Our First Adventure Without Aspen

Aspen (on left) meets her new friend, Tove.

Our dear friends, Terhi & Oscar, have also experienced a new baby adventure.They gave birth to their daughter a two and a half weeks prior to Aspen's arrival. They kindly offered to take Aspen for a few hours today and babysit her. Oh my, what should we do?! We reluctantly took them up on their offer (reluctantly only because Aspen has been showing symptoms of colic lately and we were hesitant to give that problem to Terhi & Oscar). But, it all worked out...Charlie and I escaped to the Figaro Wine Bar for my first glass of wine (postpartum) and a lovely late lunch. Of course, my emotions were running high and so when Charlie very genuinely asked how was I doing...the next thing I knew I was crying in my glass of wine. After a quiet lunch we walked back, hand in hand, to pick up our lovely little daughter. The first thing Terhi said was, "Aspen has a set of lungs..." Oh no!

Colic & the Football Hold!

Super-hubby has now become super-daddy! Our nights have been filled with colic screaming and crying...so, the football hold (that Charlie is displaying here) has become a favorite. Super-dad is amazing when it comes to calming Aspen during these intense crying episodes (I just feel helpless and I cry). Since it has been consistently happening almost every night (since bringing her home from the hospital) between the "witching hours" of 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. we have decided to schedule an appointment with a zone therapist (foot reflexology) next week. This zone therapist was actually suggested by our midwife and a few of our friends--she is known to work wonders with colicky babies. More on this later...

Working with a Newborn

And this is what you see when Aspen actually sleeps...mom attempting to get some work done and eating all at the same time (oh, and pumping too...although we will spare you the graphic image of that).

Aspen's Nationality and Passport Adventure!

When a child is born in Finland, they are not automatically granted Finnish nationality unless one of their biological parents are Finnish. This means that our little Aspen did not qualify for Finnish nationality and thus we had to apply for U.S. nationality. The application and paperwork was quite extensive and we decided to apply for a passport and social security number all at the same time which meant tripling the paperwork. The most challenging aspect of all of this: the passport photo! Imagine how difficult it is to get a photo of a newborn with both eyes open, mouth closed, both ears visible, and no arms/hands in the photo. Oh my! It took us three visits to the photo shop before we realized we would have better luck taking the photo on our own. After a few photo shoots, we managed to capture ONE good photo (that the guy at the photo shop had to photoshop!)

After sending in the paperwork, we received an email from the U.S. consulate with the date and time of an appointment in the Helsinki consulate, July 17 at 10:30 a.m. We decided to make a trip out of it and spent the night in Helsinki. Aspen's first train ride was a success as she slept most of the way there and back.

Our visit to the U.S. consulate went well. In less than one hour we met with a foreign service worker, they went through all of our paperwork, we paid 164 euro, and we signed off on all of the papers. Now to wait one month for the passport and nationality documents!

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.