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.

Standing up 2

He just loves standing up!! He seems so proud of himself, it's so cute. He looks as if he's climbed Mt. Everest. LOL. Go Yuuki!!

Standing Up

It's been rainy in Tokyo with a hurricane coming, so we've been sitting in these past few days. I thought I would go crazy being in the house all day with just Yuuki and I, but we've been able to some quality time together. It's so amazing to see Yuuki's growth so close by. Just yesterday, Yuuki was playing with a box full of documents. I went to the kitchen to make some coffee for myself and come back to see Yuuki standing up!!!! Yay Yuuki! He loves his new view, and tries to stand up everywhere can. We have to be even more careful now that he can do so many things....! The hard wooden floor is worrying me now since he still falls over once in a while...maybe we should buy a rug.

Where did I put that document??

Tom's Sandwich

On the day Mizuki left for his business trip to San Fransisco, we were able to squeeze in a little family time we haven't had in a long time. We got up and had a nice breakfast, and we snuggled into bed again, all three of us. That is Mizuki's favorite thing to do nowadays. In Japan, we say you sleep in "Kawanoji," which means "sleeping like the kanji character 'river.'" We put Yuuki in the middle and all lie down and snuggle together, just like this:

Anyways, after we did the "Kawanoji," we walked to Daikanyama which is a nice little town two stations away from us. There is a sandwich shop called Tom's Sandwich which has been there for decades. My mom even told me she used to take me there when I was little. They are a bit pricey, but their sandwiches are fresh and delicious: ) It's a small shop so it's not very stroller friendly but if you go there on a weekday it should be fine. 

Uncle Yasu

Yuuki and Sosuke were able to spend some quality time with Uncle Yasu yesterday. Yasu came home to Tokyo from Takamatsu for the long weekend. It was raining in the morning, but it cleared up beautifully and turned out to be a gorgeous autumn day. Yuuki and Sosuke played with their uncle while my sister and I made lunch. It had been a while since just the three of us got together, and we all really had a great time talking and making fun of each other, the normal brother-sister stuff. Yasu, being the youngest of us all, is good at making us laugh. There were times when we hated each other's guts when we fought as youngsters, but now I appreciate the existence of them more then ever. I am so lucky to have such great siblings I can trust and have fun with. Although it's hard to say upfront, I really thank you and love you guys, Yumi and Yasu!! Thank you for supporting me and being there for me always. It really makes me want to have more children for Yuuki.

After we had lunch and played around with the two monsters a bit, we walked to Daikanyama, a hip area with niche fashion shops and delicious desserts. We shopped around a little at La Fuente Daikanyama, (too bad there is no English website) a small department store that handles a lot of imported baby goods. 

Yumi had to leave to make dinner for her husband, but Yasu and I went to Caffe Michelangelo to have some coffee. The many trees around the restaurant give this place a great ambience which almost reminds you of a cafe in Paris. I grabbed a panini and made it an early supper, since Mizuki is gone on a business trip. We had a seat outside, and we enjoyed the autumn air as the sun set and the sky turned pink and then purple. It was just the perfect day for a late coffee (preferably a glass of wine) outside. Thank you Yasu for the panini and great company. 

Yuuki messed up Uncle Yasu's Iphone!! Oops. 

Kevin and Kyoko's Wedding in Tokyo

Yesterday, I went to Kevin and Kyoko's wedding at the Westin Hotel in Ebisu. It was my first time taking Yuuki to a wedding, and I also had the honor to give a speech so I was a bit worried about how Yuuki will do, but he did a fantastic job!!! He was quiet throughout the wedding and even slept when I had to give the speech. I don't know if he senses these things but he always surprises me.

Kevin and Kyoko are very special friends to our family, and I was so happy and honored to be there. It was really too bad Mizuki could not make it as he had to go on a business trip to San Fransisco. They were so beautiful together and seemed so happy together. We love spending time with the awesome couple and we are so lucky to have them in our lives. I hope to see our families grow together!

Thanks Kevin and Kyoko for letting Yuuki and I be a part of your beautiful wedding!!

Copy cat

This morning, Mizuki was off to work early in the morning and it was just Yuuki and I when we awoke. I had a serious urge to pass gas, and since it was just Yuuki and I, I excused myself and farted...as I tried to cover it up with a smile to Yuuki, Yuuki did exactly the same thing...he let out a big fart and gave me the biggest smile ever!!! It was adorable, but it made me realize how kids grow up seeing what you do! I have to be careful....: )

Reading and Eating the Newspaper

Brunch at Oak Door, Grand Hyatt Tokyo

On Sunday, I met up with some girlfriends and had brunch at the Oakdoor. They have a spacious open kitchen, and they are famous for their wood-burning oven steak. Since it was Chifumi-san's birthday, we celebrated with some white wine :) Ah, that happy feeling when you open a bottle of wine from noon with some girl talk on the side!! We were there for four hours while Yuuki slept through most of it : )

King of all wild things!

Yuuki, the king of all wild things!

BALS Tokyo

On Tuesday, my mother and I took Yuuki for a walk to Nakameguro. The air felt nice and clean after the rain, and from the wind you could smell autumn. I used to hate autumn in Tokyo, it felt so lonely with the days getting shorter and the cold wind stinging your cheeks. Now, I am beginning to like the long nights and the nostalgic atmosphere it brings. Many things have changed since I gave birth to Yuuki.

In Nakameguro, we shopped around at BALS Tokyo. BALS Tokyo is kind of like Fred Segal in LA - it's a department store that handles high-end lifestyle merchandise - anything from furniture to plates and cups to candles and food. They also have a hair salon, a nail salon, a pet salon, a wine shop, and a cafe. Unlike many shops in Tokyo, it is very spacious so it's easy to shop around in with a stroller, too.

We still have to buy some furniture for our house, so I love to look around here!

This sofa's pretty nice, mommy!

After we shopped around a bit, we had tea at the cafe called Salon de huit. Yuuki is just so curious about everything these days, we need to keep a very close eye on him!!

Grabbing grandmas' hearts

This week, Yuuki was able to spend time with people who love him from the bottom of their hearts - his grandmas. He is starting to show affection to people around him, and it just melts everyone's hearts.

I love it on your lap, grandma.

Here's a hug, grandma!