I am going to call this my first mama post. When little miss gets here I plan
on sharing a lot about what the experience was like in a Japanese hospital and
our birth story. But for right now I am just growing. I wanted to talk a little
bit about how I am feeling about pregnancy and the anticipation of being a mom.
If that kind of thing doesn’t interest you, this post may not be for you :) Try back
later - I plan on a post talking about some of the things that are different
here at restaurants.
This week I am 32 weeks. That
means we have AROUND 8 weeks left. This absolutely blows my mind. My entire
life I have heard parents say, “time flies”. Not until this pregnancy have I
started to understand what that truly means. Children amaze me. The fact that
life starts so small and grows inside another life for 9 months blows my mind.
It has been thrilling to see and feel our baby as she grows. What a true
miracle the forming of life is.
I feel super thankful that I
have had a smooth pregnancy so far. I have not experienced many of the very
hard things woman have to go through when they are growing a baby. My main
complaint in the 1st and 2nd trimesters has been a few
stretch marks and being tired. This trimester has definitely brought its own
challenges though. I feel pretty exhausted just doing simple tasks. Sleeping is
challenging and finding a comfortable position any time of day can be hard.
Still, that’s not so bad considering the changes that my body is going through
growing this little one. I think I have had it pretty easy compared to the
experiences that I have heard from other woman.
Everything I do is consumed
with thoughts of this girl. She has taken over my mind. What I eat, what I
drink, how much I drink, how I sit, how I lay, where I go (had to leave a
restaurant because people were smoking), what I smell, how hot my baths are and
what I wear (because nothing fits right anymore) just to name a few.
I think this is one of the
biggest differences between Sean and I. He is doing an amazing job trying to be
thoughtful and kind as he tiptoes around my wild emotions. But when I really
try to put my finger on the difference of how we are processing this I think it
comes down to my responsibility. I think my role is already in full swing.
Having to consider how what I do affects her in every moment makes her
existence already so real to me. I cannot wait to hand her over to him for a
bit and let Daddy take a turn carrying her around :)
The days this week felt slow but the week itself went by
pretty fast. Over the weekend we took a trip to Osaka. We visited a church
there for Easter last year and have stayed in touch with the people we met.
Sean helps the pastor weekly by checking the English translations to his
sermons. This allows international visitors or members to have an English language
hand-out of the sermon to follow along with.
A member of the church we met last time graciously offered us
one of the apartments she rents out to use for the weekend. It was right in the
city and a great location to explore. We spent the weekend walking around,
shopping, taking in the sights and enjoying new friends. One thing I love about
Japan is that everywhere you go there are new things to look at. The markets
here are amazing with endless amounts of seafood that is still ALIVE and
wiggles as you walk by. Shopping areas are easy to spend a ton of time in.
Shops are full of odd and interesting things. It was overall a good visit and
nice to have a little weekend getaway.
Sean started official classes and is working daily with a
half day on Fridays. He is loving his students and the job so far. This weekend
we are getting a car! I am super excited about this and a bit nervous. You have
to drive on the opposite side of the road here and I anticipate that will be a
bit tricky. We both got our
international drivers licenses before we left. It’s crazy how filling out a piece
of paper and paying a fine makes it legal. I will definitely be taking some
pictures and filling you all in on the experience.
A car means a lot for me. I take the train and the bus most
places that I need to go. The heat is extreme here and this Prego mama is
dripping minutes after I walk out the front door. There are also some places I
would love explore that are hard to reach by public transportation. A car means
a bit more freedom for me. We are also in need of some more things for the
house and carrying them back is not a reality (table and chairs). So a car is
exciting and I am really looking forward to it. Amazing how things I took for
granted in the U.S. are things I long for…
Most of the things I dream about these days are food items that
I am unable to find here. I will list a few so that you know my pain: Dove
chocolate, TACOS, Frank’s Red Hot, oven baked brownies, peanut butter, ranch dressings,
PIZZA, milk duds, good coffee and HUMMUS (I need to learn how to make my own).
Hope everyone is having a good week! Miss you! If anyone has
any questions or a topic that they are interested in hearing more about let me
know :)
Sorry for the poor quality of these videos. By the time I realized it was to late. Next time I will record on our snazzy new camera from my amazing sister :) If you like this idea let me know! Don't forget part two!
Sean went back to work after a
long weekend off and reality has started to set in. We are living here. In the
beginning it felt more like a vacation… We have started to get ready for baby
girl. We are setting things up around the apartment and washing all of her
clothes. I feel like it’s Christmas morning as shipments of her things get
delivered. Just so precious!
Baby chopsticks :) and some familiar
diaper brands
Her load of girlie pink and purples
In Japan you have to go to the town hall and register when you are pregnant. They give you a ton of information including a health insurance coupon book and baby book. You need to take both of these with you to your doctor appointments. They also give you some fun things like a sticker and key chain that tell everyone around you “you have a baby inside”. We were able to do this pretty smoothly with the help of one of Sean’s coworkers (so thankful for helpful people). The same woman picked us up and took us to our first doctor appointment on Tuesday.
Baby book to record information and
coupon book
My first week here went by extremely fast. The flight
was longer and harder than I expected. I have flown my share of long flights
and thought I knew what I was in for. One thing I have found, is that when you
are pregnant, nothing is quite what it seems.
A couple of hours in I knew it was going to be a challenge. My mouth was
dry, my feet started to feel heavy and my skin was already getting tight around
my ankles. I filled up my water bottle every time the drink tray passed and
walked every hour or two. 6 movies and two meals later I made it to Japan. I couldn’t
fit my feet back into my shoes but I made it.
When it came to getting around in the Tokyo Haneda Airport and finding
my connecting flight to Yonago, everything went smoothly. Most signs in Japan
are in both Japanese and English. It’s surprisingly easy to navigate public
transportation. Generally people are extremely kind and helpful here.
Our apartment is a small, one bedroom, western style
unit that’s just a year old. It definitely needed some love as far as making it
feel like home. Amazon JP has been our friend and slowly but surely its feeling
more comfortable around here. (I will post some pictures or a video walk
through next week sometime). The area we live in is GORGEOUS. We are right by Mount
Daisen and for being from flat, Upstate New York the views outside our door are
breathtaking. We are right next to the train station with easy access to Yonago
city, grocery stores, restaurants and shopping. There is also a strip of stores
in our little town that we are able to walk to. The countryside covered in vibrant rice paddies is more beautiful
that I could have anticipated.
We came just in time for the Yonago summer festival!
Sean’s coworker picked us up and we drove into the city. We sat on lawn chairs
in the park by the water and ate our fill of Japanese “junk food”. Some people were
walking around in their Yukata (casual summer kimono). They looked so good! Talented taiko drummers
drummed on the stage as the fireworks show began. It was a perfect way to start
our time here in Japan. Oh and please feel free to comment below with any questions. I will do my best to answer them :)
