育児のストレス解消法 Rx for parenting stress

アンリ・シャルパンティエの焼き菓子　Baked goodies from HENRI CHARPENTIER

 

世間（アメリカは休み中に暴食暴飲し、１月はダイエット開始をする人が大勢）ではダイエットだ、エクセサイズだと騒いでいる中、いまだにホリデースピリットが吹っ切れていないのか、もしくは妊娠中にどこか狂ってしまったのか、甘い物が我慢出来ずにパクパク食べている私。常にうちの中にはスイーツが（汗）またタイミング良く、実家からカワイイくて上品な味の日本のクッキー届いた。アメリカ生活長いから、こっちの甘いスイーツにも大分なれている私だが、やっぱり日本のほんのり甘いお菓子もスキ♥

和菓子も好きだけれど、ここはアメリカ、ワシントンDC（NYCやLAだと買えるんだろうけど）、食べたくても買えない。仕方ないので、自分で作るしかなく先日はWhole Foodsで小豆を買いあんこを大量に作る。今回はおはぎにしました。（最後の写真は貰いものの芋まんじゅう）

まあこんなんだから、体重がなかなか元に戻らないんだよね〜（汗）でも、きっと年子育児のストレスで体か甘い物を欲しがっているのかもしれない。…いや、きっとそうに決まっている！

Now the holidays are over, everyone seems to eat better and exercise more, but me. Perhaps I picked up the bad snacking habit during the holidays. Perhaps, something went wrong during the pregnancy (I craved sweets like crazy while I was pregnant.)

I have been terrible for stocking sweets in the house all the time, and my parents just sent me these delicious baked goodies from Japan. They were so tiny and not as sweet as ones in the US, but so good also. Occasionally I crave Japanese sweets, mainly red bean paste. However, living in Washington DC, it's not like I can easily buy them from stores whenever I want (maybe in LA and NYC). So if I want Japanese sweets, I had to make them (or ask someone to make them). So I ran to Whole Foods other day and I made a pot-full sweet red bean paste, and made ohagi (botamochi). Now they are stocked up in my freezer, I will be set for a little while...well...it depends on how fast I consume them... heh.

So at this pace, it will take a while to get back to the pre-pregnancy weight... but I think my body is craving (or needing?) sweets because of the stress of dealing with the little ones all day long! That has to be the reason!!

風邪でダウン being sick

 年末年始は旦那が風邪でダウンしていたと思ったら、うつされてしまったのか、授乳のため薬が飲めず、ただひたすら丸二日も赤ん坊の様にずーっと寝て回復。どうやらお腹の風邪が流行っているようですが、私のはただの風邪で、お腹の調子が悪かったのは買い置きの冷凍食品のせいっぽかったけれど…　ケンスケはオッパイとオムツ以外は寝てくれていたので、かなり助かった。その点、乳児は楽だわ。時々私も寝るのが商売の赤ちゃんに（戻りたい？）なりたいよ〜

御陰で金曜日はアカリはアンパンマン三昧。さすがに飽きるかと思えば、テレビを消したらもっと見るんだと、号泣。他のテレビ番組だとこうはならないのにね〜完全な「あんぱんまん中毒」入っています（涙）でも「やだぁ」という日本語をアンパンマンを見て習得したよう…しばらく連発。アンパンマン、日本語教育に大変役立ってます。（苦笑）

Well, as Beejay was sick on NYE and New Year's day, my turn came around on Friday... I was sick and spend Friday and Saturday in bed/couch. Supposedly some type of stomach bug is going around, including Japan (gotta love global world we live in today...), although I believe my stomach issue was due to the oily food I ate night before... Luckily, Ken pretty much let me sleep like a baby as long as his diapers were clean and his stomach was full.

On the other hand, Akari was a little tricky and I had to ask for help to... uhn, TV, the necessary evil. She was being couch potato on Friday, so I can sleep. I know, it's not my proudest moment as mother. But, on the positive side (?), she learned to say "no way" in Japanese from watching TV... haha

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謹賀新年 Happy New Year 2013

明けましておめでとうございます★

日本と違いカウントダウンと花火のみのアメリカでの年明けでしたが、大晦日にはちゃんと日本人らしく年越しソバを食べました。アカリにはうどんだったけどね。でも、うどんより、天ぷらのサツマイモのほうが気に入っていたみたい。

よりによって、大晦日に体調を崩して寝込んだ旦那くん。元旦の今日も、明日からの仕事のために大人しく寝ていました…そう言えば、去年は私が珍しく新年早々３８度の熱で寝込んでいたような。この季節は油断するとダメですね…

Happy New Year!!! Here in the States, 2013 finally came around 14 hours later than in Japan along with some fireworks in the sky and the countdown. Following the Japanese New Year's Eve tradition, I prepared Toshikoshi Soba (eating soba noodles for good luck) with shrimp tempra and udon for Akari (just be on the safe side if she has soba allergy, many people wait until kids are around 3 yo.) But Miss I-love-carb seemed to be enjoying eating tempra sweet potatoes better than udon noodle...(shown below).

Out of all other days of the year, the hubby got some kind of stomach bug on NYE. He tried to sleep it off for two days before returning to work today (1/2)... One year ago, I think I got sick with high fever, and was in bed for three days. Yikes... It wasn't fun!

旦那のクリスマス休暇も終わり、また明日からドタバタ育児の開始だ〜　気合い入れてがんばろう！ おてんばアカリはベッドから落ちて、真っ赤なお鼻に…クリスマス終わったのにねぇ。 泣き虫ケンスケも昨日はかなりご機嫌だった。よい兆しかな？？

The holidays seemed to come to an end a lot faster than all of us wished. Now B is back to work, and I'm back to taking care of these crazy two alone during the day. Oh boy!

Tomboy Akari fell from the guest bed, and turned into Rudolf the red-nose reindeer. uhn, Christmas is already over for that, silly... On the other hand, Crybaby Ken was a happy baby on NYE. Perhaps, it's a sign that 2013 will be a good year?!

ちなみに、夜の授乳間隔がやっと空いて来て、先日は新記録の６時間！睡眠万歳！！
Finally, Ken has started to sleep a little longer during the night. Other night was the new record of 6 hours straight!! Woohoo. I hope this will continue and not just a fluke...  ;)

試練の始まり Tougher beginning

 日中一人で子供達の面倒を見始めて早くも丸二週間。目が回る程忙しい～!! 特に最初の週が試されているのかと思ったほど大変だった… 何が大変だったかって、水曜日はイキナリ朝から水が出なく15時間もの断水!!さらに金曜から翌週の月曜までアカリがお腹の風邪だったのか嘔吐に下痢…幸い熱はなく先週は大事をとってずっと篭ってました… はぁ〜　ただでさえノンストップの育児と家事プラス寝不足でドタバタなのに、断水と体調不良のおまけ付きになるとは思ってなかった…

予想外のイベントで思ったより大変だったけれど、親切な友達のご飯の差し入れに助けられ、どうにか乗り切ったぞ～!! しかし年子の育児って体力と忍耐力の勝負だね… 決まって2人揃って同時に何かしら要求があるんだもん。ゆっくり一息入れる暇さえないよ… あぁ、この週を乗り切れば、旦那が一週間休み! うれし〜☆

So could the past few weeks get any harder than it should had been?! It wasn't fair that all those things happened on the very first week of taking care of little ones alone... I felt like i was being tested. Things were going better than I expected until Wednesday. All day Wednesday we didn't have running water until almost 11 pm, and then Akari threw up at 4:30 am on Friday and then on Monday!  It looked like she got some kind of stomach bug but luckily it didn't last too long. phew... You know, I felt a little helpless seeing my one year-old being sick, yet she cannot tell us if any part of her body was hurting and how she was feeling. :(

But we have survived so far without meltdown, thanks to the wonderful friends who brought us food to help!!! Now I'm hoping we will get through this week okay and without crying, then the Holiday week! Yay!!

年子育児の初日 1st day with 2 kids

もうすぐで息子くんが生まれて早くも一ヶ月が経つが、あまりの忙しさに目が回りそう～ 手伝いにわざわざ日本からきてくれていた両親。家事にチビの相手と、凄く助かってたのですごく感謝！チビも甘やかしてもらっていたけど、一番甘えていたのは実は私だったんだと思う… その両親も遂に先週末帰国… (´Д` )

It's been almost one month since Ken's arrival, and it's been insanely crazy busy even with my parents' help with Akari and around the house!! Akari was spoiled by my my parents but the truth is that I was even more spoiled by them. We were so lucky that they came here from Japan to help us out, but unfortunately they finally went back this past weekend.