Holy Halloween Batman!

"Some matches are made in heaven, but ours was made on Halloween!" 

So went the line from the slide show at our wedding. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Shin and I LOVE Halloween!

Needless to say Kio's first Halloween was a much anticipated event in our household. So much so, that at this time last year, his costume had already been decided.

Nana nana nana nana, nana nana nana nana...

Batman!

With Kio's costume as the starting point, the rest of the Hirano clan jumped on the Caped Crusader bandwagon and a Bat-er-ific Halloween was had by all.

Starring Daddy as the schizophrenic supervillain: Two Face!

And mommy as the original eco-terrorist: Poison Ivy!

Of course someone has to keep these wily criminals in line - baby Kio...I mean baby Batman to the rescue!

Although I hadn't used a sewing machine since seventh grade home-economics, I was determined to make Kio's costume by myself. I have to say that I'm rather proud of the end product! Although, maneuvering around all the points in the Batman emblem probably shouldn't have been the first task that I took on. 

My patience was certainly tried on more than one occasion. 

Of course no Batman costume is complete without a cape and cowl. 

Which he didn't mind wearing until I tied it up.

Once Kio's costume was good to go, Shin asked me to make the jacket for his Two Face costume. This involved sewing half a jacket and then attaching it to one of his regular suit jackets. As you can see from the shoulder seam that starts somewhere around his elbow, my seventh grade sewing skills still need some work. But the idea is certainly there.

So you all must be wondering, what fabulous event did the Hirano family attend once they were all decked out in their superhero / supervillain finery? 

Ummm, none.

We got dressed up, took pictures, ate Halloween cake and then I hurriedly peeled off the leaves that I had glued onto my face, and went to work. 

Of course Shin had his yearly Halloween bash at his bar last Saturday.

And Kio attended the kids' Halloween party I planned at work.

But dressing up as a family was just something we did for fun. 

Looking at the rather ghoulish make-up Shin was sporting, and my somewhat altered appearance, one might think that the whole Halloween experience would've been rather traumatic for wee Kio. However he wasn't bothered by the make-up at all - a sure sign that he wasn't switched with someone else's baby at birth.

We made sure that he was involved in the dressing up / making-up processes, letting him touch and explore as needed. 

I believe that it's safe to say, Kio is totally down with having a pair of Halloween-loving nut jobs for parents. Although, I'll have to reevaluate that statement when he's 14. 

Unfortunately, Halloween was not without a hiccup or two. Pumpkins suitable for carving are very rare in Japan and extremely pricey! Although I did find a company that delivers them, I decided to hold off on shelling out the cash until Kio is old enough to enjoy the whole carving experience. To fill the void, Shin brought home the Jack-o-lantern that he uses for the Halloween display at his bar. It's pretty huge but I had used it for the party at work, so Kio had seen it before, and they were good friends.

Said Jack-o-lantern stays inflated by using an air pump which has to be plugged in. Unfortunately, Shin forgot the chord.

Not wanting to be charged with ruining Halloween, he Macgyver'd up a solution and inflated the Jack-o-lantern using my hair dryer...

...which Kio is terrified of!

After that, Kio was pretty much over his first Halloween. 

Now it's time to start thinking about next year!

But first...

Let there be lips!

Eight months, eight onesies.

As it was getting closer to Kio's eight month 'birthday', I was thinking that the past month had been pretty standard and that I wouldn't have much to write about in this post. Good thing this last week has been full of fun and games!

Fun and games you ask? Well if a new tooth, magic, and exorcist-like vomiting sound like fun and games to you, then you're in for a treat!

Kio now has three teeth; they're all lined up in a row on the bottom - nothing on the top yet but I have a feeling that those pearly whites aren't far behind.

There seemed to be more drama surrounding the appearance of tooth number three than there was for the other two. Kio was pretty miserable for about a week and much of his misery (and mine) was the result of not sleeping.

Naps were few and far between and nighttime wakes ups were frequent. 4:00 in the morning became Kio's new playtime, during which time I'm fairly sure that I became an expert at singing and playing in my sleep.

We were both tired and cranky but then one morning that little tooth just popped through and suddenly everything was back to normal.

Like nothing happened.

Well except for the total exhaustion, and that disappeared after a couple of days where mommy decided to screw cleaning the apartment, and enjoyed a mid-morning nap along with baby Kio.

 

Don't you just love pics of sleeping babies!?

 

 

Next on our list of news-worthy events is what Shin has dubbed "Kio Magic". 

Kio's magic act starts off with him selecting a toy of the perfect size and shape. There is actually a process where he picks up toys and examines them before deciding on the best one for his 'trick'. He then takes said toy and balances it on the end of his thumb...

TA DA!

To average, non-magic folk, this might not seem like an overly complex feat. But I have tried it several times myself, and have yet been able to balance anything as long as Kio can. This is more than likely because my hands are neither clammy or covered in slobber, but shhhhh, we wouldn't want to ruin the magic!

For me the most exciting part of 'Kio Magic', aside from the insane cuteness of it all, is watching him explore and discover new things. Everyday he finds something new (or rediscovers something old) and he spends time examining it from every angle; he tastes it, shakes it, and hits the cat with it before trying to balance it on his thumb.

 

 

Insane cuteness!

 

In Kio's seven month post I wrote about finally getting him to eat. Now he LOVES food - taking after his cousin Asher who titled his sixth grade valedictory address, "I like food...all food!" We have been experimenting with lots of different things, but since the banana incident, I've only introduced one food at a time and given him a few days to get used to it before starting the next one.

 

One afternoon Shin and I were talking about what to give hime next and Shin suggested scrambled eggs. Now, I've done all my research about foods that are generally considered 'no-nos' for infants and eggs were sitting on the fence. Some sources said absolutely no eggs before one year, others said that they should be introduced early on as it helps to prevent sensitivity / allergies later on.

 

In retrospect, I should've erred on the side of caution.

 

Kio and I shared scrambled eggs the next morning for breakfast and he loved them. About five minutes later the area around his mouth turned red (the same as with the banana incident). He was smiling and happy so I decided to carry on as normal and got him ready for his morning nap. We sang a song, read a story and then I put him in his crib.

 

 

And thats when the vomiting started.

 

Buckets and buckets of eggy vomit.

 

He threw up all over himself and his bed. I stripped off his clothes, popped him in the shower and then dried and dressed him as quickly as I could. As I was going to the kitchen to get his insurance card and head to the doctor (which is conveniently located on the ground floor of our apartment building) he threw up again - covering me and the kitchen floor. Doing my best not to panic, I quickly exchagned my t-shirt for a clean one (leaving some vomit in my hair in the process) and we headed out the door. We made it out of the elevator on the ground floor when round three of puke-fest happened.

 

We were drenched.

 

I decided to 'screw it' and just go to the doctor covered in puke but as I turned to corner, Kio gave one more heave, and I thought that it would be best for all concerned if we did a quick change. Could I really subject all of those moms and kids to our puke covered selves?

 

I ran back upstairs, put clean shirts on both of us, conditioning my hair with more vomit, and then burst into the doctor's office.

 

What a sight we must have been.

 

The receptionist bumped us to the front of the line and the doctor checked Kio over and then told us that he is allergic to eggs but he's fine.

 

Thanks dude.

 

He gave Kio some medicine and we booked an appointment for allergy testing in a couple of weeks. Kio and I went home and straight to the bath and then went to bed for a nap. After such a nutty day, Shin and I went out for sushi for dinner. I went to the bathroom and upon my return found Shin feeding Kio raw tuna off the ends of his chopsticks.

 

*sigh*

 

He loved it!

 

For Kio's eighth month I squeezed him into a onesie designed by my busines partner-in-crime, Midori (whom you may remember from her superhero feats in my post The Green Lady).

 

 

It was a really tight squeeze and I had a good laugh at his ultra-fitted-T; I can't really call it a onesie as there is no way it would snap shut at the bottom.

 

I think he found it pretty funny too...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAIR!

The ways a pregnancy changes your body are countless; it spreads, it stretches, it swells but after baby is born things (for the most part) return to normal. 

Although I think my hips might have missed that memo.

It is said that one of the positive changes that occurs during pregnancy is hair growth. For most women their hair tends not to fall out, so along with that special maternal glow, mamas-to-be are sporting luxurious locks. This is all fine and dandy if you have a normal head of hair, even better if your hair is thin, but what if you already have a ton of hair to begin with?

I have a ton of hair.

And it is by no means luxurious.

My hair is dry and I can find split ends a week after it has been cut. It is so thick that I develop dreadlocks from sleeping, and I haven't owned a hairbrush in years because the handles snap off during brushing. 'Triangle' is the natural shape my hair takes, and I have yet to have a hairdresser open a conversation with anything other than "you have A LOT of hair". Nedless to say, I WANT my hair to fall out.

By the end of my pregnancy my hair had gotten out of control, it was heavy, hot, and no matter what kind of cut I had it maintained its basic triangular shape. The only thing that kept me from hacking it all off then and there, was the fact that after giving birth it would start to fall out again.

I couldn't wait!

After Kio was born, one month went by, then two and three - I was starting to worry about my posture from carting around that massive mane.

As I was waiting, other members of the Hirano clan were experiencing hair issues of their own.

As spring gave way to summer, which in Japan means that the humidity has set in, Mikan began to shed her winter coat. It may be rather 'fair weathered' of me but I can't stand my cat during June and July. 

Cat. Hair. Everywhere.

I guess it should have come as no surprise that Kio was born with a full head of hair. He also has a double crown; both of which have lent themselves to some pretty funky dos.

Following Mikan's cue, Kio also started to shed his locks. 

Rather than falling out evenly, Kio's hair only fell out on the sides at the back of his head. Thus he was left with, what my mom dubbed, his 'ear-wings' and a bit of an unruly pompadour going on uptop. 

So here I was with a cat that was losing hair by the fistful and a baby following not far behind - what about meeee?

As with all things I just needed to be patient and one morning near the beginning of July it happened - who knew that a handful of hair could bring a smile to someone's face. 

Our apartment was covered in hair - on some days it got so bad that I felt like I was constantly running the vacuume. Mikan was being brushed and lint rolled daily.

Again, there should be no surprise that I have a cat that likes to be lint rolled. If she even senses that the lint roller is going to be used she comes running.

I decided that chopping my hair would make the shedding process (followed by crazy sprouts of hair sticking up all over the place when it starts to grow back) easier. Although it wasn't the Jenna Elfman inspired coif that I had asked for...

...it's not so bad.

Finally, what to do about Kio? 

We let him rock his nutty hair for the summer mostly because we didn't know what else to do with it. 

We could've taken him to a hair dresser, but as he couldn't sit on his own yet, I was unsure of just how that would work. As well, I was scared to cut it myself - bad hair cuts grow back but I would never forgive myself if I nicked him with the scissors. 

As with many things it was the Sugar Fairy to the rescue.

She showed me the baby haircut scissors she uses on her son, which I promptly headed out to buy. Resulting in...

Kio's first haircut!

Before 

(The ear-wings had gotten way out of control).

During.

And after!

In only twently minutes my baby was replaced by a little boy. 

*sniff*

Seven months, seven onesies.

This month we have entered the homestretch of Kio's first year. I would be lying if I said that I haven't been thinking about his first Halloween / Christmas / birthday from the moment I found out I was pregnant!  All of those exciting events are just around the corner but to start, I'd like to spend a little time in the past.

September marks the one year anniversary of The Hirano Family blog! There have been times when third trimester exhaustion and the new mama balancing act have made me think about giving it up, but encouraging comments from friends and family have always brought me back to it.

Thanks to all of you who continue to take an interest in my ramblings.

On top of that, my sister has threatened to pen a defense in honour of her feet, and there is no way I'm giving up until that little gem makes its way here.

So where were we a year ago? 

The Bean was just that. He (although we didn't know that he was a HE at the time) was about 18 weeks old and weighing in at just 250 grams. Basically, the same as a package of cream cheese. 

I was spending the majority of my days battling morning sickness and living off of soda crackers. To this day, the idea of eating one of those dry little monsters turns my stomach.

Shin was busy looking to buy me the Scoopy of my dreams. 

And Mikan, although totally mental, had not completely lost her marbles.

We had just begun telling people outside our immediate families that I was pregnant; we were so wrapped up in expectations, excitement and nerves. 

It all feels like a lifetime ago!

Kio is now seven months old and the little porker weighs about nine kilograms.

I spend the majority of my days trying to find new and interesting ways to entertain Kio. So far, dancing around the apartment to 80s music is at the top of his / our / my list.

Shin is busy looking to buy me the car of my dreams.

And at the time of this writing, Mikan's marble bag is completely empty, more on that another day.

The most exciting thing we have to report in the life of Kio is FOOD! 

I had been looking forward to starting solids with Kio for ages. I am pretty sure if Shin had to listen to me waffle on about the first food decision any longer, his marble bag would also be empty.

In the end we went with carrots.

For the first few days Kio tolerated us poking food into him, but after that he would have nothing to do with it; we were lucky to get a couple spoonfuls in before he clamped his mouth shut or spit it out.

 

I was so disappointed! I love food. Shin loves food. Mikan loves food. How can our baby not love food!?

Seeking advice from friends, family and the Internet I tried lots of tricks to get him to eat.

I fed him in the morning as he is always happy then.

No go.

I tried using a mesh feeder.

He chewed on the plastic end and mashed the food in his hair.

I tried feeding him bananas. Every baby likes bananas!

Eek! Allergic reaction.

I tried eating my breakfast at the same time so he could watch me 'enjoying food'.

My breakfast was cold and he still wasn't eating. Now neither of us were enjoying food.

This went on for three weeks. I was getting ready to give up and try again at a later date, when my sister suggested that I purée his food more than I had been.

And that's what I did.

I mashed it. Blended it. AND ran it through a wire sieve.

Success!

 

Since then, Kio's belly has been happy and full (not to mention his diapers - ugh)! His favourite is applesauce and when in doubt I just mix some of that in with whatever else is being served up; he's guaranteed to eat it. That has made for some pretty gross food combos, but he's eating AND enjoying it so I'm fine with that.

Yea food!

Kio's other big achievement this month was sitting. He seemed so content with rolling everywhere that I was pretty sure he couldn't be bothered with something as boring as sitting in one place. As with everything (including eating) he did it in his own sweet time.

 

When will I learn?

 

This month's onesie was designed by Shin's six year old niece, Sara. She came to my baby shower and on the way there, expressed some misgivings about hanging out with the with people that she had never met, in a language that she couldn't speak. Fair enough! That's a lot to put on the plate of a six year old.

 

She ended up having a great time! She loved playing games and trying some rather unusual foods (if you remember The Sugar Fairy served up my pregnancy cravings - fried chicken and maple syrup anyone?!) And she was in awe of "Brandy's tall lady friends". But most of all she enjoyed making something for The Bean.

 

On the day that Kio turned seven months, I sent her a picture of him wearing the onesie that she designed. She emailed back saying that Kio is the cutest baby and that she loves him.

I couldn't agree more!

By the way, I couldn't get the snaps to close at the bottom of his onesie. I think that we'll be doing sitting pictures from now on.

 

Our Favourite Canadian Things

We survived the flight.

We overcame baby jet lag.

We dealt with swarms of blood sucking mosquitoes.

We visited family.

We stayed with friends.

We made sure that Shin made the most out of his short visit.

We kissed daddy good-bye...

And then there were two.

Kio and I spent three more fabulous weeks 'at home'. (Is it still home when you haven't lived there for over thirteen years?) I was a little worried that my body would go into some sort of shock from an overload of fresh country air, clean well water and the constant sound of waterfalls versus the drone of traffic, but I was fine.

More than fine in fact.

In the past, I had always visited home for two weeks or a little less. My time was spent trying to see as many family members as possible, squeezing in a few dinners with friends and of course shopping, then it was time to go. Spending four weeks surrounded by family, nature and deep fried cheesecake made leaving MUCH more difficult than usual. But of course Shin was waiting for us - one VERY good reason to return.

If I were to write down all of the things that Kio and I did while we were in Canada, this post would be crazy long. As you may have noticed we were in Canada in July, and it is now the end of September so crazy long is not on the cards. To simplify things I thought a little song would be in order...

These were our favourite Canadian things!

By the way, singing along is NOT optional.

 

July 1st at Auntie's and potluck a plenty,

A shower for baby with choc-o-late diapers,

Cruising the lakeshore on a bright sunny day,

 

These were our favourite Canadian things!

Hangin' at Nanny's blowing bubbles with Gary,

Dinner at The Keg and breakfast at Cora's,

Sausage like swimsuits and swimming with mom,

These were our favourite Canadian things!

Chillin' with cousins and hugging my Nanny,

Kayaks and pet pigs, my first Jolly Jumping,

 

 

The clean river water, the roar of the falls,

These were our favourite Canadian things!

When my teeth pinch,

When my nap's short,

When my tummy's bad,

I simply remember Canadian things,

And then I don't feel so sad.