My friend posted an amazing quote from Paul Miller regarding praying in Jesus' name. What an amazing and humbling picture of Jesus' as our Saviour!
"Imagine
that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body
odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become
your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen.
Your
smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king:
‘I want to see the king.’ Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, ‘Jesus, I come in the name of Jesus.’
At
the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards
snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the
door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway
into the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and
wraps you in his arms.
The name of Jesus gives my prayers royal
access. They get through. Jesus isn’t just the Savior of my soul. He’s
also the Savior of my prayers. My prayers come before the throne of God
as the prayers of Jesus.
‘Asking in Jesus’ name’ isn’t another
thing I have to get right so my prayers are perfect. Is it one more gift
of God because my prayers are so imperfect.”
-Paul Miller A Praying Life page 135
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Community
I love this quote about community from @carolinegshop on Instagram and thought I'd repost it before I forgot it.
"I remember sitting on @laraacasey's back in April telling her how community was laying heavy on my heart. The kind of community where there is no room for fluff or talk of the weather. I wanted my life to be full of people who said the hard stuff, and challenged me, and cheered me on. And would sit in my corner and believe in me when I could hardly believe in myself. Because I think there is beauty in having people in your life where you can show up with all your junk and they say I'll help you carry this load."
"I remember sitting on @laraacasey's back in April telling her how community was laying heavy on my heart. The kind of community where there is no room for fluff or talk of the weather. I wanted my life to be full of people who said the hard stuff, and challenged me, and cheered me on. And would sit in my corner and believe in me when I could hardly believe in myself. Because I think there is beauty in having people in your life where you can show up with all your junk and they say I'll help you carry this load."
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Slacking on the monthly posts!
Hi my favourite Kiyomi-bear!
Mama has been slacking on your 11-month post. I'm trying to process the fact that you are almost a YEAR old, but mostly I'm in denial and have been trying to avoid thinking about it at all. Having to go back to work in September makes me think about how much I'll miss all our fun times together. And my goodness, do we have some fun times now!
It's hard to believe you're even the same person from my last post! You're really communicating a lot now. You sign for milk consistently, and also do lots of fun actions. We read you Eric Carle's From Head to Toe, and you do actions for the gorilla (thumping on your chest), monkey (waving your arms), crocodile (wiggling your body), cat (bending your back), seal (clapping your hands), and you used to scrunch your shoulders for the buffalo, but seem to have forgotten about it. You point consistently and like to direct us around the house. You understand TONS of words and can point to lots of different objects like lights, clocks, your head, and flowers.
You're also speeding around walking (still holding our hands), and can also walk holding just one of our hands. You stand by yourself now, until you notice you're not holding anything, at which point you do a slow squat so you don't fall. It's adorable to watch! You love to sit and stand in your crib now, so we've lowered it as far as it will go. Physically, you seem really strong, although you're still not into the crawling thing. It's the same commando-drag from last month, although you're much faster now! Mama appreciates that you clean the floors with your belly. :)
We go to the park or out for a walk almost daily, and you now love the splash pad! The streams of water really fascinate you, and you usually charm the other children who play there. You're getting so interactive, and you'll follow them around, or try to grab toys from them. You're generally quite friendly and will wave (and say), "Hi" and "Bye", although you have giggles of delight when you see someone you really like. You also LOVE animals! There are tons of squeals of joy whenever you see a cat or a dog, and you will pet them fearlessly. One of your favourite things to do at the Osakabe house is chase the cats to try to pet them. They usually manage to escape, but I think once you really start walking, they'll have to find a place to hide. You are also great at giving your stuffed animals hugs and get quite excited to play with them in the mornings.
In terms of your schedule, you're still taking 2 naps at around 10am and 3pm, and occasionally sleep through the night without waking up for a feed. You're a solid 12-13 hour sleeper overnight, which is nice for mama and papa. You eat lots of snacks and meals during the day, although you're still not really a fan of vegetables. I think your favourite foods are berries, apples, bananas and cheese. Oh, and all those carb-y type snacks like puffs and cookies. One of the slightly more annoying things you have learned to do is to push food out of your mouth. Until this month, if we could get it into your mouth, you would eat it. Now, however, you open your mouth just a tiny bit, stick out your tongue to taste the new food, and then allow us to put it in your mouth. If it meets your approval, it stays. Otherwise, it is immediately rejected and wiped away by a swipe of your hand. You also have no qualms about tossing food over the side of your seat if you are no longer interested in it. I guess that's the most efficient way of getting rid of it, but mama has had to wipe floors a LOT. And even with the wiping, you manage to find every speck of dust to put it in your mouth.
One of the cutest things we taught you to do this month was to say, "Hello", on the telephone. Once you mastered it, mama immediately called everyone she knew and had you say it into the phone. Your voice is so high and adorable. We really love to listen to you babble to yourself.
Mama and papa pray for you every night. We know the most loving thing to do is to continue to entrust you to God's care. I have to say, He's done an amazing job on you so far! :) You're a delightful, loving, cheeky, brave, and beautiful girl. We can't wait to see what the next month will bring!
Love,
Your mama and papa birds
Mama has been slacking on your 11-month post. I'm trying to process the fact that you are almost a YEAR old, but mostly I'm in denial and have been trying to avoid thinking about it at all. Having to go back to work in September makes me think about how much I'll miss all our fun times together. And my goodness, do we have some fun times now!
It's hard to believe you're even the same person from my last post! You're really communicating a lot now. You sign for milk consistently, and also do lots of fun actions. We read you Eric Carle's From Head to Toe, and you do actions for the gorilla (thumping on your chest), monkey (waving your arms), crocodile (wiggling your body), cat (bending your back), seal (clapping your hands), and you used to scrunch your shoulders for the buffalo, but seem to have forgotten about it. You point consistently and like to direct us around the house. You understand TONS of words and can point to lots of different objects like lights, clocks, your head, and flowers.
You're also speeding around walking (still holding our hands), and can also walk holding just one of our hands. You stand by yourself now, until you notice you're not holding anything, at which point you do a slow squat so you don't fall. It's adorable to watch! You love to sit and stand in your crib now, so we've lowered it as far as it will go. Physically, you seem really strong, although you're still not into the crawling thing. It's the same commando-drag from last month, although you're much faster now! Mama appreciates that you clean the floors with your belly. :)
We go to the park or out for a walk almost daily, and you now love the splash pad! The streams of water really fascinate you, and you usually charm the other children who play there. You're getting so interactive, and you'll follow them around, or try to grab toys from them. You're generally quite friendly and will wave (and say), "Hi" and "Bye", although you have giggles of delight when you see someone you really like. You also LOVE animals! There are tons of squeals of joy whenever you see a cat or a dog, and you will pet them fearlessly. One of your favourite things to do at the Osakabe house is chase the cats to try to pet them. They usually manage to escape, but I think once you really start walking, they'll have to find a place to hide. You are also great at giving your stuffed animals hugs and get quite excited to play with them in the mornings.
In terms of your schedule, you're still taking 2 naps at around 10am and 3pm, and occasionally sleep through the night without waking up for a feed. You're a solid 12-13 hour sleeper overnight, which is nice for mama and papa. You eat lots of snacks and meals during the day, although you're still not really a fan of vegetables. I think your favourite foods are berries, apples, bananas and cheese. Oh, and all those carb-y type snacks like puffs and cookies. One of the slightly more annoying things you have learned to do is to push food out of your mouth. Until this month, if we could get it into your mouth, you would eat it. Now, however, you open your mouth just a tiny bit, stick out your tongue to taste the new food, and then allow us to put it in your mouth. If it meets your approval, it stays. Otherwise, it is immediately rejected and wiped away by a swipe of your hand. You also have no qualms about tossing food over the side of your seat if you are no longer interested in it. I guess that's the most efficient way of getting rid of it, but mama has had to wipe floors a LOT. And even with the wiping, you manage to find every speck of dust to put it in your mouth.
One of the cutest things we taught you to do this month was to say, "Hello", on the telephone. Once you mastered it, mama immediately called everyone she knew and had you say it into the phone. Your voice is so high and adorable. We really love to listen to you babble to yourself.
Mama and papa pray for you every night. We know the most loving thing to do is to continue to entrust you to God's care. I have to say, He's done an amazing job on you so far! :) You're a delightful, loving, cheeky, brave, and beautiful girl. We can't wait to see what the next month will bring!
Love,
Your mama and papa birds
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
T-minus 2 months!
Happy 10-month birthday, Kiyomi-bear!
This has been a super-eventful month! This month, you decided to have us walk you around, because sitting down and playing in one spot is old news. You were pulling yourself up to standing before, but you're really really into it now, and will take every opportunity to cling to mama or papa so that you can wiggle your way into a standing position. You will then stand there and whine until we take your hands and walk you around. Please keep in mind that you hadn't really crawled at all until this week. Just this past week, we decided we should probably push you more to crawl, so you are now doing a commando drag. Thank goodness for sticky fingers, because you are all upper-body strength! With all this new walking, you're really becoming independent. We used to be able to walk you around wherever we wanted, but you will now turn your upper body to the direction you really want to go, and then whine until we help you walk over there. You are so busy busy busy!
Your "vocabulary" has also really expanded and you've added lots of sounds. We think that you really love to hear yourself talk, because you will spend a good chunk of your playtime babbling happily to yourself. Your sound of choice is still "dada", but you're adding some M, N, G, and B sounds. We think you'll be a real talker once you find your words! You're also clapping and waving really consistently in response to others doing it to you, and you've also started shaking your head, "No." When you shake your head, you smile, so we don't think you understand what the motion means, but you are starting to understand when we say, "No," to you! You definitely stop what you're doing for a bit and look at us with a guilty look before trying again. And again. You are persistent! Just the other day, you thought it would be fun to play with tissue paper. Every time you put the tissue paper to your mouth, mama told you, "No," after which you gave her a look and slowly lowered your hand. We have a video, and you should definitely ask to see it, because you are ahhh-dorable.
This month, you bit mama while breastfeeding, but after a stern, "No!", you haven't tried again. Good thing, too, because your first tooth (bottom right) broke through last week! We've been feeding you food in bigger chunks because you're really good at mushing it around in your mouth, and now, with this tooth, we know you'll really master the chewing thing! Your pincer grip has been amazing for a few months now, but you are getting much better at feeding yourself without smushing the food between your fingers. This month, you also decided that you could share your food with us! When we open our mouths wide (and you aren't too hungry yourself), you will put food into our mouths for us! Papa actually eats what you give him, but mama only pretends. We're so thankful that you have a sharing heart, and that you think it's fun! We hope it will continue with things other than food!
You've had lots of new experiences and met lots of new people. Generally, in a new situation, you like to stick with mom and dad at first, but once you've settled in, you're happy to explore with other people. This month, grandpa Osakabe and mama took you to the local splash pad. You didn't like the cold water in your face, but really loved to reach out to try to grab the streams of water. We're hoping for more hot days so that you can continue to get used to fun water activities.
Did I mention you like bubbles? You and mama played on the balcony on a rainy day, mama blowing the bubbles, you trying to reach out to grab them, and mama having to restrain you so that you didn't hit your head on the concrete ground from leaning out too quickly. Our condo unit is small, but we're trying to find more activities so that we can still have lots of fun!
Your mama is heading back to work in 2 months, and she is going to miss witnessing all these milestones in your life! As always, we want you to know how much we love you, and how much we hope you know that God loves you!
Love,
Your mama and papa bears
This has been a super-eventful month! This month, you decided to have us walk you around, because sitting down and playing in one spot is old news. You were pulling yourself up to standing before, but you're really really into it now, and will take every opportunity to cling to mama or papa so that you can wiggle your way into a standing position. You will then stand there and whine until we take your hands and walk you around. Please keep in mind that you hadn't really crawled at all until this week. Just this past week, we decided we should probably push you more to crawl, so you are now doing a commando drag. Thank goodness for sticky fingers, because you are all upper-body strength! With all this new walking, you're really becoming independent. We used to be able to walk you around wherever we wanted, but you will now turn your upper body to the direction you really want to go, and then whine until we help you walk over there. You are so busy busy busy!
Your "vocabulary" has also really expanded and you've added lots of sounds. We think that you really love to hear yourself talk, because you will spend a good chunk of your playtime babbling happily to yourself. Your sound of choice is still "dada", but you're adding some M, N, G, and B sounds. We think you'll be a real talker once you find your words! You're also clapping and waving really consistently in response to others doing it to you, and you've also started shaking your head, "No." When you shake your head, you smile, so we don't think you understand what the motion means, but you are starting to understand when we say, "No," to you! You definitely stop what you're doing for a bit and look at us with a guilty look before trying again. And again. You are persistent! Just the other day, you thought it would be fun to play with tissue paper. Every time you put the tissue paper to your mouth, mama told you, "No," after which you gave her a look and slowly lowered your hand. We have a video, and you should definitely ask to see it, because you are ahhh-dorable.
This month, you bit mama while breastfeeding, but after a stern, "No!", you haven't tried again. Good thing, too, because your first tooth (bottom right) broke through last week! We've been feeding you food in bigger chunks because you're really good at mushing it around in your mouth, and now, with this tooth, we know you'll really master the chewing thing! Your pincer grip has been amazing for a few months now, but you are getting much better at feeding yourself without smushing the food between your fingers. This month, you also decided that you could share your food with us! When we open our mouths wide (and you aren't too hungry yourself), you will put food into our mouths for us! Papa actually eats what you give him, but mama only pretends. We're so thankful that you have a sharing heart, and that you think it's fun! We hope it will continue with things other than food!
 |
| Baby-led weaning inspired messes = banana beard |
You've had lots of new experiences and met lots of new people. Generally, in a new situation, you like to stick with mom and dad at first, but once you've settled in, you're happy to explore with other people. This month, grandpa Osakabe and mama took you to the local splash pad. You didn't like the cold water in your face, but really loved to reach out to try to grab the streams of water. We're hoping for more hot days so that you can continue to get used to fun water activities.
 |
| So maybe the first splash pad experience wasn't that enjoyable |
Did I mention you like bubbles? You and mama played on the balcony on a rainy day, mama blowing the bubbles, you trying to reach out to grab them, and mama having to restrain you so that you didn't hit your head on the concrete ground from leaning out too quickly. Our condo unit is small, but we're trying to find more activities so that we can still have lots of fun!
Your mama is heading back to work in 2 months, and she is going to miss witnessing all these milestones in your life! As always, we want you to know how much we love you, and how much we hope you know that God loves you!
Love,
Your mama and papa bears
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Travelling with a baby
We just returned from a 5-day "vacation" to New York City. Kiyomi was on the verge of her 9-month birthday, and was so well-behaved. She charmed a lot of New York City with her smiles and clapping. And her hair clips. Those were SO key to surviving the travel, I think.
Some things I learned about travelling with a 9-month-old in a plane: (oh, please keep in mind that our flight was a measly 1-1.5 hr flight. What worked for us really only worked because we had a shorter flight, I think. Kudos to you parents who have done the overseas trek!!)
1) Dress them super-cute. The cutest outfit you can find. And add hair clips. Oh, maybe that's just for girls. Perhaps a bow-tie for the boys? I'm convinced, the cuter you can make your baby, the more favour you will find with airline agents, grumpy customs officials, and security personnel. I've never been more doted on! The lady directing the customs line let us up to the front. And did you know, they have a special security line for families?! And that US security personnel are actually pretty friendly? I suppose the chances of you being a threat to national security are slim to none when travelling with a baby.
2) Pack snacks. Especially puffs. And Baby Mum Mums. Or whatever snack your child cannot get enough of. Kiyomi was really content for most of the 1.5 hour flights, except near the end. Cue the snacks! Giving her the puffs one at a time kept her pretty occupied, and having a mouthful of puffs means less mouth-room for crying. Plus, a hungry baby is a cranky baby, so anything you can do to avoid the hungry-tired combo is beneficial for everyone.
3) Make friends with your seat-neighbours. If your child can smile/clap/kiss/high-five etc. on demand, have them demonstrate said skill as soon as possible, to win over the neighbours. We had an elderly woman in the row behind us play peekaboo with Kiyomi for a long time. It really saved us from having to occupy Kiyomi for the whole flight time. There are also these, if you want to be really nice!
4) Pack toys. Lots of toys. Dispense said toys as slowly as possible for the entire duration of the flight. Most tips also say to pack new toys, which will keep your child occupied for longer. I was too cheap to buy new toys, so I hid a few of Kiyomi's a few weeks back, in hopes that she'd forget about them and that they would be more interesting to her on the trip.
5) Nurse the baby on takeoff/landing. The airline attendants will come by to tell you the takeoff and landing position for the baby, which is not a nursing position. We flew Air Canada, and we were told to hold her in a burping position, with her facing back over our shoulder, head firmly cradled with one of our hands. I'm not quite sure why they think this is better than having your child securely fastened to you in a carrier of some sort? Anyway, I was scared that the air pressure change would affect Kiyomi, so I ignored their directions and nursed Kiyomi on takeoff, both flights. I don't know if that's what helped, but Kiyomi didn't seem to notice any air pressure changes. On the landings, we adopted the official baby positions, and Kiyomi seemed okay.
Other gear we brought along (gosh, SO MUCH STUFF to carry through the airports!), that was indispensable:
1) Phil & Ted's Traveller crib. We started having Kiyomi nap in this a few weeks before, just so she could get used to the feel. The first time we put her in it, she cried for a while, but after that, she was fine. Then, when we actually got to NY, she slept overnight really well in it, but cried for her naps. Toward the end of the trip (maybe 3 days in?), she settled in and got used to it. I don't think it was the crib that bothered her, as much as it was the new room and new smells/sounds of a busy city.
Sidenote: The travel crib I really wanted wasn't for sale in Canada at the time.
2) Onya Outback baby carrier. We love this thing! And Kiyomi loves being worn. I researched a lot of carriers (Boba, Beco, Ergo, etc.) before settling on this one. The two features that make it stand out from the others are the fact that I can cross the straps across my back (good, because I have a tinier torso that makes it awkward just to have the straps going just over each shoulder), and that you can use it to convert any chair into a seat for your child! We were feeding Kiyomi in our laps, originally, and then decided we would take the time to strap her in, and it made a world of difference. It was MUCH easier to feed her with her strapped onto a chair (ha, that makes me sound so...restraining?). We also love all the pockets and the nap hood. Love it all!
3) Car seat. We only used it to ride in the taxi to and from the airport, but, safety comes first, so we lugged that baby around.
4) Maclaren Quest stroller. Everyone I know who has one of these raves about it. And now, I wholeheartedly agree! It's built well (get the 2013 model, not the 2012, apparently), folds easily, reclines fully (so key for having Kiyomi nap on the go), has a LIFETIME warranty, and steers really well, even with one hand. The only drawback is that the shade is smaller than the one you get with other umbrella strollers, so we had to use another blanket to "extend" the shade and give her more privacy while napping. I discovered a little too late that I could also use the stroller for changing her diaper. That was after spending the first 4 days copiously lining various changing stations with paper towel before laying down our change pad. I might be a slight germaphobe. This umbrella stroller is a welcome addition to our home, where previously, the only stroller we had was the honking Britax B-Ready.
Overall, it was a fun trip. Our schedule revolved around Kiyomi, of course, but we got to do a lot of shopping, and Kiyomi was a trooper through the ridiculous heat wave and lack of air conditioning. As a mom who is still on maternity leave, it wasn't as relaxing for me (I mean, I have our daily routine down pat, so it's much easier to be at home), but the other people we travelled with enjoyed their trip.
Can I also just say that I love Muji and Uniqlo and why can't they just bring these amazing Japanese stores to Canada already??
Some things I learned about travelling with a 9-month-old in a plane: (oh, please keep in mind that our flight was a measly 1-1.5 hr flight. What worked for us really only worked because we had a shorter flight, I think. Kudos to you parents who have done the overseas trek!!)
1) Dress them super-cute. The cutest outfit you can find. And add hair clips. Oh, maybe that's just for girls. Perhaps a bow-tie for the boys? I'm convinced, the cuter you can make your baby, the more favour you will find with airline agents, grumpy customs officials, and security personnel. I've never been more doted on! The lady directing the customs line let us up to the front. And did you know, they have a special security line for families?! And that US security personnel are actually pretty friendly? I suppose the chances of you being a threat to national security are slim to none when travelling with a baby.
 |
| Kiyomi, demonstrating tip #1 and #2 |
3) Make friends with your seat-neighbours. If your child can smile/clap/kiss/high-five etc. on demand, have them demonstrate said skill as soon as possible, to win over the neighbours. We had an elderly woman in the row behind us play peekaboo with Kiyomi for a long time. It really saved us from having to occupy Kiyomi for the whole flight time. There are also these, if you want to be really nice!
4) Pack toys. Lots of toys. Dispense said toys as slowly as possible for the entire duration of the flight. Most tips also say to pack new toys, which will keep your child occupied for longer. I was too cheap to buy new toys, so I hid a few of Kiyomi's a few weeks back, in hopes that she'd forget about them and that they would be more interesting to her on the trip.
5) Nurse the baby on takeoff/landing. The airline attendants will come by to tell you the takeoff and landing position for the baby, which is not a nursing position. We flew Air Canada, and we were told to hold her in a burping position, with her facing back over our shoulder, head firmly cradled with one of our hands. I'm not quite sure why they think this is better than having your child securely fastened to you in a carrier of some sort? Anyway, I was scared that the air pressure change would affect Kiyomi, so I ignored their directions and nursed Kiyomi on takeoff, both flights. I don't know if that's what helped, but Kiyomi didn't seem to notice any air pressure changes. On the landings, we adopted the official baby positions, and Kiyomi seemed okay.
Other gear we brought along (gosh, SO MUCH STUFF to carry through the airports!), that was indispensable:
1) Phil & Ted's Traveller crib. We started having Kiyomi nap in this a few weeks before, just so she could get used to the feel. The first time we put her in it, she cried for a while, but after that, she was fine. Then, when we actually got to NY, she slept overnight really well in it, but cried for her naps. Toward the end of the trip (maybe 3 days in?), she settled in and got used to it. I don't think it was the crib that bothered her, as much as it was the new room and new smells/sounds of a busy city.
Sidenote: The travel crib I really wanted wasn't for sale in Canada at the time.
2) Onya Outback baby carrier. We love this thing! And Kiyomi loves being worn. I researched a lot of carriers (Boba, Beco, Ergo, etc.) before settling on this one. The two features that make it stand out from the others are the fact that I can cross the straps across my back (good, because I have a tinier torso that makes it awkward just to have the straps going just over each shoulder), and that you can use it to convert any chair into a seat for your child! We were feeding Kiyomi in our laps, originally, and then decided we would take the time to strap her in, and it made a world of difference. It was MUCH easier to feed her with her strapped onto a chair (ha, that makes me sound so...restraining?). We also love all the pockets and the nap hood. Love it all!
3) Car seat. We only used it to ride in the taxi to and from the airport, but, safety comes first, so we lugged that baby around.
4) Maclaren Quest stroller. Everyone I know who has one of these raves about it. And now, I wholeheartedly agree! It's built well (get the 2013 model, not the 2012, apparently), folds easily, reclines fully (so key for having Kiyomi nap on the go), has a LIFETIME warranty, and steers really well, even with one hand. The only drawback is that the shade is smaller than the one you get with other umbrella strollers, so we had to use another blanket to "extend" the shade and give her more privacy while napping. I discovered a little too late that I could also use the stroller for changing her diaper. That was after spending the first 4 days copiously lining various changing stations with paper towel before laying down our change pad. I might be a slight germaphobe. This umbrella stroller is a welcome addition to our home, where previously, the only stroller we had was the honking Britax B-Ready.
Overall, it was a fun trip. Our schedule revolved around Kiyomi, of course, but we got to do a lot of shopping, and Kiyomi was a trooper through the ridiculous heat wave and lack of air conditioning. As a mom who is still on maternity leave, it wasn't as relaxing for me (I mean, I have our daily routine down pat, so it's much easier to be at home), but the other people we travelled with enjoyed their trip.
Can I also just say that I love Muji and Uniqlo and why can't they just bring these amazing Japanese stores to Canada already??
Monday, June 03, 2013
Nine months!
{I may have missed someone's eight-month update, but am going back to finish it off soon..sigh, .the life of a mom}
My dearest Kiyomi-bear!
You are nine months old today! Time has flown, and you've developed so quickly. We had a lot of firsts this month, including your first airplane flight to NYC, and your first night sleeping somewhere besides your crib. You handled the airports and airplane like a champ, playing with toys, exploring the airplane with daddy, and eating a.lot.of.puffs. The trip to New York was so fun! We travelled with another family, whom you love love love. They made you smile a lot. You also made a lot of people in New York smile, even the scary-looking, tough guys on the subway! To charm them, you started to clap your hands together, and then they imitated you, which made you smile. Thinking about it makes ME smile! You were also called, "The world's cutest baby" in a craft store. The ladies oooohed and aaaaahed over you!
You didn't nap all that well in NY, especially when you were in your travel crib. You napped your 2 daily naps on the go in the Onya carrier and your stroller, but it was SO HOT in Manhattan that you always woke up quite sweaty. Actually, when you sweat, you get the world's cutest sweat beads on your nose. A-dorable! Sleeping overnight in NY wasn't a problem, and you actually slept through the night for 4 out of the 5 nights. The last night, and after we got home, you have been doing your usual wake-up at around 5 am.
You're also really loving to pull yourself up to a standing position. In fact, today, you did it over and over while giggling. Pulling yourself up from sitting to standing apparently makes you stupendously happy! You're not crawling quite yet, but are pushing yourself with your arms and legs and are belly-surfing somewhat.
You're eating most foods now, especially sweet things. You love those fruits! Some things you don't like are peaches and mangoes. I think you find them too sour, as you scrunch up your face in dislike whenever I try to give them to you. You're beginning to really like feeding yourself, and even learned to suck your food out of those squeeze packs! You tend to suck too much out, so the food overflows out of your mouth, but you're really getting the hang of it.
You're wearing 12-month and 18-month clothing because of your long torso, and your big cloth diaper. You're 71 cm long and weigh 18.3 lbs.
This month, we dedicated you at the JGCT. It was such a wonderful experience to have everyone in the church stand to show that they support us in raising you. You're part of an enormous family that loves you! We continue to pray that God will give your papa and I wisdom to raise you. We love you Kiyomi!! You have the world's cutest laugh, and you continue to bring so much joy to our lives.
Love,
Your mama
My dearest Kiyomi-bear!
You are nine months old today! Time has flown, and you've developed so quickly. We had a lot of firsts this month, including your first airplane flight to NYC, and your first night sleeping somewhere besides your crib. You handled the airports and airplane like a champ, playing with toys, exploring the airplane with daddy, and eating a.lot.of.puffs. The trip to New York was so fun! We travelled with another family, whom you love love love. They made you smile a lot. You also made a lot of people in New York smile, even the scary-looking, tough guys on the subway! To charm them, you started to clap your hands together, and then they imitated you, which made you smile. Thinking about it makes ME smile! You were also called, "The world's cutest baby" in a craft store. The ladies oooohed and aaaaahed over you!
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| You love books. Both listening to them being read. And eating them. I'm just glad you love them! |
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| New sensory experiences can be messy. |
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| Napping on the go in NYC. |
You're also really loving to pull yourself up to a standing position. In fact, today, you did it over and over while giggling. Pulling yourself up from sitting to standing apparently makes you stupendously happy! You're not crawling quite yet, but are pushing yourself with your arms and legs and are belly-surfing somewhat.
You're eating most foods now, especially sweet things. You love those fruits! Some things you don't like are peaches and mangoes. I think you find them too sour, as you scrunch up your face in dislike whenever I try to give them to you. You're beginning to really like feeding yourself, and even learned to suck your food out of those squeeze packs! You tend to suck too much out, so the food overflows out of your mouth, but you're really getting the hang of it.
You're wearing 12-month and 18-month clothing because of your long torso, and your big cloth diaper. You're 71 cm long and weigh 18.3 lbs.
This month, we dedicated you at the JGCT. It was such a wonderful experience to have everyone in the church stand to show that they support us in raising you. You're part of an enormous family that loves you! We continue to pray that God will give your papa and I wisdom to raise you. We love you Kiyomi!! You have the world's cutest laugh, and you continue to bring so much joy to our lives.
Love,
Your mama
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Daiso haul
I'd love to hug the genius that invented the dollar store. Especially the Japanese genius who invented Daiso. My hubs recently went to Seattle, where THEY HAVE A DAISO (sadly, no Japanese dollar stores in our city), so I requested a few items. Of course they're cute. They're Japanese, ha!
The items pictured above are some cute bento-type items that I requested. We just started solids with Kiyomi, but I'm planning ahead. Time will tell whether I'll actually get around to crafting bentos full of fun-shaped food and edible marker decorations. The large pink cloths are 2 furoshiki. They're basically square cloths that you use to wrap up your bento, or your fave potluck contribution. You just put your casserole dish in the centre and tie opposite corners together. It helps in transporting your mama's favourite crystal dish, so that you don't drop and destroy any family heirlooms, or delicious food. Note the bright pink-ness of it all. Below are some heart-shaped food picks (you stick them in food to pretty it up...it's like bling for your food!), and then there are kid's chopsticks, along with a contraption that actually trains you to use the chopsticks. The multicoloured containers are made of silicone, as are the muffin cups, and I'm planning on using them to separate the delicious theoretical treats that will one day make it into our bentos.
Here are some extreme examples of bento artistry:
And a slightly less extreme example:
The other items I got were onigiri (rice ball) molds, which make rice ball-ing SO much faster, some glue, lace tape and steel hooks. I actually wanted s-hooks, so I could do this, but didn't mention that to the hubs, so it's completely my fault. I'm really not sure where to use these little hooks now...ideas?
The best part about all of this is that most of these items only cost a DOLLAR, or close to that, anyway. AMAZING! I feel like starting a petition to bring a Japanese dollar store to our city.
The items pictured above are some cute bento-type items that I requested. We just started solids with Kiyomi, but I'm planning ahead. Time will tell whether I'll actually get around to crafting bentos full of fun-shaped food and edible marker decorations. The large pink cloths are 2 furoshiki. They're basically square cloths that you use to wrap up your bento, or your fave potluck contribution. You just put your casserole dish in the centre and tie opposite corners together. It helps in transporting your mama's favourite crystal dish, so that you don't drop and destroy any family heirlooms, or delicious food. Note the bright pink-ness of it all. Below are some heart-shaped food picks (you stick them in food to pretty it up...it's like bling for your food!), and then there are kid's chopsticks, along with a contraption that actually trains you to use the chopsticks. The multicoloured containers are made of silicone, as are the muffin cups, and I'm planning on using them to separate the delicious theoretical treats that will one day make it into our bentos.
Here are some extreme examples of bento artistry:
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| By BC Roll in Japan |
And a slightly less extreme example:
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| By happylittlebento.blogspot.ca |
The other items I got were onigiri (rice ball) molds, which make rice ball-ing SO much faster, some glue, lace tape and steel hooks. I actually wanted s-hooks, so I could do this, but didn't mention that to the hubs, so it's completely my fault. I'm really not sure where to use these little hooks now...ideas?
The best part about all of this is that most of these items only cost a DOLLAR, or close to that, anyway. AMAZING! I feel like starting a petition to bring a Japanese dollar store to our city.
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