Halloween Party

On Thursday, we had a baby Halloween Party! Momoko, a family friend we have known since we were babies, was back in Tokyo from Dusseldorf with her son, so her sister, Ai, and her baby son, and Yumiko and Sosuke all got together at my parents' house. We decorated the house with Halloween confetti and dressed our babies up....well, kind of, since they all hate having something put on them! Yuuki was supposedly a pumpkin, but he just wouldn't let me put on the pumpkin bib, so here he is with a pumpkin stem. :) Next to Yuuki is Sosuke in his cowboy outfit!

Ai's baby son, Harufumi, was a cute little devil, and Momoko's son, Rintaro, was a cat. The Nakazawa sisters both made their baby's outfits!! How creative. 

I remember as little kids our parents dressed us up and had a Halloween Party some thirty years ago. Now we all have kids of our own. I thank my mother for passing on such a wonderful friendship with the Nakazawa's. Good friendship is truly a treat. 

Socks

The Diaper Game

Yuuki's cold

Yuuki caught a cold last week....poor Yuuki...his nose is running and now he's coughing too....thank goodness he doesn't have a fever yet....I hope he gets better soon. It kills me to see Yuuki sick...I never thought I would hurt this much just to see Yuuki have a runny nose. I guess this is a part of parenthood.

Train Ride!

WeEeeee!

Sushi!! @ Kai, Todoroki

2 weekends ago, my parents took Yumiko, Sosuke, Yuuki and I for sushi!!! I don't think I've had sushi since I came back to Japan, so it was a great treat. I didn't think I would be able to have decent sushi so soon with Yuuki, since you cannot go to sushi counter bars with a baby, but Kai in Todoroki, close to my parents' place. They have sushi counters on the first floor and 2 private Japanese tatami rooms on the second. A Japanese tatami room is covered with tatami mats, which is made with woven straw. I love to lay on the tatami floor, enjoying the grassy aroma. It is one of the moments I feel very Japanese, as I think most Japanese people do as well. Anyways, in a tatami room, the tables are low and we sit directly on the floor with a cushion called a "zabuton". (This restaurant had carpet on top of the tatami mats as you can see below) We  let Yuuki and Sosuke play around while we enjoyed our delicious sushi made downstairs at the sushi bar. Yumm!! Thank you, gradparents!!! : )

Enjoying beer

Grandpa Ken's treasures

Cousins

My sister, Yumiko and I are only 11 months apart. Everyone says she looks and acts like the elder sister. I used to hate being mistaken for the younger sister but I must admit...she actually is like the elder sister...she is taller,  more sophisticated and composed than I. While I'm out and about doing this and that, she stays calm and comforts me when I'm upset and gives me advice. We grew up like friends and I am so lucky to have her in my life as my sister and best friend. 

Anyways, just like the elder sister, Yumiko had a baby boy 2 months ahead of me in February, and just like the elder sister, she gives me lots of advice on parenting which I am so grateful for! The baby's name is Sosuke.  Since his father is a rugby player, Sosuke is a big boy, and has great reflexes. Yumiko and Sosuke live within walking distance, so we see each other almost every other day. Yuuki loves playing with big brother Sosuke, although sometimes he gets beaten up or has his toys taken away...: ) They play and fight together, and it is so cute to see them together. It's miraculous that we both have baby boys at such close age.

They will grow up like brothers, and I hope they will have a relationship like Yumiko and I have.