Even though we do not have family nearby, my children are so blessed to have patient, loving people in their lives. Both Grandma's listen so carefully to the boys over the phone and ask good questions. In person, nothing can compare to the special adoration they get from Grandparents. It is so sweet to hear Reo say in his cute 2 year old voice "Nanima" (Grandma in Punjabi) "Baachan" (Grandma in Japanese). For the boys it was pure indulgence to have their Obaasan visit for a week. She also was able to share in Tomo's Shichigosan. I aspire to be a doting Grandparent someday :).

Although I think we drive each other bonkers after a couple of days I was surprised at how when she called a few days ago how comfortable she sounded with me- so I guess it was a somewhat productive visit.

Cecilia is so special indeed. Fate has been kind to have introduced her in our life. We met in Akita about 5 years ago while she was visiting her inlaws in nearby Odate. When I moved to Yokohama she formed a lovely friendship with us and was a special friend to Tomoya. She is wise, kind, beautiful and a fountain of consideration. She spent the past year in a big adventure- living in England, Thailand, Australia and visiting Cambodia. She took our boys on the experience with her by sending them postcards along the way. We are estatic she is back and it was refreshing for all members of this family to have her come out to Niigata to visit us. Since Tomo was in school, Reo was able to relish in all her fun attention. He is smitten by her. So thank-you universe for our angelic friend Cecilia. OH- and for the first time in over 5 years I was able to go out and have a drink of wine with a friend. Masa and I were so happy about this. Most of my friends are Mama's so if I go out san children its usually for coffee- this is wonderful too BUT it was liberating to go to a place children cannot step foot into.
My dear friend Kazuo took us to the Northern Culture Museum which I appreciated as poor Cecilia got to see very little of Niigata- she did get to learn along with me how to give a baby a enema though *lol*.

Everyone seems fine after hermit week- H1N1 was not so bad and hard to believe that all 5 of us crammed into our small space, not being allowed out for 10 days managed not to harm each other (or infect Sora, Masa and I). I have been a bit spoiled in that for 3 weeks I have had help with the boys- MIL, Cecilia and Masa so now I am back on my own. I was exhausted yesterday- between Sora and Reo...well lets just say I am one hot commodity. Tomo was like a caged animal but going back to school yesterday made him calmer. He was so sweet and kind yesterday(I wonder if 10 days straight with his Papa helped) and I think due to partial boredom he has been practicing his piano everyday and doing a bit of reading on his own.

Both Reo and Sora had an immunization yesterday. I am so unenthused about having to take all 3 guys out alone. But Masa, after seeing how things were going after a few days at home decided that I should not be so stubborn about purchasing baby stuff (we gave stuff away a couple of months before realizing we were having another baby). To make life easier he picked up a baby chair, bath chair and another stroller (the zooper is on its last wheel). So the stroller upgrade was a bit painful for me but turned out to be a good thing as I test drove it yesterday. Reo slept deeply in the Zolo, baby can go in it (both Chariot and Zooper are for older babies). It was smoother to steer nothing compares to the Chariot but it is much more compact. Anyhow, Tomo was very pleasant to chat with as we walked, Reo and Sora slept and both gave a quick surprised "waaaa" after being poked with a needle but they recovered after a breath. It went surprisingly smoothly. Which makes me wonder- should I dare take the chibi monsters on a trip alone? 2 was not a problem, 3 just makes me tired to think about. Actually, as long as Sora is in the carrier he is fine but Reo requires a great deal of energy. At home, out of his pack Sora and Reo compete for the prize of most demanding (hence Masa trying to make life a bit easier with his purchases... how about buying me a Nanny, Buddy?)

Masa and I wanted to go to New Zealand for Golden week next year. We tried to book tickets using airmiles but couldn't get a flight... in fact, we couldn't get a flight to anywhere *sigh*. I have 4 weeks to book to somewhere before we lose a ton of airmiles and everydate we have tried has been difficult. It sure was nice to dream of New Zealand for awhile though *sigh*. We will try for Taiwan or Hong Kong tickets in the next week as we don't require a long vacation period to visit both places.

With Sora's bickering and Reo's "hold me, hold me, hold me" I threw on pics in no paticular order. I am sure everyone can tell the difference between MIL, Cecilia and Kazuo San without explanation.

H1N1 update

As of yesterday, Reo's temperature began to rise and began to yo-yo. The virus is difficult to detect until 12 hours after a fever hits 38 degrees and tamiflu can be given after a confirmation. So that is where Masa and Reo are, at the doctor, getting a stick up the nose and medicine. Tomoya who is thankfully on the mend is sleeping and Sora too is cuddled up and resting so I can write a quick update.

Thank-you for all the well wishes. Cecilia- who might be infected after being so loving to the boys even kindly sent us a get well postcard to Tomo and Reo's delight- thank-you. It has been wonderful having Masa around and healthy. Now that Reo is sick, he is not allowed to go back to work even longer. I am grateful that Tomo's encounter with H1N1 was quite gentle.

That said, I am trying not to get nervous but at night when I look at Reo and Sora I feel sick. There is relief that Reo has it now and will be greater relief when he gets better- just a couple of days to wait for that. BUT Sora- the little guy is only 3 months old and the media has given me some scary images of babies on respirators to ruminate on. The house has gotten a decent scrubbing (sorry MIL and Cecilia that didn't happen BEFORE your visits) so I can keep busy and not think too much about it. There is little control over what happens so I have been using lavender aromatherapy to boost their immune system and relax them I hope. I have tried reflexology even on the tiniest feet in the household and am pouring in the acerola and cranberry juice hoping that these wee efforts will increase our bodies ability to handle the dreaded virus.

Swined

Not much more to say but Tomo has H1N1 and now we are waiting to see the symptoms in the rest of us. I guess this is one way for Masa to redeem some of the days off the company owes him.

I want to post pics and reports of MILs visit and the wonderful few days with Cecilia but will do it later.

Ura-Bandai Highland

I liked my previous background but the overlapping of text/photos over its design was dulling the photographs. Thus, it has been changed. I was scratching my head not liking the backgrounds I was looking at until Masa came up behind me and says "how about that one- you call it "cafe" Yamashita and you have stockings like those so I tried it and liked it. I have to say I was impressed with how his management skills are developing as opposed to my continuing indecisiveness.

So this is another post with a gajillion images. I won't make excuses this time because last week we were searching for a bit of info and I turned to my blog. It was such a joy to go back and be reminded of events and places. I have mentioned that this blog is a journal I want to give my boys someday but due to the large amount of photos it is my photo album too. I really am glad for the times I do manage to record a bit of my life through a post.

We are back from a much needed mini vacation to the Urabandai Highlands. We went for the incredible beauty that can be taken in by easy hikes i.e popular Mount Bandai, the 30+ lakes that form Goshikinuma, a walk around a caldera. The peaceful atmosphere was formed by a violent explosion in 1888 that blew the peak off a mountain and killed 500 people. It was my first time to walk around a volcano's crater which is strange considering Masa is a Geologist who's masters degree was in volcano's. That hike was done today (a Monday) so it was particularly quiet, and atmospheric with the steaming sulphur and overcast sky.

Goshikinuma is known for its many coloured lakes- due to moss on the bottom of some, red iron oxisid in some and the cobalt blue colour due to a reason that is explainable but too complicated for me to exert any energy to trying to understand.

We stayed at a pension owned by a professional photographer. Him and his wife were lovely. She took care of Sora during meals so I could eat and relax. Her daughter took requests for childrens songs and played it on the piano for the boys. He (the photographer) treated us to a private slide show of his work and when I asked him if I could possibly purchase a piece that I found stunning in image and idea he actually gave it to me, plus another piece. I didn't feel right just accepting his work so I purchased a few copies of his book that was published and he kindly signed each copy for me with the name of the individuals I thought would appreciate the beautiful photography. Tomo and Reo felt at home and was treated like family there. The small pension seems like a haven for photographers as there were 2 groups- one from Aichi, another from I don't know where that were photography clubs. The owner offers courses, actively publishes and exhibits his work- very inspiring.

It was refreshing to spend so much time surrounded by nature and inundated in the colours of autumn. It was refreshing to kick back and go through the pensions photography magazines and think a bit about art. It was refreshing to not have to cook and clean for 3 days :)

Tomoya's Shichigosan

Today was Tomoya's Shichigo San. My dear friend Reiko borrowed the outfits from her kimono teacher and lucky us- she decided she wanted to practice on Reo as well. We are so grateful for her kindness as the only place we could find to rent the outfits were from photostudios that were over priced and came with the boring generic photos they take. I even considered buying an outfit because I have 3 boys, until I was informed of the steep cost of one. I heard the other Mama's grumbling about this situation and I really counted my lucky stars I didn't have to plunk down a few hundred bucks for this day (although I would have as it is a special day indeed). Sora, as usual, was in the baby carrier and the weather was incredibly cold so my little baby is in very few pics. It is hard to believe my Tomo baby has already had his 5 year blessing. There are plenty of photos posted here for the sake of gushing grandparents. I have to admit the boys looked adorably handsome, it caught my breath a number of times. Anyways don't say I didn't warn you- the following pics are celebrating Tomoya's special day so there are alot of close-up pics of my special 5 year old. Forgive me as I lapse into an oyabaka- but even though it is a miracle that I could take any pics of the chibi monsters with all their craziness, or the fact that Reiko managed to get the outfits on (and they were freakishly well behaved for that part)but really, who knew that mixing mine and Masa's DNA would produce such cutie-pies?

Masa's Birthday

Happy Birthday Masa.
I worked today and he has been a champ since Friday night and I have had some "me" time a few times this weekend. On the other-hand, he looks and feels pretty rough. The 3 guys kept him/us busy taking turns at having tantrums (It was Sora's turn in the cafe pic). Poor guy. When I told him where my event was he remembered something he has been meaning to mention... it turns out in small Toyosaka there are 2 buildings designed by Tadao Ando- the municipal library and junior highschool. Both Masa and I were eager to see both pieces of architecture. During my work he took the boys to a playground and then we headed to the Library.

Ando's work is known for its feeling of containment. Creating a seperate, private space from the rest of the world. The Library was made of concrete. Inside the material brought back memories of the University of Lethbridge. Concrete buildings make me feel like I am under the earth- often this is not such a great thing. The wood softened and warmed the indoor space, countering the effect of the base material. The childrens area is situated at the center of the circular wing. It had a high ceiling, lending a cavernous feel to the space. I imagined a lone water drop could echo loudly but it didn't (as tested by Reo's not so quiet indoor voice). There was a cute little space for story telling off of the childrens area. Through out the indoor and outdoor the lines were curved. The large windows on the second floor were translucent and could not be seen out of- instead it served as a soft, soothing light to assist in concentration. Masa noted how the scale must have been a delight for the architect as it was a medium sized building. Big enough for him to have some creative fun, yet not too overwhelming. I think he enjoyed the space even more than I did. I did like the curving staircase lined by bookshelves holding the Librarians choices and themes that they choose. These stairs are seen as you enter and guides the eyes upwards, making the relatively small space feel grander. Like you are there with a higher intellectual purpose. It was incredibly quiet, even for a library, which makes me curious about how he designed the building to absorb sound.Upstairs there was a wonderful view point- giving the effect of a 2 story, floor to ceiling of bookcases- a modern take of the Beasts library in Disneys Beauty and the Beast(I didn't take a pic of this as one of the librarians was eyeing me suspiciosly)I did find it an interesting space, Ando's ideas are interesting and I really liked what he did with The Aomori Museum of Contemporary of Art but I spent so much time studying in a big concrete building that I automatically got a damp, basement sensation being there.















We could only do a drive-by of the Junior High. So I can't say much about it until I experience the interior. It is also another curved building but at a much larger scale and preceding the library by a couple of years. looks like an airport or a parking garage *lol*- I would be curious to see how he tackled the purpose of the building, what his idea of education is and how he made the space reach his objective.




After all this we had a forgettable dinner but a more pleasant time at our favorite patisserie, Un Lemiux, eating cake.

Junsai Ike Park

A much better week. Sora was happier, the boys had friends over most days of the week so were occupied and relatively hungry. My dear friend Kazuo took Reo to the park and went Shinkansen watching. Reo adores him and it reaffirmed how much I believe the boys need more grandparenty figures in their life. Yuichi stopped by with treats and arm power to give Tomo plenty of airplane rides. Met up with Hisae and Toshie so had some women chat time.

Todays outing was at Junsai Ike Park. I earmarked the place a year ago in my Niigata Forest Guide so it is about time we went. There were two small ponds, a little shrine, many places to stop-rest-eat. Simply a nice place for a little outing. An easy place for young children to walk around and I liked how there was no playground so the boys could concentrate on the environment and wildlife. Sora is being passed to me right now so I guess that makes the ending of this post :)

PS
Thank-you F for the Diwali wishes. We went out for Indian food because I was working that day so no pics but it was a special day for us.

Youkoso to my current hell

Exactly how many levels are there to Dante's hell? Yes my little darlings are blessings, gifts from the universe but they sure aren't acting like it! HOLY CRAP this week has bumped me a little further into Mr. Dante's inferno. Since a good scream will get the neighbours calling the cops or frighten the crap out of the children I will do it here: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH". No regrets about Sora but just tell me who up there decided it would be a good idea to bless me with an absent husband, no family support but 3 demanding little boys? Ummm, I guess I will have a chance to take it up with the boss someday.

Sora is a demanding little bundle of joy. He gave me a total of 20 minutes to try to make dinner yesterday (and I mean the whole bleepin day- luckily lunch was just heating up leftovers and I have been malnourishing the boys for breakfast- just a piece of toast and a glass of milk because they give me so much hassle during meal time). Meal time which sucks on the most optimistic of days is killing me. Tomo pokes at his food, Reo is running around, Sora refuses to be nursed at the table and just screams his tiny arse off and somehow I am stepping in food around and under the table- which is really yucky. And lucky me gets to do it solo 5 flippin days of the week. I started off so good but the situation got frusterating this week. I know it will pass but I am EXHAUSTED- I crash so hard every single day that you could perform open heart surgery on me and I wouldn't notice. I write this as the boys sit at the table doing everything but eating.

So this is written in pure honesty- 3 is delightful but babies, or at least mine, are a lot of work. Kids are a lot of work. Someday I will say that having 3 is easier than 1 or 2 but right NOW I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone. I know others have it worse and I am so lucky for my life but when all three are screaming and I have no one to relieve me when the going gets shitty...well if you can actually imagine it try not to it could make your hair fall out.