Birthday Shoes

Hitomi's birthday is a couple of days away. What do you get a new mother? A day off from changing diapers is a good bet. I gave Victoria's Secret a try, but they have very little in a French line. Shoes? I'd love to find a great looking pair of shoes for her, but one should always try on shoes before buying them so that is not a very good choice. What to buy?

Well, what I *did* buy is already on its way to Japan. It should arrive today or tomorrow. Probably not the most romantic gift one could buy, but when I saw it, Hitomi was the first thought to come to mind. It's her! I hope she likes it.

Off Road

Even though we had a wonderful trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, it's good to be off the road again. Or perhaps off-off-road, as I am still away from home and Hitomi and Kanna. And even though I had no Internet connection, I was able to get good reception with the cell phone and even got an updated picture of Kanna.

Being away as she grows is difficult and probably leads to my becoming a doting parent. I can't find enough people to show. But that also leads me to think. Everyone sees similar baby pictures. Everyone makes similar comments. Everyone has similar thoughts. We just don't admit it sometimes. Odd how the mind works.

In any case, like to see a baby picture?

Leaving Hospital

Hitomi and Kanna will be leaving hospital today. That is quite a relief for Hitomi, but she will also be taking over all the chores of caring for Kanna.

Japanese tend to stay in hospital longer than western countries, but they also have one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. I've heard stories of Americans going in to give birth in the morning and leaving the hospital in the evening. Blaming the high cost of medical care is one way to explain the situation, but that doesn't seem to cover the higher mortality rates. As with so many things in America, you take the bumps with the quirks. It's a strange world.

Let's hope it's better for these two.

Tiny Hands

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands

Something about the sight of small hands touches me. Hitomi's are quite small. Kanna's, of course, even smaller. See here how they cling to Hitomi's finger. I love that.

the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

A Million Words

Whoever said a picture is worth a thousand words, obviously didn't have a cell phone that takes and transmits moving pictures around the world. These pictures are clearly worth thousands more, even millions. Fifty-second clips can be sent within seconds.

Over the weekend, Hitomi sent two short video clips of Kanna in various states of yawning. Both of them plainly reveal a story worth millions. The first is very clear and Kanna waves her hands several times during the yawn. The hand waving coordination is quit remarkable. This picture clearly portrays a classical concert conductor in the making.

The second video clip is slightly out of focus, but the yawning is clearly marked by Kanna's quick eye movement and attention. She is apparently looking back and forth between Hitomi and the camera as she yawns. The eyes are sharp and clearly focused, despite the quality of the video. This picture obviously indicates Kanna's desire to become an astronomer, or possibly a famous Hollywood producer.

Though not quite a million-word blog, these cell phone videos do tell a story. Then again, both pictures probably only show a very sleepy Kanna with a full stomach of her mother's milk. None the less, clearly mother and daughter are doing fine.

Kanna Awake

Kanna shows her eyes. She has also started breast feeding which was a relief to Hitomi. Both will move into a room today to begin their mother/daughter relationship.

While we are separated, I look forward to seeing these pictures and it will be a joy to see how she changes from day to day. This is my daily look into her life as she starts her life out of the womb.

Kanna's Arrived

Hitomi called at nine to say she was going to go to the hospital. At ten Kanna was born! 2680 grams, 49 centimeters. I'm so relieved that she has arrived, she's healthy, and Hitomi is already up and about.

Much like the pregnancy, which we didn't know about until Hitomi was six months along, Kanna's birth came easily. There was some pain, but it was all over so quickly that the actual joy of seeing Kanna immediately put that in the past. Hitomi was up just hours after she brought Kanna into the world. I am so thankful.

Now if only the time remaining in America would pass as quickly.

Ears Hear

Kanna is still waiting to arrive. When will she come? Hitomi sent a recording of Kanna's heart. She certainly seems strong, but there is still no sign that she's ready. The anticipation is growing and friends ask daily, but I only hope that Hitomi and Kanna are healthy. Everything will come into place in its own time. Listen, hear the sound of life.

Stamps

Went to the post office to send two packages to Hitomi. The sound therapy device by air so that Hitomi can get some sleep and one vacuum cleaner by surface because we won't need one until later. By chance, the post office also had some new stamps in today. I bought sheets of the Disney Celebration and the Constellations which I think might make interesting gifts. If not, they can be used as seals.

America the Plentiful (II)

Then again, America is far too plentiful.

I was finally able to go to the FedEx office to pick up the dilivery that I had missed last week. When it came out I was quite surprised. Big, yes, but not the size of big that I had imagined a vacuum cleaner. No, this was just a large cubical box with a little printing on the side which mentioned one of the free products that were plentifully added to my order because I called within thirteen minutes of the infommercial that had caught my gullible attention. Ah, so this was the steamer, not the vacuum cleaner. Well, in that case, this box was big. Very big for a steamer.

Curiosity got the better of me so I stopped by the apartment before coming back to school. I opened the package to find that it actually did included the vacuum cleaner. Actually, I could see two vacuum cleaners. So they did send one for free plus S&H! Great, now I had my vacuum cleaner so I thought I'd give the apartment a quick pickup to see how they worked. I pulled one of the inner boxes out of the shipping carton and discovered that there were two more vacuum cleaners underneath the two on top. Four vacuum cleaners for the cost of one! Unbelievable. But what does one do with four vacuum cleaners?

(A quick step back. I originally wanted to buy a Dyson vacuum so that I could take it back to Japan for our new apartment. I've heard a lot about those amazing machines but wasn't quite sure they were worth the money, despite costing only half what they do in Japan. Any Dyson users?)

America the Plentiful (I)

There is no doubt that America is an amazing country. One need only visit the local grocery store to see the variety of foods that are available. Cereals line the shelves, various grades of milk reach the ceiling, and squash comes in more shapes and colors than is possibly imaginable.

And yet, what does one do with them? Any recipes to share?

The Blessing Curse

Oh what the modern world has given us. At the touch of the push phone or keyboard, we have more information and help than we could ever imagine. I finally got a package wrapped and ready to send to Hitomi so off to the FedEx office to drop it off. The counter people were helpful enough. Perhaps a little too helpful. They wanted to make sure that the reclatte oven was not illegal and spent a great deal of time searching the mounds of information at their fingertips. Post 9/11 or not, some things have gotten a little out of hand.

Got home to find that FedEx had also visited me. A sticker on the front door revealed that I was not available at 5:30, and indeed I wasn't as it was already past 7:00. A quick touch on the push phone and a conversation with a computer that would occasionally go beep-bee-beep-beep-bee as it processed my voice commands (but didn't have the word zero in its vocabulary, only oh), and I was able to change the delivery time for tomorrow.

Thinking about it later, however, tomorrow is not really a good time as I have several other appointments. I'll have to call again in the morning and see what can be done. Shocking enough, I wondered what was in the package (those two vacuum cleaners?) and why I spent more money shipping than I paid for the oven. I'm sure Hitomi and I will have a few good dinners together.

Moon Trees Moon Seeds

The sycamore trees on campus are shedding their seeds and they look like little full moons. Moons cover the grassy plains, blown by the wind, crushed under foot. The nickname has nothing to do with the shape of the seeds, nor the trees themselves. The name comes from the Apollo 14 mission which launched in the late afternoon of January 31, 1971, with a canister of 400 seeds from various trees. The canister was taken to the moon and returned, only to be damaged during the quarantine period. The seeds, however, were planted and the trees are often named Moon Trees. Those on campus are not part of that project, but the names does lend itself to another blog entry.

Peek-a-boo

Kanna continues to play peek-a-boo during her weekly checkups. Just as the sonogram is pointed to her face, she covers herself up. With all the technology in the world, there is nothing that can overcome the mysteries that our little girl brings. We eagerly await her arrival, even though we are separated by an ocean and several time zones.

Shopping for a Gift

Lots of important birthdays coming up this month so I went shopping. I like shopping, but I'm afriad I'm not a very good shopper. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the time looking around and thinking about what Hitomi or Kanna might like. I didn't find anything today for my ladies, but I did buy a new set of pots for our kitchen. I say our kitchen, but I'll be using them in my kitchen until I return home to ours. These new pots and pans will become a daily reminder of my hope for our future kitchen. I can't wait to use them for all three of us.

Life in the Fall

Someone once said, or actually wrote as I remember reading this in F. Scott Fitzgarld's The Great Gatsby, "life begins over again in the fall." That line, if I remember correctly, is spoken by Jorden Baker upon Daisy's complaint of the oppressive summer heat. In one sense, though I do not feel at all oppressed, I am also waking to a new beginning as this is the month we will welcome into this world a gift child. There is much to which we look forward. Much for which we are thankful.