Posts from — February 2004

You’d be logy too if you just gulped down half a bottle of warm formula. (Gregory, day 9). He is learning to move this muscle and that muscle, and as a result, he often makes funny faces, especially the one-sided Elvis sneer.

originally built in the 6th Century and rebuilt in the 1400s. More pictures here.

looking through a shopwindow.

“Dinner’s ready, I’m going to the hospital.”
“Get over here, your wife is going to have her baby tonight.”
“Omedetou gozaimasu! You have a healthy son!”

In the twinkling of an eye.

Gregory was born at 38 weeks according to our calculations, which is two weeks earlier than average, but estimates can be off by quite a lot. One week earlier the doctor had pronounced him full-term and safely above the low weight threshhold, saying he could come at any time. Indeed, there were signs that he might be coming a little early.
Gregory is adjusting to his new surroundings over at Mama’s house, and his milk/formula intake and weight are steadily rising according to schedule. Yoshiko is cleverly applying all the tricks she has learned from the nurses, and I am enjoying seeing this new side of her. As our baby fell asleep on my chest this evening, I felt blessed.

Homecoming

…from the hospital to my mother-in-law’s home, not ours, because Yoshiko is going to stay there for a while. Here’s baby G checking out his “old skool” white wooden crib and then sleeping on a futon on the floor. In the words of another famous Greg (upon moving into his parents’ attic), “My own pad! My own scene!” Actually, he changed from quiet baby to fussy baby upon the change of environment, but by the time I left Yoshiko had him calmed down and sleeping again.

Unless you are a deconstructionist, in which case the overt lack or non-representation of babies in this picture SUGGESTS babies, nearly SCREAMS “BAAAYYYBIES!”

Yoshiko is feeling fine and Gregory is developing normally and there are no red flags, so they will be leaving the hospital tomorrow and going to stay with her mother for a while, as is the custom. Yoshiko said she and the other three mothers who are leaving tomorrow will wait until afternoon to check out, as that means they will each get to have one more fancy lunch. It’s been a while since I lived as a bachelor, as I have the past few days. I better do some laundry soon, or I’m going to have to get really creative. Also I have to clean up all the damage I did crashing through the house after the nurse said on the phone, “Get over here fast. She’s going to have her baby tonight.” I was expecting her to tell me it was false labor. That’ll teach me to rely on half-remembered I Love Lucy episodes for childbirth education. I spilled a double espresso on the tatami, I cut myself in two places, reminiscent of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, when my bicycle was tipping alternately to the left and right walls of my narrow apartment hallway (I kept it inside in my single days), and I cut my leg while fighting past the bike to get to the front door and get out in case the building collapsed.

A picture of baby Gregory with his eyes open, and a profile, um, in case you needed that. When I got in to the maternity hosptal (sanfujinka) today, Yoshiko seemed back to full strength after just finishing a lunch that included sashimi, the first sashimi she had eaten in nine months. then I played with Greg while she went for her esthetic facial treatment.

Tomorrow night is the big finale that Kawamura is famous for, the French course dinner for all the “graduating” mommies. All these perks, but it’s not very expensive, and we’ll get a lump sum payment from the city that covers much of it (National Health Insurance doesn’t cover pregnancy and natural childbirth because they are not adverse conditions, go figure). Despite the pampering that Yoshiko gets to help her return to full strength, the nurses are very strict with her about building a full repertoire of baby care skills, and I can see her becoming more confident before my eyes. I helped change a diaper while she was out. Newborn poop is green, but you knew that already.

The room where Yoshiko stayed the first couple nights has this nifty little tatami alcove with a futon set where I could sleep. the hospital is not far from our house, though, so I’m sleeping at home now.

With grandmother, just a few minutes after birth late Friday night. (I realize now I need to get more pictures with his eyes open. I have some, but they were taken with flash and the color is not natural.)