Incomplete, an act of kindness, Yui’s first solids preps

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Marjorie

Tonight and tomorrow night, Hubs is away for a stay-in workshop organised by the company, him being one of the lecturers. I’m happy for Hubs for this opportunity but I sorely miss him; this being the first night we’ve been away from each other ever since our church wedding two years ago let alone the first since Yui was born. Yui seemed to be out of sorts herself as well this evening. Not crying thankfully but more clingy than usual. Nighttime is actually her bonding time with Dad as I go about doing household chores. Funny how she finally settled for the night after hearing her dad on the phone when Hubs called to say goodnight. I am more tired as well since I have to take care of the baby AND do household chores; this after coming home carting a baby in my arms, a bulky baby bag on one shoulder and dragging a stroller/baby car on one hand (Mayumi carried the shopped goods thankfully). But still I’m real thankful because Yui at least wasn’t cranky this evening. In fact she was smiling a lot. So even when I was already very tired, I found myself still having the energy to do some household chores at 1:30am. Thanks to Yui’s help. The miracles of being a mom – you thought you’re tired already yet you still find yourself going and going and going. But really, aside from the lending arm that Hubs gives when he’s around, it definitely is lonely without Atsushi around. Two nights seem to be very long.

Yui is soon to start her solids already and I planned for today and tomorrow to buy the stuff necessary for the first few weeks at least. Been researching on giving baby solids for quite some time now and it’s finally time to actually buy the stuff for us to get started.

For today’s destination, we had to ride the JR train. Unfortunately however, the station we went to doesn’t have an elevator. We had Yui on a baby car and it’s really quite a feat to climb a long flight of stairs with a baby and a big bag albeit Mayumi will carry the folded stroller. The train master however kindly offered to carry Yui’s baby car and even offered that I put my big bag on the stroller for him to carry which of course I had to graciously refuse. When we got up to the platform, he didn’t leave us immediately the moment he set down the stroller. He waited till I was able to safely tuck Yui in in the stroller. Such a kind act. Thankful. Touched. Impressed.

The baby goods shopping was successful. Was really happy with these girly cover-all bibs; hello kitty and suzzy’s zoo being washable cloth type and the owl and flower design being easy to wipe plastic type. We’re ready for solids yey!

baby thermometer

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Marjorie

Yui has this very cute Snoopy thermometer.

It has a bendable tip for hyper kids.

But that’s the thing. It’s for kids. Kids who can be told or coaxed to stay put. Not for babies. Whenever I try to measure Yui’s temperature and put it on her underarm, she would squirm and fuss and try to taste the thermometer by moving her mouth against the thermometer. And one other thing, it often takes more than one minute – forever for babies – for the beep to be on, indicating that measuring is done. And oh, she’s wearing layers now because of the cold season so at times it’s quite a challenge to try and insert the tip in Yui’s armpit.

Hence we finally bought this thermometer that could take a baby’s temperature within 1 second.

Since you’ll be putting the nozzle on your baby’s ear, it may, after a couple or so of use become dirty. Hence nozzle covers are also included in the package.

If the nozzle cover runs out, you can buy a set of nozzle covers in Akachan Honpo or in drug stores.

As for the price, we bought the Snoopy one at ~¥1700 whilst Omron one is more than ¥3000.

For now, Snoopy will have to wait till Yui gets older or, us older people can use it. 😀

baby cabinet and baby bed

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Marjorie

Finally, our baby’s cabinet has been delivered! I so love the engraved mickey head.

It came already assembled but sans the mickey head handle. So while brother and sister (hubs and Mayumi) took care of assembling baby’s crib (baby’s crib is just right beside my side of the bed. Perfect arrangement),

I installed the mickey head handles. Voila! 🙂

Giggles on the mickey heads.

After roughly more than one hour of assembly, crib is all up and ready! 🙂

One thing I love with this type of crib is that one side can be lowered. So while sleeping, I can lower down the slide for easy access to baby.

No worries on baby falling because baby’s bed and my bed is jammed up tight (foam is askew in the photo hence the seeming gap).

Now we just have to wait for the futon that we’ve just ordered from Rakuten. Cutie isn’t it?

——-
I’m a very satisfied Rakuten customer actually.

The Mickey baby cabinet we bought at 29,800 yen is really reasonable considering the price of the cabinets we’ve previously purchased from our friendly neighbour furniture shop. You can also select the color of the cabinet (either black or white) and the mickey head handles (comes in white, semi-transparent, blue, pink, black, yellow and of course red). The best part is that it’s wooden and not plastic.

The 7-set futon is at 21,000yen compared to the 5-set futon sold in Keikyu mall at 39,800yen.

The Katoji baby crib we bought at Akachan Honpo at ~13,000yen, courtesy of Otosan. Arigatou Otosan. 🙂

Diaper talk: Combi’s Sangenic and garbage collection

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Marjorie

Garbage segregation is strictly implemented here in Japan. Every household has a copy of the daily garbage pickup schedule – what type of garbage gets picked up at certain days and at what time. And if you’re a delinquent and your combustible garbage is with PET bottles, trust that the garbage dudes definitely won’t pick it up.

The schedule differs with every area. in ours, burnables/decomposing garbage and plastic wrappers/cellophane/styro and similar stuff gets collected twice a week at Mondays and Fridays (albeit burnables should be in a different garbage bag as the plastics). PET bottles are on Tuesdays, big boxes and old magazines/books (should be neatly tied and bundled together) every second Saturday of the month, und so weiter. And oh, it’s required that you use see-through garbage bags, well, sometimes, it’s out of courtesy as well.

During winter, spring and fall, the decomposing garbage getting holed up inside your house is just fine. The cold ambient arrests the bacteria that would otherwise cause foul odour. It’s a different matter though during summer when it’s hot and decomposing garbage could fester fast. Thankfully, we don’t cook much nowadays, especially during the workweek so it’s not torture at all.

However, I can just imagine how used baby diapers would reek after four days of being held up in the garbage can. Or rather, I really don’t want to imagine at all.

Hence, I am convinced that this special diaper trash can made by Combi is really a boon for parents in properly disposing their baby’s poop.

The “contraption” is actually a bit complicated when we tried to check it out – Mayumi and Hubs had quite a good laugh about it as we explored how it is used. But basically, it uses a disk of partitioned cellophane. When you throw away the used diaper inside, the opened partitioned cellophane will “candy-wrap” the diaper as it goes to the bottom, leaving a newly opened cellophane gaping wide open to receive yet another used diaper.

Supposedly, the “candy wrapping” and good trash can seal can eliminate the odour seeping out of the trash can. Hopefully. Let’s see how it is in a few months’ time or should I say, next summer.

Diaclasse Air stroller, why so constant?

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Marjorie

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve finally found the best stroller for baby at Akachan Honpo.

But it’s at a whopping ¥63,000.

Thinking that buying it directly from the Combi page would be cheaper, I checked their brochure. But alas, it’s still the same price.

Yet again thinking that it’ll be cheaper in Rakuten, Amazon’s Japanese rival in Internet retail, I checked out the price. And yet again exactly the same price.

Diaclasse Air XZ-600, why so constant??

baby diaries: 1st OB visit for June and 1st trip to Akachan Honpo

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Marjorie

Hi Baby. Your Obachan visited us during the weekend and very thoughtfully first went to the Ward office last Friday to inquire further of the benefits and help the government now offers to pregnant moms.

Of course we all went together to the maternity clinic the following day. It was nice that your Obachan can also see you directly from the monitor. And oh did we see you! Your daddy was so happy. Because it seems his wishes about you are coming true: you’re a girl (!) and you have such prominent eyes! It’s really big baby. And, it seems his other wish, that you take after me, is also coming true – you look like me baby. But I’m hoping it’s still too early to say. I’m still hoping though you’d look like your dad, girl version. 🙂

Mommy have to take iron supplement from now though. No wonder recently, mommy gets tired easily and on two occasions almost fainted. But everything’s fine now. The important thing is you’re healthy. I’m sorry I took too much Vitamin C last Thursday and Friday. I was afraid I’d get the virus that seems to be circulating last week in the office. And up until that time, i haven’t read yet of the negative impact it will have on you. Thankfully, I read about limiting Vitamin C friday night so it was so timely to ask the doctor the following day. True enough, mega doses of Vit C is not allowed. We hope you’re ok baby.

After the OB visit, we went to Lalaport to seriously window shop for baby stuff on several baby shops there although of course the main intent was Akachan Honpo.

Supposedly, it was just window shopping at first. But, well, your excited Mom and Dad just weren’t able to control ourselves from purchasing needed stuff. Thankfully your Obachan was there to stop us from buying what shouldn’t be bought yet at the moment haha.

Still though, we weren’t able to stop your very excited Daddy from purchasing these (expensive) gadgets:

The one on the left is a stethoscope, so that we can hear you move around, and hope to hear your heartbeat as well. See the ribbon on the cover? It says the Emperor’s family also use this gadget for their babies. As your Obachan has pointed out, you’re also the princess in the noble house of Yuasa. 🙂

The one on the left is a prega-phone, which we can supposedly use to wholly transmit our voice to you. Here’s your dad assembling his gadget.

Your dad looks so cute as he talks to you with it. I sang to you earlier using it and oh how strongly you kicked! I just hope you liked my singing because it seems that you kick a lot when my lying position in bed is not good haha.

Found the perfect stroller for you! We still didn’t buy it yet though.

Look at how part of the flap can be raised during sunny days. Isn’t the design just pretty?

We finally found the red version of the baby carrier I’ve been seeing around. You’d look even cuter with red. 🙂

Would you like this crib?

This cutie Pooh bear futon would probably be very comfortable.

And since we can’t put up a hammock in our house (all your uncles and your mom as well and your cousins besides grew up in a hammock), we have to buy you a rocker.