Andrew Update

It's been a busy month since I last posted and Andrew has grown so much! Andrew took his first plane ride (which he mostly just slept and ate through, thankfully) and we went to Texas for two weeks to see my brother's wedding and spend time with the family. The wedding was beautiful and I am so glad that we were able to go. It was hard because Katsu could only stay for a few days before going back to work and then to the American Diabetes conference the next weekend. And my flight got cancelled and they couldn't re-schedule us until the next day. But it was great to see friends from high school, my friend Mari Louise from Boston, and family.

We also blessed baby Andrew the first Sunday we were there. Katsu did a great job with the blessing - it was very special. He blessed Andrew to be obedient and to follow the gospel and live by its teaching. The Sunday School teacher in my family's ward said it was the most eloquent and spiritual blessing he had ever heard. Perhaps, but it was mostly nice to be able to share the moment with all our family.

So, here is what Andrew is up to. He started smiling in his third or fourth week and gives us lots of smiles all the time, especially when he wakes up. He also managaed to roll over, sort of. He managed to dig his feet into his blanket during tummy time and lift himself up enough to flip himself over. And he did it twice on Sunday. He really is so frustrated that he can't move, but I'm not sure this bodes well for the Funai house - we might have to babyproof much sooner than we expected if he keeps up this pace. Mostly he just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. We haven't seen the doctor since he was four days old, but we have an appointment in a week and a half and I won't be a bit surprised if he already weighs 12 or 13 pounds!

Four Weeks - Four Years

Today, Baby Andrew is four weeks old! I can't believe we have made it through almost the first month already and it hasn't been that bad. We think he is getting a little bit chubbier - so hopefully, all those nursing sessions are going to good use. Sleep has been a bit erratic this week. He was spitting up blood and had lots of black in his stool this weekend, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but he seems fine and healthy now! He has started enjoying playing on his Baby Einstein activity thing and likes his swing and walks. Here are some pictures from this week.

Also, this is our anniversary - four years! I still can't believe we've been married that long. I can't believe we've known each other for five and a half years! It's been a blast. We'll see how actually celebrating the anniversary goes - a bit difficult with a newborn. But I guess having a new baby is the best celebration of our love of all.

First Bath

Andrew is now 3 weeks old. He took his first (and second) bath this week and loves it! We are so glad! Katsu's favorite part is styling the hair afterwards - last time he went for a Jimmy Neutron (is that what that character is called?) look. We think he is going through a growth spurt right now, because he is eating all the time! He ate 13 times yesterday - and most of those were half an hour feedings. I think all he does it eat lately.

Who does Andrew look like?

Andrew
Amanda
Katsu

Long weekend with Daddy

Hi. I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Andrew Issei Funai and this is my first post. I am 16 days old and I weigh somewhere in between 8 and 10 pounds. My dad thinks I weigh around 10 and my mom thinks around 8. I think I weigh around 9, because I am just a great negotiator like that.

My dad told me that if I wanted to get my profile up there for future professional soccer recruiting then earlier the better. So I am putting two of my best pictures. As you can see, I have a fairly strong arms already and my hair is growing fast. This is important because as David Beckham is getting transferred to LA Galaxy this summer, a lconcept for the look for the sport players is going to change forever. I have a brown hair which apparently looked more black when I first came out of the tummy of my mom (which was an interesting experience to say the least). According to my dad I look less Asian day by day but my mom thinks that he is just hallucinating. By the way, the second picture shows that I am not only capable of mesmerizing look, but also am able to make people laugh. I've heard a lot about gas prices going up, so thought I should lighten up everybody's mood.

The last picture is with my parents. They insisted that I put this picture up because my dad thinks that it is important that people know how they are doing. I think that's plain silly because if people wanted to know how they were doing they could just go read their blog, not mine. Beside the picture does not really show how I am doing, because I am in this weird contraption that is supposed to protect me from global warming, at least that is what my father tells me. I can kind of see that because it's kind of green and it's got this sunshade and probably some other stuff like solar panel and carbon oxides distiller. Also the small silver canister that is sitting just below me is not a Budweizer but it's this cherry soda that my parents thought that was so important and significant that they just couldn't resist to leave it on their while the picture was taken. At least that's what my dad tells me, but secretly I just think he forgot to take it away. He forgets that I am a genius sometime.

Montage Andrew 051407

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Baby Andrew: May 14, 2007

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The name is Andrew Issei Funai

Our friends and families

We'd like to announce that Andrew Issei Funai was born on May 10th, 2007 at 6:27pm (EST) in University of Michigan Mott's Children Hospital. He was born 7 lbs and 7 oz (3380g) and 21 inches (53.3cm). He has dark brown eyes and abundant black hair which we are yet uncertain whether it is a product of his oriental gene or a beautiful dark brown hair that Crookstons and Clarks have been famous of. He has several favourite outfits but he mostly likes to be either swaddled tightly or little clothing as possible. He has a strong grip and a sucking reflex that will surely become useful when he fluorishes his career as a professional gripper and sucker. He has lots of other things that we could go on bragging, but since he actually does not have an email address yet, you will have to correspond through us. We would love to hear from you (perhaps not too many via phone at the moment), and we created a file cabinet just for his fan letters.

Wish you all the best and have a happy spring time unless you are in a southern hemisphere in which case your fall must equally be good.

Katsu and Amanda

Our Story - Katsu and Amanda

Since everyone else seems like they are doing it, here is our story.

It all began in Sept. 2001. I was still in Texas waiting for school to start, but my friend Crystal kept calling me on the phone and telling me about this guy named Katsu who she met and thought was really cool. He had just got back from his mission and was starting his sophomore year at Boston University. I finally met Katsu after getting back to Boston University. We met on Columbus Day - Oct. 8, 2001 - hiking in the Green Mountains in New Hampshire. Everyone else was hiking either too fast or too slow, and so we ended up hiking together. It was beautiful between the snow and foliage and I kept slipping and Katsu ended up having to help me a few times (should have worn hiking boots).

We met paths several more times as our friends starting to all become friends with each other. We started dating at the end of October and went on a first real double date in November. Our first kiss was a few weeks later and we were inseparable by then. We were apart for about a month around Christmas, which was really hard, but we made lots of long distance phone calls from Japan to Texas and emailed each other constantly. It really cemented our relationship.

We dated for the next year. We had so much fun dating - we walked all over Boston, went to symphonies at the BSO, saw plays and musicals and ballets and operas, visited the science and art museums, went to friends concerts, movies, the beach, out to eat, volunteered together weekly at Mass General Hospital, went on trips to Cape Cod and New Hampshire, and so much more.

Then, on our one year anniversary of dating (Nov 9, 2002), Katsu proposed. We spent the entire day together - from a parade at Northeastern, to a walk along the Freedom Trail, to lunch at Legal Sea Food, to a walk up to Bunker Hill, till we ended up at the Harbor where Katsu proposed. And of course, I said yes!

We got married June 7, 2003 at the Boston Temple and did a reception on a harbor cruise in the Boston Harbor with our friends and family.

This June we will have been married for four years! We have had a lot of adventures and a lot of fun and we are more in love with each other every day!

Spring

It's beautiful and springy here. I love it. I walked to the Farmer's Market yesterday (about 1.5 miles away) and everything was so green and there was tulips everywhere. It's my first trip there of the season. I picked up some asparagus as that is about the only thing that is in season in Michigan right now. I'm not a huge fan of asparagus, or so I thought, but we had it for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I guess freshness makes a huge difference! I also went on a lovely walk through the Arboretum today along the Huron River and it was gorgeous. I especially love the pink trees. We have a lot in our apartment complex and everytime I look at them, it makes me so happy. So, here, for all the curious types is a picture of me (at 40 weeks pregnant - well, close enough since my due date is tomorrow) and the trees from our porch.