2014/2015 Trip to Japan - Part 3, Two Weeks With Mama

Leaving Japan was very hard for me. Even when you and mama went to Toronto for a few days I kind of went crazy. When you are not there the house is so quiet, feels so big. It’s very lonely. I thought it would be nice to have two weeks of time to do things, sleep in and do things on my own. But it wasn’t like that. Jetlag lasted a week and after that I was just missing you guys so much. Meanwhile, in Japan…

Mama was feeling a little bit better, but I know she still needed some help taking care of you. Grandma helped a lot making sure you had all your favorite foods. Every morning you had pancakes, yogurt and strawberries. You’re a lucky boy in Japan. Everyone wants to take care of you.

 Mama made some plans to see her friend and take you to Børnelund again. This time you remembered the place and had even more fun. It was great to see you have fun.

The best feeling though was seeing you with Grandma and Grandpa and the whole family. You became used to seeing a lot of people and you also became used to Grandma’s house. You never relaxed in the living room (well, a little bit when you were walking a cartoon). You walked around so much, playing with toys, looking for new places and babbling the whole time. It was great.

It was also difficult sometimes too. Mama was feeling sick most of the time in Japan, so her energy was low. You also were not sleeping in a normal pattern after I left. You went to sleep a bit later than normal and woke up around 1am almost every night. It was difficult for mama to rest and everyone could hear your crying. We don’t know why your sleeping pattern changed so much. Maybe a growth spurt?

There is one more part of this story, the trip home. But that is for the next blog post.

2014/2015 Trip to Japan - Part 2, Two Weeks With Mama and Papa

This trip to Japan was wonderful for so many reasons. First, of course yo had a chance to meet so many relatives. Grand parents, Great-Grandma, Aunts, Uncles and lots of cousins. I was so happy to see you meet them. I think Grandpa was especially happy to see you. He played with you a lot.

The boss sitting with the boss.

Grandpa chair for two cousins.

Grat Grandma's house.

Koharu checking out your hair.

Another reason this trip was wonderful was because it was the first time I could spend so much time with you. Usually, at home, I see you for a short time in the morning and then a couple hours at night after I come home from work. At that time I am a little tired and you are playing so we just have a little bit of time together. This trip though we were together all day! We had a couple daddy/son walks. We went to Mr. Donuts. We went for a walk in the park. It was great to spend more time with you. 

One of the best times we had was at the hot sling in Arima. The whole family went and it was such a fun time. We had a big room with tatami on the floor and you ran around so much. We also slept on futons on the floor, so it was a new experience for you. You rolled around so much sleeping in so many different positions. I was a little surprised, but you really seemed to enjoy the hot spring. You didn’t cry at all.

Dinner at the Arima hot spring resort.

One of six sleeping positions for you at the onsen.

Onsen time!

Another really fun time was going to Børnelund in Umeda. This is a giant indoor play space for kids. There are so many areas for all ages. You seemed to really have fun playing with all the toys in the toddler area and also the ball pit. It was great to see you smile.

Play time at Børnelund!

Lots of balls!

We went to a lot of places and did a lot of things. Of course, you also got the flu, so the last days I was there were tough for you. Mama got sick too, but you are both strong, so you could get better quickly.

I have been home for 3 days and I miss you both so much. Still 2 more weeks without you.

2014/2015 Trip to Japan - Part 1, Getting to Japan

Part 1 - Getting to Japan

This was your second trip to Japan, but we were under no illusion that this would somehow be easier. In fact, since you had gained weight and mobility, we thought this journey would be quite a bit more difficult. 

We were correct.

To be fair to you, the trip started with us waking you up way earlier than your normal wake up time. We got you out of bed before 4am, as the first leg of the trip had us leaving Portland for Hawaii at 7am. We had finished most of the packing the night before and just had to put a few last things in our bags before we hopped in the car and drove (with Ben’s help) to the airport. We had quite a few bags.

Bags on the famous PDX carpet.

You were still tired and in and out of sleep, but of course with so much going on, you couldn’t really rest. You tried to sleep on the plane, and you actually managed to take a couple of very short naps!

One of the few, short naps you took on the planes.

We had to change planes in Hawaii, getting off the Alaska Airlines flight in favor of the larger, more comfortable Japan Airlines flight. The change in weather was great and the warm, pleasant air felt good, if only for an hour or so. The plane was full but we had great seats with a very nice baby bassinet attached to the bulkhead. The flight attendant meticulously attached the bed to the wall and made up the bed with linens. Of course, you did not even sit in this, let alone use it to sleep. 

Our ride to Japan!

Complete with this great baby bed...that you didn't use.

The flight to Osaka was tough as you were very uncomfortable and cried quite a bit. Mama tried so hard to make you comfortable and stood and held you for a long part of the flight.

In between crying, you napped.

Finally, papa gave you his seat.

When we finally arrived at Kansai airport, you were exhausted and I think you were very happy to get into the car seat and finally sleep on the drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We were happy as well. 

2015 - Happy New Year - 72 Weeks

Well, here's the first post of 2015. We've been in Japan for about 2 weeks now. We'll have a full post about that later. We have had a lot of ups and downs this trip. But everyone is happy to see you and you are having fun.

Yurting, Thanksgiving and Sleeping - 67 Weeks

Your second Thanksgiving has already come and gone, hard to believe. Once again we drove north to Seattle to spend Thanksgiving with the Tanner Family. But let;’s back up a minute before we talk about this.

The weekend before Thanksgiving we made plans to head to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and spend a couple nights in a beautiful deluxe yurt. Now you are too young to know, but as far as camping goes, this is as good as it gets. Next step is a cabin, and that ain’t camping. Not sure a deluxe yurt is camping, what with the heat and electricity and shower, but the walls are canvas, so we’ll call it camping.

We drove the 3+ hours south, headed towards Reedsport, OR. Shortly before arriving, you were crying, and as it turned out, you had a bit of a fever. We stopped for a bit of baby medicine and headed the rest of the way. You surely were fussy, but not any more than normal. You ate, played and watched your favorite movies. All seemed normal…until bed time. You basically did not sleep. Mama held you most of the night.

A look inside our deluxe yurt.

The next day the wind and rain really picked up, so we couldn’t go outside to enjoy nature. Instead, we headed into town to Walmart. I though that maybe it we bought a pack-n-play, that you would feel more comfortable. 

I could not have been more wrong.

As soon as we put you in the pack-n-play to test it out (a nice nap perhaps), it was like your feet were on fire. You cried and cried and no amount of soothing would help you. By the time dinner rolled around, you were still as fussy as ever. Ben and Mackenzie were driving to join us, but mama and I decided that as soon as they arrived, we would leave. They arrived. We packed. Then proceeded to drive home 3+ hours in the driving rain. Of course, you slept soundly the whole way home and after a brief awakening when we arrived home, you slept again through until morning. Exhausted, we too slept.

Papa made cranberry sauce for thanksgiving.

So, fast forward to the next week, Thanksgiving. Hoping for a better result, we bravely packed the car and headed the 3+ hours north for Seattle. No fever this time, and a very uneventful drive. When we arrived you were happy and Sarah and Kent were happy too and all the kids soon were playing and having fun. I was so happy. I thought to myself, “Genki will play himself into a sleepy state and sleep soundly through the night.” 

Thanksgiving with the Tanners.

Of course, this did not happen. The first night, you woke up around midnight. Again, mama held you and tried to soothe you back to sleep. About 2 hours later you finally gave in and closed your eyes. You then woke up early and were ready to play.

The next day (again, driving rain all day), we all went to the Children’s Imagination Museum in Everett, Wa. It’s a great little place for kids (maybe more fun for you next year). Lots of kids playing and lots of fun things to do. You, being still a little too young for this, enjoyed a few things but mostly wanted to be held and fed (your two favorite things!). That night again, you woke up in the middle of the night and stayed awake for a couple hours (enough time for us to watch the snow falling).

Mama reading you a book at the Children's Imagination Museum in Everett, WA.

It’s a strange new pattern, and one we do not like. Next up is a trip to Japan, so we are already preparing for no sleep.

Climbing - 65 Weeks

Well, there goes a little more peace of mind.

You’ve started climbing stairs.

Grandma bought a baby gate for us, to block the stairs from the basement. We close this when we leave you alone, but when we are in the basement with you, we usually leave it open. Of course, you often come by and move whatever object we are using to prop the gate open. The gate then slams shut and you look pleased.

Today though, mama was with you in the basement, and the gate was open. You would think we would know better by now. When you are quiet, that is when we should worry. But of course, the quiet lulled mama into a false sense of calm. Like a ninja, you snuck over to the stairs and by the time mama caught up you were 4 stairs up, preparing to negotiate the tricky right turn on your way to the kitchen (where the food is!).

I love that you are fearless, like most babies at this age. Hope you keep that as long as possible.

Walking (Almost Talking) Baby Boy - 63 weeks

Maybe we are getting a little lazy with the blog. Or maybe you are more active now so we are a little bit more tired these days. Either way, we have not written much lately. Sorry about that.

We had a nice visit from Grandma Peggy and Aunt Theresa. They were so happy to see you and you were a great boy. You even started walking after they arrived. Before they came, of course, you had tried walking and taken a few steps here and there. After they arrived, you were like a walking champion.

In the basement you like to circle the coffee table. You are like a race car doing laps around the table. Sometimes you don’t even look at where you are going or you walk with toys in your hand. You just lean onto the side of the table and keep moving. Too funny.

Pardon the pun, but it’s a large step in your growth. The transformation from held infant, to crawling baby to walking toddler…it’s been incredible for us to watch this. The next milestone is communication. I’m excited to hear your talking voice, but I’m in no hurry. I want to enjoy this stage a bit more.