comfortable time after being nervous

For the first time I took my baby son to the doctor to get vaccinated for thepneumococcus.
My heart was pounding and I was sweating a lot.
When I get a shot, I can’t see the needle inserting into my arm.
But this time I watched it because I’m mother of him.
He didn’t cry when the needle inserted into his arm. But when he was injected the medicine,
he started to cry. I was gonna cry, too.
I said “ good boy!” to him.
Leaving the hospital and started to walk home, he fell asleep.
I didn’t get a shot and of course I didn’t stand the pain of it but I had break at Tully’s.
I was relaxed with coffee at Tullys’s where has a calm vibe with jazz music.
After a while my baby son waked up.
I borrowed two picture books at the library. So I read a book entitled “ Curious Geroge “
to him there.
I used to read it when I was a child, too.
I don’t have chances to speak English these days.
So it’s good for me to read English aloud. Oh, it’s “ killing two birds with one stone.”
I watch an English educational TV program for kids with him.
Listening to English since he is a kid is good for him?
I don’t have plans to let him learn English but I want him to get used to listening to English
from TV or something!

I was lucky I was fine and I had delish dinner

　

There was a terribly strong typhoon today!
To be honest, I was lucky I’m having a matanity leave now.
I went shopping to the grocery store holding my baby boy in the morning when the rain
wasn’t storng yet.
After getting home I played him a lot and saw his face when he slept in my arms.
And then I sometimes saw the strong rain and winds outsides the window.
If I didn’t need the rain is included the radio active materials, I wanted him to feel
the rain in the rain.
He can understand words. So I explain various things to him.
For instance today I told him about typhoon. And when we saw the harvest moon
few days ago, I told him about it while seeint the beautiful moon.
I talk with the little baby. So sometimes people see me strangely. Ahahaha!
This picture is dinner that I made last night.
These days I text a friend from college each other and we ask each other about dinner
that we make at the night.
This is rolled mixed minced chicken, some vegetables and some seasoning with fried Tofu.
It was very delish! I love it!

Sometimes people pull to each other

Yesterday I texted a friend who used to work at the same company after a few year.
She was at the other division and I didn’t work with her. But I started to communicate with her since we found out that we lived close to each other and she already quit her job. She replied me and said “ What a coincidence! I’ve been thiking how Aya is doing, too.”
Oh, it’s a funny coincidence!
We have a lot of thing that we wanna talk about. So we have plans she is coming over to my house.
When I checked my email today, I got an email from a man who used to be the general manager.
It’s a coincidence! I was about to email him today.
Sometimes people pull to each other.
We might feel vibes or our senses might work.
Anyway when it happens, we’re pleased!
By the way I took this picture in Saipan last July.
When I’ve been there, I didn’t imagine I’d become a mother next year.
I’m imagining how I am next July.

I wanna get nutrition from vege that I can get.

　

After the nuclear accident in Fukushima I avoid eating vegetables from the north of Japan
and around Tokyo as possible as I can.
I don’t care my health but I don’t want my baby boy to suffers from cancer when he grows up
and enjoys living in his teens.
The radioactive materials from the nuclear accident in Fukushima was as much as several tens
atomic bomb and they fell on the ground in Tokyo and around here.
So I choose vegetables from Hokkaido, the south of Japan and other countries.
I can’t help it if I can’t get vegetables that I want because there aren’t the vegetables
from the safe area. I wanna get nutrition from vegetables that I can get.
Recently I get carrots from Hokkaido and eat them often.
I make Korean marinated carrots, salad with Tuna and carrots glace from it.
You know, I wanna enjoy eating food when the problems of the nuclear hasn’t solved.

the more, the merrier!

On the 49th day of my baby’s birth my sister’s family got back to hometown when They were during the summer vacation.
We spent exciting time on the weekend after a few month.
They said “ He’s becoming much bigger!” about my baby son,
It was a really muggy day but at night there was a nice wind. So we were able to spend time safe and sound even at the room where weren’t any air conditionings.
Thinking of it, we’ve been worried what we should do if the electricity went out this summer.
It was good to be able to spend time safe and sound in summer.
Probably many Japanese people think we can live without the nuclear plants.
Putting that aside, I had my shoulders and back massaged also pulled my neck by my sister on the day. It felt really good and my body got well even though it had been hurt.
Thanks to sister!
On the 50th day of my baby’s birth there is a lot of window in my parents’ house.
That’s why the wind feels so good also the living room gets a lot of sunshine.
So my baby son sleeps comfortably and he looks like he feels nice.
He hardly waked up in the middle of the night and I didn’t need breastfeeding.
So when I pumped my breast milk, I was surprised to get 100ml milk at least.
My baby son was talking a lot on the day. Probably he enjoyed spending time with his cousin and uncle.
In addition when my sister was singing, he was singing with her.
It was a wonderful weekend.
The more, the merrier!
We’ll get a lot of fun thing from now on!
By the way this picture is my baby son and I. We were playing in the hanged laundry.

sweet juice for breast feeding

At hot dusk in the summer vacation
I was getting sleepy when I watched a game of high school baseball tournament
The top of the eighth inning almost finished
I asked my sister to wake me up when the top of the ninth started
And I closed my eyes for a while
When I waked up, my sister was singing to my baby son
And he was singing “ elluAUuuau---“ with her
I said “ How’s the game of high school baseball tournament? “ to her
She told me I didn’t wake up at all when she waked me up.
She gave me a glass of juice saying “ This is a juice for breastfeeding!”
It was a little bit sweet banana juice
She made this simple juice from milk with crushed banana
It was very delish and sweet juice for breastfeeding.
I wanna drink it again and tried to make it!

mother's special privilege

The thing that I’ve been wanting to do is going to Tully’s and drinking rich and strong coffee.
The day before yesterday I was able to do it after going shopping with my husband.
But my baby son was starting to cry there. I was sure there wasn’t the nursing room.
I totally didn’t know it even though I live here for many years. Actually there was it on the second floor at the grocery store where I go to.
Tully’s coffee that I’ve drunk since a few months was great!
I ordered a plate of desert, too!
There is a lot of thing that I can’t do it since my baby son’s birth.
But there are many customs that got better because I have a baby son.
I don’t sleep in until over at 10 in the morning on weekends. Now I get up around 6 and have breakfast. In addition I go to bed at 9 or 10 at night. It’s a very good lifestyle.
And now it’s very hot but I take a bath not a shower everyday and I hardly don’t watch TV.
I can’t go out by myself.
Because I’m mother not father. Yes, it’s the thing that is hard.
But you can say it’s mother's special privilege.
Mother can feel that her baby’s existence in her womb and she can experience the pain and happiness when the baby comes out from her body. Also she can be breastfeeding to her baby.
I wanna enjoy doing mother’s job!

tears running....

On the seventeenth day of my baby’s birth I couldn’t stop my tear running because of losing hormone balance after giving a birth.
My baby started to cry terribly from in the middle of the night more than he cried.
He cried strongly in the middle of the night. So I couldn’t sleep well and my mother worried us and got up many times.
He cried terribly in the afternoon also in the evening.
I didn’t know what should I do and I tore many times because I was worried if he became sick. My mother said “ Every mother cry with their babies. Everybody becomes mother doing
that. “ to me.
When my mother went shopping for dinner, I took a nap with my son. Then I waked up and looked for my sister and her son. I thought they were going shopping with mother automatically. And then I realized they got home and I missed them and cried.
I called my sister. Then I cried again.
When my mother came home, she realized and said “ Were you crying? “ to me.
And she said “ you’re lucky your sister got back when you had a baby! And you might not have a chance to spend such a long time together, right? “to me smiling.
By the way this picture is my son being bottlefed from my mother.

brother!

Having gotten a knack for breastfeeding, my baby drank breast milk well on the fifth day of his birth.
My breast didn’t’ hurt even though I didn’t use the breast pump.
Then, I was gonna give my baby a bath for the first time.
I learned how to do it at the hospital but I couldn’t understand it well.
But I was OK. Because my sister came to my mother’s house after me having a baby and she was able to teach me the way she does it.
I was able to do it while learning how to do it from my sister.
After taking a bath I bottlefed him. He fell asleep comfortably.
At the night I didn’t realize when he started to cry at 11:30 at night for a while.
I didn’t feel tiredness but I was tired. I thought I would take a nap tomorrow.
And I put my baby on the side of me on the Futon bed.
By the way this picture is my baby and nephew.
My nephew knows baby is weak and has to take care of him by instinct.
He looked like he wanted to touch the baby but he didn’t know the way he treats it.
After few days he tried to touch the baby bit by bit.
He’s gonna become a brother for my baby.

he always looks cool and calm. that's funny!

On the third day after having my baby I used the breast pump because a midwife told me to
use it. And I got much milk more than I imagined.
I heard it already but the milk looked pale milky yellow.
I made powdered milk also and he couldn’t wait for the milk and cried strongly four times
for the first time.
The loud cry came as a surprise to me!
I thought he got angry with it and it rushed me.
He looks calm and cool.
When he even poops, he keeps cool and calm like nothing happened.
It’s very funny and I like that!

I feel that it was a long time ago.

About one month almost passed after having a baby.
I supposed to be with my baby at the same room on the following day of giving birth.
It was the first day when I spent time with my baby.
At the first night he didn’t stop to cry and I was wondering what to do and went to the
nurse station to get some advice.
Thinking back now, it was a long sleep.
He slept from at 3 to 6 in the morning. So I was able to sleep for 3 hours in a row.
But I was sleepy and talked with other mothers about it on the following morning.
I feel that it was a long time ago.

labor pain??? no way!

Today I was gonna try to walk. The frozen drink was ready and anytime I was able to go.
But I was feeling different from usual days.
I was feeling like something that I had ever experienced.
The baby was going down and my tummy stretched too much.
And everytime I stepped, the baby went down something like that.
My tummy hurt a little.
I was just guessing was it labor pain?
No way!
Today the temperature reached 39 degrees in Kumagaya where is near Tokyo.
I left home and went to the park around at 3:30 with 3 rice balls and a frozen plastic bottled
tea and a not frozen plastic bottled tea.
But my tummy sometimes hurt. So I came back and went to the park near my house.
Because it takes an hour to go to the park where I went yesterday.
I got to the park but my tummy still hurt once a while. So I got home.
Tiding up the rooms a little bit, doing laundry and I prepared for going to the hospital.
They say “Forewarned is forearmed.”.
Yesterday I said “ I’m working for delivering you. So why don’t we work for it together!” to
my baby.. So he might start to come out.
What a good boy!
Anyway my time of pregnancy is almost over.
Thanks to everyone. It was fabulous time that I had never experienced.
Now I just ate two macarons that my colleagues got to me and kept in the fridge.
Because if I was in the hospital, I couldn’t eat them for a while.

taking a walk at the park in the next town

I got a check up for the baby yesterday. The doctor who was strict was his first time to exam me and I was warned various things.
He might tell it up to me. But his words made me scary.
My baby is coming out soon. So I decided to walk for 3 hours a day.
The first day, today, I decided to go to the park in the next town.
I walked from my house there for an hour, walked in the park for an hour and walked to my house for an hour.
I left home before 11 in the morning. So I got hungry when I got to the park.
I brought three rice balls that we call “ Onigiri “.
I cooked rice with the pressure cooker in the morning and put sea weeds called Kombu that was simmered in soy sauce in the rice and wrapped it with sea weed called Nori.
The rice balls were really delish.
I sweated a lot. That’s why the salt of the sea weed was definitely the thing that I wanted.
Many people got sunpoisoning already.
So I walked in the jogging road while drinking enough water and was careful not to be too much hot.
The sound of birds singing and of leaves swinging felt so comfortable. So I didn’t need to listen to the music.
Sometimes I rubbed my tummy and said “ Mom is working for delivering you. So you try to work for it. “ to my baby.
Anyway it was too much hot in the park around at noon. I felt my temperature going up.
So I took some break while reading a book at the lobby in the public hall where I found by coincidence. And then I got home.
I left home before 11 in the morning and go home over at 4 in the afternoon.
I was tired but it felt very good. I was able to finish today comfortable.
So I’ll go to the park tomorrow again!

Super Cool Biz

My husband’s company started to do “ Super Cool Biz “.
It means co-workers can work wearing an aloha shirt and chino pants not a business suit.
But nobody hasn’t done that yet.
Because they can’t visit their customers wearing that.
We have to save the electricity this summer. It’s our first priority!
So why don’t all companies start to do “ Super Cool Biz “!
I changed the tablecloth on the table for summer.
I got this cloth in New Caledonia.
I enjoy feeling like summer before summer!

world heritage, Shirakawago

I went to Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa and stayed in Toyama thing in the last half of the holiday in May.
By coincidence I went to Toyama in the same holiday last year.
My husband told me that he wanted to go to eat fresh fish that took from near the fishing port called Himi.
I was satisfied to eat fresh fish when I went traveling with my family in the beginning of the holiday. So it was not that I wanted to eat it but we ended up going to the restaurant to be able to eat it.
There were men who were in the same generation as us and enjoyed drinking around there.
I guess they went to the same school.
I was surprised when I heard their conversations.
Because one of them talked about the same area as I live.
I found out he lives there and he got back there because of the holiday.
In the following day we left for Shirakawago where I really wanted to go.
Taking a walk around the town, and we got on the train.
It was crowded because of the holiday and I saw few foreigners.
We took the bus after the train for few hours. And then finally we got there.
The scenery from the high hill looked like a diorama.
Shiwakawago was a very small town more than I imagined.
There were people who live there. It means the town was not the town for the tourists.
But it was organized for the tourist.
Clean much water was running in the canal and it was like time passed slowly there.
Local children played in the unwatered rice fields.
It was looked like the scenery of 30 years ago.
There were few accommodations there but we couldn’t book there.
So we took the bus for a half hour and got to a B&B where we were able to soak in the hot spring.
There were small bathtubs like for family use and the rooms where you can hear the voice from next rooms.
The B&B was very small and meals that were served there were very simple.

one of Japan's three most beautiful gardens called Kenrokuen

I wanna talk about the thing in the last half of the holiday in May.
We, Japanese, have a week holiday on the beginning of May. It would be boring if you stayed home all days.
I was 8 months pregnant. So I couldn't get on the plane and I’m a short on physical strength.
That's why I couldn't go traveling far away.
We go traveling to the north of Japan often. But that’s too bad I should avoid going there.
And I came up with going to the middle of Japan. It’s Hokuriku and Shirakawago in Gifu.
I had been thinking I wanna go there when I saw pictures that Kay took there.
But it was hard to book accommodations and trains on the day before our date of departure.
Every accommodation was fully booked. And then my husband found them for a half day.
We took high-class seats of two trains. So it was very comfortable and we were able to sleep
there. We didn’t have any plans. So we decided to go to a famous beautiful Japanese garden called Kenrokuen.
It was already over when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. But it looked very shinning in the garden in the season when the fresh greens come out.
The season when the leaves turn red or yellow is good but in the spring when various lives come out I feel like getting energies from them.
My SONY camera that my husband got for my birthday is small as a digital single-lens reflex camera. But it’s very good. So when we go to the beautiful places, my husband and I compete to take good pictures by it.
The garden was larger than I imagined and I got tired easily because my bump became bigger every single day. So I walked while being out of breath and rubbing my bump.
I heard snow covered the garden is much more beautiful but it looked very beautiful.

going over being at work

Last Thursday it was the last day before my maternity leave.
Going to work after about two weeks it was a hassle actually.
I was a little bit anxious to keep standing on the train with my bump much bigger than before.
After getting pregnant I left home before 7 in the morning everyday.
8 months flied and I can’t believe I’m becoming mother after a month.
When I had a morning sickness it was hard to go to work.
When you get pregnant, you get sleepy. So I got sleepy strongly often and I got home around at 8 and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow around at 9.
And I didn’t vomit but I felt sick always. Especially when I was so hungry, it was getting worse.
So I brought a bite size of apples in a tapper wear to work.
You know you call it morning sickness but I felt sick after work worse than in the morning.
So it was hard time to got on the train after work.
I hadn’t had a big bump. Even I put a key holder of expecting mothers on my bag, I hardly took a seat also most people didn’t give me their seat.
When I got to the grocery store near my house, I sometimes wanted to sit on the floor because of feeling sick terribly.
In January I was 3 months pregnant. And I was thinking I was gonna feel sick until my baby coming out. But the morning sickness was gone without knowing in the middle of February.
My task at work was not decreasing. Instead, I was getting busy much more than before.
It was hard to work after getting pregnant. So I was glad when I started to take paid holidays two weeks ago.
And I was really happy and I enjoyed spending time after becoming a full time wife.
Because my house kept clean and I was able to do various things that I couldn’t do it after working.
So I had been thinking I couldn’t go ba ck to work anymore.
But going to work after a while, I was gonna miss being at work and it was not bad to keep working, I thought.
Every single day I have to go to work even if I’m not in the mood to go to work and sometimes
I have difficult tasks. In addition I have to study and I’m under the pressure because my boss wants me to do high level tasks more than when I was 20.
But it’s worth to do them.
You have to communicate with people who you don’t like at work. If you’re a full time house wife, you don’t need to do though.
But that’s why you can meet various attractive people and you can become friends with them because you work at the company.
You get money because you work hard. Getting paid is not easy.
But it’s worth to do it.
I go back to work after the maternity leave. So I don’t have to forget it.
And I wanna enjoy spending time as a fulltime house wife.
By the way I took this picture in Toyama last year.

Salad* of onion, Mizuna and Tomato

My father-in-law sent us various vegetables that he grows at his garden.
He lives in the south of Japan. It means he lives in the safe area.
Recently I haven’t eaten spinach. This time he sent us them and other good vegetables.
So I was able to eat much good salad after a long time!

these happy days

my maternity leave started.
Yesterday it was my second day being a full time housewife that is addictive.
I wake my husband up, made dinner and had it together.
Then I saw my husband out and I was relaxed while watching TV.
And then I took food on the trays in the fridge and washed the trays.
I wanna clean each place in my house in turns everyday.
I’ve wanted to do that!
Small things make me joyful and happy.
And yesterday I went to see the doctor to check my baby.
I was worried because my baby was in breech position but my baby turned around in this
two weeks and he is head down now.
I’m relieved. My baby is a very good boy. Thanks to my baby!
Many people say “ You must be looking forward to seeing your baby. Your baby is almost
coming out. “ to me. But I’m gonna missing being pregnant more than looking forward to
seeing my baby.
Probably these 8 months was the happiest time in my life.
Pregnancy is much more wonderful experience than I imagined and I didn’t feel maternity blue.
I watch news about young couples kill or abuse their babies on TV many times.
Why I was able to feel that is that I’m not in my twenties and that’s why I was able to feel that
and have space in my mind. I thought of that when my friend called me last night.
Each person has the best timing. My best timing is now probably.
The storks with batons that left from me are almost to my best friends.
I wanna say “The storks are working on it. So why don’t you keep at it. “ to them.
By the way this picture is a picture that my husband took in Toyama.

a wonderful trip

The establishment where we stayed this time was a little bit expensive.
At the entrance much stuff waited for us, and they bowed all together.
This establishment was large and courtyard was beautiful.
We were able to stay at two big joinable rooms.
My nephew called U-chan was more than delighted to crawl in the large Japanese styled room more than usual.
My husband got used to take care of our nephew.
So he lifted up him when he moved to the dangerous place and he took him to various places to lift him up.
There was each small garden at the each small open air bath room.
We chose cypress bath and I soaked in it with my mother, sister and nephew.
My nephew called U-chan watched my big bump. So I said “ A boy like your brother is here. “
to him. Then he looked like understanding it and pointed himself and my sister’s stomach.
Probably he wanted to say “ I was here. “ to me.
I can’t soak in the bathtub for a long time. So I finished taking a bath soon.
At the end of the brilliant sunny day we had dinner at our room.
I wanted to drink after taking a bath but I made do with jasmine tea.
In addition I wanted to eat a ice cream but I didn’t eat it.
Evev so it was really wonderful time because I didn’t need care what to eat and I was able to enjoy going traveling with my family.
I don’t drink much tap water like I used to. So my water intake is decreasing more than before.
This time I left Tokyo and I drank water more than usual without knowing. So I waked up to go to the bathroom much more in the middle of the night.
It hasn’t been happening like that.