Life as usual...?

After our hiatus to the States for a few weeks, we've been settling back into this time zone and back into routine. However, this has proven difficult with a 10 1/2 month old who is a different baby than when we left. He's more mobile, faster, and into more trouble than ever. Want proof? Here's the latest video Dan edited from the antics last night...

A big, big week

As the title denotes, it was a big week around the Jaspersen household. While Dan was crazy busy at work (and fighting off the cold that Andi and Kai passed on to him), Andi was busy playing with Kai, who had arguably the biggest week of all three of us.

Thankfully Andi and Kai got over the cold to rule all colds at the beginning of the week. Unfortunately this also coincided with the painful experience of Kai upgrading from one tooth to three teeth! He also developed a knack for sprinting around the room by holding on to the furniture, legs, and anything that will hold his weight. He danced to music this morning (hence the soundtrack to the video... Kai picked it out). But the big news of the week was his crawling! That's right, Kai started scooting his little body around in a forward direction! If only he would figure out how to get back into a sitting position, we'd all be happy. :o)

This week also marked Kai's first Halloween. All three of us sported some rockin' costumes and headed to the community Halloween party for the kids here in Misato. Japanese people don't really "get" Halloween, it is more of an international event for them, but these parties get better and better every year. They actually handed out candy this year (instead of Japanese "snacks" like in previous years--yuck).

Dan threw together a little video to give you a sense of what that was all about. Make sure not to miss the cameo by Tio Luis ("Crazy Sound Effects Uncle" from Kai's Bag of Tricks). His costume was amazing!


The Jack-o-Lantern was carved by Dan, inspired by Kai... note the wisp of hair and the three tiny teeth, bulging cheeks, and uber-cuteness of it all... Mommy had to get a picture of the artist and model by the masterpiece (I couldn't help it!)

Unfortunately Kai was so interested in the pumpkin, he isn't really showing off is Tigger costume (a gift from Tio Luis, actually), but you can get a good look at Dan's Charlie Chaplin get-up, as well as Andi's SUPER AWESOME Luigi costume (from Super Mario Brothers video game). It was really fun to hear all the kids whisper, "Luigi!"

Anyway, that is a bit about our big, big week... more of them to come, I'm sure.

Until next time,
DAndiKai

Special interview with Kaizilla

Life at the Jaspersens' : Eat'n Time

Eat'n time for Kai

Life at the Jaspersens' : TOYS

Kai and his TOYS

Boy cannot live on Cherrios alone...

... but he sure tries hard! We have delved farther into the world of parenthood since you last heard from this distant outpost. Thanks to a MUCH APPRECIATED package from Kai's Nonna (Andi's mom), Kai has discovered the wonderful world of Cherrios. Unfortunately for his Mommy and Daddy, that meant a revolt against anything besides finger-foods for a few days. He seems to be relenting in his strike, but not without much cajoling and pleading on behalf of the big people of the house. Rice cereal is still a no-go, but we have yet to try the oatmeal cereal. I hear some babies like that better. We'll see. At the rate Kai's going, he might just skip ahead to steak!

However, with the dawn of finger-foods, comes much more interesting meal times. Kai has taken to eating broccoli and potatoes, osenbe (rice crackers), and of course, lots and lots of Cherrios. Good thing we come home in 6 weeks to stock up on the glorious miniature donuts (I'd better keep him out of our turtle Tora's food-- his food is little donuts too. Yuck!)

Anyway, as you will see in this video Dan put together, Mommy's hours of playing with Kai have not been wasteful. Here he is with his latest tricks...

An Error from which to Benefit

Ok, so I have NO idea why Dan's magic video got posted to this blog instead of his blog. But we're all about the lovin' here, so I'll pass along Dan's blog site if you'd like to see more: juggleratplay.blogspot.com

And I promise to try and post some more stuff soon... being a mommy is hard work and by the end of the day, I just don't have it in me to sit down and write. You have no idea how many pictures and video are taken with the blog in mind. It just never makes it on here. And who wants to read about stuff that happened 2 1/2 months ago? (Well, maybe you do. Comments, please.)

Until next time, good night.

Newspaper

A bad idea...

Friday we were driving through the inaka (countryside) to a shopping mall. The drive takes about an hour from where we live, so we were passing the time by chit-chatting. Well, Dan and I were chit-chatting. Kai was zonked out in his carseat.

Anyway, after a few minutes of silence I say, "Hey, you know what would be a bad idea?"

After dismissing his smart-alek answer, I continue with, "An egg vending machine."

"Where the HECK did that come from?" Dan said incredulously.

"I think I just saw one."

Yes, that's right. Not only do they have battery vending machines, hot drink vending machines, and underwear vending machines (don't ask...) Japan is also home to the EGG vending machine. Who knew?

What you've all been waiting for...

A day of many disasters (prevented)

Good day all,

I (Dan) spent this morning as one of several (a couple hundred) people taking part in disaster relief drills. We'll get to my role in a second, but first I want to tell you about this event. All I knew about today's program was that it was an earthquake drill. As I walked onto the big open field with my Japanese counter-parts I saw the set up for several simulated disasters: a car buried under a pile of dirt, little wood structures just waiting to be lit on fire, a three story building mock-up, and a few dilapidated cars. All this was spread out over an open dirt field. Along one side of the field ran a string of large tents with hundreds of chairs set-up under them. As we walked, we passed fire trucks from a dozen different cities, military jeeps with helicopters circling overhead - the whole works.
Today was a very serious day of drills but it really felt like a big action stunt show that you'd see at Universal Studios. It started with the fire departments putting out the little wood buildings, later came the jaws of life ripping into the old cars to save someone trapped inside, Japanese Air Corp Search and Rescue guys repelling from helicopters to pick up a guy from the top of a building, ladder rescues from earthquake shaken buildings, and on and on.
In the background of center stage show was a large support system of volunteers making over 2000 rice balls that would be distributed to victims and volunteers in case of a real disaster (we all got these rice balls to take as lunch). Also a tent was set up where people who wanted to volunteer to help victims to register and be given jobs. Thats where I spent my day. I was there fulfilling two needs. First, I had to play the token foreigner who couldn't speak, read or understand anything in Japanese. That was harder then you might think (I do understand Japanese). They had an interpreter there who was supposed to translate between me and the volunteer trying to help me (in case of a disaster). It was practice for the volunteers to communicate with a foreigner. There was also a woman from South Korea who was playing the same role as me, but in Korean. My other role was that of an interpreter. If there was a real situation I would be asked to help take care of the foreigners. Pretty interesting.
Andi was jealous of me all morning because I texted her pictures from my cell phone. Unfortunately, my cell phone was the only camera that I had with me, maybe I can find some pictures from other people. I work on that.
The simulation was for a 9.6 on the Richter scale earthquake. The quake in China earlier this year was a 8.0 and the largest that we've felted here in Japan was about 7. A 9.6 would be 150 times stronger then anything that I've ever felt. Thats huge. A quake that big would cause such wide spread destruction. Since we moved here we been told several times that "the big one" is coming any day now.
All day I was thinking, "I hope that there isn't a real disaster somewhere else today." Because all the stuff was in my town.

Yakara Zuikyo

This is Yakara, the band that I'm setting up a tour for in Minnesota next spring. A couple weeks ago we shot some footage for a music video. I'd love to hear what you think.

Sigh. Does every wife/mommy feel like this?

Sometimes I think it is hard being a mom. Sometimes I think it is hard being a wife of a juggler.

But mostly I think it is hard to be the mother AND wife of a juggler.

Yes, you see that right. Dan is JUGGLING Kai. And Kai is laughing.
And Mommy is cringing behind her camera.

(For those of you worried, everyone fared OK after this stunt.)

A Week of Firsts

When you're a baby, everything is new. Including finding your hair. Kai managed to find his this week, so when he gets sleepy or just wakes up, his left hand starts fiddling with the soft curly locks on the top of his head. Super sweet.

At 6 months, there is still a lot of the world to discover. Kai experienced fireworks for the first time on Friday night. Awe and amazement cut through his crabby, over-tired whining. Pretty fun to be the parents showing him all these amazing things.

But perhaps the best part of being a parent? Having an inarguable excuse to go do "kid stuff"! We took Kai to Yakiyama Zoo in Sendai on Saturday. It was a very fun (although hot) day! Dan threw together a video to let you all in on the experience.



I had gotten the heads up from our friend Casey that the monkeys receive inequal treatment... the Japanese Snow Monkeys (the ones in the video) had a WAY better facility than the other monkeys (i.e. the sleeping ones)... Hmmmm....

Oh, and Juli, this lemur didn't "like to move, it move it." Maybe because his cage wasn't so cool...


One thing I look forward to in the States: Going to the zoo and not feeling like an exhibit :o) No kidding, Kai got as many looks as the polar bear! People we didn't even TALK to knew his name! Ridiculous! Oh well... this too shall pass.

And, here's one last look at that AWESOME ice cream truck door. Cracks me up every time!

We live in JAPAN!!!

It isn't every day that I say that with such excitement. Living overseas is usually a highly romanticized idea that everyday is awesome. But (sorry to say) it is still life. We still pay bills, do laundry, wash mountains of dishes, stand in line at the post office, change dirty diapers... we just do it in another language (which can make it way harder!)

But then there are days like today. Sometimes I cannot believe we get to do stuff like this. So, remember how I (Andi) told you how I am the tour manager for the taiko group? Well, today we shot some promo video footage. Peering up at bamboo and cedar trees, we listened to the booming of the drums echo off the hillside while dragonflies zoomed around us. It was something I will never forget. It was amazing. It was one of those instances that I said to myself, "We live in JAPAN!"

So, here's a snippet of today... doesn't do it justice, but it's a taste, anyway... (and I couldn't have asked for better lighting for some of my shots either!)

Cuteness Quota for the Day

Alright, not much chatting today, just a bunch of photos to share. (Oh, and as you can see-- if you are at the bolg, not just the email, anyway-- we got a new look to theplace. Just something different for now...) Anyway, on with the cuteness:

(Cheering for the Good Guys!)

(Go, Pack, Go!)

(Mommy, you like the best team EVER! And you have such great fashion sense.)

(Mommy's handsome boys)

(Mommy's got her camera out again...)

(What yogurt?)

(Hey, I can't see!)

(Like father, like son)

(This is AWESOME! What is this thing called again? A laundry basket? Sweet!)

Kai's New Talent

As Kai nears the 6 month landmark he's been showing signs of becoming a "big boy" and not as much of a baby any more. His eyesight is clearly very good-- he followed a butterfly yesterday, a bat tonight, and finally spotted the train I point out to him every day between the houses this afternoon. He is very alert and knows his name (at least "Kai"... I don't know if he realizes his name is actually Malakai).

But his new skill that developed spontaneously this afternoon: Spitting. Awesome. He can launch bubbly balls of saliva about 8 inches from his face. Thankfully most of it was aimed at Daddy.

It's not easy living in a house full of boys...

Proof's in the Pudding

Hey guys! Here's an article about the quake if you want to read more about it. Like we said yesterday, it was a big one! Write more soon...

DAndiKai

Still shaking in our boots...

Hey everyone... just in case this makes the news, we are ok. We had a very violent earthquake tonight. The preliminary magnitude was a 6.8 Here's the link if you want more info (it will be more updated by the time you see it). http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/140_40.php
Anyway, definitely the most violent quake we've felt. Thank God for his angels. We are all ok and Dan had Kai out of his crib before the biggest shake. Whew. Nothing broke, although stinky flower water spilled all over and got Dan's passport a little wet... but it was out because we are getting a new one anyway!

Ugh, so tired...
DAndiKai

I've come to the conclusion that life gets more and more complicated. Not necessarily in bad ways, per say, but in getting busier ways, for sure! Dan starts his new job on Friday (and I think there's a path worn into the floor from his pacing...) We bought plane tickets to come home at the end of November! And I sold another photo!

This photograph, "Lantern Parade" was displayed in my art show back in May. There had been
some interest expressed in purchasing the photo by the producer of the taiko group (I mentioned the ultra-cool drummers in the entry about my show, I think.) Anyway, Shu Chiba was excited to hear that no one had bought the picture when I had Dan drop a not-so-subtle hint to see if he was still interested. :o) It turned out, he was still interested, but for a totally different reason than I had imagined... (apparently it's not just my amazing picture taking skills...)

In the picture, there is one lantern that is brighter than the others. The writing on it just happens to translate to "Shu's House" (using the same character that he uses for his name)! He bought the photo to hang in the entranceway of his house. Talk about LUCKY! We delivered the framed photo yesterday at taiko practice and the group all got a good laugh at Shu's expense. I was just stoked to sell another picture.

So speaking of taiko, another life change for us: the taiko guys are hoping to organize a tour in the Upper-Midwest. (Mainly/only Minnesota at this point.) Anyway, seeing as they have two native-English speakers who lived in the area for awhile with plenty of theatre background, etc., we have been asked to help. This is probably going to become my pet project (in tandem with Dan's amazing Japanese skills, of course). If everything works out the way we hope it does, four of the drummers, the two producers and I (and Kai) will come to Minnesota and do a concert tour at the end of April. Dan probably won't be able to come because won't have enough vacation time to spend, so that means that I would be doing the M.C.ing for the concerts, be the go-between for the band and the venues, etc. Here's a link to a video of some of Senrai's stuff. And here's on of my favorite songs. They did this with a DJ... super cool! The shamisen (three-stringed banjo) player probably wouldn't be coming because he is the best shamisen player in all of Japan (no joke) and has oodles of gigs on his own, so they are working on a modified group.

Anyway, I'm trying to sort out how to be a publicist for an international "rock band" :o) And Kai can be the trip's mascot. Anyone want to volunteer to come along and babysit if we can make this work? :o)

Anyway, signing off for now...
DAndiKai

"What Happens after the Baby Goes to Bed" (Or, "The Box of Insanity")

The house quiets after 20 minutes of screaming and crying from the baby's room. Finally,
a moment of peace for two very tired parents.

"What should we do tonight?"
"Uh, I don't know."
"TV? Movie? Go to bed early?"
"Mmm, that last one sounds good... wait, it's only 7:42. Shoot."
"I guess I'll load something up on the computer."
"Hey, we still have that puzzle that I got for you at Jusco."
"Oh yeah. Let's do it!"

The playing card-sized box is opened and spilled onto the table.

"Hey, did you know there are tweezers included in here!?"









"Wow... these pieces are really small. Good thing there are only 204 pieces."










"Oh, this won't take too long."

Husband: "I'm going to use the tweezers for the whole puzzle!" (Wife rolls her eyes.)
















An hour later...

Inserting the last piece, "We are never doing this again."










"I have a headache. Let's go to bed."

Osashiburi desu, ne? (Long time no see, huh?)

Being a parent is exhausting. We typically find that by the end of the day we'd rather zone out in front of the computer watching tv shows from home (or going to bed early, for that matter) than type in the blog. Sorry. So we have a lot to catch you all up on... here's some tidbits of our goings-on in this neck of the woods.

Dan's been doing all his "goodbye" lessons at school. He gave his going away speech for one of his junior high schools today and has been moving all the teaching resources cluttering up our apartment to his desks at school for the next poor soul to come in September. No, not really "poor soul," but I don't envy their immense task of going through all the handouts, text books, and notes that have accumulated over the last 6 years (we have a lot of stuff from the girl before us too!) Anyway, Dan is really excited about (finally) starting his new position. It's been a seemingly long wait, but July 25th is in sight, thank heavens.

Dan is still teaching eikaiwa (English conversation) class, although the future of that class is a bit up in the air at the moment... there is a slight chance that I (Andi) might teach it, but Dan has some chatting with his new office before that position is offered to me. We both feel it is probably better for the class to have a new teacher again. I don't know if I'm "new" enough to really push them to excel, but they've never had me as a solo teacher and my style is definitely different than Dan's (or our team-teaching style before Kai came along). Not sure what I would do with Kai if this happens, but we'll work something out. He might live in my baby carrier? Otherwise the slew of "obaachans" can "janken" for who gets to hold Kai (the grandmas can rock-paper-scissors) ;o)

Oh yeah, so anyway, today in eikaiwa Dan got a great question from Keiko. He asked the class how they were (typical starter question). She raises her hand and very seriously asks if she can ask a question. She went on to ask that if on days with sun it is "sunny" and days with clouds it is "cloudy" and days with snow it is "snowy," when it is hot can you say it is "hotty?" A pretty good question! The class had a pretty good laugh, I guess, when Dan explained to them that "hottie" usually refers to cute girls. Good old Keiko. I love her!

As for me, I've been making origami stationary like a mad woman. My sister-in-law Jenny asked me to make her some more if I had the chance (I had given her some for Christmas awhile back) and so I took the task to heart. Now, 24 pieces later and oodles of folded kimonos, little girls and boys, butterflies, birds, and even Noh masks... Actually it has been really good for me to have a goal to work towards and something that gets those creative juices pumping. Here's a few pictures of some of the stuff I've done. I have some more recent stuff that I have yet to document... I'll post a few of those in a different entry. Now I'm debating how to sell them (ideas, anyone? I'm thinking of an Etsy account, but if anyone knows of a good coffee shop or something, I'd love to hear about it!)

Kai has been developing by leaps and bounds these days. It is amazing. He is getting really good with his hands, can sit by himself (mostly... Mommy sticks close or puts a pillow around him), and even rolled over on his own once (he's a bit late on that... he hates tummy time, so it hasn't been much of a goal for him!) He rolls onto his left side all the time, though. And tonight I had pee shot straight up my shorts for the first time (I was sitting down). Good times. We tried rice cereal tonight too (made from scratch, mind you) and he pretty much hated it. We should have gotten that on video for you. He gagged on it and everything, poor little guy. I tasted it and concurred it was pretty gross. We're going to buy some apple juice to mix into it and see if that helps at all. So, for now, I guess it's just yogurt and breastmilk! We also started letting him "cry it out" at bedtime. The first night was pretty bad (over an hour), but after that it hasn't been any longer than 20 minutes and then he sleeps all night. I feel like a terrible mom while he cries himself to sleep, but I know we are doing the right thing. Another perk... naps! He has gotten into more or less of a schedule, allowing me a few breaks during the day to do my own stuff, be it cleaning or stationary (usually stationary, to tell you the truth!) Kai also learned the "p" sound last week. After we demonstrated it for him, he would practice when he didn't think anyone was watching and then interrupt feeding sessions with me to show me he could do it. So cute. I really, really love this little boy. What an awesome gift from God!

I'll have to blog again soon about our evening activity the other night, pictures and all....
So with that teaser, I'll leave you for now. Until next time,

DAndiKai

(I read this to Dan after I wrote it and he said that the "teaser" sounded provocative. It's not. Sorry to let you down.) :o)

Bon Appetite!

Well, Kai is going to be 5 months on Monday, so we knew it was inevitable that he would want to try eating like a big person soon. And yesterday it came to a showdown of wills... Kai won. In the middle of dinner, after much protesting and squirming and whining (by Kai), Mommy and Daddy pulled out the plain yogurt, the baby spoon, and removed all of Kai's clothes. It was eatin' time! (And like any good parents, got it on video for posterity -- and to share it with all of you!)

So, for your cuteness quota for the day, Kai's first "solids." Bon Appetite!

出口 Rumble 101

Dan and Andi sat down to eat lunch with Kai in his chair like any other Sunday afternoon lunch. Kai had been crabby, and cranky, and fussy all morning. So cranky that Dan had to take him for a walk in his stroller just to get him out of the house. They got rained on.
Kai was playing with a toy, semi-contently, when suddenly he grew quiet. Dan and Andi looked down from their scrambled eggs and saw that all-too-familiar grin on Kai's little face. With a short grunt and a flex of every muscle in his body he did it. He rumbled out the 出口　(de guchi - or in English, "exit") Yes, that is what they call it - "a de guchi rumble." Of course, it happens daily, but this particular day Kai hadn't rumbled all morning.
Dan said to Andi "He just rumbled, I'll change it when we're done with lunch."
Bad choice by Dan.
No, Andi didn't argue with him, it was just a bad choice.
As the two were finishing lunch and a quick piece of chocolate for dessert, Dan reminded Andi, "He still has a dirty poocher (short for poop catcher)."
"Oh yeah," Andi said with a small grin, "should we change that poocher?" she said to Kai.
As Andi pulled Kai out of his chair the extent of the the damage was becoming apparent. The 6" dark yellow spot on his sleeper above his left hip. The more faint, yet still obvious spot on the fabric of the chair. Oh yeah - blowout had occurred.
Andi gingerly carried the now relieved (and oddly warmer) Kai to his changing area. Cautiously she unbuttoned the sleeper, pulled his legs out, now seeing more of the damage. Barely able to control her laughter she opened the decimated diaper and lost all ability to not laugh. "Dan you have to see this!"
With a quick glance Dan also lost control . The diaper was filled to capacity, legs coated, belly button filled in, and back smeared with you-know-what. Now the important thing was how to proceed. The options:

1. Diaper wipes - lots and lots of wipes
2. A wet rag that would later be properly disposed of with the other bio-hazardous materials
3. A full stripdown and a hasty dunk in the tub

A dunk in the bath seemed to be the best option at the time. Dan quickly loaded Kai's small bathtub and Andi very, very carefully carried the squishy, squirming pile of boy and poo into the bathroom. Dan helped the little man-cub stand in the water as Andi wiped down his cream-coated bum. The water ran yellow with poo.
The crisis was over - the blow out would be completely contained with a load of laundry. In went the sleeper, in went the cover of Kai's chair, the rag, the towel-- all the contaminated pieces thrown into the spin cycle to (hopefully) return to their former state of cleanliness.

Thus is life with an infant. It appears that the nearly-five-month-old is totally oblivious to the chaos that he has thrown his parents' lives into, but he knows who's in charge...

And hopefully these parents can move past poop stories soon... other stuff really does happen here. Until the next blow out...

Is this OUR child?

We really feel like we have a new child on our hands these days. We left for vacation a month ago and I think we brought home a different kid. He happens to look just like our baby, but he has a totally new set of skills. It really is amazing.

Kai has discovered his hands-- together. He is always doing "prayer hands" when he sits in his bouncy chair or lays under the baby gym. He picks up toys by himself. He can almost sit up unassisted. He weighs a TON (Andi's back attests to that one. He weighed in at 18 pounds this weekend. Bruiser!) He loves his stroller and gets excited when we go out for a walk. He's more responsive to our playing with him and has begun to really play back. He also is very diverse in the sounds he makes -- this weekend it was a combination of protesting with his mouth closed (mmmmmmmmm!!!!) and high pitch squeals of delight. It's been a fun transformation!

Most amazing of all, though is the fact that a mommy can see her child everyday, know everything about him that there is to know, and then see something new. Like dimples! I noticed Kai has two very tiny dimples above the sides of his mouth. No pictures yet, but very very cute. Incredible that he keeps changing...

And cuteness means "I get what I want," unfortunately. Kai has been "trying" a little food here and there. Not much, just enough to taste it. Like ice cream... (healthy, I know...) Anyway, it makes for some cute photos, so I thought I'd indulge you all. Enjoy!

A Little Boy, Mommy, and the Four-Daiper Disaster

Once there was a little boy who liked to play on the floor. Mommy liked it when he played on the floor because then she could do other things like the laundry. But Mommy knew that when she heard a certain rumbling sound, she needed to stop doing those other things and change a diaper.

Well, yesterday, said rumbling was heard as the little boy was playing. So Mommy quickly finished what she was doing, and waited a few minutes (lest any rumbling was not over quite yet.)

Mommy picked the little boy up, carried him to his changing area (a towel on the floor in his room) and took off his pants. She noticed that some poop had escaped the confines of his diaper onto his leg, so she knew this was going to be a FULL diaper. And indeed it was. So full, in fact, that it not only crept out the leg hole, it also oozed out the back end, getting yellowy poo onto his very cute onesie. Alas, these are the days of our lives.

Mommy then noticed that the poop had quickly run onto his CLEAN diaper that was going to replace the dirty one. Dang it. So, she finished wiping off his little derriere and pulled out the once-clean-now-soiled diaper. Bare bottom on the towel. As she grabbed yet another clean diaper, a shower of tinkle sprayed upwards, causing Mommy to instinctively cover his little manhood with the NEW clean diaper. Unfortunately, the outsides of diapers are water repellent and non-absorbent. So tinkle dribbled all over his previously wiped-off bottom half, all over his changing towel, and all over Mommy's hands too!

Through some mixed-emotion giggles, Mommy sighed and lifted the diaper to inspect the damage. Much to her horror, there was a new puddle of poop under him on the towel! AHHHH!!! The little boy flashed his most innocent glance at Mommy, as if to say, "What?" She clenched her teeth, wiped as much up as she could, and then had to fold over the towel so the toxic materials didn't spread to him or dirty the fourth diaper of the diaper change.

And there was still the pooped-on onesie to reckon with. Mommy stuck a wet-wipe between the little boy's back and the dirty spot, as to not smear poop all up his back and into his hair while removing the clothing. Worked like a charm. But then clothing needed to be replaced. So Mommy went to the closet and managed to pick the single onesie that escaped the threshing floor of "too small clothes" to go home to America. Too stubborn to let it get her down, she decided to dress the little boy in that outfit. Unfortunately, this quickly turned into something resembling a hogtying contest with the baby as he attempted to squirm away from the shirt stuck over his face! After a good 10 second wrestle, Mommy took it back off, somehow managed to slip it on back on all the way over his head and then squirmed his arms through the long-sleeves that were nearly too tight.

Once Mommy and the little boy stopped fussing they managed to see an ounce of humor in the situation.

But as Mommy typed this little saga up, she heard, once again, that ominous rumbling sound...

The End.

Two and a Half Weeks of Globetrotting...

Hey all, Andi here, writing from Wyoming. Bard is back in Japan, hopefully not trapped under a pile of rubble. If you haven't heard yet, there was a fairly large earthquake (6.8 or so) in our region yesterday. According to the news, the death toll is up to at least 9 and there are a dozen people missing, lots of landslides, and there have been over 470 aftershocks associated with the quake, at least 15 of them over a 4.0. Needless to say, our families are happy we are here in the US instead of in Japan. Please keep our friends in Japan in your prayers (and if you want to throw out a prayer for patience on my part, I'm itching to see if anything broke in our apartment). I'll make sure to update you all when we get home ("home" as in Japan.)

As for our vacation, we had a great time in Minnesota. We got to go to a Mommas' Reunion (the support group primarily comprised of former Bethany girls that are moms, moms-to-be, and some-day-moms), visit a few friends, eat LOTS of yummy foods, and do a little shopping (Dan gets an A++ for his JC Penny's trip that he spent $96 and SAVED $104!!! Good job Dan!!!) Most of all, though, we really enjoyed spending time with our family out at the Chateau Jaspersen on Lake Hanska. Although the weather was less than idyllic during the week, the weekends were perfect and one day could have skied on a flat as glass lake ALL DAY. No kidding. Dan eased back into his slalom skiing for the first time in about 3 years. He had a few aches and pains, but for the most part kept up with the rest of the gang. I found a favorite new water activity: kayaking! Our sister-in-law Jenny and Dan's dad Dennis got kayaks for Christmas, so Jenny taught me the ropes. It is AWESOME. I can't wait to get back out there, do some training and then someday go out on a Boundary Waters camping/kayaking adventure with Jenny. Someday...

Kai did pretty well with the travel, all things considered. His night was day and day was night, so he was awfully confused the first few days, but he and I settled into a decent enough routine. Unfortunately his nights of sleeping through the night are gone for the time being, but I'm hoping we will get back to "normal" in a few weeks (once we do the jet lag thing AGAIN.) Flying was decent, but I'm not looking forward to the trip back. YUCK. Anyway, Kai has enjoyed getting to know all his aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, godparents, and oodles of friends. Kai also has a new milestone under his belt... his first cold. Holy buckets, did he get sick when we got to Wyoming. We're pretty sure that his cousin Jensen shared a few germs (to be expected) and Kai and Dan were pretty miserable for the first few days out west. They both are feeling better now, but Kai has a cough that just keeps hanging on, poor little guy. He still has plenty of smiles for us now though. In some ways, I think his cold was harder on Mommy than it was on Baby!

Wyoming has been fun. We saved most of our shopping for here (the limit on baggage made our trip a little harder). Just boring stuff, although I bought a few new pairs of pants that were
much needed after losing baby weight. A nice problem to have, but a hassle and a half when you live in Japan in a gaijin body! We went out to dinner in Loveland with our Japanese cousins that live in Denver, Yasushi, Mieko, and their 6 year old son Taiga (and a little girl in Mieko's belly!). Kai's godparents (Dan's cousins) Christopher and Kym Poetter met us too. I'm a bit jealous that the Abe family invited the Poetters over for sukiyaki (my favorite Japanese dish)... hopefully next time we're in town we'll get to all get together again!

Tim and Dan went out to the BrewFest here in Cheyenne last night and had brother bonding time while Tim's girlfriend Cami and Mom and I watched a chick flick (we watched 27 Dresses... not a bad movie, but not really that amazing either...the girl time was nice though!)

Father's day has been nice. Mom, Dad, Dan, Kai, and I went to church (and Kai met his Cheyenne branch of his fan club). Neil was here when we came home, so after lunch, the guys went out and built a ramp to help Dad get the roof back on the barn. Now we are just hanging out at the house and trying to stay cool.

We've got a few more days here in Wyoming and then we head back to the island. Dan's going to call his supervisor to ask her to check in on the apartment, just so I can have a bit of piece of mind after the earthquake. Until then we're going to have fun with Nonna and Grandpa and Chris and Kym are coming up for a "mini-get-away" and time with us! Yea!

We'll write again when we get back home for sure, if not sooner. See ya!

Friends Amidst Frenzy

Despite the frantic packing, cleaning, and getting ducks in a row before leaving, the DAndiKai's still manage to get in some socializing. Our friends, Ben and Kazumi Wood, had baby Hikaru just 8 weeks after Kai was born, so we've all been keen on play dates (for the babies and the adults!) While we are no longer heading to the "cinema" (Ben's British), we still enjoy swapping food. Kazumi made coffee chiffon cake (to repay us for the chili we brought them after they got out of the hospital... and we managed to share some cucumbers before they left... it's a vicious cycle!) Anyway, it was fun to compare babies. Kai was born at 7 pounds 11 ounces at 40 weeks. Hikaru, on the other hand was 10 pounds 2 ounces at 42 weeks! Now, take into consideration he's half Japanese... poor Kazumi! She had a c-section, thank goodness... he wouldn't have made it out!

Unfortunately, Kai was not a very accommodating host.

I don't think Hikaru knew quite what to think. Thankfully Kai settled down and they got to know each other a little bit better.


However, after our social break, it was back to "junbi" ("preparations") for the big trip home. We leave the day after tomorrow... and everything is miraculously falling into place. With any luck, Andi and Dan won't be flying around at the last minute tomorrow night trying to get everything done. (Don't hold your breath!)

Hope in the War Zone

The DAndiKai's are getting pretty excited... only 3 days until they leave for America for their 3 week vacation. That vacation is DESPERATELY needed for all of them. Andi and Kai can't stand the apartment anymore and Dan is getting burnt out on work. Fingers are starting to tap in impatience to get going, even if that means a 12 hour plane ride with a 3 month old baby. Just get us out of here!

Unfortunately for Andi's sanity, going home means packing, and packing means an explosion of stuff EVERYWHERE in the apartment. Yesterday you could not have seen the floor in the tatami room and by the evening, the living room had been fully contaminated as well. Piles of Kai's out-grown clothes, extra yarn that Andi's going to save at home for later, decorations that we don't want to have to move next year, and things that we had borrowed from family and need to return made a completely new landscape much to Kai's delight. It made Andi want to pull out her hair.

Thankfully we got that all packed up and are now down to just clothing and travel stuff. Andi told Dan that he wasn't allowed to go back to work if the apartment still looked like a war zone. If he had, he would not come home to a very sane wife and as a result have a pretty crabby baby on his hands too! So two suitcases are standing packed and ready to go, we have two clean bathrooms, and only a small pile of dishes in the kitchen (instead of the mountain it would have been). We will probably get to packing the clothing Tuesday (maybe if we feel up to it, we'll start on it tonight). The bomb rubble has been mostly removed from the floor. Today's challenge is to get the laundry down (hanging in the tatami room to dry over night) and wash up sheets and towels. Boring stuff, really, but fully necessary. Andi wants to come home to a clean apartment if at all possible.

The exciting, non-mundane things that happened yesterday involved Kai: he finally figured out how to buzz his lips! We've been blowing raspberries at him and buzzing our lips and rolling our R's for him (amidst a variety of ridiculous noises to keep him happy and distracted) and he's been thinking REALLY hard about it. He's gotten close before, but yesterday something clicked and he just buzzed away with his little lips. The result was a face (and onesie) full of bubbly-saliva and a very proud baby boy! He was so funny though -- as soon as Dan did it back to him he stopped and got this look like, "Hey, I didn't know anyone was LISTENING!" But after he ate dinner (milk, as usual) he finished and started talking to Mommy. And then he showed her that he could do it. Heart-melting, let me tell you!

The other very exciting development is that Kai started pushing his body up off Daddy's chest during "tummy-time." Kai HATES laying on his belly and usually just cries and cries, so Dan and Andi have had to get creative and figured out if we put Kai on our shins or chest (while laying on their backs, of course) he doesn't seem to mind it as much. Still comes in little doses, but it's progress. Anyway, because of his lack of tummy-time he can't push himself up. We're convinced he's going to walk before he'll crawl. So yesterday's push-up was a very exciting, relieving moment for Mommy! Good Job Kai!!

So it is off to the chores of the day... Dan's out the door for work at elementary school, Kai is cooing at the laundry in his room, and Andi is wondering what to eat for breakfast. It's going to be a good day... 3 days till take off (but who's counting?)

"life in the details" Art Show

May 9-18, 2008
Andi had her first photography exhibit at Cafe' Pika here in Misato. Nori, the coffee shop owner said that aproximately 150 people came through to see her work and she even sold two pieces! Dan compiled this video to document Andi's show so that everyone else could "come" too.

Confessions of a Drawing Mannequin

Hello. My name is Bard. For those of you who don't know me, I am DAndiKai's little buddy.

Yes, that's right, I'm an 8 inch-tall drawing mannequin. But I also happen to be one of DAndiKai's favorite inspirations for creative thinking. I have been known to make my way around the apartment with my best friend Benvolio, both helping around the house and getting into mischeif. Either version tends to bring smiles to Dan's and Andi's faces.

So why a blog?

I have the unique opportunity to observe Dan, Andi, and Kai in their element, monitoring their daily adventures in parenthood and listen in on the absurdities that happen away from home. I hope to bring you the latest news, funny anecdotes, and perhaps an occasional peak into Dan's bedtime stories and drawings, Andi's photography and knitting projects, and Kai's acheivements and discoveries. And rumor has it, that's what everyone back home wants to hear... so without further ado,

The Tales of the Bard.