Baby Fuuka

Baby Fuuka turned one month old on Monday, which meant Hiromi felt free to take her out of the house (she had explained earlier, by way of apology, that she would keep her indoors the first month). So they came for a visit to our house, and it was so much fun to see them.

From what we've been able to figure out, most new moms and babes don't leave the house for the first month. Someone comes and takes care of them. In Hiromi's case, her mother came to help with Ayumu and take care of them.

In Japan, when the babe is a month old, the mother's mother "presents" the babe at a Shinto shrine. But Hiromi explained that in Hokkaido, which has such a long, hard winter, babies aren't presented at the shrine until they are 100 days old. So even if they are born in late fall, they will be a bit more robust when they are taken for their big day at the shrine. Often photos are taken when a baby is 100 days old (we saw FABULOUS "100-day-old" pictures of Tomoko's boys in their house -- looking like little future emperors).

At just 30+ days, little Fuuka is adorable. Jack, Katie and Liv enjoyed holding her (they only had a glimpse of her earlier), and they were happy to see Ayumu and have him to play.

We also were impressed with Hiromi's sling. I think I mentioned earlier that the majority of parents here seem to use slings and baby carriers and not strollers. I can see that it now also makes sense not just for the subway, but for the snow. Fuuka was all wrapped up and cozy in the sling -- she didn't need a huge winter outfit on or anything, as she was just tucked under Hiromi's coat. John said it *almost* made you want to have another baby, just so you could use some of this cool Japanese baby gear. No worries. Almost isn't going to happen any time in our future! But it did make me laugh.

Mochi making

The kids had a "special" day at school Monday (not a day they usually go). It was time for mochi making.

Mochi is, according to the not-so-scholarly-but-oh-so-helpful Wikipedia, a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape.

In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time. You can read more about it by clicking here.

Mochi making is a LOT of fun. Tons of parents were there, and like everything that has happened at the kids' school, the whole program was flawlessly run (and on time). Two classes went up to the gym at a time to watch the adults pound the mochi, and then the kids got to try it, too. All the while, mothers were carefully making and weighing the pieces of mochi which the kids would use later. It was a loud, noisy, laughing time. Even the head of the school (seen in the photos clapping his hands and pounding the mochi with John), who usually can be seen in a suit and tie, was working as hard as anyone.

After making it, the kids then went down to a classroom to mold the mochi into smaller bites, and generally have fun with it. The teachers sent a LOT of it home with us, not just the pieces the kids played with. I think this was an attempt to be extra nice to the foreigners, and we were grateful. But...

Four of us don't really like mochi. And we have a lot of it. John tried his best to rub it in a soy-sugar paste and toast it (which is what Hiromi recommended... as well as covering it with special spices you can buy at the store)... and he is driven to find a way to make it wonderful. But so far, we haven't found a way to make mochi taste very good. It's not that it tastes bad plain... but it's not something I would spend hours making, pounding endlessly with a wooden mallet once a year as a special treat.

That said -- it was awesome to see the process, and be part of a tradition. We gave one of the bags to Hiromi, who was thrilled to have it, and John continues to test recipes with the other bag.

I'll let you know if we have any luck.

Things I've been wanting to write about

I guess the trouble with this whole blogging thing is that now I'll do something and think "I've got to blog about that later!" It's like adding a whole new category to the to-do list. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

But there are things I am wanting to get down on paper, so to speak, while we are still here and the memories are so fresh.

1. Liv and dessert. We are back from a great weekend at the water slide hotel in the mountains. It was amazing. The snow is so wonderful when you don't have to go get groceries in it. Pictures to come.

But one of the best moments came during dessert the first night. Liv hadn't been interested in any of the dinner and managed to get just a few bites down. But when we brought back a bunch of bites for everyone from the dessert buffet, she helped herself to just about everything. Her reply when we questioned her about the size of her dessert course was this: "You're always grumpy about me not trying new food. Well, now I'm trying new food!"

So true, Liv, so true. It should not surprise anyone that the only food Liv eats dependably at school is dessert, too.

2. Recycling. We recycle almost everything here. It's amazing. And it's not that hard (despite my grumblings about it the first week). But as John pointed out to me (that first week, when I was grumbling), Japan is an island nation. With a lot of people. Where else are they going to put it? So the country is VERY good about recycling.

We sort into four containers -- plastics, "burnables", glass and cans, and non-burnables (the only stuff that goes into a landfill). All organic materials (paper, cardboard, food, etc.) and most of the garbage we produce goes into burnables and we put it out twice a week. The other three groups also go out once a week on different days. During the 14 weeks here, we will have produced less than one grocery-store type plastic bag of non-burnables (batteries, metals, rubber, leather (oddly enough).) The kids do it without even asking which bucket things go in now. It's just not that hard. Click here for a great article in the Washington Post about the burning garbage aspect of the recycling.

3. Our toilet. Ah, our toilet. In fact, that "ah" can be made about most toilets in Japan. Not only are they clean, comfortable, and commonly found in public places (an essential when travelling with small children) -- many of them are HEATED. And make little watery noises so that other people don't hear you doing your business if you want them to. And many of them have what Jack, Kate, and Liv call "bum spray" (both public and private bathrooms). There's a bum spray button for girls, and a bum spray button for boys, and it's all rather delightful. Our toilet in the Guest House also has a washbasin attached so you can wash your hands without touching anything. It's very hard to put into words exactly why, but it's a beautiful thing.

4. Our bathroom in general. One of the reasons we have been (mostly) OK with just one bathroom is the clever design of it. It's broken into three little room -- the toilet room (already a good place, as you now know), the sink room in the middle (with toothbrushes, soap, medicine cabinet, etc.) and the bath/shower room. So five people can make good use of it without feeling too crowded.

The bath/shower room is awesome -- there is a tub, and outside of the tub, a handheld shower (which can be attached to the wall outside of the tub). Just like at the public baths, in Japan you shower before taking a bath. You can sit on a little stool and shave, scrub, wash your hair, whatever, in a room-sized shower, and then get into the tub when you are clean and have a good soak. As a result, our tub is wonderfully clean (and more than one person can use the bathwater).

5. Japanese cartoons. We have watched a lot of Japanese children's television programming these last months. We can try to pretend that we are doing it to give the kids exposure to the local language and culture, but the truth is -- it gives us a break. But it's been interesting to see the similarities and differences. I just asked Jack about it, and he said "they're mostly the same except these are scarier sometimes". There's a LOT more "technology" and action than in the cartoons they have seen at home, and they probably are watching "older" cartoons than we would let them see at home as well.

And it seems marketing here appeals to our kids as much as Japanese kids... in every toy shop and touristy gift shop, you can buy stamps, notebooks, doctor kits with local cartoon characters on them. From the beginning, even before we saw the cartoon called "Purikyua" (Pretty Cure), Liv has been drawn to the characters who are, I think, school girls who have superpowers and very nice hair and clothes. You can watch the opening from the show with English subtitles by clicking here and see the particular characters Liv likes by clicking here. But what amazed us was that without even SEEING the show -- she was drawn to these characters. It's a little scary how well those marketing experts and creators of these shows do their jobs... she is proof that the characters are appealing even with no context (or content!).

While we have made peace with the amount of TV they are watching this fall, we are also looking forward to being back in a place where the kids are more often playing with other kids.

6. Starting to think about heading home. Kate asked on the bus back from the waterslide hotel today how many more days until we come back to Lethbridge. I was surprised when I realized it's just 23. I am looking forward to passing along many of the clothes the kids have outgrown (and there are MANY -- they have all grown a ton this fall), and we have plenty of macaroni to get us through these last weeks (seven boxes left, still).

I am trying to not think too much about the flight (although we have decided we will give Jack the Gravol BEFORE we get on the plane this time) or the jetlag that awaits us when we get back. Instead, we are trying to make sure to do all of our favorite things, see our good friends, and enjoy every last interesting bit before heading home.

A Katie update, and away for the weekend, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A number of people have asked how Katie is doing, if the adjustment to life in Japan is going any better for her.

The short answer is: YES!

And here is the longer answer. The change happened about a week after the Halloween party. It was a Wednesday, and the dropoff at school went particularly poorly that day. Both Kate and Liv were reluctant to go to school (Wednesdays are often hard, as they have been away from school since almost a week before), both were hesitant to go into the classroom, and both needed to be held by the two teachers as I watched from the windows. One teacher had Kate on her lap as she played the piano, and the other had Liv on her lap as she led the good morning songs.

That was it, I thought. It was too much to ask of Kate and Liv, and we should probably pull them from school. I talked to John after his class, and he talked to the HGU person who talks to the preschool (nice, direct lines of communication, don`t you think?), and they started the ball rolling to pull the girls out of school. Not only did they seem unhappy, but it looked like they were demanding SO much of the teachers.

So, when I went to pick them up that day, I was expecting everyone to be sad, but instead, Katie came running out, laughing and telling me about the day. Livie was right behind her, a big smile on her face. The teacher said they had a great day.

We got an email that night from the HGU person saying they had talked to the girls` main teacher after school, and that she said the girls had a wonderful day. When the HGU person brought up our concern about them needing so much attention, and to be held for so long, and that we were worried we were keeping them from the other kids, they teacher was baffled.`Of course 3 year olds cry when their mothers leave. All 3 year olds do. They have just started preschool for the first time. Why wouldn`t they be sad to see their mothers leave and need to be held?`

And that is why, she explained, the school put them in a class with mostly 4 year olds who have been at school a year. Apparently, 4 year olds aren`t expected to cry when their mothers leave, and that would free up the teachers to take care of our needy girls, who would have regular 3 year old separation anxiety coupled with the stress of the Japanese language. They said they would be happy to hold the girls all day long if that`s what they needed.

That was certainly reassuring. And the next morning, both girls were so excited for school. They have been each school day since then (and Jack literally SKIPS to school). If anything, it`s been Liv who has been a bit reluctant to go this last week -- I think she`s been a bit sicker than Kate, and missed two days of school when Kate went alone. But there are no more tears, no more clinging to my legs when we get there... just excitement. And the teacher has started taking pictures of them throughout the day, playing with other kids, doing projects, eating lunch, etc. -- looking very much pleased to be there.

And their classmates seem to love them. When Kate and Liv show up, if John is with me, I go into their classroom first to hang up their coats and all of the kids run up to me asking `Katie-chan? Katie-chan? Olivia-chan?`I point to my shoes and say they are with their dad, putting on their inside shoes. They run to the door and hold Kate and Liv`s hands as they walk in. It`s amazing.

The other thing that has been amazing is how few stomach bugs we all have gotten this fall compared to most falls -- and John pointed out that it`s probably because all the kids at school (and our own kids) are washing their hands ALL THE TIME. It`s just a part of their routine, and each kid brings her own towel to school each day to dry hands... such a good system.

Jack loves his class as well, although he has been having a few problems with one of the bigger boys. The mom told me in English that her son thinks Jack is his best friend. And he is always eager to see him. But Jack seems nervous around him, and I asked him what he thought of that boy. He said he`s sometimes so nice, and sometimes mean. Tomoko said her son has had the same problems. Today Jack said that the bigger boy knocked down another kids`tower, and then said Jack did it. Jack tried to explain that he didn`t, but the other kid didn`t understand. These kind of situations happen even when kids speak the same language, of course, but it`s hard for us, as parents, to see. At Jack`s request, we are going to talk to the HGU person to talk to Jack`s teacher to let her know of our concerns.

But even with this one boy, it`s clear Jack is loving preschool here. They play SO much -- build and color and sing and dance. Perhaps the Japanese schools do more structured work in Grade One, and Jack missed the cutoff for that by just two months (kids have to turn 6 by April 1 to go to first grade). And I think the play is just what he needs. We are keeping up with some of the French -- he is writing in his journal in French most nights, and we aren`t too far behind on some of the assignments the teacher gave us. And except for brief moments of worry, we are pretty sure he`ll catch up once he is back in his French immersion class.

So those are the school updates. We`re heading out of town again for the weekend -- back to Jozankei View Hotel for waterslides and hot springs from Friday-Sunday (you can see pictures of it by clicking here). We wanted to make one more trip while we were here, and John and I discussed going to places that were maybe culturally or historically more interesting. But once we realized that the kids would be with us no matter how well we planned, we thought that this would be the place to go. They love it there, and so do we.

Well, these kids need to go to bed, so I should sign off. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Shinya the Great, and, In Praise of Mike and Debra

I believe there is a special place in heaven for people who are nice to children and pets, and if so, then many many years from now, Shinya will be sure to be in that special place. The former HGU student (who spent a year at UofL and is now a teacher) came to Sapporo this weekend. We had hoped to go to the zoo together on Saturday, but our colds kept us home, where Shinya played Lego, colored in Pokemon coloring books, and played countless other games with the kids for hours.

And then on Sunday morning, a time when other young people may be sleeping late at the very least, Shinya met us at Jack, Katie and Livie`s school to watch their performances with us. It`s one thing for parents to watch their children be dragged around a stage while picking their nose or not singing the words or keeping their back to the audience -- and then clap wildly at how well they did. It`s another thing all together for someone who is not even RELATED to those children to endure such a performance, and clap wildly at the end. Of course, Katie and Livie are madly in love with him. Who wouldn`t be?

And while I`m at it, I have a long overdue heap of praise to give to Mike and Debra Basil. They are profs at the UofL who came on the exchange three years ago, when their kids, Lisa and David, were 6 and 3 (David is a good friend of Jack`s and lost his first tooth on the same day Jack did). As you can imagine, Mike and Debra were able to prepare us VERY well for what 6 and 3 year olds might expect in Sapporo.

All of our favorite activities (the chocolate factory, biking along the river, which parks to check out) came from Mike and Debra. Restaurant suggestions, clothing suggestions, shopping suggestions, even the preschool recommendation -- are all courtesy of this very kind family. My handy-dandy electronic dictionary is actually Debra`s and I couldn`t live without it. They helped us get excited when I was in panic-mode, told us which things we`d want to bring (mac-and-cheese) and which things we could find here. They have made the trip all the better.

I think that`s all the thanks I will have for the night. I still haven`t straightened out the email and so have a new account set up with gmail. You can reach us at:

lisnjohn (at) gmail (dot) com

or at my work address. If you have written in the last week or 10 days to the telus address, the computer has eaten it. And if you have written before that and I haven`t replied -- I no longer have your email address. Sorry for any headaches this may cause.

The show

We had the big show today. What a spectacle! I will post a bunch of the photos on the Shutterfly site. Here is a glimpse of it.

The kids did great, which means they survived and no one cried (although K&O insisted on wearing pink and grey long sleeved shirts under their itchy costumes, much to the teachers' dismay.
We had talked to them earlier about wearing white long sleeved shirts but the teachers worried that we would be upset that our girls wouldn't then look like the other girls. Ummm... I don't think WE are the ones worried they will look different!)

But there were some wonderful parts. When the kids in each class went around to intoduce themselves, you could hear Jack clearly state "Jack desu, ganbarimasu"--roughly, "I am Jack, let's do our best!" in Japanese. And the little girl in green next to him kept her hand clamped on his hand and dragged him cheerfully wherever he was supposed to go (we were especially impressed with her). And Kate loved the dancing -- she knew ALL the moves and had a big smile on her face almost the whole time.

There were less-than-thrilling moments, too. Jack was picking his nose for most of the 25 minutes he was on stage (in his defense, it has been VERY runny and he didn't have a kleenix!) and Olivia kept her back to the audience most of the time (the picture here shows her position pretty much the whole time she was on stage). Neither Kate nor Liv's hair stayed back (they had said not to wear pony tails, because of the crowns, I suppose) and so they did some of their dance holding their hair straight out in front of their faces.

But they did it. They were so proud when they came out of their classroom with little cardboard "medals" from their teachers around their necks. We are so proud of them. And I think ALL of us are glad it's over.

And what a production. The costumes were amazing, the setting and props incredible, the lighting and sound tracks were pretty sophisticated for kindergarten, the kids so good in their learning of the songs and stories... it was clearly a lot of work for the teachers and students. We continue to be impressed with the school.

Sick

Last December, after our doctor fit all three kids in on Christmas Eve morning for a variety of illnesses, I freaked out about this trip. How -- HOW -- could we go to a foreign country with three little kids who tend to get sick in winter (especially Jack, whose asthma is triggered by cold viruses) and what would happen if they had to go to the doctor in Japan?

I knew the care here would be excellent -- but the language challenges, the bureaucracy, the headache of reimbursement, and more importantly, the lack of personal relationship when dealing with the persons I care about the most, it all worried me.

Well, this clearly didn't stop us from coming on the trip, although the worry of sick kids has been lingering in my mind since we arrived. And we weathered the stitches incident well enough (and we keep remembering to put the anti-scarring tape on Katie most days)... but last night, I thought we had hit the moment that I had worried about a year ago.

All of us have been passing a cold back and forth, and the girls were mostly on the mend. John and I were showing early signs of the cold (which is not shocking as various kids had been coughing in our faces all night for several nights) and so, in a proactive but smelly move, we had been eating raw garlic on buttered toast to try to stave anything serious off. (It's the kind of thing you have to do together, or the one who doesn't wouldn't be able to stay with the one who does.)

And Jack had been fighting it off, which was good... but then had such a hard day yesterday. For those who don't know about his asthma -- it's not the kind that is triggered by cats or exercise or the usual things. Instead, whenever he gets a virus (especially a cold virus), it seems to settle in his lungs and cause days of coughing, coughing, coughing. So he is very healthy about 65 percent of the year -- and seems to get very sick in the winter. Two years ago, we ended up at emerg five times one winter because of his asthma (I thought that should merit a named chair in the waiting room). Last winter was better -- he had two bad flareups, but didn't need the middle of the night run to the hospital for extra medicine. We have been boosting his immune system in various ways (cod liver oil, vitamins, probiotics and lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies -- although he won't try the garlic sandwiches) and it has seemed to get better as he has gotten older.

But last night he could not stop coughing. I had emailed Tomoko, whose son Taiki has asthma, to ask what hospital one would go to in the middle of the night if one needed to (apparently, only one of the hospitals is open at night). And I worried. I wanted to take Jack to see Dr. Steeves or the Lethbridge emergency room or somewhere familiar... His inhalers didn't seem to be doing much. He looked pathetic. He was getting near the "red" zone on his peak-flow meter, which measures air flow. He did better in a hot, steamy shower, but would start coughing whenever he got out.

I mentioned to John that we might need to take him in. Then John thought of the one thing we hadn't tried that we used to do when he had croup as a baby. He bundled him up, and took him outside (luckily, the snow hasn't melted so it was nice and cold). And the coughing stopped. It started up again when they came in, but it wasn't as bad. I took him into the bedroom and opened the window, and was able to get him to breathe through his nose (kind of a yoga breathing), that seemed to help, too. Anytime he started to cough, I would remind him to breathe through his nose and it would stop. We snuggled for a while, with Jack breathing in the cold winter air through his nose, and he was able to fall asleep. At last.

And he woke up this morning with just a handful of coughs and a TON of energy. I think we made it through the worst (at least I hope so!).

I still worry that it will slide back down into the dangerous territory, and I hope we can make it home without needing to figure out the weird workings of nighttime hospitals in Sapporo, but we made it through what was one of my few real fears about coming here -- getting through a bad night of asthma without our familiar comforts and treatments at hand.

And as for John and me -- we are holding the cold at bay -- so maybe those garlic sandwiches are working.