Hi-tech Blue Apple

For the last month or so Lilia's vocabulary has grown tremendously! She has started to make sounds that I have never heard from her before! She has been practicing and experimenting up a storm! The other day I swear she said "blue apple." Now, don't get me wrong... I know that these are just indiscriminate babblings, but she has repeated this phrase at least 3 times in my presence and a couple of times around Cliff too! The other day she added in a "hi-tech" in front of the "blue apple." So what is a "hi-tech blue apple?" You tell me! The only thing I can think of is that maybe she has her eye on her aunt Loradona's blue i-pod? Silly girl.

Other sounds from Lilia include:

- Mamam
- Dada
- Bababa
- bleh bleh bleh
- bloob
- Duh duh duh
- Fffffffff (She loves the "f" sound)
- la la la
- "Hi"
- "apoo" as well as something close to "apple"
- "rawr"

She is quite the little chatter box and now that HER FIRST TOOTH is halfway through she is a lickin' lizard too. We think it is so funny to watch that little tongue dart all over the place exploring this anomaly that has suddenly made an appearance in her mouth. If only the blasted tooth didn't cause her pain in the middle of the night.....

A Couple of Christmas Videos

The above video was actually at dinner Christmas night. Lilia was "sitting" on Chrissy's lap and having quite a time...
This video was taken right after I got Lilia out of her crib! We went to see what Santa brought her! (She is a little dazed and confused in the beginning and don't mind me and the commentary....)

At 7 months I almost have Lilia's room how I want it.....

This is the "big girl" side of her room mostly. Her crib has a matching bed skirt and bumper pads (all of which my mother made,) but those were removed recently when I found Lilia with her head between the bumper pads and the crib bars. Scary! I have no idea how it happened, only that it wasn't going to happen again. She turns too much now in her sleep. Obviously the room's theme is fairies. Such a good thing that I had a girl! The last picture is just funny. I went to put Lilia down for a much needed nap after church the other day and she never made it to her crib. I decided not to wake her by taking her coat off so she just slept face up and spreadeagled on the bed.

The Hagoita Festival at Senso-ji Temple

I have been looking forward to this festival for ... as long as I have known about it! Japanese Hagoita are wooden paddles that used to be used in a traditional New Years game with Japanese girls. The game was similar to badminton and used a shuttlecock as well. The game is no longer played, but Hagoita are still created and collected as a symbol of good luck for the New Year. They have also evolved into a form of art that has expanded and adapted to our modern culture. Hagoita now come in all shapes, sizes, colors, themes, and of course price ranges. The "Battledore Festival" takes place every year in December and dates back to the Edo period. I didn't buy a paddle at this particular festival as they were WAY EXPENSIVE! But I do love the antique paddle I got at a bazaar a month ago. Lilia came along and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Tokyo that day. We got to see a lot! I am eternally grateful to Mari for coming with us. She was a trooper when it came to traveling with a baby. Lilia had a near blow out at the end of the day and I had to change her in the middle of a train station PLATFORM (complete with Japanese spectators.) It was quite the adventure, but I am really glad we went!!!!

Bazaar (Not to be Confused with Bizarre) Finds

Vase
Kokeshi-ish Doll (This was a gift for Lilia)
I may have inherited this from my mother, but I love dolls. Always have. My mom started me out with a doll collection at a very young age and I have always admired her collection. I know some people think dolls are creepy. I think those people are weird.
My favorite thing about the Japanese dolls that I have encountered in my time here is the beautiful fabric used to clothe the dolls. Kimono and Obi silks in incredibly ornate patterns and designs cover the dolls in many layers. This was my most recent find and the Atsugi Bazaar. The bazaar itself was actually rather disappointing, but this doll made up for it! It was marked down when we were leaving because of a small crack in the glass. I ended up getting it for $10.00!
It is a warrior or samurai doll for "Boy's Day" or now "Children's Day" in Japan.
This is another doll for "Children's day" of a young prince. Poor Cliff thought this doll was a girl because of the long hair. It's not! It's a little boy. (My English students read me the kanji.)
This is a Hagoita or battledore paddle. The decorative paddles have a painting on the back as well and were once used by girls for a game played on New Years with a shuttlecock. I think they are BEAUTIFUL!
I bartered with the guys and got this one for around $15.00!! (That is a good price.)
I have acquired a few Obi and Kimono since we have been here too. I seem to gravitate towards the ones with gold or silver....
This was an antique picture that no one seemed to want. I wanted it! It was only $5.00!!!

My friends and I have wondered why the Japanese people are always getting rid of their beautiful things. Why aren't they passed down through families? One of the reasons is because the Japanese people can be extremely superstitious and perceive it to be bad luck or just a bad idea in general to hold onto things that belong to the dead. It is not entirely uncommon to see entire households auctioned off after someone passes away. Not of all of the Japanese people feel this way, of course, but a few still do.

Interesting, don't you think?

Thanksgiving 2009

This Thanksgiving was our second in Japan. Last year we celebrated the holiday with about 20 other people at a friend's house. This year was a lot more low key. We were invited over to Mari and Chris's house along with Nancy and Maxwell and Greg, Kristin, and baby Madelyn. Greg and Kristin brought the Turkey, Nancy brought a few pies, I brought corn casserole and green bean casserole and an apple cobbler spice cake, and Mari had potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and beer bread, (which I had never tried before.) It was quite a feast. Lilia and Madelyn were both very good babies and Lilia even lasted in her outfit almost the entire time! We all sat together and talked about what we were thankful for this year and then we divided into teams and played games until it was time to get Lilia home. It was a really wonderful time and we are super grateful for friends that become family out here in Japan.

Along with good friends, Cliff and I have a tremendous amount to be grateful for this year. At the very top of our lists, of course, is our Lily bear. We are so grateful to have her in our lives. We are even more grateful that she is still here. After our scare this summer, each and every day is such a blessing. There are some nights when I am alone with her when she is nursing that I just feel overwhelmed by how big she is getting and how beautiful she is. I feel humbled that our Heavenly Father has entrusted her to our care and allowed us to watch over her. Following that line of thought, this year I have had a lot of time to really ponder the blessings of the Priesthood and especially in the context of healing and comfort. There first few nights that Lilia stayed in the hospital this summer we weren't sure that she would be there the next day. Priesthood blessings and my testimony of our Heavenly Father's plan for each of us were what sustained our family. I'm so grateful for my knowledge of the plan of salvation and for my Temple marriage. I'm grateful that families can be together forever. I'm grateful for a loving husband who is also my best friend. I'm so grateful for our beautiful little girl and for her health. Actually... I'm grateful that we are all healthy. It isn't something I take for granted anymore.

Cliff and I have also had an opportunity to make some very close friends here in Japan and I am extremely grateful for that. I am also grateful for the friends that I have back in the states that have made efforts to keep in touch. Their friendships are treasured and appreciated.

I am also grateful for a wonderful, loving, selfless mother. We added it all up and it turns out that she was here in Japan 120 days this past year. That is almost more than Cliff!! She gave up a lot to be with me and Lilia this summer. I am grateful to my Dad and my brother for going without her for so long. I'm grateful for my sister and how she makes an effort to stay in touch with us despite her ridiculous schedule.

I am grateful for Cliff's family too. His mother, especially, raised a wonderful son who has become an even better man.

I'll stop there. Needless to say, it has been a big year for us. We have an enormous amount to be grateful for. I've also found recently that focusing on the blessings in our lives really does help the negatives seem not soooo bad. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Did anyone read it?

Lilia's 6 month update! Scroll down and read it now!


* Note : Cliff just said that "people" will now feel obligated to comment. .... Yes. I hope they will.

( I'm just kidding about the commenting. I just realized a lot of people missed Lilia's post with my shoe entry.)

Sad Sorrowful Day

These, fellow reader, are very dear friends of mine that we tragically laid to rest last week.

Have you ever owned a pair of shoes that seemed to be made just for your feet? These shoes fit me like... well... like a good pair of shoes should! The soft supple leather literally molded to my feet and whenever I wore these sparkly slippers I felt like I was lighter than air. They were an impulse buy in Rome, Italy. I walked into a random little boutique just to get out of the heat and ended up leaving with these treasures.

I owe a lot to these shoes. Not only did they feel wonderful on my feet, they also pulled a lot of outfits together for me and gave my style a little extra personality. I also credit these shoes as "icebreakers" in the first conversation I ever had with my husband! In fact, I believe they were a conversation starter as he commented on them that fateful night of our first meeting.

Anyway, long story short. They completely came apart at the seams the other day as I walked out to get something out of my car. They lived a good life as far as well worn shoes go, but I miss them terribly and doubt I shall ever find another pair like them.

Lilia at 6 Months

Lilia has been in the world 6 months now! Crazy, huh? I would say that the time has flown, but... Well... I guess in some ways it has and in other ways it hasn't. She is doing much much better sleeping at night but the kid only takes two 30 MINUTE naps a day. I watch her for drowsy signals, put her in her crib, she falls asleep, and 20- 30 minutes later she is screaming bloody murder and won't go back to sleep. *sigh* It makes for a quick shower in the morning and speed cleaning/ laundry. All of my projects for the holidays are sitting in a corner in the kitchen. I just don't have a spare moment to do them right now. Like I said before, though. She IS sleeping much better at night. She goes down without much of a fuss around 7pm and sleeps until about 7 or 8 am only waking up twice now! That is a HUGE improvement that has just developed over the past two months. I am pleased to announce that I am getting a cumulative 8 hrs of sleep now! Not consecutive... but we'll take cumulative at this point.


Life is mostly pretty good. I really can't complain. I took Lilia in for her 6 month check up and she is fit as a fiddle. She is meeting all of her milestones and even starting to pull her self into a standing position in our laps. At 21 lbs she is in the 95th percentile for weight and at 27 inches she is in the 70th percentile for height. She is just a big kid! I can't remember what her head circumference was but it was all pretty proportional. I am still mostly breastfeeding. We tried her on rice cereal a couple of times just for fun and she certainly enjoyed it, but the doctor said that nutritionally it wasn't really necessary yet if we didn't want to go there. At her size I'm not really in any hurry to add more to her diet.
She still LOVES her baths. Now she splashes, though so bathing can be pretty wet and wild for everyone involved. She cries when we take her out of the sink. I think she would stay in the water all day long if I let her.
Here we are all ready for church on Sunday. My mom made the hat she is wearing.
Here she is sitting up! She is still a little wobbly some of the time, but I have read that roly poly babies have a tendency to lean over more than the slim and svelte babies out there.

I love this outfit!!!
Here she is in her activity jumper workin' those legs!
Look at those cheeks!
hee hee!
So cute!

In other updates, Lilia is starting to teethe. By that I mean she is ornery and drooly and inconsolable a good share of the day. I haven't seen anything teeth yet but they have to be on their way. She chomps down on everything in her grasp including hands and ... chins.

She likes it when I play peek-a-boo with her and she will turn her head away from me to "hide" as well. She loves to look at books and she loves it when I sing to her. She is probably the only person on this earth that I can say that about.

She likes to sit in her high chair in the kitchen and watch me cook dinner. She is also starting to get a little stranger anxiety, although I think she is too young for that! Sometimes when I hand her off to a friend she will be happy until she turns to look at them and realizes it isn't me - then her lower lip quivers and she begins to cry! She won't stop until I pick her up again. What's up with that?

Even with her mommy addiction she is still the life of the party and puts on a good show for company. Cliff and I joke that whenever she is fussy we just need to take her out around other people as she often calms down and smiles at everyone she meets. The Filipinos at the commissary all swarm her when we go shopping. The other day I had her in the stroller and I was checking out and they were cooing over her. I turned my head for a second and when I looked back around they had her out of the stroller and she was laughing in one of the ladies arms. They didn't want to give her back! No one can get over how squishy and chunky she is. She really is a cuddly baby and my best little buddy right now. Like I said, (although I sometimes do,) I really can't complain.

Fresh Cut Flowers in Japan!

I LOVE having fresh flowers in my home. One of my favorite things about Japan is that if you know where to look - you can buy fresh cut flowers at a great price! I think flowers add so much to a home and they always brighten my day. Back in the states I really couldn't afford to have flowers very often, but here there is no excuse! I have been trying to treat my family and myself at least once a month to some flowers.
Flowers are also great for decorating and creating atmosphere! My mother helped us arrange flowers this summer for a friend's baby shower. We ended up with 5 or 6 arrangements like ones shown above for about $50.00.
Fabulous!
Do you know how much you would pay for an arrangement that size at a florist's shop??? These arrangements ended up being around $10.00

My FAVORITE part, though, is that the market I go to sells ORCHIDS. You get about 10 stems to a bundle for about $2.00. !?!??? Crazy, right??? In the arrangement above I used about 1/2 a bundle. That's right. There is only $1's worth of orchids in that vase.
This one has a more tropical vibe. I love it. Reminds me of Thailand.

These flowers are from Cliff's latest homecoming. Orchids, roses, carnations, and some Japanese flowers that I don't know the name for.
The bundles of roses were also around $2.00 with about 8 small roses to a bundle.
So pretty!
Wouldn't you buy flowers all of the time too???