Hammock 2000

On Saturday, we went to go buy a hammock as a father's day present. My dad had been wanting a hammock for his summer cottage, and Mizuki found the perfect hammock store in Setagaya which was about a 15 minute car ride from our house. Hammock 2000, Setagaya showroom was a delightful little space with several hammocks hanging for you to try. It was a rainy day, but Yuuki and I daydreamed we were in Karuizawa, swinging on the hammocks, sunshine falling through the fresh green leaves, and breeze brushing our cheeks.

I love water!!!

Watching TV, Father and Son

I wonder why

parents' mouths always open when they are feeding.

Yuuki in Grey

Nezu Museum, Irises Screens 2011

A while back, I went to the Nezu Museum with Yuuki and my mother to see the special exhibition of National Treasure Irises Screens at the Nezu Museum in Aoyama. Nezu Museum was designed by Kengo Kuma, a Japanese architect. Kuma's reinterpretation of Japanese traditional architecture is fascinating, giving the buildings a crisp, clean, and breezy feel. It is a dream to be able to ask him to design our house someday. 

The exhibition at the Nezu Museum was National Treasure Irises Screens 2011. It was my first time to see the real irises screens, and they were beautiful. The screens are a work of art by Korin Ogata from the 18th century. The colors of the irises in contrast with the gold-foil background is just stunning, and his usage of space must have been very avant-garde at that time. 

We enjoyed a little walk around the gardens outside the museum. I love the fresh greens in early May in Tokyo. The museum cafe seemed to be a great place to take in all the greenery. 

Eating Somen

Somen is a type of wheat noodle we love to eat during the summer time! It is the Japanese equivalent of angel hair spaghetti, and we eat it cold with Japanese soy sauce based broth and green onions : ) It is soooo easy to prepare and Yuuki loves it too!!!

Picnic at Teien Art Museum

Yesterday was another gorgeous day in Tokyo. Since it is very difficult for Yuuki to sit still at restaurants nowadays, we enjoy picnics all around Tokyo. This time, I took him to the Teien Art Museum in Meguro. The museum itself used to be the residence for the Prince Asaka Family in the 1930s. It was built in an Art Decor style, and French designers at that time used luxurious imported European material for the building as well as the interior. It is a unique and rare Art Decor architecture with a streak of Japanese influence.

What makes this museum most special for me is their garden around the building. It has beautiful lawns with various flowers and plants, and their outstanding rose garden reminds me of the book "The Secret Garden". Yuuki and I bought a bento box at Keats, another organic restaurant in Yuutenji. Yuuki loved to test his walking skills all around the garden, falling and walking many times. A party of elders that were also visiting the garden played with him, and Yuuki loved it. Yuuki is so good at making friends with his cheerful smile that makes everyone stop and say hello.

Eating

I had been struggling with Yuuki's feeding for a couple of months now. He seems to have a narrow throat and used to get food stuck or not be able to swallow certain foods. Also, he likes to play with his food rather than eat it, and his attention goes towards gadgets and machines rather than food at all. I would try my best to make a perfectly delicious meal and have him spit it out or throw it around or ignore it all together. He also hates to sit in one place, so he would climb out of his chair which made it very difficult to feed him. It was very stressful and depressing, especially because my sister's little baby, Sosuke, LOVES to eat and he would eat anything like a grown up boy.

Lately, though, with the help of Mizuki, Yuuki has been sitting and eating. I cannot believe how much he is eating now compared to just a month ago. We have been trying to stay on a strict feeding schedule, and divided responsibilities. I would be in charge of cooking, and Mizuki would be in charge of feeding.

It seems this is working because Mizuki does not have the stress of "why won't you eat, I made such a good meal for you...!!!" He can be calm and closely observe how Yuuki eats and how he wants to be fed instead of how I want him to eat.

I can also concentrate on cooking good food with plenty of "Dashi" (a umami=taste factor) which babies love. They can really taste the difference between food that has umami or not. Him eating more motivates me to cook better food instead of thinking, "well he won't eat anyway so I will just make it simple". We have made a good spiral that works.

Now that Yuuki has gotten used to eating, he finishes his dinner even without daddy! It was just Yuuki and I yesterday, but he sat in his chair and finished his entire dinner!!! Good job, mommy and Yuuki!

Dinner completed!!!! Rice with chirimen-jako, pumpkin soup, koya-tofu no nimono.
Lots of nutrients!

Art

Daddy calls it art, mommy calls it a mess.

Fishing

Yuuki loves to go fishing lately! It was a present from Grandpa Ken and Grandma Etsuko for Christmas last year. Look at his proud face when he gets the fish!!

Picnic at Setagaya Park

Today, Yuuki and I went to Setagaya Park, which is about a 15 minute walk from our house. I brought a bento box for Yuuki and I and we had a fun little picnic with just the two of us. We were having a great time when a cute little old lady came up to us and asked me if I had a camera. 

"Do you have your camera? I saw you two from over there and it was such a lovely sight I had to come and take a picture of your little picnic for you!"

After she took some pictures for us, she said, 

"You are so happy to be able to spend time like this with your baby. You should be grateful and cherish this moment because it is not long before they grow up."

Somehow it brought tears to my eyes. I knew I was happy and I knew that time with Yuuki was precious, but had been feeling like maybe I was being left behind from the world, not working and staying at home. I had been struggling with the idea of working again but not being able to for childcare reasons. 

Then all of a sudden a lovely old lady comes up to me from out of the blue and tells me it's ok to be having fun with Yuuki, tells me I should seize this time with him. It was so random but exactly what I needed. 

Life has strange ways to tell us things. 

Yuuki, eating crackers

Two of my favorite things

Babies and dogs...what is it about them that makes us smile so. Yuuki used to grab Kuu's fur, so Kuu kept running away, but yesterday Yuuki patted him gently and didn't pull out any fur. I think he is beginning to understand how to be gentle to others.

Yuuki is walking!!

Time flies. My last post was about Yuuki's first word and now I am writing about him walking. I've been busy trying to balance things in life. I haven't quite found a good balance but I will try to restart my blog. Yuuki is growing up before our eyes and I want to keep track of what how he grows up. 

Last Sunday, we went to Yoyogi park with some of Mizuki's friends. It was one of the most perfect days  in Tokyo weather wise, with lots of sunshine and low humidity. There are very few days like these, unlike Santa Monica where the weather was almost always perfect. 

Yuuki has been walking a step or two since about a month ago, but at the park, he seemed to have so much fun playing with children a little older than him on the fresh green grass. He could walk for 5-6 steps without being assisted. We were amazed and happy, but it seemed he himself was most surprised at what he could do already, and he kept giving us the best smiles full of excitement. 

What was amazing was that the next day, he started walking 10-20 steps all of the sudden!!!!! In the morning it was just 5-6 steps but by afternoon, he started walking across the room. Mizuki and I were both there to witness this precious moment. These are the moments that make you happy you are there for him full time. Yuuki's little giant steps towards the future.....I wonder where they will take him.