Category Archives: parenting

baby diaries: Happy half birthday baby

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Six months flew by so fast, anak. Seemed like it was only yesterday when I kissed your red lips for the first time in the operating room, right after the doctors took you out of Mommy’s tummy. Well, Mom would probably say that “seemed like only yesterday” a number of times from now.

But really, you grow so fast. Your Dad and I marvelled the week your hair finally grew back when the week before that you were still bald. You grow up so fast and of course your Mom and Dad are happy and relieved.

Today, we had your half birthday photoshoot. Dad and Mom are so proud and happy to see you laughing a lot with the photo shop crew. Just three months ago, it was to only me and your Dad that you laughed with. Your horizons are expanding.

And soon, it’ll expand even more. Soon, you’ll be going to daycare. Someone else other than Mom and Dad would be taking care of you. It gives my heart a twinge baby, a little sad even, knowing you’d probably establish a bond with your new caregiver, knowing she’ll witness some of your firsts. But your going to daycare is for your own good as well as for Mom’s own good.

You’ll get to learn early on about your Japanese heritage that has a culture so rich and varied which Mom wishes you will uphold and continue for your children and children’s children. If you would be with Mom at home, you would be missing a lot. That and more other reasons besides. Expand your horizons baby.

Mommy needs to take some time for herself too. And pursue her dreams while taking care of you and Daddy. So that Mom can be a better Mom. There’s this line in MomME Circle, a website celebrating purposeful moms, that sums up why Mom has to go back to work and what Mom yearns to teach you.

She works towards living a brilliant, thriving life because she wants to set a good example for her kids. She knows they are watching and this is what she wants them to learn: to believe in themselves, to know that dreams can come true, and to live purposeful, inspiring lives.

Your Dad is making a lot of effort as well, by the day, in becoming a better dad. Earlier at the Church, Dad, who was then carrying you was swaying and making some small dance steps so that you’d continue in your slumber. Yes there were lots of people around and behind him yet Dad didn’t mind them. This from your Dad who’s shy.

Mom and Dad are not perfect honey. Imperfect though we are, we love you so much and would do our best to give you everything that’s best for you.

Grow well Yui. And may you grow up with a kind heart and a confident spirit. That and many other well wishes besides.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Happy half Birthday!

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Yui’s first word?

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Yui usually is sunny the moment she wakes up, brandishing a smile the moment she has an eye contact with either me or her dad. But there are times, she’s also cranky. And so on those times, we hurry to her side, cradle her and calm her down.

This afternoon, she had that cranky bout. I rushed to her and carried her in my arms to soothe her back to sleep. The moment she was in my arms, she started to calm down but was still crying and was babbling.

Agoo. Yah. Uha. Gugu. MA. Yayay. Ah. Oh. Uha. MA. Aga. Uwa. Yoyo. Wa. Ya.

Ma. She said Ma. She said Ma!!! Yey! 🙂

Yui’s going to daycare!

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It has been a long and tiring day. But one that’s definitely filled with blessings, (mis)adventures and laughter.

The first and biggest blessing for the day? We received our most awaited mail these days – the letter from the ward office informing us of the results of our daycare application.

Our application got accepted! And to our top choice at that (nearest daycare from our house; we applied for three centres) and one that’s a montessori! Yey! I thought montessoris here in Japan are only restricted to (super expensive) private schools. Apparently no. And our daughter is going to one. Yey! And it’s a branch that is newly built at that hence all facilities are new! Yey! And because Yui can go to daycare, I can go back to work. Yey!!

Thankful. And as hubs has been saying, like a miracle. See, we missed the first deadline of applications (by just a day!!) and so belonged to the second batch of applicants. Thinking the first batch will be prioritised, we were afraid we wouldn’t have a slot anymore and would have to resort to sub-accredited day cares or (shiver, because it’s so expensive!!!) private non-government supported day care. I don’t want to put Yui on a sub accredited day care but we also can’t afford a private one (2 million yen per year for tuition alone!!). So our best recourse while waiting – praying. It was an answered prayer indeed. 🙂

And oh. This one gave us goosebumps. Usual first day of all schools here in Japan including daycares is April 1. However, since the daycare we applied for is new, it will have a different start date. Yui’s first day of school is on April 30. This day has been special to Atsushi and me before in that we decided to have our wedding day on this day. And now Yui is starting school on April 30. Very nice. 🙂

a messy bath

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Ever since Yui turned 2 months, when she was already too heavy for me to singlehandedly hold her in her baby tub yet still too small for those bath chairs, we had her have a bath with her Dad. We have a system going. Daddy takes a shower, goes into the tub and holds Yui while Mommy soaps and rinses the baby. Because of the cold months, we dress Yui’s first layer in the bathroom before I whisk her off to the bedroom to continue dressing Yui up. We had this system going smoothly since then.

Now, one thing I’m really happy and proud of is that Yui poops almost like clockwork. And because I know the very day she will poop, I just watch out for her soon-to-poop facial expression. The moment I see it, I put her down, ease her out from her diaper, raise her legs and then she does her thing. Not messy at all. She sometimes even “sing” while she does her thing. The only time before that she had a messy episode was when we were about to go out to see her paediatrician. Suffice it to say we were late for that appointment.

Today was supposedly Yui’s poop day but we were out for most of the day so she didn’t have her moment. Bath time came and we were happily cooing to Yui about the day’s happenings.

And then she stretched her lips; that about-to-poop expression.

Our eyes got big as we thought of the possibility. And in that split second that we hesitated and was about to coax Yui to wait, she let out what she had been holding on for the whole day.

Hubs gave me Yui and got out the tub like he has been scalded. Problem was that we were in the midst of soaping Yui. Oh the chaos and panic that ensued thereafter. And the cleaning up that had to be done after. Thankfully Yui slept right after we dressed her up so we had the time to clean.

The excitement and cleaning after certainly made us very tired later on. But we also had a good laugh after everything got settled and got cleaned.

Life with a growing baby. It gets exciting by the day! 😀

first time on solids!

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The materials. Check.

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Her table wares. Check.

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The baby in her (oversized) cover-all bib. Check.

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Moirraine was more than ready to get started on solids. Everything that the book said were signs that your baby is ready (stable neck, able to sit, reduced drooling, increased appetite, keen interest in the food the adults partake, chewing motion, increase in weight) Moirraine had exhibited weeks ago. Hence when we finally introduced her first solids – rice cereal – this morning, Moirraine was almost like a pro. I readied myself for some head turning or a stubbornly closed mouth. We had an eager mouth instead. Yey!

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