A Very Ren Christmas

Christmas came and went at our house on the 27th, with everyone except my sister there, plus Hiroko's mom. Most of the gifts between adults were handed out at the Christmas celebration at my sister's, so the remaining gifts were for myself, Hiroko, and Ren. Especially Ren! There are a lot of pics in a set here, which include:

• Santa Joe handing out gifts

• Beautiful pictures of the intricate child's kimono which Yasuko brought for Ren
• I purchased a Dr. Seuss compendium for Ren, and a set of books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The picture set includes pictures of Yasuko and Hiroko reading the latter.

Every year we also get a set of stockings from my mom (hung by the staircase with care) and this year she included a stocking for Ren, packed with delightful baby's toys. Mr. Lion, who had already been lamenting the lack of gifts for him, immediately decided these were meant for him and has been playing with them ever since. He hasn't come to bed for the last two nights, opting to stay in the nursery crib and play with the toys in the crib, as you can see in the attached picture. I haven't the heart to tell him they're meant for Ren, so I think I'll let him keep "his" toys.

Health update: We've been on two more doctor's visits in the last two nights. Hiroko is very very ripe, and everything is proceeding well. I really think the baby's due almost immediately. In fact, last night we thought for a while Hiroko was in labor before it died down. Next time you see me, I'll probably have a kid!

Surprise Gift

Perhaps the best gifts of all are surprises. I'd just like to post a quick note that I got a hand-knitted blanket in a gift bag, with card, from my co-worker Mary Ellen. How cool is that? Attention world: Mary Ellen is a sweet lady.

Picture to follow.

Name and Nursery!!

Big news here. Ren now has a middle name! It's a tradition within the SGI to ask the current and long standing president, Daisaku Ikeda, to provide a name for your child. This we did about a month back, along with a letter. Today is an auspicious day, because we recieved a beautiful reply. It includes a letter from President Ikeda's secretary, along with a beautiful drawing of Ren's new middle name in Kanji, written and stamped by Ikeda himself (I'll post a picture later).

Ren's new middle name: Akiko. It means "cheerful" and "brightness/sunny". Think of akiko like akarui, which directly translates as bright. The first kanji is aki, made up of the symbols for "sun" and "moon", and the second ko for "girl". Hiroko says it's appropriate because it describes me, so it should apply to her.

It's an auspicious time for it to come, because it's the day before my family rolls in to celebrate the season. This is our first gift!

Also, we are done setting up the nursery. In all, we have the great crib and rocking chair from my parents, the changing table, the mobile from Hiroko's mom, and all the gifts and necessities provided from friends and family. I tried to take some pictures, but it's a relatively small room packed with stuff, so it's a bit difficult, but I think you'll be able to envision it. Check out the picture set here.

Yasuko's Arrival

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged. Sorry.

On Wednesday, Hiroko's mom, Yaasuko, arrived. She'll be with us for a month helping to raise Ren. This is great! Everything is in place now for Ren's arrival.

The last couple days have been a frenzy of activity. I would have thought after the long plane flight Yasuko would have been exhausted, but she was so excited to see us that we got started right away. We exchanged a lot of gifts, mostly for Ren. Yasuko brought a great mobile for the nursery, and some baby-sized chanting beads. In this picture, you can see that we've lined up the beads on Hiroko's belly so Ren can get to chanting right away. (They're upside-down, of course, because so is Ren). There were lots of other photos, which you can see here.

Yesterday after shopping for more baby necessities, Hiroko and Yasuko spent a great deal of time arranging the nursery, and I'll have pictures soon. I also worked and shopped, and after that everybody was pretty much exhausted.

I have tons and tons of more stuff to blog about (when I have the time and energy) but mostly it's about me, so you'll find it on my own blog.

Health Update: We went to the doctor again yesterday, and the physical therapist the day before that. Everything is back on track. Hiroko's still in pain, but it's less, and all the exercising she's doing (sometimes with my help) appears to be making a difference. We're certainly anxious about labor and potential post-birth consequences, but the doctors have told us to wait and see.

Preparing for Mom

All the work we've been doing to try to alleviate Hiroko's pain must be paying off, because she's reported very little bone pain today, and has been up and about like an active person. On the other hand, on Friday she fell while preparing a bath and bruised herself pretty badly. So we're watching for her. I'm glad to say that even with the bruise, things are getting back toward more normal and less scary.

On Wednesday, Hiroko's mother Yasuko arrives and I'll be glad that there will always be someone in the house. When Ren comes, she'll have two moms to take care of her, for a month. The picture here is the guest room we set up for Yasuko. This is Joe's old room. The bedding and paint are all new. It's a cozy little space in the basement.

From this picture you can see that poor Mr. Lion is under the impression that the changing table is a new bed for him. Won't he be disappointed when he finds out the truth!

Ultrasounds and Health Update

My Flickr problem has gone away, and I have full control again...so here are the ultrasounds! As you can tell by squinting at these pictures, clearly Ren is beautiful, intelligent, and charismatic.

Yesterday we got to go see a physical therapist to try to do something about Hiroko's pain. The PT was full of great information about why this is happening. She was able to show us how to stretch and exercise Hiroko's joints to try to keep her in better alignment. We also got an elastic belt to try to hold everything into place.

Overall, despite all the help yesterday, Hiroko reported the pain was about the same. But the difference is noticeable to me--she is more alert and sounds happier to me. Also she reports the drugs are "fun", so there's that.

I don't know why I didn't think to mention it earlier, but due to the many surgeries Hiroko had when she was a kid, her right foot is noticeably smaller than her left (by about a full size) and her right leg is shorter! Knowing this, the pain makes a lot of sense to me. I imagine injecting myself with a hormone to loosen my joints, tying two bowling balls to my stomach, and strapping a board to my left foot. And then walking around like that for a couple months. Yeah, I think I'd hurt, too.

Health Update

After another 24 hours of watching my wife in constant, serious pain, today's early doctor's visit was reassuring. Our doc came highly recommended and has been great from the start, and she completely believed us and made it clear she wanted to help.

We were able to schedule a meeting this afternoon with a physical therapist (there was a more specific baby-related name for the doctor, but I can't remember). Our impression has been to not expect dramatic improvement, but a PT doc ought to be able to show us how to move Hiroko's body around somewhat while minimizing pain.

The doc also prescribed Tylenol with codeine. I was very surprised Hiroko could take it. So now my recommendation that Hiroko not drive has become a medical necessity. She so far reports that the codeine isn't masking the pain, just making her loopy.

I have to say I still feel good about the pregnancy, and confident everything will come out in the end. Of course, I'm not the one in pain, so maybe it's easier for me. With the driving and doctors and drugs, at least I feel like I can do something now. She's going to be some kid.

Mom Not So Good

Update time.

The good news is slim: we got the changing table together. It took a couple hours and us working in pairs. It looks okay. It's functional.

The mildly bad news: Flickr is giving me grief right now on my account, so I still can't share out a bunch of photos I want for this and my other blog. If you're waiting to see the other ultrasound pictures, you'll darn well have to wait.

The truly bad news: We've figured out Hiroko has something called "Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction", which you can read about here and here. Let me tell you something: it sucks a lot. She basically can't do much of anything and hurts a great deal. It's off and on but more on. We're exploring treatment options beyond acetaminophen.

It does mean that I'm cancelling most everything and spending all my time at home. This is especially because I've asked Hiroko not to drive. She can't wear a seat belt, and the pain is sufficiently severe that I don't think she can pay full attention. So we're shifting everything around this new curve ball.

Ultrasound

Here she is (click to enlarge). This is the best pic with her face. Because we were classified as an "at risk" pregnancy, we got treated to a lot of extra ultrasounds and I have a few more pictures. Later on I'll put them on flickr and let you know soon. So I guess this is a teaser.

On Friday right after I got done blogging that Hiroko was in a lot of pain, she called the docs and they told her to come in right away. We spent the afternoon in the hospital, where they pretty much told us "you're in pain because you're pregnant". But it's been really bad. It comes and goes, but when it comes she can't really do anything but sleep. So I'm trying to stick by her side.

The changing table we bought didn't really work out. The boards were really warped, and one was even already cracked. The dowels and screws were just loose inside the big cardboard box it came in, and we're missing a dowel (they couldn't include some extras?). The screw holes don't really match up right. After two hours of trying to get the thing together, I gave up. We're actually sleeping on top of the warped boards (in between the mattress and box spring) in the hope that they'll straighten enough to be usable. I would have expected more from a product from Target.

One good turn

The baby has turned, and the pressure of Ren's head in Hiroko's body is causing her a lot of pain, discomfort, and disruption. Near as I can tell, there's really nothing I can do about it except worry a lot about it, and take away her other stresses as much as I can. I'm really impressed with how she is weathering it.

Last night Ren was moving around a lot (as she always does) and I had my hand on Hiroko's belly. Ren is so big now, and fills up Hiroko's belly so much that it feels like a full-size baby right beneath her skin. It's really an amazing and scary experience.

Change is in the air

We got the new changing table from Target. Some of the relatives may recall a fun little adventure on Black Friday. Myself, my wife, my aunt Mary Alice, and my mom all piled into my parents' new car and went looking at used baby stuff at a couple stores. I personally thought there could be no greater hell than shopping for used baby goods on the busiest commercial day of the year. But actually I had a pretty good time.

There's something about baby goods. Commerical products for generic-yuppie adults such as myself are typically done in muted cool colors, sepias, and natural stuff. Baby goods, on the other hand, tend to be pastels, or loud, bright, basic colors. The effect is a little like being screamed at, except it's by inanimate objects. We've been lucky to find some more tasteful items without breaking the bank.

Anyway, we went looking for a changing table and found a really great one, except the store wanted a little too much, then bizarrely insisted they couldn't sell it to us because it was just a display item, then reluctantly agreed, then broke it trying to pack it up for us. And all of a sudden I'm spending my holiday being harangued by clerks quarreling with me about how much I should have to pay for the furniture they just broke. We escaped and fled home for more turkey and pie.

I think we'll be happier with this item anyway. I just hope it's easier to put together than it looks.

Incidentally, did you know the original use of "Black Friday" is from a gold-futures scandal during the presidency of Ulysses Grant? Hey, wake up!!

When Black Friday comes
I'll stand down by the door
And catch the grey men when they
Dive from the fourteenth floor
--Steely Dan

Carriage is Here

Yesterday the baby carriage (oops, I mean "Travel System") arrived. We assembled it and had some fun taking a couple pictures in the living room, which you can see here. Mr. Lion gave us a little trouble because he seems to think it's a mobile throne for carrying him around. He'll be a little disappointed when he finds out it's for the baby.

The carriage is truly huge. It kind of reminds me of the T1 from Terminator 3. Hiroko has also helpfully pointed out that it has lots of hidden storage space, making it perfect for shoplifting (who's going to suspect the Asian girl struggling with a baby?). The box it came in is so big that Hiroko actually fits inside.

Ren as a Musicbox

Just a short little post today.

For Valentine's Day one year on a whim, Hiroko purchased this tiny music box music player for me. I carry it around in my pocket. It is very quiet until put on a surface (such as a table) where resonance can amplify it. Once I got the idea of putting it on her belly, thinking it might resonate inside. Since Ren should be able to hear by now, she's been treated up-close to a few bars of "Over the Rainbow".

Here's a shot.

Saturday Afternoon

Today Hiroko and I are chilling at Panera Bread. Hiroko's reading a baby book and I'm messing around with the blog and playing chess.

There are lots of couples here with kids, and we can't help but twist our heads back and forth at all the activity. Soon that'll be us! From the looks of things, we're going to need an umbrella stroller, some juice boxes, and a whole lot of bibs...

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Yesterday I took the morning off so Hiroko and I could go visit a new doctor together. We only really spent a few minutes there, but it gave me the feeling that we were really doing something for Ren, which lifted my spirits. Hiroko has been plagued with really bad heartburn every day which has disrupted her sleep. It's been resistant to Tums and Pepcid, so the doctor gave us a prescription for a stronger 24-hour pill. We hope that helps.

Otherwise, everything appears to be on track.

Today was a huge snowstorm, and after I started out to work I learned that the subway was closed, so rather than deal with the downtown snarl, I returned home. I actually got a lot done working from home. It gave Hiroko and I time to shop, and we picked up a lot of baby items. This included a cherry wood changing table, and the "travel system" (stroller) that Hiroko and I have been eyeing.

Tomorrow or the near future, I want to get up pictures of the ultrasounds, and maybe Hiroko's belly!

And so it begins

About a month ago on a whim, I created blog stubs for myself and Ren, for little reason other than I noticed they were available. At the time I was thinking that 20 years from now, she might want the URL. But it's since occured to me that I can use it as a record of her development. That way it's a central clearinghouse of information, photos, and musings for all my friends and relatives who want to check up on her, without the need to email everyone all the time.

So this is my very first blog post ever. There's lots to develop here. Most of all I can't wait to bring you all pictures of Ren after she arrives.

And best of all, years from now this blog will be a record for Ren of her youth, how she grew up, and how we grew up with her.