Cutting the chord.

After the dust had cleared from the fun and games of giving birth to Kio, I had a quiet moment to go through the enormous bag of goodies given to us by our hospital. Most of it was free samples from different diaper, formula and baby wipe companies but there were some other fun goodies as well; one of them was a little wooden box. Too tired to bother asking the nurses about it, I left it on my bedside table with the intention of asking Shin the next morning. Had I looked inside the answer would have been revealed.

To this day, I am quite happy that I wasn't in an overly inquisitive frame of mind. 

Fun fact: hospitals in Japan give you a piece of the umbilical chord to keep as a 'souvenir'. They even provide a cute little box for you to keep it in. 

I didn't have to wait for Shin to arrive the next day in order to get the lowdown on my new treasure. When the morning shift nurse popped in to introduce herself, and find out how Kio and I fared during our first night together, she handed me a piece of gauze and explained the purpose of the box. She opened the box to reveal the prized bit of chord that was nestled inside, and then gave me the gauze which held a spare. 

Yes, that's right. A spare piece of umbilical chord.

It was at this point that I burst out laughing. When the nurse didn't join in I quickly muttered, "すみません、ちょっとつかれた。" (Please, excuse me. I'm a little tired.) 

Coupled with the rather unladylike expletives I bellowed during labour, I didn't think that I was making a very good impression. Luckily maternity ward nurses are used to a bit of nonsense from new moms and they didn't hold the curse words or cultural insensitivity against me.

So there's a little anecdote about physically cutting the chord, but my purpose here today is to delve a bit into the metaphorical side of things.

From the day that Kio and I came home from the hospital we've shared a room. It was always my intention to move out of 'his' room once he started sleeping well but I just never got around to it. 

In the beginning we bed-shared. The ease of being able to roll over half asleep and nurse in the middle of the night just made life that little bit easier.

This is my favourite picture of Kio and I.

He's just so pleased with his fatness.

Too bad that it is so grainy.

 



Once Kio was able to roll on his own, I decided that it was time to move him to his crib. A few people warned me that the transition would be hellish, but it went off without a hitch. Not much after that Kio was also regularly napping in his crib too. Ahh the freedom of being able to move about the apartment during nap time. 

Kio's first night in his crib.

That's my shirt that he's sleeping on - I read that it is supposed to

help with the adjustment. It turns out that it wasn't needed.

The next step should have been my exodus but that's where my momentum kind of petered out - until recently.

It was during March, when both Kio and I were sick, that I realized it was time to strike out on my own. 

WARNING: The following story contains scenes of gratuitous vomiting. Proceed at your own risk.

There was one night in particular where Kio had been waking up at least once an hour. Either he or I would have a coughing fit that that would rouse him and bring on a fresh batch of tears.

And of course more coughing.

At one point he got to be pretty inconsolable so I gave him a bottle. His eyes began to droop, his whimpering stopped and within minutes he was sound asleep in his crib.

I crawled back into bed with the hopes that I might get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep...

Cue the vomit.

It was up the wall, down between the slats of the crib, all through Kio's hair, and still coming. I whisked him out of his bed and headed for the shower, which he hates. 

More tears.

More vomit.

More tears (this time from me).

Finally, after what felt like and eternity, but was probably more like 10 minutes, he was in clean PJs and for all intents and purposes puke free. The poor little dude was exhausted so I put him in my bed and set to work cleaning up the mess.

By this point it was around 3:00 in the morning. I'm sure that the people living below us were pleased as punch that I was moving furniture and knocking stuff around.

I'm less than graceful on a good day, but add sleep deprivation and the plague into the mix, and I move with the elegance of an elephant. And really, this is probably doing and injustice to elephants.

Sheets, pajamas and towels into the wash. Mattress on the balcony to be dealt with in the morning. Walls and floor hastily mopped. And lastly, the crib was wiped down. Mission accomplished, time for bed. Again.

I snuggled in with my little guy, closed my eyes and was immediately overwhelmed by the stench of puke.

Although I had cleaned both Kio and the room, I admit that I did a less that stellar job - especially on the room. 

It was the middle of the night after all.

As I was dragging out the futon that we keep stored away for guests, I repeatedly kicked myself in the ass for not moving into the spare room earlier. 

If I had moved, I wouldn't have woken Kio up with my coughing.

If I had moved I could have closed the door on that awful mess and sorted it out in the morning.

If I had moved, we would be sleeping right now.

Grrr.

So as we stretched out on the floor of the spare room I vowed to 'cut the chord' and be in my own room by the end of Golden Week (that's the beginning of May for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Japanese public holiday system).

And so I was.

And it is good.

And Kio has slept through the night six times. 

And I've only brought him in to sleep with me four times...

OK, so maybe the chord isn't completely cut, but we're giving it a pretty good stretch.

This is where my bed used to be -

Kio's new playroom!

 

Notice that he is surrounded by toys and

playing with the box that his crayons came in.

 

March: In like a lion, out like a squirrel.

We're baaaaaack!

Since the beginning of The Hirano Family Blog, I have made a major effort to write at least three times each month. Unfortunately, in March and for the majority of April, it just hasn't been possible.

In a nutshell life has been mental.

For you to get the full effect, our story shall begin in December...

As I would be returning to work at the beginning of January, Shin and I began to organize a schedule for Kio's slow introduction to the world of nursery school. I was already feeling guilty about abandoning my child into the hands of strangers, and I wanted his (and my) experience to be as stress-free as possible.

First we contacted our ward office and got a list of schools in our area. We then checked out the closest ones, and submitted our application listing our top five choices. Our first set back occurred when we were informed (by the same people who told us that there was no need to register early) that Kio would not be able to enter any of the places that we selected until April; the start of the school year in Japan.

Luckily, there was one nursery school not far from our house that accepted children on a daily reservation basis, and they had room for Kio!

After our tour of くるみ (Kurumi Nursery School - FYI Kurumi means walnut in Japanese) and meeting with the principal, we came up with a schedule that would have Kio going only a few hours a day for a couple of days a week in the beginning. As he became more comfortable we would increase the length and number of days. Other childcare needs would be met by Shin's parents and our regular babysitter.

The perfect plan was born.

 

In January, only a few days before he was due to return to work, one of the part-time teachers at the school Midori and I run, resigned. As such, I would have to return to work full-time until we were able to hire a new part-time teacher.

With that, the perfect plan crumbled into a thousand little tear-soaked pieces.

Rather than the slow, stress-free introduction we had planned, Kio was thrown full force into 'school life'. And this did not jive with the little guy.

For most of January, Kio screamed bloody murder as soon as we walked into the building. His teachers encouraged me not to stick around as he wouldn't calm down until I was out of sight. Sucking back the tears, I would retreat into my car to the sound of my son losing his poor little mind. Then, I too, would have a bit of a cry of my own.

Along with his daily meltdown, Kio also went on hunger and sleeping strikes. He refused to eat at nursery but would come home and devour everything in sight. As well, he would wake up in the middle of the night wanting to play. Not satisfied with my feeble efforts of singing from my bed across the room, Kio would cry until a full on playtime was had.

I was exhausted, but feeling so guilty that I couldn't deny him the time that he clearly wanted with Mommy. 

Luckily, by mid-February Kio got his groove on and things settled into a more stable, yet hectic, routine:

5:30 wake up, shower and get dressed before Kio is up.

6:00 Kio is up. He eats his breakfast and half of mine (the hunger strike is clearly over). 

Kiss, hug, make dinner for and play with Kio, dropping him off at nursery at 9:30.

Catch the 10:03 train to work. 

Shin picks up Kio at 4:00 and takes him home to do dinner, bath and bed by 7:30. 

Shin gets ready for work and makes dinner.

I'm home by 9:00, we eat dinner and Shin is out the door to work.

I clean-up from dinner, do housework and collapse into an exhausted heap by 11:30.

Up again at around 2:30 as Kio still hasn't given up his middle of the night bottle. Then crash for a few more hours only to go at it again the next morning.

Totally nuts! This was NOT the plan.

Originally, I was going to finish work at 5:00 and be home by 6:00. We would eat as a family and have time for Kio to be with Shin and I together. And although we were interviewing new teachers on a regular basis, they were either duds (to put it politely) or looking for full-time employment. My daily mantra became, "This is only temporary." which I chanted to myself like a crazy person regularly throughout the day.

And that brings us to March. In like a lion...

 

In Japan, the rule across the board from nursery school right through to high school is: if your kid has a fever then they stay home. 

 

Without exception. 

 

I have to say that I was not very good at remembering to take Kio's temperature each morning, but the fine folks at くるみ never skipped a beat. One morning as I was heading back to my car after dropping Kio off, I was chased outside by a teacher loaded down with Kio and all of his things. As she handed over Kio, she informed me that, "he has a fever." With his classmates' little noses running like faucets, it was only a matter of time before Kio joined them. 

 

Kio's fever turned into a chest cold. His chest cold turned into asthma. And his asthma resulted in our first midnight trip to the emergency room. Something I remember well from my own childhood.

From the moment I got pregnant, I knew that the chance of Kio getting asthma were pretty high. Shin suffered from childhood asthma and I still take medicine on a daily basis to keep mine in check. But of course I had been silently hoping that through some DNA miracle it would pass him by.

 

Miracle. Shmiracle.

Kio didn't go back to くるみ for the rest of the week. 

And of course Shin and I got sick too.

 

March was literally sucking the life out of us - something had to give.

 

As the month started to come to a close the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine beamed down upon our tiny family.

 

How's that for drama? 

Anyway...

Midori and I were able to hire not one, but TWO new teachers for our school. 

We got the confirmation letter that Kio could enter nursery as a full-time student, AND he could stay at くるみ. Fabulous news as we seriously did not need to go through the adjustment period again. 

We all got over the plague and although things were still busy, the end was certainly in sight.

Out like a squirrel...

April 1st was the 'entrance ceremony' at くるみ. 
 

 

 

 

Although Kio had already been going there for 3 months, it was now official and he had his own little cubby hole and group name to prove it. The kids are divided by age: 0 - 1 year old are the Panda Group, 2 - 3 years old are the bear group and Kio was a proud member of the Squirrel Group. 

Here is a picture of the Squirrels on the day of the entrance ceremony. Ya, that's my kid acting like a nutcase. 

April has been a flurry of teacher training and ear infections but everyone is sleeping more and I'm working a little less. I'm certain that May is going to bring even more peace to the Hirano's and we're starting it off with a week off.

And breathe.

Before I sign off today, I need to give a special shout out to Midori, Dave Crayon and Shin's mom, Toshiko. If it hadn't been for their absolute fabulousness things would have been...well I don't even want to think about that.

Thank you all so very, very much! 

Mommy Fails: Episode 1

In Japan it is widely discussed, if not believed, that blood type determines a person's temperament and personality. In lessons I've examined this phenomenon ad nauseum with students from all walks of life. Some totally buy into the idea (in the same way that many people religiously read their horoscope), others think that it is an interesting concept but doubt that the entire population falls into four categories, and of course there are those that think it is total nonsense.

A very bare bones look into the four groups goes something like this: "type As are sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but over-anxious. Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn. ABs are arty but mysterious and unpredictable, and type Bs are cheerful but eccentric, individualistic and selfish."

I personally don't believe the whole thing, however, it just so happens that my personality and blood type match up perfectly.

You only get one guess as to which blood type this borderline OCD sister has...

As a "sensitive perfectionist" I find it rather irritating when I wind up in a sticky situation of which I am the cause. Unfortunately, during the past year my sleep deprived, naturally clumsy, baby brain addled self has, on more that one occasion, landed Kio and I into a situation which I have decided to name a "Mommy Fail". For the most part, these situations are not overly amusing at the time, but in retrospect they are pretty hilarious. 

Originally, I had thought that I would collect these and write a blog post in which we could all have a good laugh at my expense. It turns out that there are quite a few more than expected, thus giving birth to the Mommy Fail series. So without further ado, I bring you Episode 1.

In August, Kio and I returned to Japan after a luxurious month in Canada. Kio was severely jet lagged and waking up at around 3:00 in the morning ready for action; I was exhausted, hot and unable to get on top of unpacking and doing laundry from our trip. Which of course means that you can add frustrated to that list.

A perfect recipe for disaster.

After what had become our usual early morning play session, Kio went down for a nap just before dawn. I'd planned to quickly follow suit, but needed something to eat first. As I opened the bedroom door, the handle came off in my hand.

Gah! Bloody cat.

Before I continue with my tale, I need to give a little background information; Mikan the wonder cat can open doors. When the inspiration hits her to relocate to another room, she just jumps up on the door handle and off she goes. It makes keeping a room heated / cooled quite difficult and it also means that our door handles go through a lot of wear and tear.

On with the story...

Exhausted, hot, frustrated and now hungry, I just stood there letting my temper cool before I headed to the kitchen for Shin's toolbox. After fixing the door handle I figured that sleep was more important than a snack so I headed to bed.

An hour or so later Kio woke up and it was time to get ready for our day, and I was now more than ready for breakfast. With Kio in one arm, I opened the bedroom door and for the second time that day the handle came off in my hand.

But this time the door was closed.

And this time the part of the handle that actually turns the mechanism inside the door, was outside the room. (I had reassembled it backwards.)

So we were trapped.

And the story gets even better from here...

We were trapped with a cell phone. But the battery was almost dead.

We were trapped with the tools that I had originally used to 'fix' the door handle. But they were of no use as I needed the part that was laying on the floor outside.

We were trapped together (thank god). But all of Kio's diapers were in the living room.

We were trapped and Kio was starving. But luckily I was breastfeeding so he could eat, although I was also starving.

We were trapped on a Saturday morning. Shin wouldn't be home until late that afternoon.

We were trapped.

And I had to pee.

And Kio had just pooped.

To this day I am unsure how I managed not to have a total breakdown.

The first thing that I did was call Shin who was sleeping one off in his bar. Of course he didn't wake up, but I wasn't surprised. Shin is a very heavy sleeper, but add a few drinks into the mix and he sleeps like the dead. In the past if I have really needed to wake him up, I have called his bar phone and just let it ring. There is no answering machine so it will ring until he finally wakes up and answers it.

The last time (I had locked myself out of the house when I was pregnant) took 35 minutes.

So I dialed, put the phone on speaker and proceeded to deal with the poo situation.

I was digging around for an old towel to fashion into a diaper, when I came across a bag of newborn size diapers that Kio had grown out of before finishing. I looked at my fat baby and the teenie-tiny diapers and figured what the hell.

I will always regret not hanging up the phone and taking a picture. It was seriously hilarious, his big old belly hanging over the top and sausage legs sprouting out the sides of the smallest diaper ever.

Things were ticking along nicely. Poo sorted, baby fed, phone ringing, but my phone battery was dying.

With just a 10% charge left, it was time to change tactics. I called the only other person who I knew would be up at that time on a Saturday, The Sugar Fairy, and asked her for some help. Between the two of us (me ringing the bar phone and The Sugar Fairy calling his cell) the guy would have to wake up, right?

Right...?

In fact he did. And as a rather anti-climatic ending to the story, Kio and I were set free about two hours after the door handle came off in my hand.

The whole scene is pretty hilarious, and would've been even more so if I had been forced to pee in the diaper pail. But even to this day I think about what would've happened if the door had broken with Kio on the inside and me on the outside. I'm sure I would've Mama-bear'd it off the hinges, but luckily that's not what happened.

So you have it, Mommy Fail number one. Don't worry there are MANY more where that one came from.

So much for the type-A perfectionist.
 

 

A Very Hungry Birthday!

I love Eric Carle books. How can you not love an author that incorporates counting, healthy eating and an explanation of metamorphosis into a book about the most adorable caterpillar of all time?

Obviously, Kio loves his books too. And of course his favourite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

No brainwashing going on here at all.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has 'wormed' his way into several areas of our lives. We read the book on a regular basis - Kio loves to stick his fingers in the holes on each page. There was also our dear friend Mushi-san, who accompanied us pretty much everywhere until his recent demise. And there is Kio's 'nursery'.

When I was pregnant and in full-on nesting mode, I was so sad that it wasn't possible to do up a nursery for the little Bean. As our apartment is rented and redecorating is strictly forbidden, I had to settle with a cute crib set and a few bits that I picked up from IKEA. On top of that, we had set-up everything for him in our bedroom, so space was more than limited. Then one afternoon while I was killing time before meeting a friend for lunch, (back in the days when I was actually on time, even early for things) I came across a Very Hungry Caterpillar wall sticker set. With no offence intended to said friend, I remember absolutely dying to get home and 'decorate' the nursery.

It isn't much but it's pretty cute, and recently Kio has taken a real interest in the dots; pushing them like they are giant buttons.

As an aside, if anyone ever tries to tell you that non-adhesive wall stickers are repositionable or that they will withstand the humidity of Japanese summer - They. Are. Liars! I've had to put double-sided tape on all of them. Fingers crossed that the wallpaper survives when I decide to take them down.

So yes. We like the Very Hungry Caterpillar (VHC).

As such, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I went with a VHC theme for Kio's first birthday.

I would like to say that I was full of creative, one-of-a-kind ideas for Kio's party but it took all of a five second Google search for me to come up with (aka steal) these little numbers for the big day.

Like the invitation with VHC as the 'n' in one.

  

Or the VHC cupcake cake.

I have to say that I'm a little disappointed with the layout of the cupcakes. I decided that I would not be able to put them out from the beginning of the party because the buttercream icing would melt. But when it came time to set it up, Kio was tired and a bit clingy and wouldn't let anyone but mommy hold him. Obviously, I had done a practice run and knew exactly where each cupcake should go (OCD much?) but Shin had to set it up freehand. There will certainly be a map to follow next time.

I'll leave it up to you to decide if I'm joking or not...

Not being overly crafty, and extremely short on free time these days, I decided that I wasn't going to make the decorations. Besides, back in November I found a VHC Happy Birthday poster at one of the local import shops so decorations had been taken care of long ago.

One afternoon I was sharing 'my' party ideas with the Sugar Fairy (who sadly would not be able to make it to the party with her Sugar Family, because they would be in Hawaii - sad for us anyway) and I told her about some VHC inspired cookies that I had seen during my Internet searches. I mentioned that I would love to make them, but between work, and lack of talent there was pretty much no chance that I would take on the project.

You have to be careful what you say to that woman!

A few days before she left for Hawaii these arrived at my house - complete with little holes and all!

Thank you Sugar Fairy, you are the best!

Seriously, you are freakin' awesome.

So we had VHC cupcakes, cookies, decorations and finally there was Kio's 'smash cake'. 

I had seen pictures of babies desecrating their birthday cakes online; they were so adorable and I wanted to give Kio the chance to take a swing at his. Plus, his egg allergy meant that he would need a separate cake anyway. So the final addition to Kio's Very Hungry Birthday was decided.

On the day I think that Kio was a bit overwhelmed. As I mentioned before, he was clinging to me pretty fiercely and was crying more than usual. I think that is possibly why he didn't go to town on his cake. I was expecting a massacre but he poked at it a bit and seemed pleased to leave it at that.

After his cake, Kio took a nap. "It's my party, and I'll nap if I want to..." and I think that did the trick. He returned with a vengeance, working the room and chattering away (mostly to himself). And once the presents appeared there was no stopping him!

These are two of my favourite pictures from the party.
 

 A new car!

That box could not be opened fast enough!

Although there weren't many little people present, the big people (from near and far) made the day; spoiling Kio with fabulous gifts and love. What a lucky little dude.

Happy 1st Birthday Kio!

Twelve months, twelve onesies!

With the debut of the twelfth onesie, the lead-up is over and it can (finally) be said that The Bean is one year old!

Of course there was a party, but that deserves a post all of its own. Today I'm here to wrap up a year of onesies.

For those of you who weren't around for the inception of the monthly onesies, or have forgotten because you have lives of your own and don't actually live, breath, sleep The Hirano Family Blog, I shall start with a little history.

On January 14th 2013, a little under a month before I was due to give birth to The Bean, my dear friend Anna threw me a baby shower. It was there that our good friends and family designed the onesies that I have been debuting once a month since Kio was born. Along with their onesie, each person wrote a letter. I have to say that I practiced a great deal of self-restraint by not opening them all at once when I got home from the baby shower. Instead I have been doing my best to read them to Kio one at a time on (or around) the 11th of each month.

The letters are funny, sweet, sentimental and most of them include a small plea for Kio to let his mommy and daddy get some sleep.

Thanks all!

The onesie and letter for Kio's twelfth month was done by yours truly. I couldn't remember what I had written, so I was looking forward to reading it to Kio.  Honestly, it was pretty lackluster. I had forgotten that while I was writing I got really emotional. Of course there were some hormones involved, I was in my ninth month of pregnancy after all. But the thought that I would actually be holding my one year old baby while I was reading my letter got the better of me, and I cut my letter short in order to avoid showering my shower with tears. I didn't even sign it. Perhaps I had planned to go back and finish it up once I got home, I don't actually remember. It was lovely to read, but obviously not finished, however that didn't stop me from shedding a tear or two this time around as well. 

In honour of all the sentiment, creativity and love that people put into their letters and onesies I think that a bit of a fashion show is in order!

One Month Old

Letter and year of the snake 1 onesie by Anna (aka The Sugar Fairy).

Kio had already outgrown the newborn size onesies while he was still a newborn! So for the first few months he went with the 'draped-look'.

Two Months Old

Letter and transportation inspired 2 onesie by Donna.

Love those squishy thighs!

Three Months Old

Letter by daddy and classic stitched 3 onesie by Anna.

Look at that pudgy baby, love it!

Four Months Old

Letter and yacht party (cocktails and all) 4 onesie by Jane.

 I think that Kio looks more like the little boy that he is today in this picture.
 AND he's finally able to model his onesie...barely.

Five Months Old
Letter and star burst 5 onesie by auntie Miki.

 As you may notice, this is not a onesie photo. We were in Canada when Kio turned five months old and I had totally planned to bring it with us but, in the whirlwind of last minute packing, I forgot. This picture was taken the first time Kio went swimming in the week of his five month birthday and is too funny not to show one more time.

Six Months Old
Letter by Mel (in Australia) and sweet 6 cupcake onesie by Anna.

Look at that hair!


Seven Months Old
Letter and panda with hand-drawn accents 7 onesie by cousin Sara.

The first onesie shot with Kio sitting on his own.

Eight Months Old
Letter and groovy 8 onesie by Midori.

Mugging for the camera and showing off his first haircut courtesy of mommy.
Note that the onesie is not fastened at the bottom - he grew out of them again.

Nine Months Old
Letter and lightening bolt robot onesie by Autumn.

 Unfortunately, Autumn had a job interview on the day of my shower but that didn't stop her from sending along this fabulous little number!

Ten Months Old
Letter and onesie from the panda collection by grandma Hirano.

By this point Kio had become a wiggly little worm, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to get a photo of him that did the onesie justice.

Eleven Months Old
Letter and glam bike 11 onesie inspiration from Becca (in England), onesie design carried out by Anna.

 Kio was instantly enthralled by the sequins on this onesie and did his best to pick them off.

Twelve Months Old!
Letter and crayon coloured 12 onseie by Mommy.

Wowza! Look at that belly (and boobs)!

Wait for it...

Any moment now...

Obviously someone was far more interested in stealing my phone than having his picture taken.

With a tickle and a kiss!

Here he is!

And yes, he needs another haircut.

At twelve months Kio is a going concern. He is into everything! He is cruising around the furniture and climbing as high as he can go, earning the moniker Danger Baby. He has dropped his crazy high leg march and I believe that any day now he'll be off and running - well walking anyway.

Onesie number twelve brings us to the end of an era. Each month as I dressed Kio in his one-of-a-kind creation, I stopped to write about the new things that he had been doing and how much he had grown. It is so cool to have a record of it that I can look back on when he is older, and if he chooses, he can check it out too. The thing is, I'd like to continue the updates but, without something motivating me, I think that they may fall by the wayside. As such, I've decided to begin Project Quilt.

At the end of my shower, Anna offered to make me a quilt featuring Kio's onesies. The idea has stuck with me, but rather than pawn the work off on Anna (who is frantically packing up her family for a move to the US), I've decided to take on the task myself.

Of course I could take the easy way out and use my sewing machine. But my grandmother - a prize winning quilter, would turn over in her grave. With no quilting experience to fall back on, I figure that a year to complete the project is realistic...? Hopefully making it a present for Kio's second birthday. So there's my motivation to check-in monthly with an update on both the progress of my quilt and how The Bean is continuing to sprout!