i have yet to get past “easy” mode on our camera (partially due to the fact that all menus are in japanese) and have never edited video footage in my life but who cares – no better time to start than now! (don’t expect much – the point here isn’t art – it’s that she’s CUTE!)
enjoy!
if your computer isn’t able to load it smoothly, try a lower quality version here.
last night we tried the tummy tub! developed in the netherlands and passed along to us by a dutch friend, karolien (thank you!) – it looks like a clear bucket but has design features that make it much safer and more comfortable than trying it with your own diy bucket.
the theory is that the baby will feel the comfort of being in the womb inside this warm, small, wet space. when we put bijou in she wiggled around a lot and cried a bit and i thought maybe it wasn’t for her but within a minute she calmed down and was even smiling! it relaxed her so much she ended up pooping in it! hope that won’t be a habit but we’ll definitely try it again!
yesterday was a big day!
we went to the clinic for my post-release 1 week check-up and other than my belly button healing a bit strangely, all looks good! i’ve grown to 2,500 grams in 2 weeks! that’s 200 grams in 1 week (i was 2,306g when released from the hospital) on breastmilk only! you can imagine how tired and sore my mommy is… (more…)
who would have thought the first day home could be so exciting!?!
we left the clinic in the morning but by late afternoon my scar was really painful – burning and stinging and it seemed red and swollen in just one spot. nervous, i called the clinic and they told me to head back in for a check. we got everything together to go out with our new baby but when we got to the car, we couldn’t get the car seat to fasten over her diaper without a lot of pressing and couldn’t figure out how to loosen it.
the dr. was waiting for me so we decided it wouldn’t take long so i would just run up and isseki would stay with the baby. no problem.
it doesn’t take too long and i head back nervous bjiou has been hungry and crying the whole time. the door is locked. eh!?! he took her out?
ok. no problem. i open the door… (more…)
i’m glad i had bijou in japan…don’t get me wrong, i am sure there are wonderful clinics and birthing centers all over the US but i wonder if they would be covered by insurance, etc. yes, it wasn’t cheap here either, but the 7 night stay (including the night of the birth – arrived 11pm) after a cesarean trumps what i hear the is usually only 2-3 night in the US and the food was amazing!
what could i possibly be doing all that time?
(more…)
this is our story – it is a must read for any pregnant women also!
we’ve had quite a weekend here! we were thinking we still had a couple weeks or more until meeting our little one but were proved wrong friday.
it was a good day – i was feeling energetic and walked 1 hour in the morning then did 1 hour of yoga in the afternoon. isseki had a show that night so we were enjoying dinner together before the show when suddenly i had some flashing lights/blurred vision only in the right corner of my right eye. i felt fine otherwise but get nervous as usual so we called the clinic and were told that without any other symptoms it was probably nothing related to the pregnancy and headed to the show.
after the first band i thought i wanted to sit down but all of a sudden my pants felt so tight and uncomfortable and i started feeling a lot of pressure low in my abdomen/pelvis. at first i thought i just needed to go to the toilet but started feeling worse so decided to leave (around 9pm) before isseki’s band and head home. there i tried going to the bathroom again, sitting in a hot bath, and lying down but nothing relieved the constant pressure/pain. i had been waiting for her to move all this time also to reassure me that everything was okay but no such luck. (more…)
