Monday, September 22, 2008
Week in Review Part I
Okay. So here's the week in review in as long as it takes for Gabe to wake up.
1) Gabriel is a whopping six months old. HALF A YEAR! Goodness gracious. He's growing a third tooth. He's reaching out for me. His fuzzy hair is getting a little longer, but still light. He's still doing those crazy push-up things and still not crawling. If you hold his little hands so he doesn't tip over, he'll stand for a pretty long time. He's eaten squash, sweet potatoes, peas and bananas. And this weekend we shared some minestrone soup. Don't know if that's a bad thing or not, but it was just the broth. He seemed to like it anyway.
Updates from Joe
Well, Kelly was off to go do something, get her hair done, her nails did, save the planet, something...I had to watch Gabe and eventually feed him from a bottle. Mind you, I wasn't intimidated or scared, because I have maaaadddd baby watching skills. I'm like the Air Jordon of babysitting. The Tiger Woods of entertaining the young’uns.
Anyhow, I digress. I haven't fed Gabe from a bottle in quite a while, but he seemed to do really well the last few times I tried and besides, if you stuck a steak in front of the boy he'd probably eat it. There are times I’m afraid he’s going to try and eat some kid if I don’t watch him.
Well.....1.5 hours later. Gabe is SCREAMING like a maniac (People, he SCREAMED for an hour and a half!!). I’m trying to hold him this way, that way and the other way, still won’t take the bottle. I finally lay the crazed monkey on his back, hand him the bottle and say “Feed Yourself.”.....And can you believe HE FED HIMSELF...No seriously...He did...I have pictures...
Notice the Fresh Tears.
Guess who comes home, no more than two minutes after he settles down. Notice the freshly done nails on the bottom left and the look of "I don't need you sucka" on Gabe...
To be continued...
1) Gabriel is a whopping six months old. HALF A YEAR! Goodness gracious. He's growing a third tooth. He's reaching out for me. His fuzzy hair is getting a little longer, but still light. He's still doing those crazy push-up things and still not crawling. If you hold his little hands so he doesn't tip over, he'll stand for a pretty long time. He's eaten squash, sweet potatoes, peas and bananas. And this weekend we shared some minestrone soup. Don't know if that's a bad thing or not, but it was just the broth. He seemed to like it anyway.
Updates from Joe
Well, Kelly was off to go do something, get her hair done, her nails did, save the planet, something...I had to watch Gabe and eventually feed him from a bottle. Mind you, I wasn't intimidated or scared, because I have maaaadddd baby watching skills. I'm like the Air Jordon of babysitting. The Tiger Woods of entertaining the young’uns.
Anyhow, I digress. I haven't fed Gabe from a bottle in quite a while, but he seemed to do really well the last few times I tried and besides, if you stuck a steak in front of the boy he'd probably eat it. There are times I’m afraid he’s going to try and eat some kid if I don’t watch him.
Well.....1.5 hours later. Gabe is SCREAMING like a maniac (People, he SCREAMED for an hour and a half!!). I’m trying to hold him this way, that way and the other way, still won’t take the bottle. I finally lay the crazed monkey on his back, hand him the bottle and say “Feed Yourself.”.....And can you believe HE FED HIMSELF...No seriously...He did...I have pictures...
Notice the Fresh Tears.
Guess who comes home, no more than two minutes after he settles down. Notice the freshly done nails on the bottom left and the look of "I don't need you sucka" on Gabe...
To be continued...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Original Japanese Version of "The Office"
I bet you didn't realize that The Office was originally a Japanese Show:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Random Shots
Well, I'll be! If Gabe didn't just fall asleep just now all by himself, without even a peep or a screech. Anyway, just wanted to get a few more pictures up of the goings on here. First off, Gabriel has started eating baby food. Yeah! He actually seems to really like it. I had big dreams of staying off the jarred stuff and making it all from scratch. But, I succumbed to convenience...for now at least and we have carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and peas lined up for him. I tasted the sweet potatoes and squash and thought it was nasty, but he seemed to like it!
Yummy!
Delish!
The other day, Gabe and I were hangin' outside and getting some air. Our Japanese neighbors came out -- the whole family -- mom, dad, two sons, plus a couple of other folks I didn't recognize. They had a tiny baby with them and beckoned us over. So, Gabe and I walked over and found out that the baby was their niece's son and two months old. My neighbor took a picture and disappeared into the house. Not three minutes later he came out with this picture of us: the two moms w/ our babies. I don't know if you can tell, but it's even laminated! I can't believe I don't remember our neighbor's names. I've asked a million times and keep forgetting to write it down and now it's too late to ask again. I mean we've known them almost three years now! Anyway, the baby's name is Natsuha, which means "summer".
This last shot is of a tiny little neighborhood festival they had down the road from us on Sunday night. My neighbor lady, whatever her name is, told me about it. There were kids there doing careful, slow-motion fan dances, there was what looked like an Okinawan opera type thing. Here you have kids dressed up as shisa. The old lady next to me (who grabbed Gabe and held him the whole time) said "shisa dance"! It was so cool. I loved the intimacy of the whole thing. It really was just a neighborhood gathering, under a bright full moon, young and old sitting on mats on the closed off street under my favorite banyon tree. I had a little love burst for Yomitan that night. I wish we had more photos, but for some reason, it just felt odd taking pictures while we were there.
Yummy!
Delish!
The other day, Gabe and I were hangin' outside and getting some air. Our Japanese neighbors came out -- the whole family -- mom, dad, two sons, plus a couple of other folks I didn't recognize. They had a tiny baby with them and beckoned us over. So, Gabe and I walked over and found out that the baby was their niece's son and two months old. My neighbor took a picture and disappeared into the house. Not three minutes later he came out with this picture of us: the two moms w/ our babies. I don't know if you can tell, but it's even laminated! I can't believe I don't remember our neighbor's names. I've asked a million times and keep forgetting to write it down and now it's too late to ask again. I mean we've known them almost three years now! Anyway, the baby's name is Natsuha, which means "summer".
This last shot is of a tiny little neighborhood festival they had down the road from us on Sunday night. My neighbor lady, whatever her name is, told me about it. There were kids there doing careful, slow-motion fan dances, there was what looked like an Okinawan opera type thing. Here you have kids dressed up as shisa. The old lady next to me (who grabbed Gabe and held him the whole time) said "shisa dance"! It was so cool. I loved the intimacy of the whole thing. It really was just a neighborhood gathering, under a bright full moon, young and old sitting on mats on the closed off street under my favorite banyon tree. I had a little love burst for Yomitan that night. I wish we had more photos, but for some reason, it just felt odd taking pictures while we were there.
Playtime with Gabes
Here are a couple pics from two weekends ago. Joe was doin' some fishin' and I was chillin' w/ the Gaber in the yard.
Here he is with his new favorite toy.
The world from Gabe's perspective.
And the boy with his crazy mommmy.
Here he is with his new favorite toy.
The world from Gabe's perspective.
And the boy with his crazy mommmy.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Gabe's Yoga Buddies
Thursday, September 04, 2008
A day of vegetables and more
I've never been a big produce person. It looks beautiful. I want to be into it, but whenever I buy veggies, they sit rotting in my crisper. Then I signed up for this service called freshinoki, a produce delivery service. They pick up fresh, locally grown veggies from a market up north and then deliver them to your door. It's great, no thinking involved. But, not really cheap at $25 a bag.
That didn't really bother me too much. The good thing about that price is that I felt that I HAD to use up those veggies or it would be a waste of money. I threw them in everything. Lots of stir-frys, soups and salads. But in the end, I still couldn't keep up and so, still, there are vegetables rotting in my crisper.
So I quit the vegetable delivery and made a pledge to visit the neighborhood produce market by myself, saving money and giving me a little more control over quantity. I further pledged to buy the vegetables not according to what I planned to make with them, but by what looked good instead. One of the things that I liked about the produce delivery was the figuring out what to do with all that eggplant or pumpkin or greenbeans. (You don't get to choose what's in the bag. It's a vegetable surprise.) Buying food for the ingredients sake, rather than the recipes' was a little funner for some reason. Like a little cooking adventure.
Today I hit the market. I only had 1000 yen (about 10 bucks) and got eggplant, a giant yellow onion, three garlics, lots of long green onion, a bag of bright carrots and a small pumpkin. Is that expensive? I never bought enough fresh vegetables in the states to even know!
Anyway, I don't have any pics of veggies so I'll throw a few random pics from today up instead:
Gaber and I went to a B-day party today. That's Teresa on the left and Angie (the b-day girl) on the right.
Here were a couple of the gifts. They are kokeshi dolls, a traditional children's toy/ now collectors item, from mainland Japan.
When we got home, Gabe bounced.
And bounced.
For dinner tonight we went to a restaurant shaped like a barrel of beer. (So, yeah, all those vegetables I bought today...still in the fridge.)
WAIT! I do have a picture of the vegetable market. Here it is:
That didn't really bother me too much. The good thing about that price is that I felt that I HAD to use up those veggies or it would be a waste of money. I threw them in everything. Lots of stir-frys, soups and salads. But in the end, I still couldn't keep up and so, still, there are vegetables rotting in my crisper.
So I quit the vegetable delivery and made a pledge to visit the neighborhood produce market by myself, saving money and giving me a little more control over quantity. I further pledged to buy the vegetables not according to what I planned to make with them, but by what looked good instead. One of the things that I liked about the produce delivery was the figuring out what to do with all that eggplant or pumpkin or greenbeans. (You don't get to choose what's in the bag. It's a vegetable surprise.) Buying food for the ingredients sake, rather than the recipes' was a little funner for some reason. Like a little cooking adventure.
Today I hit the market. I only had 1000 yen (about 10 bucks) and got eggplant, a giant yellow onion, three garlics, lots of long green onion, a bag of bright carrots and a small pumpkin. Is that expensive? I never bought enough fresh vegetables in the states to even know!
Anyway, I don't have any pics of veggies so I'll throw a few random pics from today up instead:
Gaber and I went to a B-day party today. That's Teresa on the left and Angie (the b-day girl) on the right.
Here were a couple of the gifts. They are kokeshi dolls, a traditional children's toy/ now collectors item, from mainland Japan.
When we got home, Gabe bounced.
And bounced.
For dinner tonight we went to a restaurant shaped like a barrel of beer. (So, yeah, all those vegetables I bought today...still in the fridge.)
WAIT! I do have a picture of the vegetable market. Here it is:
Monday, September 01, 2008
Zamami Island
Back from the Keramas. We had a FANTASTIC time. Sun, surf, friends...and fish! The first day, Joe took off w/ Masaki and his son, Kazuki to begin the hunting and provide food for the party Saturday night. Meanwhile, Gabe and I caught up on our sleep in the minshuku (Japanese inn...it had been a long, fussy evening the night before), watched some Japanese TV, and hung out at the local beach shack for some ice cream and playtime. When Joe got back, dinner was ready to be served at the minshuku: ginger pork, tofu/goya salad, fried fish and a bunch of other stuff.
Our minshuku - simple, clean, friendly, and like three minutes from the beach.
Gabe's first time in a high chair!
Here's the dinner the minshuku prepared for us. I was dying of hunger by the time it was ready, but it was tasty.
This ice cream/soba (noodle)shack, became our favorite hangout during our three days on island. I especially liked on the second day, when the sweet lady who ran the place offered to take Gabe off my hands while I ate and then she disappeared w/ him somewhere across the street. Perhaps surprisingly, it didn't phase me a bit. He just LOVES Okinawan women. I knew he'd be in good hands.
On the right, Masaki, Joe's co-worker/friend/spearfishing buddy and his son, Kazuki.
The next morning I got a little snorkel time. And we tried out Gabe's new swim gear.
I think I will love the above picture forever. Look at poor Gabe's eyes.
Mom...dad...what the hell are you doing to me?!
Chad and Kay joined us later on in the morning.
Then, Chad and Joe and Masaki and son went a spearin' and Kay, Gabe, and I got to bond on the beach w/ a bottle of chilled wine. This old man came up and told us we should try to bathe the baby naked this time, instead of in a bunch of clothes (like we'd done that morning.)
That night there was the party at Masaki's friend's place. Actually it was his friend's father's place. It was his 90th birthday and take a look at him jammin' on the harmonica!
Grillin' up the ocean's bounty. Joe speared that big mutha in the middle.
Uminchu.
A little music added to the festive atmosphere.
It was a really fun night. Everyone was so friendly to us. Joe was a rock star for his lobster/fish catching abilities! Gabe got lots of love from the girls. And I'm re-inspired to study Japanese. As we headed home, we took a look up at the sky and it was magical - so many stars. Just spectacular. I saw two shooting stars and Kay saw a whopping five. I wish I could have caught it on film. Well, here are a couple more pictures of our weekend instead. We spent one more day on Zamami before heading home. I saw a turtle while snorkeling and loads of humongous fish.
Lovin the view
Masaki's other son, Hedeki.
These guys were pretty scary
Shisa at the gate.
He was just chillin near the beach
Our minshuku - simple, clean, friendly, and like three minutes from the beach.
Gabe's first time in a high chair!
Here's the dinner the minshuku prepared for us. I was dying of hunger by the time it was ready, but it was tasty.
This ice cream/soba (noodle)shack, became our favorite hangout during our three days on island. I especially liked on the second day, when the sweet lady who ran the place offered to take Gabe off my hands while I ate and then she disappeared w/ him somewhere across the street. Perhaps surprisingly, it didn't phase me a bit. He just LOVES Okinawan women. I knew he'd be in good hands.
On the right, Masaki, Joe's co-worker/friend/spearfishing buddy and his son, Kazuki.
The next morning I got a little snorkel time. And we tried out Gabe's new swim gear.
I think I will love the above picture forever. Look at poor Gabe's eyes.
Mom...dad...what the hell are you doing to me?!
Chad and Kay joined us later on in the morning.
Then, Chad and Joe and Masaki and son went a spearin' and Kay, Gabe, and I got to bond on the beach w/ a bottle of chilled wine. This old man came up and told us we should try to bathe the baby naked this time, instead of in a bunch of clothes (like we'd done that morning.)
That night there was the party at Masaki's friend's place. Actually it was his friend's father's place. It was his 90th birthday and take a look at him jammin' on the harmonica!
Grillin' up the ocean's bounty. Joe speared that big mutha in the middle.
Uminchu.
A little music added to the festive atmosphere.
It was a really fun night. Everyone was so friendly to us. Joe was a rock star for his lobster/fish catching abilities! Gabe got lots of love from the girls. And I'm re-inspired to study Japanese. As we headed home, we took a look up at the sky and it was magical - so many stars. Just spectacular. I saw two shooting stars and Kay saw a whopping five. I wish I could have caught it on film. Well, here are a couple more pictures of our weekend instead. We spent one more day on Zamami before heading home. I saw a turtle while snorkeling and loads of humongous fish.
Lovin the view
Masaki's other son, Hedeki.
These guys were pretty scary
Shisa at the gate.
He was just chillin near the beach
