hear the army

I think it’s useless to really participate in Christmas at home because it doesn’t really matter – my husband is at work anyway and we don’t really own many decorations (plus i’d have to find somewhere to put them if we did) – but then i feel all nostalgic (is that the word i want?) and end up listening to Christmas CDs all day long…

Ahhhhhh…Christmas. Also the time to recap the year and etch it firmly in my memory while catching up with all of those loved ones who I only seem to converse with a couple times a year. This year saw a lot of action – weddings, babies, travel, big family news, etc. – read on to get the full scoop and see a silly video! (expires 1/15/09 so watch while you can!)

The year of the Earth Rat rolled around again for the first time since my mother was born and she celebrated by getting married! I took a crazy 4 day trip to Rhode Island to see her wed for the first time since my parents divorced as well as visit with my relatives and, most importantly, my 94 year old grandmother. It was fast, furious and cold but well worth it! I miss my family in RI tons and it was wonderful to visit them all – I only wish I could get there more often.

A few days after I returned I found out I was pregnant! This news came with a lot of trepidation considering how 2007 went, but 3 must really be a charm because I sit here typing with our beautiful daughter nursing in my lap!

I continued working as the Project Manager for the Tech department at FBC – from April I trained someone to replace a coworker who just left and eventually take my position as he was much more qualified and I (hopefully) would be leaving for the baby. From about May I also helped with our Community Relations department as much as I could and prepped it for training a new employee also. A LOT of manual writing! Thankfully we hired some great people and I felt confident leaving it all to Carsten (tech) and Caroline (CR) when I started my maternity leave in the last week of August. I continued to consult from home and represented FBC at a couple of events before the birth but have been completely on leave since then.

Keeping me busy otherwise was my Board Position as Media Director for Foreign Executive Women Kansai – this year had a tumultous beginning with a new and miscast President so wasn’t as productie as last year but I learned a lot about dealing with different styles of management and how even the best resume and skill set is useless if a person is not a good match for the organization. I relinquished that position after 2.5 years in early July and have happily been enjoying the organization as just a member for the first time since I joined!

The other thing I took on this year was the goal of passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2 – I tried unsuccessfully in 2005 after taking some very intensive courses at the YWCA and hadn’t seriously studied since then. So, I hired a tutor to come to my house once a week which would force me to not only relearn what I had forgotten since then but memorize at least some of the 1,000 kanji i needed to know – not to mention the grammar, reading, and vocabulary. When the pregnancy was confirmed I went against everyone’s better judgment and said I would stick with the classes and register for the test in December. It turned out to not be the best timing – I found it very hard to concentrate on studying when I had a baby to prepare for but I did spend a lot of lessons learning the vocabulary of pregnancy and birth. If that test had just been on that vocabulary – I might have aced it! Even if I find I failed when I get the results in February, I still learned so much that I am okay with it.

Isseki’s company opened their third home for the elderly this year and he has been the main facilitator of everything from securing the financial backing to obtaining all of the necessary permits. He has really grown professionally this year and while I am so proud of him, I do miss him a lot in the evenings and on weekends now that he is doing the job of 3 people! I have his word it will cool down in the new year though so Bijou and I are looking forward to that. He continues to play and write music for his band, Hunting Pigeons, and hopefully they will release some songs they recorded late in the summer early next year.

And for the biggest news of all – the news you already know: our first child was born September 27, 2008! Our lives will be forever changed from this year forward with the addition of Bijou (美珠) – we are now a “family”. The pregnancy was relatively easy. The first three months I was exhausted and frightened to lose another pregnancy which led me to really do nothing but work, eat and sleep so I gained a lot of weight but the 2nd trimester was fantastic – I felt good and started exercising again. We even took a trip to Taiwan in June to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary! The travel agent was surprised and they wouldn’t give me coverage for any pregnancy related issues but I encourage any woman to travel during that time – it’s the last good chance you’ll get for at least another 6 months! The third trimester arrived with the hottest, most humid part of the year here and I blew up like a balloon. I could only find 2 pairs of shoes I could fit on my feet in my closet and all jewelry on my hands and wrists had to go. It was a bit miserable after that but I survived and no big problems until the evening she decided it was time to abandon ship – 2 weeks early! You can read all about that here.

Just 18 hours before Bijou arrived, Isseki’s first nephew, Rui (琉衣) came into the world! I can see joint birthday parties for years to come…

After that I got to see my mom AGAIN (i usually only get to see her once every 1.5 years so this is a big deal!) when she visited Japan for the first time in 3.5 years to help me ease into motherhood (or maybe it was just to relax with Bijou sleeping on her chest on my sofa…). The 2 weeks went too quickly but having your mother with you when you’ve just become a mother just makes the experience feel complete.

While she was visiting, the most amazing thing happened. Barak Obama was elected as the President of the United States of America. This marks the first time someone I voted for became President in the last 3 elections, but moreover, it was the first time an African American took that office!! Unfortunately he inherited a country in bad shape – the economy, foreign policy, healthcare, etc. – he has a huge mess to clean up BUT I am hopeful if anyone can make the best of it, he can. Congratulations America!

If the happiness and sweetness of a baby is any indication of how good the parents are, Isseki and I are doing a bang up job. The first month was hard and I wanted a chance to reconsider it all but after that the hormones subsided and I got used to my new (non) sleeping schedule and all of a sudden it was a lot more fun. Then she started smiling when I spoke to her or came into view – now everyday is even more of a delight and I know it will just get better from here!

The year comes to a close with some bittersweet news – my father’s Multiple Sclerosis has progressed to the point where he is no longer able to live alone and he has decided to leave California to be closer to family in Virginia. While it saddens me to no end that he has to give up his home and his autonomy, I know it will be good for him to be closer to my sister and to have the help he needs. I will also be able to see him almost every trip home now that he’s not a 6 hour flight away from the rest of my immediate family.

And that’s a wrap. We had an extraordinarily fortunate year in 2008 and mostly have you (those who love us and therefore suffer through my blog) to thank for it.

Many many great wishes this holiday season to all of you and wising 2009 will bring good health, happiness and good fortune to you and your loved ones!

A little holiday fun: