Just a pic and quick video for everyone. The picture is Kirk's baby fortress...no one gets in or out so mama and daddy can be lazy and lay in bed for another 20 minutes. Yes, exhaustion is the mother of invention. lol

In the video you can hear Sarah making her squeaking noise. Not quite sure how she realized that she can make the noise but kirk will make it now and she does it back to him. Sometimes she'll just sit there making the noise over and over for 10-20 minutes. Such talent. lol

Melancholy

Funny, I never really pictured myself as a person who would thrive in an urban metropolis. I mean yes, Vegas is a city of several million people, but when we bought the house a major selling factor was the fact that it was less than a mile away from the mountains. I love those mountains, watching the sun set over them, hiking them, knowing that at any time I could leave the paved streets, stoplights, and masses of people behind and be in the middle of nature. Even if that nature consisted of 115 degree heat and scorpions.

And yet, with only five days until I head back to the family and house that I love I find myself already missing our new home. The lights, the flow of people, the hidden pockets of green in the middle of the concrete jungle. I'm not sure if it's the town that I'll miss or the fact that it's here that Kirk, Sarah and I are finally being able to live as a family for the first time. Likely it's a combination of both.

What I do know is that as much as I'm looking forward to being home with everyone in Vegas I'll be just as happy to return to Tokyo, to this other home we've made here.

Alittle video of our water lover

I had to get a video of her playing with the water, what you may not be able to see is she is wiggling her toes too, trying to catch the water in them also. I swear she is part monkey, she picks up everything with her toes and will sit, playing with a ball between her toes and one in her hands. lol

Family Day #7 - Mt. Takao again (to the summit)

For family day #7 we went back to Mt Takao, the leaves are changing color abit more which was gorgeous and we made it to the summit this time...yay! You can see the Japanese Alps in one of the pics, but it was cloudy that day so they weren't very clear.

Sarah spent all day in the pack with Kirk and did very well, we're probably headed back again next weekend when hopefully the leaves will be in full change.

Happy Halloween

ROAR!!!!!

OMG, words really can't do justice to just how cute this costume is. I searched Amazon Japan for weeks and finally, 5 days before the Cirque party found it. Sarah was definately the best dressed baby there!

I miss being home for Halloween, it really is one of my favorite holidays and I'd love to be there carrying Sarah through the neighborhood while the girl's go Trick or Treating. You all will have to have a cup of hot chocolate for us.

Kirk and I made carmel apples here for the guys at his work and we carved our pumpkin last night as you can see. It's hard to believe just how fast time is flying by, Halloween seemed so far away when we left this summer and now I know Thanksgiving will be right around the corner.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. We're not sure whether we'll get kids here or not but I'll certainly light the pumpkin and be thinking of you all.

Love you,

Mic, Kirk and Sarah

Just a Little Off-Topic Note

I just wanted to post a quick note and say I'm not sure how frequently I'll be blogging from now until we head home. I'll definately keep posting pics but the actual updates may be short. I've decided to participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge, it's basically a challenge to all writers to write a novel over the month of November. You are considered a 'winner' if you write 50,000 words between Nov1-Nov30.

I've decided to take the time to get a good portion of Book 2 written. Atleast that's the goal. I've tried this in the past and I tend to get sidetracked but it's worth the effort to try and if I finish it I'll have a good part of my goal for being here in Japan taken care of. (I'm hoping to get book 1 reworked and book 2 finished while here over the next year.)

So anyway, I know you all sign in for the pics and I'll keep those coming but the updates may be short and sweet.

Btw, the pic above just goes to show that playing is hard work. It is starting to become a common thing to find her passed out in her bouncy chair...she really loves it.

Family Day #6 - Mt. Takao

Today's family outing was planned by Kirk so it was a pleasant surprise to have no idea where we were headed until we got there. Mt. Takao is a favorite hiking destination for many Tokoyites because it is only about 1.5 hours outside of Tokyo. The last picture actually shows Tokyo in the distance.

When I get Kirk's camera I'll add acouple more pictures, because you guys have to see the cable car we rode to get up the mountain. Basically the entire mountain is crossed with trails from .5 mile nature trails to serious 5 mile hikes. Most people opt for taking a cable car up 3/4 of the mountain then some will return the same way and others hike down.

About 15 minutes hike further up the mountain from the cable car is a beautiful temple which actually has many terraces that stretch the remaining way to the summit of the mountain. Unfortunately we got a late start to our day and we only made it as far as the base temple. We are planning to go back in the next 2 weeks and actually summit.

The leaves are just now starting to change color so within the next two weeks it should be a true fall display like I've always wanted to see. Between the temple and the cable car is a small refuge for snow monkeys so we'd like to see that next time also.

Just for the record, Kirk is not playing Michael Jackson and holding Sarah over the edge, but you all know how she loves the wind and it was really blowing up there so she giggled the entire time daddy let her 'fly'. In fact, as usual she loved everything about being outside and spent much of the hike talking to herself and everyone she could find.

This is definately a trip we will take everyone on when they visit, it's amazing just how beautiful and peaceful it is so close to Tokyo. I can't wait to go back...next time Kirk said we can take the trail with the suspension bridge. Woohoo!!!!

Where's Sarah?

Before you go reporting me for child cruelty I did not put my 5 month old under the chair. I left her on the nice squishy carpet you see in the corner of the picture, but she has a mind of her own these days and so far she can only move in reverse. lol

I seriously looked away long enough to open my computer and when I looked up, there she was hiding under a chair. Maybe she felt the earthquake earlier and thought it'd be safer under there.

Sarah vs the Carrots

I know she doesn't look very happy in the pictures but she actually really liked the carrots and there was no denying she understood the spoon brought them. I'd raise the spoon and her mouth would open right up.

I know her first food should have been rice cereal but I can't read the dang boxes over here and carrots are carrots so that's what she got. And yes, I hand mashed them for her, I hope she doesn't expect such princess treatment for forever. lol

Oh, and note the Hello Kitty spoon, she has a kid's set that includes spoon, fork and of course hachi (chopsticks).

She'll be ready for Thanksgiving in no time!

Family Day #5 - Kamakura

Kamakura was the capital of Japan from 1123-1333 and as such has many temples and shrines. The buddha pictured above has been there since 1253 and was once housed in a temple but after storms blew the temple away for the second time in the 1300's it has sat outside. It was absolutely amazing, as was the rest of the day but the baby is demanding my time so I'll update more later.

Update:

Ok, so I'm alittle late with the update, but we really did enjoy Kamakura. In addition to the Buddha there is another temple famous for it's statue of Kannon, the eleven headed goddess. I don't really know how to explain the feeling when standing before that particular piece, but it certainly was impressive and very sacred would be the right word I guess. The picture of Kirk and Sarah is taken in the gardens of that temple.

There are a couple of really nice hiking trails in the area that crisscross the tops of the hills surrounding the village but those will have to wait until next spring when Sarah is more up for long times in the backpack.

Our favorite find of the day was as we were leaving Kannon's temple area and walking down the street we passed a little store that we weren't really sure what it contained but it was brightly lit with warm wood floors. We thought it might be a gallery of some type, but when we got inside it was a music box store. They had hundreds of different types, from plastic to some beautiful carved wood ones. That's the way things go here, you find amazing stores in the oddest places.

We ended up the day purchasing the traditional 'gift' of the area - pigeon shaped cookies. They were very tasty, and everyone in Kirk's office loved them. They are really enjoying our family days because it's traditional in Japan to bring 'gifts' back to people in the office when you go out of town.

Sarah at Five Months

Really? Five Months? When in the hell does the time go? And yes baby girl, mama said hell, but just you wait till you start notice time flying and you'll understand what I mean.

This was your first real month with daddy and there is no denying that you now recognize him as yours. Mama is still your favorite most of the time but there are some moments that you and your daddy share that just make my heart stop beating. I love those moments between time, they are my favorites because I never know when they will occur.

There are however many things that did occur this month, including:

* Your 4 month checkup ( 3 weeks late), you measured Head:43 cm (16.9 inches), Weight 7.78 kg (17.15 lbs), Length I need to check, they said 63cm but that is only 24.8 inches and I know that's wrong

* You reached for your first toy, a ball from cousin Kimmie.

* You cut your first tooth.

* You started sleeping all the time in your own bed, using the swing only for naps.

* You learned how to push yourself up onto your hands.

* You learned to stick your toes in your mouth. (Oh yes, a proud mama moment. lol)

* You began scooting around the floor on your butt. You can now make it off your play mat onto the floor (or off the reservation as daddy and I call it.)

* You learned to enjoy your bouncy chair, sitting up and playing for about a half hour a day.

* You learned that mommy and daddy do this thing called eating, which catches your attention but you haven't tried it yet.

* You have begun to kick your feet and reach out for mama and daddy when we come to get you each morning.

* You went to your first Cirque party.

* You and mama stood out on the balcony and watched the rain pour down and the thunder roll through during a typhoon, loving every moment of it.

* You really learned to love 'talking' to people on the train, it doesn't matter who, you love telling everyone your stories.

* You helped mama put up Halloween decorations.

But best of all little girl, you have gotten to soak up the love and attention of both your parents this month. Things are finally how they should be and mama couldn't be happier. I love you my crazy baby.

Bouncy Chair and Shots

The first pic is Sarah in her new bouncy seat which she LOVES. The seat part spins 360 degrees but her feet can't quit touch the floor so for now she gets about 90 degrees of rotation. It makes music every time she bounces and she is never still. We've discovered music will always get laughter out of her, so maybe she will be a dancer and more graceful than me. lol

The second pics are her after her 4 month shots today. She did really well, probably because she was asleep when the first one was given. She cried out, opened her eyes then decided it must have been a dream and went back to sleep. If we hadn't had the second shot to give it would have been ok, but of course that one set her off again. Prompt delivery of a bottle nipped a fit in the bud though. Poor thing has slept most of the day though, must be all the chemicals pumping through her system. It's been a quiet day. Hummmm, wonder if I can get some of those to go...

Family Day #4 - aka How big a goofball is Mommy

OK, so family day this week got pre-empted when instead I slipped in a rain puddle and crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks. Results: bruised knee, believed broken toe and trashed pride

Instead, these are pics of Sarah enjoying a little tummy time. After all, she's all we want to see anyway.

In other news, she is finally getting in that tooth that's made her drool for the last month and a half. So far it's just breaking through but I'm sure she'll be happy when it's all the way in. Both because it will stop hurting and because then mommy will stop poking at her mouth to look at it. Yes, I've become one of THOSE mom's.

Family Day #3 - Yokohama

Yokohama is the city directly to the west of Tokyo. It sits at the western edge of the bay, and as we found out when we were there it has more of an ocean feel to it than anywhere we've been in Tokyo. The air there actually has that salt spray feeling that I love. The best thing is that it is only about 1 hour from our apartment. Only 24 minutes by express train from the other side of Tokyo.

It also has the 2nd largest Chinatown in the world. Someone told Kirk it was the largest Chinatown in Asia...to which Kirk had to reply 'well wouldn't that be Beijing?' Yep, gotta love the hubby. There were some really nice temples and shrines there, but with Sarah we weren't up to climbing the steps to get to them. Sometimes you just have to know when to say 'next time'.

The area where Sarah and I had our photos taken is outside a really cool shopping area that has been created inside these old brick warehouse buildings. There are two building full of little shops of every sort, from custom leather goods to tea to glasswork. A park has sprung up around them and there were tons of people just out enjoying the ends of the day by the water.

The last pic is of the cruise ship dock and yep, that is another park that has been created on top of the building. Japan is huge on eco-projects and putting grass on top of buildings is apparently just one way that they offset the greenhouse gases the businesses cause.

We're already planning a return trip because there was just so much we didn't get to see. There are areas of town that date back to 1850 when Yokohama was the first port city to receive foreigners. Most of those buildings have western influences and have been declared national treasures. There are also parks in that area that have French, Italian, British and Spanish influences, all within walking distance to each other.

Kirk and I both agreed that if we were living in Japan for the long haul Yokohama would be a beautiful city to live in. As it is, we'll have to settle for frequent visits.

Family Day #2 - Ueno Zoo

Technically it is the Ueno Zoological Park. Zoo actually means elephant in Japanese but dang it it's always been a zoo to me and I'm too lazy to type out the whole name.

Leave it to the Tokyo-ites to never do things in half measure. The Ueno Zoo is both a zoo and a park all in one taking up acouple of square miles of prime Tokyo property. The animal displays are an amazing combination of old zoo (read square box to hold animal) and modern displays complete with small brooks for the tigers and a wonderful a/c system for the polar bears.

I'm really not one for birds but even I had to be impressed with the variety they have here, and all three of us sat for probably 20 minutes and watched the monkeys. We spent the entire day wandering and were alittle depressed when the speakers came on during the last hour to tell us that some of the animals were being moved to their nighttime enclosures so don't miss them.

We came to find out that rather than a warning to hurry up and see them, they were really saying that you should go to the nighttime closure displays where some of the animals can be seen from less than 20 feet away. I had no idea hippos were as massive as they are, the picture definately doesn't do him justice. We were also able to see black rhinos and a giraffe this way and it was amazing!!

Make sure to look closely at the water lilies behind Kirk, yes, they are as tall as he is and some of them were a good 3-4 feet in diameter. I don't think we got a picture of the overall 'pond' but it is huge and atleast half of it is filled with these. Kirk and I discussed how we would love to go back when they are in bloom, it must be gorgeous.

By the time we got to the petting zoo Sarah was sacked out, but that was probably for the best, she's still alittle young to enjoy it. We did manage to see most of the animals but the other half of the park which contains the gardens and the temples will have to wait for another day...

Sarah at Four Months

Wow baby girl, another month gone. Where does the time go? For you and I a day flew past in travel so maybe that accounts for why it seems like the entire month flew by. Atleast we are finally together with your daddy again and he couldn't believe how much you've grown. In the last month while he was gone you:

* Started sleeping 10-11 hours a night. Yay Sarah!!! (Mommy is especially appreciative of this one.)

* Became so much more reactive to everything and everyone in your environment. I can watch you just absorbing everything these days instead of just being along for the ride.

* Learned how to hold you head up for over 5 minutes during tummy time.

* Learned how to grab ahold of you toes, and now I find you almost every morning sitting here talking to them with one of them in your hand.

* Took your first airplane ride, and boy was it a doozy. Almost 6000 miles.

* Learned how to roll from your belly to your back on purpose.

* Learned how to roll from your back to your belly, but only to the right. Your poor left side is left out. Your favorite game is now to roll from your back to your belly then scream til I roll you back over. Rinse and repeat until I finally give out and pick you up.

* Enjoyed your first typhoon. Ok, we were only on the edges but it make lots of wind and rain for you to enjoy from the balcony.

* Found your thumb, and learned that it's perfect for sucking.

* Went to your first aquarium, and boy did you ever love it.

That's alot of firsts baby girl, I can't wait to see what the next month brings us. I'm certain whatever it is will include lots of laughs, barrels of kisses and tons of love.

Family Day #1 - Tokyo Sealife Park

So, the hubby and I have decided to try and put aside one day a week as a 'family day'. Really, just one day we don't run errands or spend all day on the computer or otherwise waste a perfectly wonderful day off. To that end, we decided this week to make a trip to the Tokyo Sealife Park, which proved worth every bit of it's 700 yen (~$7.00) entry price.

Of course I'd have paid the price of admission just for the picture shown above. It was truely a magic moment when we walked into the first big room there which opens onto their tuna display. Sarah got one look at the fish and was absolutely enchanted. She couldn't tear her eyes off of the fish as they moved past and she had the biggest look of amazement on her face.

Kirk ended up taking her out of the stroller and carrying her around in the baby pack and she loved all the displays except the really dark ones. I don't think her baby eyes are quite up to picking out a three inch burgandy lobster in an almost black tank. lol

Besides the tuna tank she also loved the penguins, giggling at them as they swam past the underwater display window. There was also a very brightly lit tank that was a display of southern california wildlife that she couldn't get enough of. She talked to that one the entire time we were in front of it.

All in all it was a wonderful day, totally sunny which is rare enough in Tokyo and close enough to the coast to not be dripping in humidity. Not sure what our next excursion but Kirk and I both agree that if today is any indication Sarah is gonna be a scuba diving water baby for sure.