Tuesday, May 27, 2008

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!)

Monday, May 26, 2008

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?)

Saturday, May 24, 2008

"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.