We went down to San Jose with Dan’s parents on Sunday to visit Mio’s Great Grandma! This was their second time seeing each other — the first was when Mio was only three weeks old, so it’s been almost a year. Mio was walking around everywhere in the house and in the backyard, exploring every nook and cranny — Great Grandma was very impressed with how much she has grown. It was lovely seeing Great Grandma, Aunt Monica, and Uncle Greg again!
Mio all dolled up to see Great Grandma
Mio looks on as Great Grandma cooks
Mio with peach blossoms in Great Grandma's backyard.
Such beautiful pink blossoms!
Umm... not sure what Mio's doing here. Clapping at the sky? lol
Waving at Mama
Me waving back. Mio throwing hands up in the air.
Walking on the stepping stones. She didn't want to come back inside!
Grandpa found Mio a pair of wings in the house.
Mio taking everything in with an observant eye.
Mio looks much girlier in a hairpin and dress. She's growing up to be such a sweet little girl!
Thank you Great Grandma for the hospitality and for dinner! We hope to visit again soon. 🙂
Last Sunday, we took Mio to Moore’s Pumpkin Patch in Castro Valley — it was of course Mio’s first time at a pumpkin patch, and the grandparents (Dan’s parents) came along for the occasion. (This was the primary reason I had dressed Mio up as a pumpkin — so she could match the pumpkins there!) Mio was a bit cranky because she’d just awoken from a nap and was already tired from being out since early that day, but we got some cute pictures out of it!
Pooh Mio and Piglet Mama... Mio was not too happy about this.
Mio and Daddy with the pumpkins.
The pumpkin was bigger than Mio!
Family picture!
Our little family's first time at a pumpkin patch! ♥
Hugs for the Mio... she looks indifferent.
Mio grabbing Grandma's nose!
Mio with her loving grandparents!
Three generations of Allens.
Mio as Minnie Mouse.
The grandparents bought Mio mini pumpkins!
Mio and I went on a train ride together, and she seemed to have enjoyed it!
Leaning out of the train...
"What? Over already?"
Farm animals! It amused me that they were all thrown together in the same pen. Chickens, pig, rabbits, ducks, geese...
At the end of it all, Mio was tired and ready to go home!
The pumpkin patch was more fun that I’d expected, and I’m looking forward to going back in future years. Maybe Mio will be able to go on more rides next year! 🙂 Excited about all the memories we’ll make together in the years to come… ♥
Between working and taking care of Mio, it’s hard to find time to upload all the photos and videos that we take of her. Our precious little girl is 19 weeks old as of last Saturday; here are some pictures and video footage from this past week…
Mio likes to be upright and push her feet against the floor, so we recently got a doorway jumper so she could jump up and down in it. Great exercise for the legs!
Feet firmly planted! Are you ready to stand up on your own soon?
The jumper can turn, but she likes to twist her neck around so she can look at Mommy and Daddy.
When she gets tired, she starts slouching and sucking on the tray... lol.
Mio can keep her head and shoulders off the ground for long periods of time now. Here she is doing pushups in her crib. Not ready to go to bed yet!
I had web conference to attend on Saturday, so Dan and Mio drove over to San Lorenzo to spend the day with the grandparents! Dan took these photos and video:
With Grandpa and Grandma!
Mio with Grandpa and Choco (Dan’s parents’ dog):
Looks like she had a great time, as always, with her grandparents! 🙂
Mio on her playmat back at home.
Licking her lips as she looks up at the animals around her. A carnivore in the making....
Squealing while she watches us eat.
You can see her squeals and laughter in the following video, where we have some fun with Hello Kitty:
Our little Mio is growing up so fast, she’s making our heads spin! We have to remember to stop and cherish each of these moments and hold her close, because before we know it, she won’t want to be held anymore….
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!
