4 (and a half) Months!

I can't believe Jacet is already 4 1/2 months! He is growing like a weed! I swear he grows a little bit every night.

First photo booth experience!

He had his 4 month check-up today. Here in Japan (or maybe just Saku?) the check-ups are scheduled by the city office. Basically every baby born during a certain time frame and living in a certain area of the city gets their check-up the same day. So there were about 12 of us altogether in the "born 4/1-4/15" time frame. They had different areas set up and we were basically just rotated around. First was the height and weight area, then we moved on to the development area, third was the "Dr" check, after that was tooth care, and then last was learning a little about starting baby food. We also received information on a class to learn how to prepare baby food, a class on how to play with baby to help with development, and information about a place that lets you hang out with other mamas and their babies, which is I guess good for making some mommy friends.

So here are Jacet's stats!

Height: 62.4cm (~24 1/2 in)
Weight: 6.62kg (~14 1/2 lbs)
Milestones: rolling over from back to tummy AND tummy to back
                     real laughs (occasionally)
                     grabbing (and chewing) EVERYTHING (including mommy's hair!)
                     reaching for toys out of his reach

Loves Daddy!

Here in Japan it's recommended to start baby food around 5 months if they show signs. Apparently Jacet is showing signs, which include lots of drooling, staring at mommy and daddy while they're eating, grabbing plates, etc. I read that in America a lot of people start with oatmeal or rice cereal, or some people skip that and go straight to veggies. In Japan they start with watery rice called okayu, which is what they're going to teach me how to make at that baby food class. I'm looking forward to the many photo opportunities or messy faces!

Other News:
        We went to the northern island called Hokkaido to visit Tomo's parents for a few days. It's very much like Vermont. A lot of land and cows and farms etc. That island is famous for it's seafood and dairy products. While we were there, there was a big fireworks festival. Tomo's cousin does photography as a hobby and took some really nice pictures of us. I got to wear a yukata (summer and less formal version of a kimono) for the first time! Jacet really liked the fireworks and would stop fussing every time they went off!

 family photo at the fireworks

watching the fireworks

        We applied to a model agency for fun just to see if Jacet would pass...well...he passed! He passed the preliminary online application and then we had to go to Tokyo for a camera/video camera test audition. The results came in today that he passed that too! Which means that if we decide to enroll him, we just have to pay the fee and he'll get to be in the agency. Of course it's not guaranteed that he'll get any jobs though. They also have free dance lessons for the older kids and free monthly photo shoots for the kids who aren't old enough to dance, aka babies. So Jacet would get those photos every month which I would really like! The problem is that Tokyo is far and expensive to travel to every month, so we still need to think about whether we want to do this or not. It's exciting news though!

camera test audition photo

Update Catch-Up

Since I never got around to posting a little update on Jacet's development for 3 months, here's a little catch-up post! He's actually 4 months today, but that update will come after his Doctor Checkup in a few weeks.

I believe the last Jacet post was about getting his shots and whatnot. Well, after we came home from America, he had to get more! Tomo was able to come with me this time, which was a big help since the doctor we went to doesn't speak English. Of course he cried but since we were both there comforting him, it only lasted a short time. The Doctor was very nice and the clinic is within walking distance of our house so I think we'll continue going there.

Anyway, here's the more fun stuff. I've been trying so hard to get him to lift up his chest and roll over onto his back during our 'tummy time' sessions to no avail. Sometime in the past month he has gotten very good at lifting his chest. Next step is to roll! I'm ashamed to admit that I treated him a little like training a puppy. I would show him a toy, push him over, then praise him and give him the toy. It still hasn't worked though! He'll get there in time I suppose. However! I have reason to believe that he prefers lying on his stomach rather than his back because he can now roll from back to tummy! He does it all the time now. But he does get a little frustrated after awhile because he can't roll back to his back. Especially since his favorite flashing crab is hanging up! He can't play with or see it when he's on his belly! But he'll learn eventually I'm sure. I added a video of his rolling over, but I'm not sure if it will work. I hope it does!

loves chewing his new toy!

He is very good at holding and grabbing things and I think his depth perception has developed a lot. He reaches out and tries to grab anything that catches his interest...but mostly he still just wants my cell phone. Daddy bought him a nice chew toy rattle that he does enjoy chewing on though, as well as a new playmat that keeps him interested when he does get stuck on his belly.

He has also found his voice and is screaming nonstop! He screams when he's happy. He screams when he wants attention. He screams when he's hungry. It's actually very cute! He is chatting up a storm and learning new noises as well. I'm excited for when the little words come! He sometimes tries to blow raspberries after he sees mommy or daddy, but all he accomplishes is a bunch of drool being spit out...

playing on the new play-mat

His sleeping for the past month has been very good. He was sleeping through the night wonderfully. BUT now I believe we are in the midst of another developmental AND growth spurt. I read online that from weeks 15-19 there is a huge "stormy" period of growth that also includes sleep regression/wakefulness. Well. It sure is happening now. He has been waking up earlier and earlier. As well as one time during the night. His naps are just 30 minutes long and getting longer and longer apart. He definitely tries to avoid taking the naps. He'll fuss and rub his eyes and yawn but just won't relax enough to sleep. It takes a good half hour to get him sleeping for naps. I don't mind too much during the day, it's the evening that it gets difficult what with trying to get dinner ready and finishing up laundry etc. But we make it through each day and I always have at least something ready for dinner when Tomo gets home from work.

One of my favorite recent developments is the smiling and laughing. He's starting to make actual laughing noises now. When I leave the room, I always get a huge smile and laugh when he sees me again. I love it. That's got to be the best part about being a mom. Even if he's just keeping himself occupied and I'm across the room, if I go over to play a bit with him, he gives me a huge huge smile as soon as he sees me. It's adorable and of course makes me forget any frustrations and impatience I have with him. Once I see how happy he is, I get happy. I always try to take a picture, but as soon as he sees my phone he just concentrates on it so hard! I'll have to recruit Tomo for secret picture taking services.

That's about it for now. Next update will be a quick one after we go to the Dr and find out his current height and weight. I'm excited to see how much he has grown in actual numbers!

The United States of America!

   This post is dedicated to our trip to America. Not much of a baby post, more of a life/family post.

Part 1. -To the Airport-
     Since we just moved to a location farther away from Tokyo, we had to travel about 2 hours to get to the city. We took the Shinkansen (aka Bullet Train) into Tokyo and stayed at Tomo's sister's apartment that night since our flight was too early the next day to make it in time from Nagano. The next morning we traveled the 1 1/2 hours to the airport. We got there nice and early so that we could have some down time and eat breakfast. But of course nothing ever goes as planned. We had trouble with customs regarding Jacet's nationality. Since we only had a U.S. Passport and no legitimate proof that he was Japanese, there would be a hard time getting him back into the country. So they had to make a tourist visa for him, which took about an hour. Because of that, we lost all of our relaxing time and had to go straight to boarding the plane. 

Bassinet on airplane

     The good thing about having an infant on a long flight is that, if requested, you get to sit in the bulk head seats with lots of leg room! Plus they provide an infant bassinet that connects to the wall. This made for a very easy flight...not counting the fact that even though Jacet slept pretty well, I did not because I was worried he couldn't breathe...

Part 2. -Arrival-

Grampa holding Jacet for the first time

      We arrived at JFK around 10am to be greeted by my family. Everyone was so excited! I could tell that they would rather greet the baby first rather than me but they all welcomed Tomo and I before Jacet stole the attention. He was a very happy baby and smiled for everyone.
 

Gramma holding Jacet for the first time

 The morning after we landed, I had a nice brunch with my sister and mom at a cute little local cafe. They make great sandwiches and breakfast burritos! That evening the extended family on my dad's side came over for some hot dogs and burgers and to meet the cute little baby. We weren't sure how he would react to so many people surrounding him since it's usually just the three of us, but he was so well behaved! He's such a happy baby.

The next day we drove to my grandparents' house so he could meet some of the other side of the family. My older brother, sister in law, and their 3 kids were there as well. Jacet was yet again so well behaved. Part of it was probably due to jet lag though now that I think about it...

Later on I had a nice relaxing lunch with some of my very good friends. We chatted and caught up on things and later went back to my parents house to see the baby. He was of course passed around and he was of course a happy little boy. Apart from feeding him, Tomo and Joseph (younger brother) took care of him most of the day so that I could relax and enjoy my time with my friends. It was such a good day and I wish I wasn't so far away so that we could have more like it!

Jacet the pimp!

Sister, Me, Mom, Jacet

Part 3. -The Yankee Game-
    
    We made a last minute decision to go to a Yankee Game and managed to get some cheap tickets. Of course the seats weren't that good but it all worked out. We decided to spend the day in the city, so my parents watched Jacet for the day. We met my sister and her co-worker for lunch and then walked around a little. It then decided to rain. We didn't have much to do so we went to the game a little early. We took some pictures around the stadium, bought some stadium food and drinks, and waited for the game to start. It was very exciting! ....until it started pouring, which led to a rain delay for about an hour. Our seats were worth the cheap price then because they were under the hanging and we didn't get wet. We decided to leave early since it was wet and miserable and I wanted to get home to Jacet. But yet again things just don't go as planned. We got to the train station and lo and behold we had just missed it. The next train wasn't for another hour, so even though we had planned to get back nice and early, fate just wouldn't have it.

Yankee Stadium

Tomo and Kuroda

Tomo and Ichiro

Part 4. -The Wedding-

   Next up is my cousin's wedding! Because the location was a few hours away from my family's home, we booked a hotel room for the night. We had special permission to bring Jacet to the reception so that the family on my mom's side could meet him. I was quite nervous about bringing him because of the loud music and I didn't want him to steal any attention from the bride and groom, but of course he was an angel. Of course he got a lot of attention, but he didn't take any away from the new married couple! It was a wonderful and beautiful wedding. I'm so glad that I had the chance to attend! That night, all three of us conked out for the night and slept very soundly after such an exhausting and fun-filled evening!

Part 5. -Boston-
     Then comes Boston. We stayed at my Aunt and cousin's home which we are very grateful for. Jace accompanied us and was watched by my Aunt and three cousins for the day while Tomo and I visited the city. It was a very hot day and we did a lot of walking around. We explored the waterfront area and ate at a nice Italian restaurant. Boston is such a nice city and we always have a good time visiting. It was just a short visit since we arrived late and needed to get back early, but it was worth it.

Part 6. -Returning to Japan-
 
   My parents drove us to LaGuardia airport in NY where we had a short flight to Chicago and then on to Tokyo. We arrived in Chicago about 20 minutes early, only to find out that our flight to Tokyo was delayed 4 hours...leaving us a total of 7 hours to wait! Using this extra time to our advantage, we decided to head out to the city and explore since neither of us had ever been there. It's a very nice city! We didn't have too much time to do or see a lot and didn't have anything planned, so most of the time was spent walking around trying to find a place to eat lunch. We found a nice Italian place in the Italian Village place and had some really good bread, salad, and pasta. Unfortunately, Jacet decided to get hungry and cranky and would not calm down so we had to pack up the food and leave. After that we just decided to head back to the airport.

After waiting awhile we finally boarded the plane. We had nice spacious seats again and the person next to us never showed up, giving us an extra seat! Jacet got his little bassinet again thankfully. We all slept a lot better on this flight, although I did wind up holding Jacet a lot because of turbulence. He was very good though and slept most of the flight. He must have been worn out from entertaining so many people!

We landed at Narita pretty late and only JUST made the last train back to Nagano. It was hectic and hot! Not to mention that the Shinkansen was completely full and so many people were standing even before we got on. Luckily two very nice people let us sit down since we had a baby, a stroller, a baby bag, a backpack, and 2 suitcases.

We finally made it back to our house around 11:30pm but because of jetlag, were not tired! Jacet conked right out though. 

And that wraps up the very wonderful trip to America! I am so so glad that my family and friends got to meet Jacet in person, and that I got the chance to relax. I hope we will be able to visit again next year!

Next up: Jacet's 3 month update!

New Town: Saku City

  In the last post I mentioned that we were moving again. Well, we did. We are all moved in to the new place. I somehow managed to unpack the whole house AND take care of an almost 3 month old in just about 2 days. I was quite proud of that!

The town (or city technically) that we moved to is called "Saku." It's much more countryside than where we were before, and much farther from Tokyo. It's not a bad little place. There are a lot of trees and parks, the sky is blue and clean, and I think we can see stars at night though I haven't checked. It doesn't get unbearably muggy like Tokyo and surrounding areas and it cools down most nights. The only bad points are that there are tons of bugs, especially dragonflies, there's not much to do, and they have very very strict and elaborate garbage separation rules...I'll talk about that later.

Living Room

Kitchen

As for our house, it's a cute little "tri-plex." Instead of a duplex, there are 3 houses connected. We're stuck in the middle. It's just a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen, Living Room house, but it'll do. The two stories makes it feel more like a home than apartments do. The location is very convenient. It's within walking distance to a big park, a small park, convenience stores, and two shopping plaza/department stores. There are also quite a few restaurant nearby. Jacet and I have been taking nice morning walks with the stroller to explore the area. It's very relaxing.

But then there are the garbage rules. So so many, as you can see by this picture on the right. Practically everything
except food and papers get recycled. Plastic wrap, ramen containers, take-out containers, plastic wrappings and bags, milk cartons, aluminum foil etc. Oh but if its too dirty it goes with the trash. We have to use special garbage bags and I can't put garbage that's in a plastic shopping bag into the garbage...it has to be emptied from that plastic bag into the special garbage bag, and that plastic bag is then recycled. For example, the supermarket plastic bag that I put dirty diapers in cannot be thrown away, I have to empty the diapers into the trash bag and recycle the shopping bag. Does that make sense to everyone? It's just so much work and so many rules and exceptions, I don't know how I'll ever get it down. 

I wouldn't worry about it so much if not for the fact that if it looks wrong, they check the garbage. They then find out who's garbage it is and make them correct it. I know this because they've already made us re-do all of our garbage from before I knew about the rules completely...not a very pleasant experience.

But, all in all not a bad place to live for the next 6 months!

On a random final note: Tomo bought me a very nice and sharp ceramic knife! So excited to use it!