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.  

赤ちゃん返り Reactions to her brother

ビックリしたのは、出産前日からなぜか急にママっ子に変身し、特に出産した日の朝のベッタリさは普通じゃなかった。どこに行くのも（家の中で）私の手を握りたがり、病院に行く準備をしていた私の代わりに他の人がアカリの相手をしようものなら「ノー」の連発で私の側を片時も離れたがらなかった。終いにはパパに赤ちゃん抱っこ。 これっていわゆる子供の第六感ってやつだったんじゃないかなぁ〜

What really surprised me was Akari's reaction before the baby's arrival. It started a day before I went into the labor. Usually she is very independent, but especially the morning of the delivery, she was unusually clingy and wanted to be my side all the time and hold my hand. If someone else tried to take care of her while I was getting ready to head out to the hospital, she screamed "NO!!", and asked me to do things for her instead. I wonder if that was the six sense and she knew that someone was about come out and she had to share her parents??

長男の誕生! Baby boy is here!

１１月７日に予定日より１週間遅れて、アレクサンドリアの病院にて無事に元気な男の子が生まれました。取りあえず、親子共に元気です。

赤ちゃんの体重増加が心配（予定日にて既に3600g（8lbs）前後との診断）だったのと、また誘発になる可能性にちょっとガッカリ…　予定日を過ぎてから「もしかして今日かな？」という思いで一杯だったので、一日一日が非常にゆっくりに感じた〜

On November 7th, a week later than the due date, the healthy baby boy was born finally at Inova Alexandria Hospital. He and I are doing great!

Although I was a little concerned about his possible weight gain during the 41st week since they told me he was already 8 lbs on the due date... Also I wasn't all that happy about possibly being induced again. After the due date had passed, a day felt a lot longer due to anxiety and only thing I could think was "maybe it's today!?"... 

亀さん Procrastinating Turtle

ベビのあだ名をLittle Dragonからカメさんに改名しなくてはならない様子。出産の際にもたついていた姉よりも（でも予定日より２日早い）、さらにのんびりの様です。今日が予定日なのに全然出て来る様子がなく、相変わらずヌクヌク中！？急に寒くなったから、木枯らしが吹いている外よりも私のお腹の中の方が居心地が良いのも分かるけど、長くて残り１週間も待たなければ行けないかと思うと、ちょっと気が重いなぁ…　妊婦飽きたよ〜！お姉ちゃんが、これ以上甘ちゃんになる前に出て来て…

It looks like I need to rename Little Dragon to Procrastinating Turtle instead... His older sister was called turtle during her birth because she took her time to come out to say hi to the world, but she still showed up two days earlier than the due date. Well, this one seems like going to stay a little longer than 40 weeks (today is the due date). Is it because it got really cold outside and he'd rather want to be cozy in where it's warmer? Understandable, but everyone is getting inpatient here and I don't know if I can wait one more week at the longest. Hurry up, kid!!! Please come out before your sister gets spoiled more and gets worse and bratty... 
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