Kio!

We're baaaack!

It has been a month and a half since I last wrote something for the Hirano family blog. In that time A LOT has happened, namely our four week trip to Canada. Not to worry, I have been stockpiling stories from our trip to share.

In the words of Sister Maria, "Let's start from the very beginning. It's a very good place to start..."

On July 25th Shin, Kio and I set out from Canada via Seoul, Korea where Shin has a friend we were going to visit. This of course would be Kio's first time on an airplane and we were crossing our fingers, toes and all other appendages in hopes that it would go smoothly.

All that crossing must have paid off because Kio was amazing on the flight, not so much as a peep during take-off and landing. On top of that, the flight was empty with enough room for us to stretch out and get comfortable. I think that probably helped more than the finger crossing.

One thing that was a little unexpected was that there was no bassinet. During my past travels I've always seen a bassinet type thing that attaches to the wall for people traveling with babies. Our travel agent told us that there would be one. I figured that since the flight from Osaka to Seoul is just over an hour maybe they don't bother. Of course we'd have one for the thirteen hour flight from Korea to Canada.

Or would we?

Anyway, we arrived in Seoul and took a bus from the airport to our hotel where Shin's friend, Lee, had been waiting for us.

For three and a half hours.

Shin had told him our flight arrival time, unfortunately there had been some sort of miscommunication and he thought that we would be arriving at the hotel at that time. It was sweet of him to wait.

As Shin and his mate were starting their catch up I checked us in. Kio was in good spirits and was flashing smiles at the staff. I was a little surprised when they responded by calling him by name. The travel agent must have given it to them. A little odd but whatever.

Lee took us to a handicraft market and then out for some amazing BBQ. Kio was flashing smiles and holding his feet up for everyone to see. During a later point in our holiday he would finally be successful in getting them into his mouth.

The whole time we were walking around the market and during dinner I kept hearing Kio's name. I thought that I must have been tired as I'd spent most of the previous night cleaning the house and packing.

But it was starting to get a little annoyingly weird.

As dinner was coming to an end Lee asked our baby's name (about time) and informed us that Kio sounds a lot like the Korean word for cute.

So I wasn't going crazy after all.

After dinner Kio and I headed back to the hotel while Shin and Lee went out on the town. Shin came back a few hours later a little unsteady on his feet and proceeded to wake the baby up by turning on all of the lights and the TV. He was asleep within minutes.

Let the holiday begin!

 

Apple Pie: A Recipe

 Shin's favourite dessert is apple pie, so for Father's Day Kio and I whipped one up for him. This is how it went...

Ingredients

- 4 enormous apples costing about $3 each

- 2 pkgs of pie sheets (Making good pie crust is really hard and store bought is delicious. Nuff said.)

- a spoon or 2 of sugar

- a bit of flour plus a bit more

- some cinnamon (Plus a little extra because Shin likes it.)*

- some nutmeg (But not too much, you don't want it to overpower the cinnamon.)**

- 5 to 10 shakes of vanilla oil

- a splash of vegetable oil

Directions

1. Walk three kilometers to a supermarket that sells apples. 

2. Make sure that it is about 35 degrees outside and that your baby wants to be carried. Oh, don't forget to add 80% humidity into the mix.

 

3. Once you finally arrive at the supermarket change poopy diaper.

4. Feed the baby so that he doesn't dehydrate.

5. Drink a bottle of water so that you don't dehydrate.

6. Purchase apples and pie sheets.

7. Take a taxi home.

8. Put the baby down for a nap. Make sure that he refuses to sleep in his crib and once again put him in the baby carrier.

9. Preheat oven to whatever temperature you find when you google "apple pie baking temp".

10. Turn the air conditioner down 2 or 3 degrees, after all you are wearing a baby with the oven on in 35 degree weather.

11. Drink some more water.

12. Peel apples and put in a large bowl.

13. Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to peeled apples.

*Realize that you only have about half the amount of cinnamon that you usually use left in the shaker. Do not go back out into the heat to buy more.

**Ignore above ingredient list and make up for lack of cinnamon with extra nutmeg.

14. Mix well.

15. Make note to self that next time you bake while wearing a baby carrier, make sure to cover it with a towel first.

16. Set apple mixture aside.

18. Grease pie plate with oil being careful not to get any on the baby carrier.

17. Cover baby carrier with a towel.

18. Dust the counter top with flour and roll out pie sheets.

19. Pick dough out of the baby's hair (next time you can cover him as well as the carrier). It is next to impossible to do this without waking the baby up. If you somehow manage to do so, skip steps 20 and 22.

20. Change and feed the baby, place him on his play mat. 

21. Begin assembling the pie.

22. Stop to clean baby vomit off of the play mat.

23. Finish assembling the pie and mark it with a 'D' for daddy.

24. Bake the pie until slightly burnt.

25. Serve along with the rest of the Father's Day feast.

I'm sure that there are easier recipes for apple pie out there, but none of them are made with this much love.

Awwww. 

父の日 (Father's Day)

Dear Daddy:

Thank you so much for the things that you do.

For giving me a bath and drying me too.

 

 

For teaching me about cars and bikes that go fast,

spending time with my daddy is always a blast!

 

 

 

 

For taking me on walks while mommy teaches a class,

and showing me the difference between a carp and a bass.

 

 

 

 

For napping together, such good times we share.

Always making me laugh, with high bounces in the air.

 

 

 

 

You're a busy guy, everyone knows that it's true.

So thank you for everything and happy Father's Day to you! 

 

 

With love, Kio

 

 

Four months, four onsies!

Another month, another onsie, another blog post filled with firsts from baby Kio.

When I say little, it is relatively speaking of course. When he's all snuggled into his crib at night he's so little. When he's splashing around in the bathtub he's so little. When I hold him in my arms and rock him to sleep, he's so little. 

BUT!

When we show up for his four month check-up and he is by far the biggest baby in the room, he stops being so little. When I pack away yet another outfit that he's grown out of, he stops being so little. When he weighs 7.7 kilograms, measures 64 centimeters and has gone up ANOTHER diaper size, he definitely stops being so little! 

That's right, our little pudge has grown twelve centimeters and gained over four kilograms since he was born!

 

My sweet, sleepy little boy.

Like many people on the heftier side of the scale claim "it's all muscle", a lot of Kio's weight is muscle. If you overlook the three chins and Michelin Man physique he's crazy strong. I'm reminded of this each time I have to coax him into his car seat, hold him down for a vaccination or receive an accidental kick while we're playing.

Kio has been putting his muscles to other uses as well, he can now roll from his back to his tummy and over again. As well, he spends part of every morning trashing his play mat. I used to get down on the floor with him but it became too dangerous. I now just observe from a (safe) distance.

A well trashed play mat is a thing of beauty.

 

Kio's first roll - no stopping him after that!

After his morning workout we're generally on the go. Kio attends meetings, does coffee, goes shopping, runs errands and has even lunched at the Ritz. Assigning the grandiose hotel a prize for the poshest changing table in Osaka.

What a busy boy!

He takes it all in stride and generally has a snooze and a poop in each place we visit. This last week he also had his first meltdowns in public. First in the bank -which I feel is totally understandable. I often feel like having a freak out while I'm at the bank. And the second was in a coffee shop while I was bidding my fabulous friend Jane sayonara.

Speaking of Jane, that brings me to Kio's fourth onsie...

 

 

 

Notice anything different? Yes ladies and gents Kio is no longer merely a prop for the one of a kind creation, he's actually wearing it! 

To celebrate his forth month of being, the fabulous Jane created a yacht party for our little guy complete with woodland creatures and cocktails - too fun! 

But alas, there is a dark cloud hovering over their jolly celebration. Not only is today Kio's four month birthday, it's also the day that lady Jane and her husband Shad are leaving Japan. For them it's a day of excitement and nervous anticipation but for those of us that are bidding them adieu it's one of sadness. After living in Japan for twelve years you would think that I'd be a pro at this by now, but as always I'm left wondering what is so 'good' about good-bye?

I've been a little slack updating the Hirano family blog recently, but June and July are going to provide lots of fodder for blogging...

Three months, three onsies.

Kio is three months old and he has the onsie to prove it!

This month's onsie was designed by the fabulous Anna. You may remember that she also designed the onise for Kio's first month. Twelve months in the year, but 9 guests at my baby shower. Thus, there will be two more Anna originals to appear during Kio's first year.

Rather than writing four letters to go with her onsies, Anna employed friends that couldn't make it to the party to write letters. This month was a very special letter from daddy! Although the contents are between himself and Kio (and me of course!) I do have to share that he signed it "Shin".

We had a good laugh over that.

Month three has been a big one for Kio. Lots has been going on but most importantly, we're sleeping. 

Both of us.

For hours at a time!

And it is bliss.

In the last twelve months I've learned so much about being a mom. I've read books, googled everything under the sun, asked our pediatrician a million questions and received advice from moms more experienced than myself. But the one person that has taught me the most is Kio. 

Setting schedules, starting routines, deciding how much to eat and when, has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Kio. When he is ready he'll do it and not before. As such, these days I spend less time listening to advice and more time listening to my baby. 

And it's working.

Kio started off the month by going to bed without a fuss. He no longer cries (and cries...and cries) when it's bed time. He eats and then it's lights out. A little less crying is always a good thing.

After that he decided that he no longer needed to eat every two or three hours in the night. Bed time is around 9:30 (late enough to see daddy off to work) and he now sleeps until 4:00 before waking again. Even then it's just for a quick snack and he's out for at least a couple more hours.

Hallelujah!

With all this sleeping going on I now have more 'me-time'. My dishes get washed, my laundry gets done, my house gets cleaned and my blog gets written. This was actually published on the 11th, Kio's three month birthday!

Another big change for us is that Kio now sleeps in in crib at night. Up until a little over a week ago Kio slept with me. It made night feedings much easier but also meant that I was constantly worried about rolling on him or smothering him with my blankets - making what sleep I was getting not all that restful. On the day that Kio started sleeping in his crib he also started trying to roll onto his tummy. He didn't quite make the full roll, but someday he will. I don't think that I'd ever get any sleep if I had to worry about him rolling out of bed on top of everything else.

I had researched how to transition your baby from co-sleeping to their crib in books and on the Net. I'd also asked questions on a forum I hang out on and come up with a plan of attack.

Not necessary.

I placed Kio in his crib at bedtime ready to start employing all of the sleeping techniques I'd armed myself with...but he was sleeping soundly within minutes.

Totally sprawled out in his own bed. Love it!

 

Sleeping was the big one for us this month but there were also a few other firsts.

 

 

Baby's First Sushi

 

 Baby's First Passport Photo

 

 

This is going to be his picture for the next five years. We also had a good laugh over that - and will continue to each time we see the picture.

 

Finally, Kio had his first laugh. He often smiles and giggles when tickled, or when hanging out on his play mat. He wakes up happy and smiling every morning but we hadn't heard a real laugh until last week. Shin was playing with him and I heard the best sound ever.

 

My son letting out a big old belly laugh.

 

From two rooms away.

 

Sounds like he's going to have his mom's laugh. I couldn't be more proud.

母の日 (Mother's Day)

I always said that I would never have kids. Playing auntie to six gorgeous, bright, unique, totally bonkers nieces and nephews has always been enough. In fact, last December I became a great aunt to twin boys - now that's definitely enough!

Side note: the term 'great aunt' really does make one feel old.

While many of my friends were settling down, getting married, buying houses and having children I enjoyed traveling, buying furniture with corners, and wearing shoes that laughed in the face of sensibility. I had late nights and late mornings with no one to answer to except for my cat.

Then, a few years ago, something changed. Perhaps my wanderlust had been quenched. Or it could be, subconsciously, I was worried that I would end up as "that crazy cat lady". Of course, there is also the possibility that my timebomb of a biological clock had exploded. Whatever the reason you know how the story goes (if not, you can check it out here) and on February 11th I became a mommy.

From the moment Kio was born I started doing what needed to be done in order to keep him happy, healthy and safe. Through sleepless nights, giving up dairy and cracked nipples, I didn't really take the time to officially think of myself as a mother. Although, there have been a few times where it has hit me in the face like a tonne of bricks (or a fountain of pee). 

I have started back to work one night a week. As such, Thursdays have become daddy and Kio day. I am usually gone no more than four hours, but on a couple of occasions I've had a little extra work to do and stayed out for about six hours. I leave enough milk for an army and Shin bottle feeds the baby while I'm gone.

A little while ago I called Shin after work and I heard Kio screaming into the phone. The little guy had decided that he wasn't going to drink from his bottle and hadn't eaten since I left the house. He (Kio, not Shin) had been crying for hours.

Overcome with guilt, I raced home as fast as I could and opened the door to find both Kio and Shin in a state. I immediately fed the baby and then made Shin one of his favourite meals. As calm was once again restored to the Hirano household it hit me - I am the mommy and only I can do this.

What a terrifying yet wonderful thought.

Kio's little meltdown happened a few days before Mother's Day. So I shouldn't have been surprised (but I was) when the delivery man showed up that Sunday with two bunches of flowers.

Red carnations (the Mother's Day flower of choice in Japan) from Kio for being a good mommy.

And a beautiful potted ajisai (hydrangea) bush from Shin. Also for being a good mommy.

My passport may collect a little more dust between trips. My heels may see a little more of the closet. My late nights may no longer followed by late mornings. I am a mommy now, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

子どもの日 (Children's Day)

The other day I decided that it was time to begin filling out Kio's baby book. I had been noting things down on slips of paper or saving important firsts in my phone but hadn't actually started filling out the book. As my time for doing such things is fairly limited recently (as demonstrated by the frequency I add to this blog), I figured that I should just cut out the middle man and write things directly into the book.

I was flipping through trying to decide where to start, when I came to the heading Baby's First Holiday with the subheading Gifts Received. I originally thought that I would have to wait until Christmas to fill out this page but then I remembered that Kodomo no hi (Children's Day) was coming up in Japan and Kio had already received his present.

First a little history lesson.

Traditionally, the fifth day of the fifth month was a day for celebrating the the health and strength of young boys, and third day of the third month, the Doll's Festival (Hina Matsuri), was for celebrating little girls. Now, May 5th is a national holiday for both girls and boys to celebrate their health, growth and happiness. However, there is still a focus on little boys.

Lesson finished.

Before Kio was even a month old, Shin's dad had generously offered to buy a kabuto (Japanese traditional helmet) to display on Kodomo no hi. I was rather reluctant to accept his offer for three reasons: 1) Lack of storage and display space in our apartment. 2) They can be outlandishly expensive and Shin's dad is the type to go overboard. 3) Honestly, they're just not that nice.

As grandpa Hirano seemed rather disappointed Shin offered up a compromise, why not buy Kio a set of Koi no bori (Carp Streamers / Flags).

Years ago I took a road trip around the island of Shikoku and saw hundreds of colourful carp streamers strung up over rivers all over the island. Since then I have always wanted one.

Now we have three!

Right, time for another little lesson.

Koi no bori are displayed outside the home (in our case, from the balcony) to signify that there is a boy or boys living there. The black fish represents the father, the red one the mother, and then one smaller fish for each of the boys living in the house. Kio's streamer is blue. The top streamer on our set has Kio's name on it: 希於.

 

The fish are huge! The name streamer and daddy fish are 1.5 meters long but I've seen some that are over three meters in length. They do look lovely when they're stretched out in the wind. They don't look so lovely when stuck in the spider infested bushes three storys down.

Sorry Shin, I just thought they needed a little adjusting.

As with most Japanese holidays, Kodomo no hi is celebrated with food but we've started our own tradition. Yesterday we took Kio shopping and Shin bought him a new outfit and I bought him a book. A little something traditional and a little something Hirano, just how we like it.

Happy Children's Day Kio,

love and kisses from mommy and daddy!