beer for Charlie) at Sokeri-Jussin Kievari and ate delicious pancakes at Pannukakkutalo in the market square. A friend who grew up in Oulu suggested we stop by the Never Grow Old reggae bar for a drink and Charlie loved it so much he jumped for joy! With a water in hand and beer in Charlie's hand we cheered to my first day of maternity leave--woohoo! Now back to reality...time to furnish an apartment.

To Lapland for a Conference!

Midnight SUN!

I was invited to present my dissertation findings at a conference far North in Lapland. So, Charlie and I took this as an opportunity for one last travel adventure before the baby arrives. We took an overnight train to Rovaniemi and then a 2-hour bus to the ski resort town of Levi. A beautiful chalet welcomed us (2 bedroom with kitchen) at Hotel Panorama, perched high on the ski hill. We arrived a day earlier than the conference began and settled in quite quickly by cooking a few amazing meals and simply relaxing and resting (and sleeping in).

After making my presentation I realized that this may be (and should be) the last time I present on my dissertation topic. It was time to close this chapter of my life (say goodbye to my dissertation research topic). Very apropos, considering that the Doctoral graduation ceremony at UGA was 10 days prior. Although I was not there in person to endure the pomp and circumstance I was experiencing my own anti-climatic conclusion to an intense 4.5 years of my life. What a nice occasion for such a reflection!

Restaurant Day in Finland!

Four times a year Finland hosts a food carnival wherein restaurants pop-up for one day around the country. This food carnival is lovingly known as "restaurant day" and anyone can participate by opening a restaurant, cafe, or bar of their choice. They simply need to provide, bake, or cook the food, post the location (home, work, street corner, park, inner courtyard, etc.) of their restaurant to the website, advertise the menu and set-up the logistics, and prepare for a crowd of restaurant-goers eager to enjoy their cuisine.

Our Greek friend is an amazing baker and she teamed up with a group of people (The Crooks Go Veggie) offering a vegetarian feast. This is the pop-up restaurant we enjoyed!

Three euros for fresh coconut milk from Panama.

The menu:
Summery lentil, goat & beetroot paste wraps
Black bean and avocado-lime wraps
Pati’s quinoa salad
Cretan salad with mini spelt cheese pie from Syros Island
Fresh coconuts from Panama
Red velvet cake (our friend Aggeliki baked this)
 

Pregnant in Finland: A Midwife, Doula, and Box

Being pregnant in Finland has been a wild and wonderful ride. The reserved Finnish culture allows me to go about my daily business with very limited comments and advice from random strangers--which would be totally different if we were living in the U.S.

The waiting room in the Central Hospital.

But, that is not the only difference, here are a few others:

1.) Midwives: The maternity system here in Finland is midwife-centric. At the beginning of my pregnancy I was matched up with a lovely midwife who I/we (Charlie accompanied me to every visit) meet with a few times every month. Each visit I take the glucose/protein pee test, get my blood pressure and hemoglobin level monitored, check my weight gain and the fetal heart rate and we discuss anything and everything related to pregnancy (it usually goes like this: we ask 20 questions and she answers them ever so eloquently and knowledgeably). It has been so nice to have this support system throughout the roller-coaster ride of pregnancy. Bonus: our midwife ROCKS! She is so patient with us, answers all of our questions, and goes out of her way to explain the Finnish maternity system and cultural norms around pregnancy and parenthood. No question we ask is dumb and she has certainly educated us about pregnancy, labor, and postpartum issues.

Additionally, midwives (who are specially trained), not doctors, deliver babies. Only in medical emergencies are doctors called in (more on this after the delivery).

2.) Doula: When we were on the train headed home from Italy, we got stuck in Jämsä (a small town just 57 kilos/35 miles Southwest of Jyväskylä). There was a train accident earlier in the day and no trains were able to travel on the tracks between the two cities. As we waited, with 50 other passengers, for our ride home luck would have it we met our future Finnish doula. Her name is Kanerva and she was nice enough to translate the situation for us and then she proceeded to ask me how I was feeling. This led to a conversation about my pregnancy whereby she disclosed that she was a doula. She serves as a doula for a new organization, Baby Blues, established about one year ago. Of course, when she shared this information I could not contain my excitement as I was hoping to find a doula in Finland (primarily to help us navigate the Finnish birthing culture and to translate the language). We exchanged information and the next thing you know Kanerva (and her back-up doula) came to visit us. During the visit, we talked about their role, our expectations, and how we would work together. I have a lot of emotions (fear, anxiety, etc.) about the labor, so having a doula has helped downplay a lot of those emotions. 


3.) Baby box: Expecting parents receive a box of items for their baby, complements of the Finnish government. This year the box was designed to go along with the "World Design Capital " designation that Helsinki proudly embraced in 2012. We received our box and it was like Christmas as we opened it and ooohhhhed and awwwwwed over the abundance of items. Everything from a snow suit, blankets, neutral color clothes to socks, toiletries, and even condoms were included in the box. The box, itself, is specially engineered to serve as a baby bed. See video!

Apartment Hunting & Finding

Lutakko neighborhood: lakefront property!

The past two and a half weeks we have been frantically scavenging all of the housing websites looking for an apartment to move into come June 1. While we have our current apartment until the end of June, we really want to be moved and settled into a new flat BEFORE the baby dances her way into our life. At first, we were looking for a furnished apartment, but with no luck we are now considering unfurnished apartments. Ugh! An unfurnished apartment means that we have a lot of work ahead of us as we own NO furniture, kitchen items, or linens besides a desk chair and microwave. We have also extended the range of neighborhoods we are considering...and are now including an area called Lutakko which is South of the railroad station and very close to the big lake (albeit a little farther away from the city center).

The HUGE balcony in our future flat.

The great news is that we have found our dream apartment (after looking at approximately 15 other flats) in Lutakko. It is unfurnished, has two bedrooms (one small/one large), a sauna, HUGE balcony, wood floors, and it has loads of natural lighting. We looked at it a few days ago and have emailed with the owner a few times...looks like all is good and we will be signing the contract soon. Woohoo! Now, comes the fun part--furnishing it!