5 Things

We had a great high council talk about gratitude yesterday that really got me thinking. Especially now when I am under a lot of stress, I think taking some time everyday to count my blessings is just what I need spiritually. So here are 5 things ...

1 - Sunday, a day I can relax and not have to work on research.

2 - The baby fussing whenever I sit down during Sunday School, so I have to walk the halls and socialize with people (maybe it's bad, but I really like getting some adult conversation packed in on Sundays)

3 - Meeting new people - at least 15 families have moved in in the last 2 weeks in our ward, so there are tons. A little overwhelming, but lots of possibilities.

4 - Laughter - who knew that Beyond Balderdash could bring so much fun with the couple of new families who came to our house last night. Between sniddle and knowing why "Ladies Crave Excitement", we had LOTS of laughs

5 - Plums - I had my first plum of the year yesterday and it was divine. One of God's greatest gifts, really.

100 Days Old

Andrew is 100 days old ... or was, yesterday. We celebrated the Japanese way, by serving him up his first real meal. Traditionally, the meal is supposed to wish the baby good luck that they will always have plenty of food - a kind of protection against starvation, I suppose. So, you feed the baby a bit of rice, then a bit of miso soup (tofu, miso, and seaweed), then a bit of rice, then a bit of fish, then a bit of this sweet rice and bean dessert that Katsu made. Andrew was a little perplexed, but seemed to find the tofu and the sweet rice and beans "oishii" or tasty.

And on another note, since Andrew is big and already wearing 6-9 months clothes, he gets to wear this cute outfit from the ojiisan and obaasan (Funai grandparents) for the next little while on Sunday. Isn't he cute? We are having lots of fun with him! Katsu takes great care of him in the evenings and Saturday morning/afternoon, so I can work on my research. Here is a picture of Andrew playing with his toys in the morning with Katsu. And hopefully, hearing all that Japanese will pay off with a bilingual baby!

Book Reviews

I want to start keeping track of the books I read and share a few thoughts about them. I don't get as much reading time as I used to ... so it might be short.

So far this month, I've read:

The Tao of Pooh - a really fast read and an interesting, though bit odd, introduction to Taoism, the Chinese philosophy. I liked the passages from the Pooh books, but having the author talk to Pooh as he went didn't turn out as well, IMO. I especially like the idea of knowing who you are. going with the flow, and not being a busy backsoon (or however Christopher Robin spelt it). THe ideas are useful to me as I am getting stressed out about my upcoming qualifying exams and balancing school, baby, family, and me.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - a fascinating tale of two friends during China's footbinding past. The story of friendship really makes me think about my past and current friendships. But I was mostly supremely saddened to think about the suffering women have gone through due to past patriarchal societies. It really strengthens my feminist tendencies. Anyway, I highly recommend this book.

Three months old

Andrew is three months old today and lots of fun! As you can see from the pictures, Andrew is huge. The outfit he is wearing there is a 3/6 month, but it is too small, so it will probably be the last day for that one. He has basically already outgrown all his 3/6 mo clothes and is wearing 6/9 mo clothes. He sure goes through clothes really fast. I don't know how tall he is, but guessing from the bathroom scale, he must be about 16 lbs! Hopefully, the scale is wrong ... no wonder my back is starting to hurt.

Other than that, we are having lots of fun with him. He smiles and laughs all the time. He loves when you sing songs with hand motions and move his hands along (like the Wise Man and the Foolish Man and the Eensy Weensy Spider). He likes to knock block towers over and grab links and is starting to hold things with both hands and to put things in his mouth all the time. He likes to talk, especially in the morning when he wakes up. Yesterday, he seemed to learn to roll from his stomach to his back and did it at least ten times, but wouldn't do it once Daddy came home (of course). He also got to spend a week touring the finer parts of the area (Henry Ford Museum, Bronner's Christmas store, Frankenmuth, Ann Arbor, and the Toledo Zoo) with his Crookston grandparents and Aunt Sarah.

I am starting to write my report for my qualifying exams in the evenings and nap times, so I guess the care free days of the summer are really ending ... school will be starting before I know it.

What Hair

Everyone comments on Andrew's hair. Today, while he was nursing and his hair was still wet from his bath, I curled it with my fingers a bit. Here's the do.

Collages

When we purchased our camcoder, we got a few free prints from Shutterfly - one 16x20 and one 11x14. So, we decided to make big collages and then frame the posters when we get them. I finally finished the collages. We won't get the prints back for another week, but here is what the files look like. Hopefully, the finished product looks even better.

Ann Arbor Art Fair

Ann Arbor is a particularly fun place to be in the summer. There are all kinds of fairs and festivals going on. But the best is the Art Fair. Actually, four separate art fairs that all convene during one lovely week in the summer. All kind of art is displayed - paintings, jewelry, photography, graphic art, textiles, sculpture, kitschy-art - with all kinds of price ranges, from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Browsing the booths that cover half of downtown Ann Arbor is tons of fun.

This year, we took Andrew out for a few hours both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. He was such a good sport - from the bus ride, to the long stroller rides and all the people, to nursing in strange locations ... And - we went out to eat at a restaurant on Friday evening for the first time since Andrew was born. He was really good. He was in his stroller most of the time on Friday, but on Saturday he wanted to see the art up close and personal by being held. But we had so much fun.

Two Months: Monster Milk

So, Andrew has his two month appointment today, only the second time we have been to the doctor with him. So, we were able, for the first time, to really see how much he had been growing since he was born. Katsu and I had a bet going - I figured he was around 12 lbs and Katsu thought around 13 lbs. We both lost. Andrew weighs 14 lbs 4 oz! We can hardly believe it. He is 92% for weight, 24.5 inches (83% for height), and 80% for head circumference (up from a tiny 11% when he was born). The doctor said I must have monster milk for the baby to grow so big so fast without any supplementation. So, either Andrew or I am a monster! Otherwise, he is pretty healthy - a little umbilical hernia and some dermatitis. He also got his shots and his first dose of medicine for the pain. A fun visit all around.

Otherwise, we are loving our new apartment and all the space. We are finally starting to feel ready to have a social life again and have had a couple dinner parties this week. And I am thinking about getting ready to look at school stuff, find a babysitter for Andrew, and prepare for my icky qualifying exams in September. I just got the application today which makes me a bit anxious. Oh, and I taught gospel doctrine this week and will be teaching the Teaching for our Times lesson in RS this week. Which is interesting considering I have only ever taught Primary before. So, we are enjoying life! Hope everyone else is too.

Moved

Oh, I forgot to mention. While I was in Texas, Katsu moved us to a new 2 bedroom apartment. We are loving it. So, if you have our address - it's the same, but now Apt 101. It is huge - 2 bedrooms, a huge living and kitchen and 1.5 baths. It is like 1250 sq. ft! We feel very indulgent having such a nice place. Pictures will be forthcoming. Anyways, here is a picture of Katsu and Andrew the last day at our old apartment.

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!