Mirei is 100 days old today! It seems fortuitous that her 100th day falls on the same day as Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) and Cinco de Mayo! 🙂 So much to celebrate and be thankful for. We love you baby girl!
For this special day, I dressed her up in this beautiful hybrid yukata/dress that our friend Noriko-san gave us. My mom kept gushing over how cute Mirei looked in it, saying that she looked like a little Japanese girl (well, she kind of is… haha*).
The cutest part of this outfit? The huge bow on the back!
To celebrate, my mom made a delicious sashimi and tempura dinner for the whole family! We didn’t have the traditional okuizome meal, but it was delicious and I ate a lot to ensure that Mirei could enjoy the meal, too! 😉
Mirei with us parents. Mio fell asleep before we could take a photo, so it ended up just being the three of us!
Happy 100th Day, Mirei! We can’t wait to see how you’ll continue to grow.
Our friends Hyangsun and Tony celebrated their baby girl’s 100th day last Sunday, and we got to be a part of the festivities! Baby April (SunMi) was born on April 1 this year, so she’s almost exactly a year younger than Mio. (Hyangsun and Tony had been expecting her to be born in May, and they actually came to Mio’s birthday party on March 31.. and then April was born the next day, a month before her due date!)Â The decorations were beautiful and all the food was delicious! Here are some pictures we took at the party…
Such pretty decorations!
100th Day ricecake… all the guests got to take a piece home at the end, and it was so delicious!
Brownie bites!
So much delicious food!
The lemon chicken was my favorite.
Hyangsun welcoming everyone
Happy 100 Days, April!
The kids were excited about the desserts!
Mio was very interested in the balloons
Curiously looking at pictures of April
Opening the present we got for April – she’ll look so cute in the dress!
Mio and I playing with the balloons
As usual, Mio got lots of attention from the ladies.
JinWoo and Mio in the doorway. Cutiepies!
Lovely party favor boxes for everyone to take home.
It was a really delightful celebration! Thank you Hyangsun and Tony for inviting us to celebrate April’s arrival! We can’t wait to watch her grow. 🙂
Yesterday on Sunday, July 10th, Mio turned 100 days old! A baby’s 100th day is a milestone in several Asian cultures, and traditionally in Japan it’s celebrated with a ceremony called okuizome.
When a baby is 100 days old, Japanese families celebrate a weaning ceremony called ‘‘okuizome,’’ or first food. This ceremony traditionally involves a large shared meal prepared by the mother-in-law. The menu varies by region. Traditionally, a small pebble is placed on each plate and the adults symbolically bite down on it. This ritual is meant to wish the baby a life of abundant food without hunger as well as good strong teeth. While a father or grandfather may pretend to feed the baby solid food during these festivities, the baby is usually still drinking exclusive milk.
We did not have a formal okuizome ceremony, but Mio got to spend the day enjoying lots of time with loved ones! In the morning, we went over to Berkeley to have brunch with my dear friend Julianne, who happened to be in town! The last time we saw Juli, I was still pregnant, so this was her first time meeting baby Mio.
We had gelato for dessert afterward... my favorite! It was so good seeing you, Juli!
Later in the day, Mio’s grandparents (Dan’s parents) came over to have a celebratory lunch with Mio. Dan’s mother made and brought over some delicious sushi rolls! Mio couldn’t have any, of course, but we very much enjoyed the food on her behalf! 😉
Mio with her grandparents!
Dan's mother handmade this dress and bonnet for Mio for the occasion! So pretty! I love the lace, bows, and flower detailing.
So happy to be in grandma's arms!
Mio with Mommy and Daddy on her 100th Day.
Mio started to fall asleep, so we put her in her bouncer and she immediately woke up and started to cry when she realized she was no longer in anyone’s arms….
"It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to!"
Happy 100th Day, dear little Mio!
We feel so blessed and lucky that Mio is so healthy and she’s already given us so much joy in the past 100 days. In some cultures, the 100th Day is also celebrated as the one year mark since the baby came to exist in the womb. Sure enough, it was around this time last year that Mio started to develop within me — it’s amazing to see that only a year later, we have such a big, healthy 3-month old in our arms! I used to feel like the nine months of pregnancy was unbearably long (especially while I was experiencing it), but if you look at it from that perspective, it’s pretty incredible that a fully functional human can be created from nothing in a mere nine months! Life is truly a miracle.
Mio has already changed our lives forever in this short period of time, and we cannot wait to see how she continues to blossom and bring more joy to us as well as those around her.
“My heart is yours.
My spirit sings with love.
For you. My child.
You’ve grown yourself,
inside me.
Foot under my rib.
One became two.
At last you are here.
Sleeping on my chest.
Clutching my tangled hair in your hand.
Your dark eyes calm as a lake.
Your breathing making me safe.
You who gave birth to this mother.
A life. My child.
We gave birth to each other.
I kiss your face.
A million times a day.
I sit still and listen.
To the whisper of your wisdom.
To life, right now.
This is love, my love.”
— ULRICA
