Kokochi

Round up

With little time to sit around blogging, most of my documentation has been simple flickr uploading, but there are a few memories I want to keep here.

By far, the most pleasure is seeing Tesla love Aila. We have never seen a modicum of jealously, and she has been nothing but helpful in caring for Aila. Even better, Aila is beginning to respond, and although she gets rough-housed a bit by Tesla, I can tell they are establishing a bond. So cool to see. Even just sleeping together is cute.

    

As Aila develops, the best part is her laughing. Her laugh is like a burst of happiness escaping from her belly through her gummy smile. I keep trying to video it but it's hard. Here Dav had her going...until I tried to capture it and got just one laugh ...

Tesla is definitely learning Japanese at her school. She still doesn't speak much, but she sure loves her hiragana. She drew this the other day, writing せんたき (laundry machine). Missed a く but close enough. I was impressed.

Since time is precious and fast - at the rate T and A are growing - it's moments like these that make life good. Daddys reading to the girl gang. Here Dav is reading, and you can see JR's feet, but other times JR reads. I love that they do this, and that our girls are growing up together. This makes life sweet indeed.

Oh, and Halloween!! I love Halloween. The Regenbogens rocked it once again, this time with a house full of decorations. Seriously, it was amazing in detail with much to look at. And a table of heads...with one real head to snap at unsuspecting visitors...it was the freakest part of the haunted house. And completely awesome.

  
Isn't it cool as a kid to be involved in an annual haunted house? Oh wait, this year T got in trouble, - er um, major trouble, so she wasn't able to go. But still, below are 3 generations. Yes, that scary being is T and A's grandmother, ready for Halloween. She knows how to dress!

Thanks to Rachel, I have many very useful baby things that I would never buy for myself. I have used the Moby she gave pretty much everyday. I just started using the Baby Hawk, which is very similar to the Ergo which I love too. The Baby Hawk reminds me of baby carriers I saw in Japan growing up. Now I see Ergos and whatnot in Tokyo but back in the day, they had carriers just like this. Aila likes being stuck to me so it's very helpful to hoist her on my back as I cook. Thanks, Rachel : )

In summary ->ain't she just so freaking cute?

    

 

x2

I keep saying this, but we are busy. Talking to another 2 kid parent, I nodded when they said, "it's intense." I can really say, other than when I'm sleeping, my time is for others. Even blogging, I post in increments thinking of Tesla and Aila & how they might get something out of it, but it is hard to prioritize time for it.

Friends have been amazing ...offering so much help, reminding me I need to have me time. Doing a creative project or spending time alone just seems bizarre now. I am exaggerating a tad, but really, it's not that far off.

Yet, it's totally worth it. I love Aila so much, and Tesla is such a part of my being while I watch as she grows. I love seeing them as sisters, and at times, take a step back to observe them.  Tesla is growing up as a big sister, and Aila will never know life without Tesla.

With just Tesla, I felt I handled mamahood with relative ease. Going back to work was a transition and I remember breaking down at times. Now, that seems easy. My life now is more complicated  with scheduling and keeping up. Thus the "intense" feeling.

To document, our weekday routine is something like this:

• 6am, NPR wakes me up. I get 15 minutes of luxurious NPR in the bed.
• Shower and dress by 6:30, during which I start turning on hallway light to gently wake up T.
• 6:30 til 7:00 I make T's breakfast and bento, while I coax her up unless she's up herself in which case she spends time talking to Aila, in which case I have to push her to get dressed.
• 7:00 to 7:15 get all our stuff ready, Dav is up, Marie helps with Aila if awake , T brushes teeth, I do her hair, she gets socks (which takes forever). I yell that we need to leave. I make sure I have milk pump & cooler with fresh ice packs and clean containers.
• 7:25 ideally we are out the door, but between shoes and walking to car, it's 7:30 by the time I drive away.
• Park, and walk or run to Rosa Parks with T to do Rajio Taiso morning exercises, we go together to the classroom, I help her get settled.
• I drive to work, use brain in an adult way, and try not to miss pumping around 11 and 3.
• 5:30 head back. Stress about getting home in time.
• Open door, drop stuff, put on moby, attach Aila who needs mama time, say Hi to T, start cooking dinner. Start laundry, check T's school bag and get bento box to clean, try to eat all together at table, try to have a bit of connection time with T, if time bathe, but many times it's bed time by the time we are done eating.
• 7:30 Jammies & story time. Dav is a rock star with the jammies & story time routine. 
• Put Aila down. Sit on sofa and veg. Maybe watch something but usually fall asleep before 10. Or if Aila is fussy and I deal with her til she crashes.

I keep thinking of many families who work like this, but with horrendous commutes, or not so great child care, or with little pay. I have much more appreciation for how hard that must be.

 

Cousins

Aila with her cousin Hunter. Gran Marie took her to visit today.

Tesla also has a cousin close in age, Maria-Rose, and they grew up as babies together too.

Both Dav and I did not grow up in S.F., so are incredibly lucky to choose this city AND have a huge family here. I did not meet my cousins until later in life, so for Tesla and Aila to be surrounded by family is pretty awesome.

mini-me Aila

Many people keep mentioning that Aila looks a lot like me, while Tesla is more daddy-ish. I see both of us in both girls, but there are certain looks from Aila that remind me of my baby pics. My mom kindly scanned some of me, in Japan, around the same age as Aila. What do you think? 

Here  is   Aila.

Here is me:

Isn't my mom pretty? And my brother, about 4.5 years old here, adorable. : )

These last 2 pics are of my Obaachan and Ojiichan. It's hard to see me, but since they passed away recently, I want to include them here. Now that I hold Aila, it's special to know my grandparents held me when I was her age. I hope I gave them lots of gurgley gummy smiles and laughs.

this n' that

I drafted this up a while ago, but then poor T got sick. We brought her home early on Tuesday; it's Sunday today, and her fever still comes and goes. Medicine is helping, and doc didn't find anything serious. But we've been holed up in the house, which sucks with this wonderful weather we're having, and with multiple fun birthday parties we had to miss. Booooo. Get well, my sweet T. And hope I don't get sick!

Other than that, I had earlier noted the following just because. Been super busy juggling work and home life so blogging priority has slipped.

• Gave Aila a bath the other day, and noticed a lot more curliness going on with her hair. Gran Marie predicted Aila would have curly hair. Right now Aila has a little Tintin curl on top her head.
• Every once in a while, I get waves of emotion where I feel an overwhelming gratefulness for having both Tesla and Aila. Not sure if it's hormones or just having a snippet of time to appreciate things, but I almost cry at how snuggly I feel with my family of Dav, Tesla, and Aila. They make me profoundly happy.
• Passing by a group of cops standing outside the De Haro station, I pointed them out to Tesla. I said something about them there to protect us. She then said, "so if a spider is like biting me, they would help?" Yes, I suppose they would....
• Tesla is learning leaps and bounds, and proud of it. Yaps non-stop in the car on the way home from school. The other day she cracked me up when she went on and on, and on, almost out of breath, about the weather, and how daddy no longer had to look it up on Yahoo since she made a weather schedule. As we approached to pick up Dav, I said, "why don't you tell daddy about this?" with a slight chuckle. Sure enough, she launched all over the split second he opened the car door.
• Aila's new nickname is: Ms. Figedty Rumblebutt. It's a perfect nickname.
• Aila likes peek-a-boo. Ah, the little pleasures are so sweet.
• I found Aila's tickle spot (kisses on the sides of her torso), and relish making her laugh.
• Rachel continues to send packages that hit the target. A few days ago, she sent a crinkly soft book, and a wooden molecule looking toy. Huge hits, just as Aila is learning how to grasp things. Rachel can see Aila from MA, I think.
• Being able to order things online, and have them delivered, saves a bit of my sanity. Not having to run out and get papertowels and diapers is a nice luxury indeed.
• I love that they do rajio taiso every morning at T's school, just like I had to do when at a Japanese school, although in Japan, we were lined up perfectly while at Rosa Parks, it's pretty easy-going.
• A few weekends back, we went to the Scottish Highland Games in Pleasanton, meeting up with Dav's cousin and family. I've been so focused on introducing Japan to Tesla, I overlooked the fact that Tesla and Aila are actually half-Scottish. Mixed kids for sure, but still, a lot of Scottish in there. So it was fun to see this cultural event, and I got a kick out of the traditions. I'm curious, when T and Aila are older, how they'll decipher who they are.
• Halloween coming up. Per T's request, we are all to be "tigers" based on her favorite outfit she wants to wear. However, the pattern is actually leopard.
• Oh, my parents are in Venice with my Uncle and Aunt. Lucky ducks.

 

A very strange feeling indeed...

We are not going to Burning Man this year.

This year is my 2nd time not going since 2001.

And 1st time Dav is not going since 2000.*

1st time not going was hard for me. I could not fathom not going. I was glued to the live cam during that week.

This year, I have sweet Aila who is worth missing any Burning Man. Multiple friend families with kids say they will go next year, so I'm focusing on 2012 as a family blast year. But it's still hard not to be going to the playa, our home, where I breathe and ground myself.

Having met Dav on the playa, married him on the playa, brought Tesla when she was 8 weeks old on the playa, and definitely conceived Aila on the playa, well, it's a bit bewildering that we're not going this year. Although our kids may rebel when they are older, I want us to be a Burner family through and through : )

I love the playa.

* Not necessarily because we had a 2nd baby, mind you. Rather, unfortunately, more work-related.

Score!!

We have a guest visiting from France. He's heading to the playa for the first time. Look what he brought us (me)!

Yagibogen houseboat weekend

Our mini summer vacation weekend with the Regenbogens: leisurely floating on a houseboat. Thanks to Dav, we have a sweet video.

91 years old

Tesla's great-grandmother celebrated her 91st birthday the other week. I love that Tesla knows her great-grandmother (along with her giant Scottish family in the Bay Area). Gran Marie took Tesla to see Granny frequently when Tesla was younger, and Tesla feels a real bond with Granny. Very special.

I love this particular picture: T with her pink scooter, Granny with her crown and princess papercup. T is wearing a hand-me-down dress from her cousin : )

And now Aila gets to be held by Granny. Lucky girl indeed.

 

August 2011

Tesla's first day!:

 

Whew, time flies! Aila is almost 3 months old now, and along with T going to kindergarten, I will start back at work part-time. Gran Marie will be caring for Aila so this is a big shift for little Aila too. Today, Marie hung out at our house and cared for Aila, getting her to take a bottle of pumped milk (which I haven't been able to) while I did some errands. Grandma's touch - I know Aila will be in loving great hands. Still, there will be an adjustment to starting our days early for kindergarten. I am determined to make T's lunch everyday (to avoid cafeteria grub but also as one thing I can gift her daily), but this will require planning ahead and being very efficient in the mornings...

Other things I've wanted to note this past month:

• Teaching Tesla to slurp Japanese noodles, and wondering if she'll remember she's not supposed to slurp Italian noodles.
• Aila wearing pants with pockets, and Tesla putting Aila's binky in the front pocket "so she always has it."
• Tesla asking to be a tiger for Halloween, and for me to be her zoo keeper. She also wants a "triangle tree" for Christmas vs. decorating our largest house plant, meaning I guess we'll haul in a tree this year.
• Aila and Tesla taking baths together. Very cute. Aila seems to like soaking in the water. I think Tesla will get a real kick once Aila can sit up and grab toys.
• Having my brother and his family back in Alameda. Yay! My brother now works at GigaOm : )
• Having my pregnancy freckles fade a bit.
• Tesla taking pics and videos on my phone.
• Not going to Burning Man this year. 2nd time to miss it during this past decade. I am pretty sure/determined to go next year along with several other families with kids. We'll create our little kidsville.
• Tesla saying "super hero boobies" to me. : p
• Receiving an old picture of myself from dear Gen. Good 'ol Tokyo moblogging days. Does "moblogging" now date me?
• Tesla's picture making it onto Gizmodo.jp for their 5th anniversary : )