It was a Monday, yet a holiday in Japan. Hubs had to work however and couldn’t accompany me and the baby around. Albeit we met for a few minutes near the office.
When he came home, I had a gift to open. Said he missed me so he came home earlier than planned. With a gift. A gift that was so timely I used it the whole week. And probably for quite a while, as long as Yui is still a babe.
Thankful. Happy.
We wanted to go to some park after church so we decided to walk from the church to Yamashita Park. There were a lot of stopovers along Motomachi (including a store for kids/babies that sells fashionable and affordable clothes – a shop to take note of and to go to when it’s sale season. Yes, we just window shopped haha. I guess most moms wait for sale season?). When we finally reached Yamashita Park, we were surprised of the crowd and the booths. And people wearing their national costumes. It was only then that we learned about the World Fiesta Yokohama, an event showcasing the culture of countries around the world. There were local foods (we just salivated at the aroma. We couldn’t buy because the queue in all booths were long!!), ethnic music, and dance performances (we didn’t hang around the stage so we couldn’t see the dances though we did hear the music), as well as folk crafts (very interesting!).
This little girl was making beautiful music from this wooden instrument (I couldn’t catch the name!) so much so that the shop owner decided to accompany her. Beautiful music.
Our loot from this Balinese shop – den den daiko. It’s japanese-y yes but the art is definitely not.
Yui was sleeping when we bought this. So when we gave her this after she woke up, she just wouldn’t part with it and enjoyed hearing the sound she’s creating.
And so she was creating music while she stared at the sea, looked at the birds and people/dog-watched.
It was so hot (very unusual for mid October!) but we weren’t able to bring her hat (and no sunblock too! oh dear) so we used her Peter Rabbit towel to protect her from the heat. It reminded us of Red Riding Hood and milk maids haha!
Food food!
For Czech Republic, it was dolls of course. Wanted to buy this caterpillar wooden toy but it was just so expensive at 2500yen!
There were so many countries around, from Asia to Europe, from Ecuador to Nepal to Peru to USA to Egypt. But we didn’t see a Philippine booth. Probably because the Filipino community just recently held Barrio Fiesta also in Yamashita park.
We stayed in the quieter part of the park for a while, sitting on the bench, the dad sleeping, the mom and baby people/sea/bird/dog-watching. Stayed there until Yui cried out of boredom and so we have to go.
On we walked through Nihon Odori and chanced upon a band playing jazz music. The baby was delighted, the mom and dad agreeing saxophone is just so sexy.
We also saw some Yokohama mascots walking about and took the chance to have some photos with them. We’re not sure if the baby liked them haha.
Oh. One really remarkable thing. As it was a festival, of course it was held mostly on the street and the park. Away from malls, away from institutions. When we came by the Yokohama Stadium, one of the booths that was set up was one dedicated for nursing moms and for changing diapers. Wow, so typically Japanese, very thoughtful.
We had quite a walk, from 12 to 6. So now all three are hanging their feet up, the baby copying the dad and mom.
Thankful for family days and festivals! 🙂
Recently, with three new teeth making their way out Yui’s gums, Yui has been restless in her sleep. There were nights that I could only appease her if I lay her down really close to me, using my forearm and shoulder as her pillow and after which I’d ease her out my arm and we’d share my pillow. She got used to this that there were times she would just suddenly get up from her crib (attached right next to my side of the bed) and slide down my bed to snuggle against me. And this she does without even a teeny weeny cry. Baby version of sleep walking – sleep crawling.
This evening, after giving her her bottle of milk (up to now, I still give her her milk by holding her against me as I did ever since she was a newborn. Since I started giving her solids for breakfast, she can only drink her milk from the bottle twice a day – once at daycare at the other before bedtime. So these evening snuggles I really treasure) and putting her to sleep in her crib, I resumed with my housework. After I was done with chores and with preparing myself to bed, I went to bed – and stopped in my tracks when I found Yui’s crib empty. I felt like my heart stopped beating and jumped out my body leaving my body numb and cold. “WHERE’S MY BABY??!!!” was the sudden cry inside me, slowly mounting in volume, almost about to burst out my mouth. And then I saw her in the dim light, sprawled in the middle of my bed. She must have been looking for me.
All those fearful feelings just passed by in a split second yet it made me realise the extent of my reaction should it take me longer than a second to look for my missing child, God forbid.
I’m starting to get worried she’ll develop this sleep walking habit, a habit that started because she just wanted to be beside me, a habit that’s totally scary considering the possible consequences especially when she’ll already have her own room, a habit that that has got to stop. I’m dearly hoping this would only be when she’s teething. Please?
This photo posted in Yui’s classroom billboard was taken during their twice-a-year dental check last week. She cried, yes hehe.
and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…
Even when somehow the tone of the rest of the song is sad, I just love this line. And I think of the many dreams I dared to dream which really came true…
My close friends have tagged me a hopeless romantic when we were much younger. I usually keep to myself the dreams I truly hold dear. But there are times that bubbles of those secret dreams surface and I share it with friends. And there are also times when my closest friends and I would have a “dream session”, sessions wherein we share those cherished dreams.
There’s this one dream. A dream that there’d come a day when I wake up and look straight into the eyes of the one I love (who loves me as dearly!) who has lovingly watched me while I was asleep.
I shared this with friends (who reminded me i was such a hopeless romantic) and then I grew up; almost forgetting about the dream; almost convinced I wouldn’t meet my one true north.
And then I met Hubs. And then one morning, I just woke up with his face close to mine, face alit with love for me, watching me sleep. Only, I gave a tiny shriek – so surprised to see someone looking at me really close so early in the morning. Haha! And then I remembered I wished for it. So I settled back with a big smile on my face. And even when my face got bloated with pregnancy (when my confidence with my appearance got thinner as I got fatter), Hubs still does that thing that I wished for many years ago. There were mornings when I’d wake up with a (love) note right beside my head, suggesting to me Hubs was staring at me while I was sleeping.
God is good. And God has better plans than what you had in mind.
Now that I sleep facing my left (hubs is on my right whilst Yui is on my left), it is our daughter’s face that I wake up to in the mornings. There were mornings that her face is just inches from mine, softly cooing, careful in her own way to not wake me up. Face that’s sometimes full of curiosity, with a ready smile the moment she sees me awake.
I dreamt and prayed for one. It was granted. With an added great bonus. This little one who seems to think the best place in the world is right beside Mom. When we enter her room in the daycare, Yui has a big smile for everyone that you could almost see her hand waving, beauty queen style. Teachers told me how charming and friendly and active Yui is at daycare – I could see samples of this whenever I drop and pick her up at daycare. But after a day of learning and making friends and playing, rather than play with her toys and leaf through her books, she would urge me to just lie down and cuddle and talk (blabber) or tickle and hug and kiss. Yui’s head teacher told me Yui is the most energetic and active in her class (even when she’s the youngest!). Yet this energetic and active little lady is content (and requests so!) to just lie down and cuddle with Mommy at the end of the day while we wait for Daddy to come home.
God is good and we are really thankful.
Yui on one of our cuddle up times. Love.
Wait, Mommy, I’ll fix my glasses first.
Okay, I’m ready for photoshoot! 🙂
