jessenstef

There was only one thing that I wanted to make sure that we did while we were here in Japan: visit Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. So, I was so excited when we decided to go in the beginning of September.

The first couple weeks in September are supposed to be when the fewest number of people are there. But, it was still packed. I can’t imagine how it would be if there were twice as many people there.

Jesse found an amazing deal on a hotel. Most places were charging 100-150 dollars per person each night. He found one for about $89 for all of us each night (with breakfast included). We took a flight from Matsuyama to Tokyo. We had to take a couple trains along the way, but all-in-all it was not bad.

We traveled out Wednesday and the weather was typhoon weather. We got really wet right before we got to the hotel. A little frustrating but, mostly just laughable. We were actually really glad because we had amazing weather the next 3 days because of it.

I’m really glad that I scouted each park online before we went because we were able to know right at the beginning where we needed to go and where things were. Both days went smoothly with only a couple rides that we had to stand in line for more than 10 minutes. We were also able to work the system by getting fast passes and babysitter passes that cut out a lot of waiting in line. I’m sure Jesse will talk about that more in his blog, so I won’t go into detail.

90% of the people at the park were young adults. 40% of those were dressed up as Disney characters so it was hard at first to know if they were members of the staff or just visitors. We soon realized that the Disney characters hired by the park that don’t wear costumes that cover their heads were actually Caucasian.

Kelsey got to pose for some pictures with some Disney characters. Many of the ones in the big character costumes actually approached Kelsey and Mia half the time (most likely because they were Japanese and most Japanese people like to interact with the foreign children). The only one that we were sad not to get a picture with was Minnie Mouse, because she was almost running to avoid people with cameras so she could get to the area of the park that she was supposed to be in. I don’t blame her. It must be tough in the hot costume to have to stop and take pictures every 2 seconds–maybe not even making it to their assigned area.

We went to Disneyland first so that we would have enough energy because they had more rides then DisneySea did. DisneySea had mostly shows. Kelsey got to go on most the rides and Mia got to go on more than I thought she would be able to. Both girls had a blast and zonked out before we even left the park both days. I loved going to Disneyland but DisneySea was so beautiful to look at. Each area of DisneySea had music going to fit the area and it really set the mood.

Each area in DisneySea had restaurants and snack stands with food to match the theme of the area. So, we got to try sesame churros and curry popcorn (plus many other strange but very good food). Basically the food was amazing there. My favorite areas (mostly because it had the most things for both girls) were Mermaid Lagoon at DisneySea and ToonTown at Disneyland. In Mermaid Lagoon there was Triton’s Kingdom that had so many cool things for the girls to play in and with. We went there in the morning and again in the evening because it was so fun for the girls.

I don’t know what my favorite ride was because there were many that I enjoyed. Kelsey loved Gadget’s roller coaster and the flying fish coaster the most. The one that she didn’t like (no, she liked the Haunted mansion if that was your first guess) was Storm Rider in Port Discovery of DisneySea. Both of the girls were amazing on all the rides they went on. There were little Japanese kids crying because they were scared but the girls didn’t cry once. In fact they chanted, “More rides. More rides.” after each one.

I got to see the Disneyland electrical parade for the first time and Kelsey loved it. She kept shouting each new Disney Character as they approached, “Look! Look! It’s (insert Disney character here)” The excitement from the girls alone made the trip so much fun.

In the evening, as we were leaving DisneySea, we actually turned back around and stayed for another hour because it was so hard to leave–because it meant that out trip was almost over. So, Jesse and I sat in the Mediterranean Harbor with great Italian music playing (so romantic) and just enjoyed the magical atmosphere.

We also got to go to the Tokyo Temple. Unfortunately, only I got to go to a session because we didn’t have anyone to watch the girls and not enough time for us to each go to a session.

Jesse was able to find a cool little foreign goods store close to the temple though. He also got to treat the girls to some Baskin Robbins while he watched them.

So, that was our trip for the most part. As an ending note, Jesse passed the JLPT level 2. Also, we may stay in Japan for a 4th year because it may be hard to turn down the amount of money we can save in that year. But, it is not set-in-stone yet. We have to make a decision by February. I can’t believe that I’m actually considering it but, sometimes we need to do what is best in the long term.

It’s funny how often as a mother I find that right when I’m about to do something that I’m looking forward to one of my children needs something. It seems to be the case every time I sit down to write in my blog. Even now Mia started crying right as I began to type this.

It’s crazy how life works that way. I guess it is teaching me patience among other things that I need to become better at.

It’s been 5 months since my last post and there is a lot to catch up on. Since my last post, both Jesse’s dad, mom, and step-father Rory have all come to visit us. We love having company and we especially enjoy being able to show people the bizarre world in which we live. It’s one thing to write or even talk about our experiences here but it is another thing for people to be able to see it with their own eyes.

When Jesse’s Dad came out in March he was able to travel with us and he spent some time traveling by himself. Because we live so close to Hiroshima we usually take people to see the H-bomb museum. It’s not one of the more uplifting sights of Japan but it’s still interesting.

Many of the sights that people see here have to do with shrines or something related to it. Jesse’s dad was able to go to an Onsen which includes getting naked with a few people of the same sex and enjoying the hot springs. (Many onsens will turn away people with tattoos).

He really enjoyed riding the trains. You can travel from here (Shukoku) to Tokyo in a day and see so many places just outside the train window. The countryside is so beautiful here.

We were able to take both Dad and Susan and Rory to a local indoor/hot spring pool that we love to go to called Kurhaus. There is a pool (with a cool slide) on one side of the building and a hot spring in the other. They also have many other things to offer there but I don’t know what it is. We have found a free bus that can take us there so we will probably be going often especially when the weather gets hot.

I enjoy having Susan here because she loves to cook and so do I–so I learn a lot from her. The kitchen is small here and I hate having a crowded kitchen while I cook but I don’t seem to mind so much when it’s Susan. They brought lots of great things from America and I’m sure I gained a couple pounds from eating all the yummy sweets and treats.

Mom and Rory got to go out to the island with us to stay with Azuma-san. Azuma-san is so amazing to let us intrude and she gives up their only rooms so we could stay in them. She gave them the same treatment that she gave Ryan and Erin when they were here. She cooked amazing Japanese meals and showed them around some of the island.

Then Mom and Rory were also able to go out on Mr. Azuma’s boat and do some fishing. They caught 3 fish which we ate for dinner that night (Sashimi-style), among many other very delicious things.

We only stayed one night and as Jesse and his parents hiked up to the local shrine I decided to take the girls and go down to the dock to enjoy the walk to the beach that Kelsey and I use to take when we lived there.

It was very nostalgic to walk there and back. It felt weird and comforting at the same time. It made me miss living there and thankful for not living their all at the same time. I enjoyed the island life but of course I enjoy living in a bigger city with other foreigners more. It’s such a beautiful walk to be able to walk along the road looking out into the open sea with a few other islands and boats giving it a picturesque feel. I am really glad that we were able to have experienced that way of life even though it was only for a brief moment.

I teach Eikaiwa (an english class) on Wednesday nights. They decided to put on a play called Urashimataro. I wanted them to perform for Mom and Rory. So, we decided to perform on May 26^th while they were in Imabari. The class members did a great job and we were able to get video of the whole performance. I helped out with a couple parts because we were short on performers.

It was great weather this month to be able to ride bikes around Imabari and we were glad that Mom and Rory loved biking around with us. We got to have a date night while they were here, which brings the number of our date nights since in Japan up to 7 .

We found a good Indian restaurant at Fuji Grand after we went bowling. It was our first time bowling in Japan. We feel so blessed to be able to have family come out and see us. One of the other foreigners here has lived here almost 15 years and commented how not one of his family members has come out to visit him. We love our family so much. Although we know we made the right decision to stay a third year we still miss them terribly.

It was very fun to have my parents come to Japan. My dad came out about the same time last year when I had Mia and needed some help. He was a big help. Now he got to come out with my mom for Mia’s first birthday.

Unfortunately it is very expensive to travel in Japan and we couldn’t take Mia in big crowds because she gets sick easily. In fact she is still sick after being in the hospital for 3 days. So, we couldn’t go pick up my parents from the Osaka airport. They had to make their way by train which takes about 4 ½ hours. I was a little worried that my mom would have a hard time doing it but I knew my dad could. Jesse gave them the instructions and some Japanese information that they could show to anyone so that person could point my parents in the right direction if they got confused.

They came in on Friday and were basically traveling for 19 hours before they got to us in Imabari. I doubt my mom had slept much the night before because of her excitement. My dad tried calling my Japanese cell phone but my cell phone doesn’t ring long before it goes to voice mail (a big pain in my butt). It told my dad that I was not able to get to the phone but in Japanese so he thought maybe he had the wrong number. (I would’ve thought the same thing). We tried calling their cell phones with our Vonage (American phone line) with no luck. Eventually Jesse called my dad with his Japanese cell phone just so we could find out if they were lost or stuck somewhere and wouldn’t make it to us that night. Luckily, they were about an hour out of Imabari and in one piece.

They got here a little after 11pm Japan time. I was waiting for them at the train station hoping I didn’t miss them. I still don’t speak much Japanese (when there are 4 different ways to say “life” and counting is even crazier it’s hard for me to be motivated to try) so I went to the ticket counter trying to use hand motions (charades style) to ask the guys if he saw two Americans come out yet, one medium height male and one short heavier set female. It was crazy but it worked and he said no in Japanese. I kept checking the video cams in the ticket both and finally noticed them getting off a train.

We hugged and got in the taxi.

I go to the hospital and back at least once a month for Mia’s doctor appointments and take a taxi most of the time. I say our apartment address in the most Japanese voice I can and it usually works. For some reason this taxi driver didn’t even want to try to understand what I was saying. Luckily Jesse had given my parents our address in Japanese so we showed it to the taxi driver. It was late before they got to our apartment and got settled but it was exciting to have them here.

The next morning I woke up at the same time Kelsey did and so I decided to tell her that Grandma and Grandpa were in her room (she was sleeping in our room so my parents could sleep in hers). She went in there and came back into my room stating “Grandma and Grandpa not here. They still on the plane to get here”. I thought that was weird so I checked myself and sure enough my parents were not in there. They had gotten up early and went on a walk. When they got back we had oatmeal and craisins for breakfast and Kelsey began to get excited that they were here.

Mia took to my mom a lot better than what I had expected since she is shy around most people that are not her parents. She also enjoyed being held by my dad (if she wasn’t hungry). Kelsey loved going on walks and playing with Grandpa. I think she got a little too worked up sometimes because of the excitement of having guests over the whole day for over a week.

Jesse worked part of the time they were here so we hung out at home some of the time just enjoying each other’s company and playing some Phase 10. We did take them to Matsuyama to visit the castle and do some shopping, not to mention have some of my dads favorite Okonomiyaki. My dad went to visit the A-bomb museum in Hiroshima with Jesse.

They also got to visit some of the local destinations here in Imabari. My mom and dad were brave enough to try the local sushi place.(100 yen per plate for 2 sushi on each plate). They also got to try a great soup shop down the street from us. We took them to a thrift shop (they only accept items that are less than 3 years old when donated). They also got to visit one of our favorite parks close to our house with the hundreds of koi and awesome slides. One of my clients went into labor while they were here but I’ll blog about that next time.

One of the amazing members from our branch lent us a car so my dad could drive it with his international driver’s license (IDL). Jesse didn’t get one before we left because we thought we’d be on the island–but now that he wants to get one, he has to go through a long process including classes. It was easier to have my dad pay 20 bucks and get an IDL. He only bottomed out once coming into a parking lot too fast. We did have to remind him constantly that everything was opposite here and no–you can not turn left on a red–even though in the states you can turn right on a red. It was quite the adventure.

It rained half the time they were here and it was very cold so we didn’t get to do a whole lot. They did get to celebrate Mia’s birthday with us. I tried to make a cake for her but the frosting ruined it. Both the cake and the frosting tasted fine by themselves, but horrible together. I was a little frustrated at that but Jesse and my dad ran to the store and got a cake. It was fun to watch the girls open their presents from their grandparents. We feel blessed to have such giving parents on both sides.

My parents also had to make it back to the airport by themselves which they did beautifully. I’m glad that they came and we are very blessed to have Skype to stay in touch even though we are across the globe.

I haven’t posted anything since Mia is not in the hospital. I figure not as many people need updates so regularly. But, my mother just came to visit and reprimanded me for my blog-slacking. So, I’m going to try to be better at posting a little bit more frequently. I’m going to break my posts up into three posts since it’s been a while.

First, I’ll give everyone updates on the family, starting with the youngest. Mia is growing so big. She is now a year old and currently 6610 grams. She got her first teeth on her birthday. She’s been crawling for a couple months which is only a couple months from when Kelsey started crawling, so it’s exciting to know that she’s on track developmentally. She’s not quite cruising yet. Her hair seems to be a strawberry blonde. She recently got the flu which put her in the hospital for three days. We still have to be careful about taking her out in big crowds so she doesn’t get sick again. Her doctor says that since she is growing really well it unfortunately causes the hole in her heart to get bigger. Because of that she will probably need her heart surgery earlier than originally thought. He thinks that she will need it by next December but I will need to consult with the doctor we decide to go to when we get back in the states this summer.

Kelsey is also getting so big. She’ll be 3 in 1 ½ months and already seems to be getting over her terrible 2 stage. It seems like the only time she is bad is when there are lots of people and she gets over excited. Her imagination is beginning to take off and I find that I really enjoy playing pretend with her. One time I told her that she was a little girl and she said that I was a little girl too. When I informed her that “no, Mommy is a woman” she responded, “no, Kelsey is a woman”. So, now whenever anyone says Kelsey is something she informs them that “no, I not (such and such) I a woman.” She is beginning to be really good in nursery. Yesterday at church I kept walking by the nursery expecting to hear some sort of ruckus caused by Kelsey but she was happily playing with her friend Hiroki the whole time. It wasn’t until the last 15 minutes that she decided that she wanted to go on a walk. Sister Ide must have gotten so used to the nice quiet playtime that she didn’t realize that Kelsey had gotten her shoes on and walked outside of the nursery and building. She frantically went looking for her with Jesse and they founder her two buildings down laying on the porch singing to herself. Kelsey does enjoy her walks.

I have been doing well. It has been great to live in Imabari. Since it’s been cold out, and I don’t like taking Mia out too much, we’ve been stuck indoors. I was afraid that I wouldn’t get to have a client out here and that my doula certification would be void. But, with the help of my friend Kris, I have a couple clients so far and possibly more to come. I’ve already attended one clients birth and it was an amazing experience. I’ll have to explain that experience in another post. I’m trying to grow my hair out again. I do love having short hair but I miss the long beautiful hair I had. I’m excited to be going home in 6 ½ months. There are moments when I wish we could stay longer but often I am just glad to be going home. I enjoy Japan and there are a lot of mice people out here but, I hate having to rely on so many people just to do everyday things like going to the doctor or paying the bills. I’m very independent and feeling confined for a long period of time is not good.

Jesse just took the JLPT level 2. He thinks he failed it but we both hope he didn’t. Even if he did he can take it again before we leave and he’s confident that he’ll pass it the second time around. He is worried a lot about the economy in the US but I’m confident that as long as we are trying to do whats right the Lord will help us along. If you want more info on Jesse you’ll just have to read his blog (he posts 5 times as much as me).

Time has gone by quickly since we brought Mia home. There have been some changes and progress has been made in many areas. I guess I’ll work my way from youngest to oldest.

Mia just had a checkup on Wed. July 22nd. She weighs 5052 grams. The doctor says that her growth curve has a much steeper incline then the other babies her age so she should catch up to her peers in weight by her 1st birthday. She has begun to roll over onto her belly and then back onto her back. She has become very coordinated with her bouncing in the bouncer and she has become very interested in what we are eating. I gave her some mashed up pieces of rice and she was grabbing for more.

I admit that I’m a little confused with what to expect from her. I was told to expect her to be delayed in many areas of her development but she does not seem to be as delayed in her development as I originally was told. I would not be surprised if she catches up to her peers in all her milestones by 18 months rather than the original 24 months. She is a very curious child and much needier than Kelsey was at her age. 

Mia’s hospital visits go the same way each time. Here in Japan they try to create a lot of jobs so many things that should just take a short amount of time take longer because of extra, unnecessary steps. I go to the hospital and have to check in on one end of the building. Then I take Mia to the other end of the hospital to have her weighed, get her blood taken, and have her urine analyzed. They then give me paperwork to take to another area of the hospital. She has to get an x-ray of her arm to check her bone growth, after which we head to the other end of the hospital to see her doctor. The doctor usually says she is doing wonderful and has his assistant write a prescription for her supplements.

I still haven’t explained most of the extra steps. Next, we go to the opposite end of the hospital give the prescription to a woman who gives it to another woman next to her to stamp then gives us another paper to take to someone to pay for something and a separate paper to take to an adjacent area. We have to wait to hear our named called, and then we pay in cash (seemingly the only way you can pay for anything in Japan). We then go another counter across the hall to get the actual prescription print out. We have to then take it across the street to a pharmacy, where they double-check with the first desk over the phone. THEN, we get the prescription and are done with the doctor visit. It takes 3-4 hours and a few too many steps. But, that’s Japan.

Kelsey is getting bigger in size and vocabulary. This past week she has had some crazy rashes and one swollen lip. The doctor thinks it’s a food allergy but we don’t know what it could be. We might take her to an allergy clinic here in town to find out. Her current favorite phases are “maybe, yes or maybe no”, “What do you think you’re doing?”, and my favorite “I love you SO much Mommy”. She has some friends but they are all boys. We don’t currently know any girls Kelsey’s age.

I’m doing well especially since we’ve officially decided to stay one more year. Because there is an end in sight I’m able to better appreciate the wonderful Japanese experience around me more often. This week I walked to the store in the warm rain. I had an umbrella but I wore crocs so I could feel the rain on my feet. The rice fields have to constantly be flooded so they’re great places for frogs. At night there is the constant sound of croaks. It’s soothing because while I was going up we had a pond across the street, and I always enjoyed the noise of the frogs at night.

Jesse loves his job. Right now the kids have summer break. So, Jesse only has to go in to the city office for 3 hours a day, but still gets paid for a full day’s work. He is studying like a madman to learn Japanese. He is a lot better since we first got here. I’m so proud of him. He has also decided to  go back to school and either get his Masters in international business or get a Doctorate in some field of language and possibly teach at the college level. I’m personally rooting for the Doctorate. I think he would be a wonderful teacher and it would give him the opportunity to keep learning  which he loves. Sure he could make a lot more money coming out of college with a masters in international business but I would rather have a happy husband than one who doesn’t like his work. He has to study for the GRE and maybe one other test–but they offer it out here in Osaka. I’m so excited that he is going in a direction. Jesse is good at taking things one step at a time. I like to know the destination first and then plan how to get there. We are a good balance for each other.

…

Before I could post this blog Mia got sick. She started having a low-grade fever which began to border on high-grade within a day. She was really irritable and didn’t seem like herself. We took her into the doctor on Saturday the 25^th. She was admitted that night.  I don’t remember what the usual procedures are for the pediatric wards are in the U.S., but here in Japan, one parent must be with the child in the room at all times. So, I had to sleep in Mia’s crib with her for the first couple nights. I’ve noticed that here most times the doctors do not seem to take preventative measures. They take things as they come. So, they would wait until a symptom would become a problem and then treat it. I can understand why they would do that for a preemie like Mia but I’m told that it is like that for all ages. Mia’s fever began to get so high that she started convulsing.

The doctors moved her across from the nurses station and gave her some medication to stop her convulsing and hopefully bring down her fever. Though the convulsion meds worked (leaving her tongue weak) the fever still persisted and she broke out in a rash and her lips turned red.  Her doctor diagnosed her with Kawasaki disease and we were excited because we were finally able to know what she had. They started the first treatment but it didn’t seem to take. Right after the meeting with her doctor, discussing her long term treatment, a bunch of doctors came in and were checking a bunch of things. Come to find out, she had fluid in her lungs and they thought she might have been getting pneumonia. They called for an ambulance and rushed her to Matsuyama.  It seems to work out that once we think things are looking up something changes and she has something else go wrong.

Kawasaki disease is a cardiac disease which means it targets the heart. Unfortunately for Mia she already has an Atrial Septal Defect so her heart is working a little harder as it is. Because she has an ASD the doctors were afraid she may have cardiac arrest and there have been a couple times when the doctors have swarmed the room to do tests and check on her heart. Her heart became enlarged because of everything it was having to deal with. The doctors tried two other treatments for the disease but neither one seemed to help. They decided to go to a higher level of treatment. It seems to be working so far and her heart, rash, lip redness, and fever have gone down.  She seems a little more happy and more like herself. We don’t know how much longer we will be here but I’m hoping we will be out by the end of next week.

Kelsey has also been a trooper. Kids need routine and she has not had one for the last week. We have had to have friends watch her when both Jesse and I needed to be at the hospital and she has been fairly good the whole time. She has not been eating as much so Jesse has had to threaten time outs to get her  to eat but other than that she is good.

I told Jesse jokingly that it seems to me that though we love Japan, Japan may not love us.  But, it’s experiences like this that help me realize what may be important in my life and the strengths and weaknesses that I have. I definitely have realized many of the Jesse’s strengths. He is such a good man and I count myself very lucky to have such an awesome husband.

I have not been able to blog because we have not had our own internet.We borrowed our neighbors for a little bit until she kicked us off because she thought we were slowing down her connection speed. But, now we have very fast and very awesome internet.

Mia has had 2 doctors appointments since my last blog. She is doing great and thriving. As of today, she weighs 3990 grams. She has been smiling a lot more and testing out her vocals a little too. She loves to coo in the mornings and seems the most alert then to. She loves to sit up a lot. Not on her own though and so that can be an arm workout. Jesse seems to know how she likes to be held best. He really is great with her.

Kelsey is enjoying the role as older sister. She loves to have Mia lay on her chest so Mia can hear her heartbeat and to give her kisses on her head even if it may wake her up. Kelsey is saying a lot but her favorite word right now is “NO”. She is a great kid but I can understand why people call it the terrible two’s. She is great for me usually but not so much for other people. Maybe it’s because she knows Mom means business.

She has made a few friends her age. One is a little boy across the street from us named Zeon. She calls him Zoom. They play well together and love to give each other hugs. I get along great with Kris his mother. She is from Canada and his father is Japanese. It’s great to have someone so close so we can do playdates and I can visit with someone who speaks English fluently. The other little boy Kelsey plays with is at church. His name is Heeroky. (Neither of their names are spelled correctly. They are spelled how they sound). Heeroky’s aunt and grandmother come to church and I love them to death. They are awesome. Unfortunately, Kelsey and Heeroky play too rough with each other and I can hear her or Heeroky screaming from down the hall because one or the other was playing too rough. Most of the time it is Heeroky wanting to pull on her dress or Kelsey giving him a hug and it turns into a squeezing contest.I’m afraid Kelsey will pick up bad habits and play rough with Zeon.

The weather is getting warmer and it’s great to be able to get out of the house every day. We don’t have a car and I doubt we’ll get one while we’re here. So, we ride our bikes everywhere. I also have to get my groceries to all fit on the bike. I hate making multiple trips to the store. Plus, I’ve read that the more trips to make to the store during the week the more you spend overall. So, I try to get it all in one trip once a week but that is beginning to prove difficult. I took a picture of what my bike looks like. I have one bag of groceries in the basket, one on each of my handle bars, one on each of the handle bars of Kelsey’s chair on the back of my bike,  one in her chair, and a backpack strapped to the back of Kelsey’s seat.  It is hard to balance when first getting the bike to start but once I get going it’s not to hard to keep it steady.  I get a lot of strange looks from Japanese people as I ride past them but I just smile and nod at them. I’m sure I would get a lot of strange looks in the states too.

I cut my hair short. It’s just past my chin.I decided I wanted a change from the usual long and straight look and since summer was coming up I decided it was the perfect time. I was told by a couple people that short hair is more work then long hair, but I actually disagree. Maybe it’s more work to have to go to the hairdresser to get it cut more often. But, It took me more time to shampoo and condition my long hair and especially to blow dry it. Of course I do have to do something with the short hair otherwise it’s not as cute but that was the same with my long hair too. My long hair took a lot of effort to get volume to it too. But, my short hair does not take much effort at all to get volume that lasts more than just the first couple hours after I blow dry it. So, even  though I love having long hair, I love having short hair too. Plus, I finally found a cut that fits my face and that Jesse likes too so I’m happy with it. I’ll probably let it grow back out again but then cut it short again when I want a change.

I have begun trying to learn Japanese again. But I will save that for my next post.

Today marks a week since we brought Mia home, and it seems like we’ve been here longer. The day we brought Mia home we had a big meeting with her doctors wrapping up her health care plan from her doctors and were given some take home instructions. I read up on preemies and all of the stuff they covered I had already taken note of. It’s amazing that with a little knowledge and preparation any task becomes less daunting.

While Mia was in the hospital one of my main concerns for when we brought her home was how well she was going to breastfeed. But, since we were able to begin breastfeeding in the hospital, she had enough practice to become a pro at it by the time we got home. Another thing I was anxious about was how little sleep I would be getting, because I don’t deal well without sleep. But, I am excited to say that I am averaging 6 hours of broken sleep and feel great.

When we had Kelsey I couldn’t sleep during the night because all the little noises she made. A little grunt would wake me up as I began to doze of to sleep. With Mia though I know what most of her cries and grunts mean so not only can I sleep through the unimportant noises I can also help her when she does need help.

Also, when Kelsey was born Jesse didn’t know what to do or how to help me. But, now he knows what he can do and I don’t even have to ask him to do it. For example, this morning he woke up when he heard Kelsey getting up. He got up and went to entertain her so I could get some extra sleep. When he went in to get Kelsey he found her covered in ink from head to toes. Apparently she had decided to stuff a handful of pens down her footie pajamas last night before she dozed off to sleep. Of course they opened up and got ink everywhere as she rolled around in her sleep. Jesse got her up, threw the PJ’s in the washing machine, and gave her a shower scrubbing as hard as he could without hurting her and got most it off of her. He’s been great.

Since I am getting enough sleep to get me through the day this week has been great. I’ve been able to go out on walks with Mia and don’t feel the need to shut myself inside. We have been able to organize our stuff from moving. It also helps that I feel comfortable here. I really feel like this is where we were supposed to be placed in the first place. Jesse corrects me and says this is where we were supposed to end up because our experiences up to now have been for our good. Even the first night we were here after feeding Mia in the middle of the night I went to get a drink and felt like I had been in this apartment for months already. It was a strange and wonderful feeling.

Mia seems to be thriving. She eats well and poops even better. We have her first checkup next Wednesday. Jesse won’t be able to go because he starts work again on the 6^th. But, it’s not a problem because they have a translator assigned to me. The only thing that may be a problem is keeping Kelsey entertained while we wait upwards of 4 hours for our appointment. No joke. That is how long they told me that I could be waiting to get in to see the doctor.

Kelsey is also doing well with all of the changes. She has been really gentle with Mia (most of the time) and loves to give her kisses. She calls Mia “Baby Mia” and “Little Sister Mia”. She likes our new home and has not been clingy like when we moved to Matsuyama. I’m sure that is because both Jesse and I are relaxed here and not so relaxed when we had to moved to Matsuyama and Kelsey could sense that.

We’re excited to finally be done with daily trips to the hospital and get on with our life here in Imabari with all of us together.