Time Flies

One Month Old Already!

We have been very busy between the biggest snow fall Tokyo has seen in 45 years and our first (out of town) visitors since Noni's birth. It was an all too short week, as we had to say "good-bye for now" to Noni's Papa Pat and Nana Diana. I found myslef asking "where has the time gone?"; we had looked forward to their visit for so long and here it came and went- taking Noni's first month marker with it! 

So, let's recap this month's events. I suppose that things have been fairly uneventful, now that I think of it.... We've experienced all of the typical 'things' as new parents that you would guess: spit-up (lots and lots of that!), poop-poop-and more poop, sleepless nights, baby cuddles, frustration, happiness, an insurmountable amount of love, and everything in-between.  


I'm happy to report that the pediatrician said she was "perfect" and is hitting all of her milestones so far. She tends to be a fairly happy and easy baby. She did give us a bit of trouble this past week, but i'm chalking it up to a growth-spurt. Her newborn clothes are getting quite snug, so we are starting to retire a few pieces of her wardrobe already! She's in that awkward phase where newborn clothes are too small, but 0-3's are too big. 

 Our little "bug" as we call her, loves light. Often when she is upset and seemingly inconsolable, we take her near a light source and she becomes fixated. We have caught several adorable grins and some lip pouts along the way. She tends to sleep 2-3 hours at a time during the night, and i'm hoping that will stretch out to 4 or more hours soon! 

Highlights of this month for me were successfully taking her newborn photos, fitting back into normal jeans (me, not the baby;) and a visit from her Nana and Papa. It was so special to see them interact with her. I definitely cannot wait to take a trip home to the states so that everyone can meet her! 

Snow Day

Tokyo Freezer = Cabin Fever & No Motivation!

I've come to learn in the past few weeks that I have a lot of respect for stay at home mothers. It's definitely not something that I'm cut out for, not even close! Don't get me wrong, I'm not eager to jump right into a 40 hour work week tomorrow, but i'm getting a taste of the domestic goddess lifestyle and the shoe doesn't quite squeeze onto my big ole' foot.

Let's start with my 'favorite' (insert sarcasm) question of the day from my husband. "So, what did you do all day?" As a sane and rational person, I know that he has nothing but good intentions with this question. He is genuinely interested in my report of activities and I typically have a nice little list of things to offer as an answer. It's days like today however, that I dread that question. I think that some combination of being a little OCD and crazy with work ethic is a recipe for guilt when I have less than productive days. Although I did a hundred tiny little things, they all seem to add up to nothing in my brain at the end of the day. Let's face it- some days are more productive than others. Today was, well... a fail. In truth, It snowed almost two feet here last night so taking the garbage out today was a big accomplishment. I had the mentality that I was stuck inside; most days regardless of my time spent in or out of the home i'm very productive. Not today...nope!

 Let me provide you with the disclaimer that I tend to only watch TV when my husband is home with me. Seriously- if he isn't home i'm busy filling my time with more worthy causes. That being said I will go ahead and admit that while I did a few chores, today was most notably spent in front of the TV. I got sucked into a trashy reality TV program and became a lashing post for a demanding baby. Several cluster feedings, diaper changes, two of my own shirts ruined by spit-up and six episodes later, I finally decided enough was enough! I was determined to do something productive.

I had a client drop off a deposit for a painting this past weekend, so I figured why not get started on that. I was probably an hour and a half in when the baby started up again, which was HOLY frustrating! I'm used to her sleeping a solid three hours between feedings, but not this day.... this day was to be an exception to all rules and one to test mommy's patience. So, here's the scene: I'm an hour and a half into this painting and already had to start over once; I had just determined that yet again the scale/sizing was off and I would have to re-start it. It's been a very long time since I've struggled with this issue, making it all the more aggravating. My hands are covered in paint, i'm losing precious time before I have to put dinner in the oven and the baby starts crying... Oh! and I've got a headache- which is new to me as well. I've noticed that if I skip caffeine that day, I will suffer from a headache- a bonus to new parenting!

I suppose I will salvage the day by completing not only this blog entry, but a couple of sub-units in my photography program. I'm committed to working on that a little each day if possible and have maintained that since I started. That being said, I will leave you with a photo I took at last night's twilight of the snow.