With the holiday season comes so much joy and laughter, and this month was definitely full of funny and sweet moments brought to us by our little girls! Here are some moments that brought smiles (and at times, uncontainable laughter) to our faces!
Mio making “alphabet soup” with her fridge magnets
Mirei creeping up from behind… Mirei LOVES playing with the mixing bowls and strainers.
Mio making funny voices, trying to imitate Minnie Mouse:
Look at Mirei’s ecstatic smile! They are so happy that Daddy’s home from work.
Group hug! So sweet… TGIF for the Daddy’s girls.
The girls listening to the talking Mother Goose doll sent to them from their grandparents in California:
Mio’s preschool had a pajama day, for when Santa came to visit them.Â
Mirei climbed into a cardboard box, we turned it into a makeshift bed… and it did not end well.
Mirei leaning against and hugging her Ojiichan. ♥ So sweet!
Mio on her last day of school of 2014. She came back with lots of Christmas-themed crafts, along with little treats and gifts from her teachers and classmates!
Mio randomly said this repeatedly one night…
Who is “John”?! We actually don’t know any Johns…?
Mio is excited to try Snocream! (Taiwanese shaved ice served out of a bus! Love the ice cube seats.)
A multitasking Daddy!
Mio discovered her purple velour tracksuit twinsie at the grocery store!
…before she fell asleep in the cart. Narcolepsy strikes again!
Mio reading the library book we had borrowed for Mirei. She still loves baby books, and she’s still my baby. ♥
We hope these silly and heartwarming moments bring you some holiday cheer! Can’t believe it’s already Christmas tomorrow!
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
Mio and I arrived in Virginia early Thursday morning, exhausted. Mio cried inconsolably for about fifteen minutes towards the beginning of the overnight flight, and although it was only fifteen minutes, it was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I’m still uncertain about what was wrong with her, since I made sure to nurse her during takeoff and landing to make sure she didn’t get ear pressure problems. She slept for the last three hours of the flight, though, but I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid she’d slide off of my lap. The cabin of the plane was really hot, too, which made for a very uncomfortable five hours. Boy, was I relieved when we finally landed at Dulles Airport…. When we got to my parents’ house in Vienna, we just slept for several hours through the morning.
Mio got to meet some new members of Mommy’s family this time — my father, sister Miwa, and brother Kosei were all seeing her for the first time.
Mio met Auntie Miwa for the first time. She is already alarmed by her crazy aunt....
Meeting ojiichan for the first time.
Happy grandparents with their first grandchild.
My mom reunited with Mio. She was surprised by how much she'd grown!
Getting some love from Auntie Miwa.
My Dad holding Mio again. A proud ojiichan!
rMio wide awake from the excitement of meeting everyone!
I’m really happy to be back home in Virginia and am looking forward to the next two weeks that we’ll be spending here. We hope to spend a lot of time with family and friends, and just relax and enjoy our time here. It’s definitely summer here — hot and humid! I actually kind of missed the humidity of the Mid-Atlantic region, since this is the type of summer weather I grew up with!
