Family Picture

Family Picture

6.30.2009

Picture of the Day/今日の写真

Above is Mommy's picture of the day...Mommy also returned the favor today which was really cute...she e-mailed me to say she was heading to Dunkin Donuts on a snack break and wanted to know if I wanted anything so I told her to eat two donut holes for me...she did one better...

上の写真は今日のママへの写真...今日はママからお返しが来たよ。ダンキンド−ナツに行くけど何か欲しいっていうメイルがママから来たからドーナツホールって言ったら下の写真が:)

Also today Madison and I took a nice walk to Babies R Us and picked up two more sets of flashcards by Baby Einstein to go with our Animal Flashcards which Anna has translated into Japanese already. The one set we got today saves Anna some work as each object is already translated into seven different languages, one of which is Japanese and the other flashcards are for practicing your facial expressions as each one shows you an emotion and then has a mirror on the back side for you to try...they should be fun in a few months...right now they are just fun for Anna and I to try.

今日、マディソンとベイビーザラスまでフラッシュカードの本をもう2セット買いに行きました。1つ最初から持っていたのは動物のフラッシュカードでアンナが名前を日本語で書き足してくれてあったんだけど、新しく買ったフラッシュカードの一つは既に7種類の言葉に訳されていてその一つは日本語たったからアンナの手間が省けてよかった。もう一つのフラッシュカードは表情を練習するカードで一緒に鏡が付いてるからもう少しマディソンが大きくなった時に楽しめそうだ!

6.29.2009

Day One of Daddy Day Care/パパのお子守り一日目

SHE'S ALIVE STILL!!! It may be hard for some to believe but I did it!! A whole ten hours of just Madison and me and we both survived!! So the day was a pretty huge success...we slept, we ate, we pooped...we had tummy time, we went for a walk, we practiced our Japanese/English Animal Flashcards...it was a full day...the most annoying thing to me is that I like it when she takes a nap of more than an hour (which happened once from 2:30-5:00pm) but when she stays asleep for that long I spend the whole time worrying that she is not breathing...it is crazy. I am sure the more she keeps waking up from her naps the more I will begin to worry less...other than that I can't really complain...we took some cute close-up pictures using our tripod and we decided we will be sending a message a day to Mommy, so below you can see some of those pictures.

マディソンまだ生きてるよ!!!信じられないかもしれないけどやったよ!!マディソンと一緒に丸まる10時間も一緒で2人とも無事だった!!結果的にはいい日だった。睡眠、ご飯、とトイレ...タミータイム、散歩、フラッシュカードで英語/日本語を練習したりといろいろしました。何が嫌だったっていうのはマディソンが1時間以上お昼寝する時は嬉しいんだけど (1回あったのは2時半から5時まで)そんなに長く寝ていられるとその間ずっともしかして息してないんじゃないかと心配しっぱなし...変だけどちょくちょく起きてくれる方が心配しなくてすむんだよね。それ以外は何も文句なし...三脚を使って何枚か写真を撮ったから一日一つママにメッセージを送る事にしたから写真はこの下に...





ママ!もうすぐ会えるの待ってるよー!

6.28.2009

Visit to Central Park/セントラル公園へ行く

Before our trip to the park we paused for some family photos using the tripod I brought home from work so we could take less fuzzy pictures.

公園に出発する前に仕事から借りてきた三脚を使って振りのない家族写真をとりました。






Anna's final weekend before going back to work we decided to take a trip across the Queensboro bridge to Central Park. We surprisingly found parking without a problem on 66th Street between Park and Lexington took our Bugaboo out of the trunk for its first trip in Manhattan and walked a couple blocks into the park at 67th Street. In the span of those couple of blocks we passed five other Bugaboos...a bit of a blow to Anna and my search for uniqueness, but at least ours was the only red one :-) We proceeded through the Central Park Zoo (the part you walk through without tickets where you can kind of get a glimpse of the sea lions) and headed to the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle to get our picnic lunch. By the time we had gotten our food Madison was ready to eat as well so we laid our sheet on a grassy spot not far into the park and had our "picnic." The bugaboo did pretty well...it was nice to be able to just pop out the bassinet and turn it around when the sun was in Madison's eyes...that was a nice feature and the thing corners like a Vet which is necessary to avoid the crowds in Manhattan. Anna says this post is not funny enough...I vow to do better in the future, so keep reading.

デイヴ:杏奈が仕事に戻る最後の週末を使ってクイーンズボロ−橋を渡ってすぐのセントラル公園に行く事にしました。思ったより簡単にパーク通りとレキシントン通りの間に駐車できたのでセントラル公園動物園の辺から入る事にしました。コロンバスサークルにあるWhole Foodsでピクニック用にお昼を買ってるとちょうどマディソンも起きてきたので公園に戻ってすぐの芝生の上でピクニックを食べました。バガブーとても役に立ちました!杏奈の言った通り!


Fountain outside Park Plaza Hotel
プラザホテルの噴水の前で。



Outside the Park Plaza Hotel
プラザホテルの前で。

Sleeping in the Bugaboo
バガブーでお昼寝中。


Above: Taken at 2 months old sleeping in Bugaboo Below: Taken at 20 weeks sleeping in Womb
Looks like our baby wasn't switched at birth!!
上:これは2ヶ月のマディソンがバガブーの中でお昼寝中:)
下:これは20週間目のエコーに写真。マディソンのお気に入りのお昼寝のポーズだよ!

6.26.2009

Last Maternity Day and Daddy Day Care

残念ながら今日で産休が終わってしまい、また9時半から7時のグラフィックのデザインをする日が来てしまったー!2ヶ月間の新しい生活習慣に慣れたと思ったらまた昔の習慣に戻らなきゃ行けないと思うと少し緊張してきます。でも、やっぱり少しは楽しみにしている所はあるんだけどねー。朝、仕事に行きがけにアイスコーヒーを買ったり、デイヴ以外の大人と話せたり、お昼を買ってブライアントパークで食べたり、会議に行ったりとか。でも、マディソンとそんなに長く離れるのかなー!?辛いだろーなー。でも一ついい事は、デイヴがマディソンの面倒を見られる事なんです。夏休みだから。あと、できるだけ仕事に寄ってくれるっていう計画でいるので。何とかやってけれるかなー?
杏奈の状況はそんなところで! マディソンの事を知りたくてこれ読んでるんだもんね!マディソンは相変わらずとっても可愛いです:)今日で8週間目!もう最近はいろいろと周りの事が気になり始めているみたい、杏奈達が部屋で歩き回ってると目で追ったりできるし、本を読む時間も前より気に入ってきたみたい。最近やっぱりおならした時に出る笑顔じゃない笑顔も出てきてるのー!すっごい可愛いんだけどついついカメラを出すの忘れちゃうんだよねー見とれてるから!日本語と英語両方がんばって話しかけてるよー!最初の言葉はどっちのになるのかなー?楽しみ:)この写真はマディソンの笑顔になるのかなって言う写真だよ。それとも何か企んでるのカナ!?笑!

Unfortunately my maternity leave ends today and I will be back in Times Square sitting in front of a Mac designing graphics to put on DKNY Jeans clothing from 9:30am - 7:00pm... 2 months is a long enough time to forget the old routine and get used to the new routine so now I have a small butterfly in my stomach... I am somewhat looking forward to talking to adults other than Dave, getting an iced coffee(Decaf) as I walk to work, being creative on a computer, getting lunch and eating at Bryant Park, going to meetings, etc... However I just can't imagine how much I'm going to miss my girl!! and she is getting more and more fun to watch everyday! Fortunately Dave will be taking care of Madison and that they will be coming to visit me at work as often as they can.
Okay, enough about my thoughts and feelings! I know you are here to check on Madison... Today is her 8 weeks birthday! She is very adorable as usual and like I said she is definitely becoming more aware of her surroundings. Her eyes follow us when we move around in the room and we are having much better story time:-) I'm starting to see her real smiles and not the " I have gas" smiles so that's fun!She is hearing me speak in Japanese and English both so I'm looking forward to hearing her first word and language in near future!
Here is a picture of Madison almost smiling... it's really hard to take a picture of when she is smiling cause I just want to watch her and totally forget to grab a camera or my iphone so it could be a while before I can post a really good smiling picture of her!

6.24.2009

バガブーストローラー/Bugaboo Stroller

今日、マディソン用に買ったバガブーストローラーが届いたのー!特にニューヨークでは人気のあるベビーカーなんだよ:)ちゃんとほかのベビーカーと比べてデイヴを少し説得しなきゃいけなかったけど(高いから!)やっぱデイヴは優しいから買おうって言ってくれたのー!見て!見て!可愛いでしょ!? もちろん紫色が良かったんだけど選べる色の一つじゃなかったから赤にしたんだよ!あとこの布は洗濯できるから清潔だし2年間は保証が付いてるから心配なし:)早速いろんな所にいかなきゃ! 

Today we got a FedEx package that we've been waiting for(okay we only waited for two days)! A Bugaboo Stroller! I've been eyeing this cool stroller for a long time and after thorough research I was able to successfully present my case to my husband who of course wants what's best and trendy for his little girl and gave me an "Okay" to go ahead and purchase this fancy ride. That's right we are proud owners of a Bugaboo Frog Stroller! I will keep you updated on how great this stroller is in case you are interested in purchasing it for your own little one, but here are some pros of Bugaboo strollers...
  • The fabric is washable.
  • It comes with a bassinet for infants and a nice comfortable seat for toddlers and both of them are reversible to either face you or face the world!
  • It is pretty cool looking and comes in pretty colors(We got Red but also comes in Black, Navy Blue, Sand, and Orange). You get more color options if you purchase Bugaboo Cameleon.
  • It comes with a mosquito net and a rain cover to protect your Bugaboo Baby:-)
  • Smooth ride on any surfaces. Hiking, Beach, Uneven pavement of NYC...
  • The seat comes with a cute handle bar that your baby can hold on as well...
  • It comes with a 2 year warranty.
**Father's Note: I have been told it will outlast three normal priced strollers, thus paying for itself by our seventh kid :-)

6.22.2009

おもちゃのチャチャチャ/Play that Toy

昨日の夜、いつもよりも起きてそうだったからお母さん達が送ってくれたおもちゃを試させてもらったよ〜 デイヴがおもちゃを腕につけてるときちょっと嫌な顔したけどそれもまたかわいいんだよね!その後は普通な感じかな?でももう少しで顔に当たる所だったにはちょっと危なかったけどね。終わりに近いときに杏奈が”ハイ!”って言って”ハイ!”って言い返してくれてるみたいなのがすっごいカワイイ!!!

So last night Madison seemed more awake and aware so we put her in the Boppy to see if she wanted to play... She wasn't crying and looked super cute staring so we decided to record a video of her movements... My mom sent Madison this toy with bells inside so we put it on her arm to see if she likes it... Actually Dave put it on her and you can see how Madison's face shows some sign of protest! But I don't think she minded it... until she almost hit her face with the toy. And it was kind of fun to watch her make sounds with the toy:-) and her attempt to say "Hi" back is so cute!



お人形のようなマディソンちゃん
Pretty Madison Doll

6.21.2009

Father's Day Fun

So I guess I will use Father's Day to make my first post into Madison's blog...it was a nice day...Anna let me sleep mega long as Madison and I were still in bed around noon and Anna went and got the goods for the cake and barbecue...I finally got going around 2pm I think and was able to put the steaks on the grill between the rain drops...Anna also forgot to tell you about the card she got me...It was Homer Simpson telling Lisa to have a donut and Lisa saying she felt like fruit and Homer saying purple is a fruit and then the tagline said "Being a Dad is a big responsibility...you have to know what is what and what can sort of pass for what..." that is a little over my head...but the Homer voice is funny :-) Then the guys came, which they threatened to do Friday, but I didn't think they would follow through...and they brought thoughtful cards and we enjoyed our dinner, loved our cake and played some video games. Now it is almost 11pm and we are waiting for Madison to wake up so we can give her a bath and then ask her to go back to sleep...that should be interesting!! So to make a long story short...I like Father's Day :-)

初めての父の日/1st Father's Day

今日はデイヴの初めての父の日です!今日は日曜日だけどマディソンが予防注射がもらえるまで協会に行ってないので朝ゆっくりと起きた後、マディソンの代わりにパパに朝ご飯のパンケーキを作ったよー。お昼を食べた後、近所のお肉屋さんに晩ご飯用のステーキを買いにいきました。家に着いた後、早速昨日焼いておいたスポ ンジケーキの飾り付けをしました!少しお昼寝をした後ご飯の支度をしようとしてた所にデイヴのバスケ部の子達2人が父の日のお祝い(デイヴによると金曜日に来ると言っていたらしい。2人とも両親は離婚してお母さんと暮らしているからデイヴがお父さんのような役割をしているんだよ!)をしに来たので一緒にご飯を食べたよ!そして、マリオカートとバスケのゲームで遊んで、いつも通り家に泊まっていったの。ケーキは日本で食べるようなイチゴのショートケーキのように出来上がったからとてもおいしかったー!

For Dave's First Father's Day we were still under house arrest from going to Church so we got to sleep in a bit and I made a yummy pancake breakfast on behalf of Madison and also signed a card to give to her Daddy:-) Later I walked over to our local butcher to get nice pieces of shell steaks to grill for dinner and as soon as I got back I got to finish up a Father's Day Cake that I started yesterday! Just when Dave was getting ready to start the coals for grilling we had a visit from two of his kids(from his Varsity Basketball Team) from school whom we've come to adopt as our family... They gave Dave really nice Father's Day Cards and settled in to have dinner with us as usual and I'm pretty sure they are sleeping in the basement tonight as well. The cake I made was delicious! and it may not look healthy but it is:)


(左)カール、デイヴとマディソン、(右)ウィンストン
From Left: Carl, Dave & Madison, Winston


もう一枚!
Funny faces!


パパ大好き!
I Love You Daddy^0^!!


そろそろ寝ないとー。
Getting cranky!


父の日おめでとー!
HAPPY FATHER"S DAY!


いちごのショートケーキ:)おいしそうでしょ!?
Strawberry Shortcake! Looks yummy right!?

6.20.2009

赤ちゃんニキビ/Baby Acne

最初発見した時は、少しびっくり!何かのアレルギーだと思っていたらただのニキビでした。調べてみるとこれは赤ちゃんには普通みたい!昨日マディソンの写真を撮った時にすっかりなくなってたので一様報告:)

Of course we freaked out a little when we first saw them but turned out it is pretty common among new babies to get "baby acne" and we don't want to jinx it but a few weeks later it has cleared up in time for Madison and Dave's first Father's Day. Just for the record I(Mommy) thought she looked really cute with baby acne . Daddy didn't think so...;-)

ほっぺにボツボツ!
Before! Baby Acne!

すっかり綺麗に無くなりました!
All gone! Hooray!

バウンサー/Bouncer

昨日の夜、バウンサーというマディソン用のおもちゃを買ってきました!ホーリーが提案してくれたんだけど、椅子が振動して余分な空気が出て赤ちゃんの居心地が良くなる んだって!早速今日使ってみたら、簡単に寝付いちゃいました!多分、車に乗っている時と同じ感じなのかなー。どんどんと杏奈達の家がマディソンの物で埋まっていってます!でもこれは買ってよかったー:)

We got a bouncer last night per Holly's baby entertainment suggestion and we don't mind it taking up more space in our big NYC place:-) Madison just fell asleep on it for the first time so we believe in this product of baby soothing! Plus we got to enjoy a Friday night out for the first time since she was born to Buy Buy Baby AND I got to experience my very first diaper change in a public place!! and Madison had one of her very full-stinky diaper to make it even more interesting:-)







6.19.2009

Change of plans

So this blog was supposed to be only for my family so that they can keep up with Madison's growth from Japan but then I was thinking how this is a great way to keep a journal of Madison for ourselves and for that I should also write in English. This way Dave can participate in writing in this blog and it will be good for his side of family and our friends to be able to enjoy... another plus is that Madison's Aunt Alyson does not have to use "google translator" to try to understand what I'm writing about unless she wants a really good laugh from crazy translations that it gives:-) Dave and I tried to use them and see how close the translations are to what I'm actually writing about... Result? not so close and some of them are just wrong! and one instance dirty!
So to sum up, this blog will be Bilingual just like Madison from now on, Yay!

6.11.2009

もう大人になっちゃってるみたい。

マディソンが生まれて約1ヶ月経った頃に、ソーシャル セキュリティ カードというのが、家に届きました。日本ではこんな事しないと思うけどこっちでは、一人一人番号があって、年金のためなのかな?それ以外にもいろいろな書類とかに書かなきゃ行けない番号なんだけどまあマディソン自身では当分必要ないかなー。でも何となく早速どんどんと大人になってしまっている感じがして少し悲しくなりました。

6.09.2009

ボーナスピクチャー


お母さん、写真の撮り過ぎ!


カワイイ白雪姫みたいでしょ?


クローズアップの長いまつげ!

これまでの発育日記

今日は、出産1日目から、マディソンの発育の様子を写真で見てみよう。


生まれたー!!


生後2日目!!


生後3週間目!!


生後4週間目!!



















生後5週間目!!

体重もどんどんと増えてすくすくと育っています;)最近はすごいよく寝てくれてるから大満足!