Akari's case -1-

M and Akari are fine.
Well, I got some questions about childbirth in Japan.
Some people use FUTON to sleep. Futon is kind of mat and we put it on the floor (usually TATAMI floor) directly, some people use bed.
When our daughters were babies, they used to sleep in FUTON, but now they are getting used to bed.
So now M sleeps in bed in my house, and Akari sleeps in a small bed next to M.



In my generation, most of mothers used to use cloth diapers when their babies became 6 months.
Nowadays most of mothers use paper diapers. This is a trash box for paper diapers. It completely stops the smell. And we dispose them on the day of burnable garbage day which comes twice a week.

Fortunately M's breasts leaks milk, so she can breast-feed. She doesn't need to start work so early, so for a while she breasts feed. But not she is into breast-feeding, so she uses formulas. And of course we and her husband helps her to give milk by bottles.
Do you know this cushion? In my time, such cushion wasn't so popular. It is very useful  for new mothers to breast-feed, and sit down (because they feel pain under their bottom.)

  Well, M said an interesting thing. Before she became a mother, she said " I don't mind breast-feeding or using formula". In Japan many mothers tend to stick fast to breast-feed. But as soon as she became a mother, she understood why mothers stick fast to breast-feed.It comes from mother's instinct. She is surprised at herself who changed. And I'm also surprised that M suddenly has become a mother.

 

-- to be continued--

AKARI finaly appeared!

My daughter M gave birth to a girl in the early morning at 3:30 yesterday. The girl's name is "Akari". Aka means bright or active, and Ri means home.
I bit she'll become active and kind to all people.

M's contractions started at 2PM two days ago.
The doctor said "when the contracions are apart 5 minutes and last 30 seconds, you'll come to the hospital."

So I'll take her to the hospital at 7PM the day before yesterday. (It takes just 10 minutes from here to the hospital by car.)

Yuki also came to the hospital.
But at the hospital (though the rule is different depends on hospitals.), only one observer is accepted, so and in her case the observer is M's husband, Mr.Y. So we had do leave the hospital when it was 8 PM. Fortunately Mr.Y could come on time, so we said "take it easy " to our daughter and went back our home.  Mr.Y witnessed his daughter's birth. He said "I'm so impressed". (In my generation, men couldn't do that.) Yuki and I were waiting for the call. And Akari appeared at 3:30 AM yesterday.

Most of the clinic. after mothers give birth, they hug their babies for a while, and on the day they separate. Mothers sleep in a hospital room without their babies on the day.
When mothers hug their babies, they give their babies their first breast milk, but after that, they don't do that for 24 hours. (The babies are given something special and milk by nurse.)
And after that, the life with  a mother and her baby has started.
So today I can hug my grand child "Akari".

Now M's condition is good, so probably she'll stay at the hospital for four days. And next Monday she and Akari will come back to this home.

She is not into giving breast milk, so if she has lots of breast milk, she gives it to her, if it's not enough, she gives milk.
And nowadays most of mothers use disposable diapers. Some mothers who are into natural life use cloth diapers, (such women tend to use cloth pads.)

Here in Japan the cost is said about from 4000$ to 70000$ when it's a natural birth.
It is mostly covered by maternity benefits,so usually mothers pay 1000 $. (In M's case I already paid to the hospital as a deposit. What a generous mother I am! )

Anyway I'll go to the hospital with my son-in-law from now.

I'm just waiting.

 

 

 

I'm just waiting for -----????

Finally my daughter M's contractions has started sine last midnight. The contractions are 10 or 15 minutes apart. When the contractions are 5 minutes apart and at least 30 seconds, I'll take her to the hospital. Now I'm waiting for the time. And we'll see our baby soon.

 

Well, last night I made curry. There was a reason.

 

In my generation, I don't know any jinks about delivery.

So it was interesting to hear three jinks about delivery.

 

The due date for our baby is tomorrow 7/24. But M was tired of waiting for her. So she told me three jinks.

 

If a parturient mother eats "YAKINIKU" (Korean style indoor barbecue),  the baby will come out soon. Last weekend four of us eat YAKINIKU at a restaurant, but she didn't come out.

 

If a parturient mother has energy drink, the baby will come out.

Last Monday she did, but she didn't come out.

 

And if a parturient mother eats curry, the baby will come out soon.

So last night I made curry, and her contraction started at 2 PM.

 

I know it goes just on plan. But anyway she ate curry last night.

 

 

 

This is Massam curry. These days when I make curry, I made Massam curry with coconuts milk.

Our grandchild doesn't come yet.

Well, last week, the doctor said "She might come this week". But she doesn't come yet, though her birthday is going to be 7/24. My daughter M seems to be tired of waiting her daughter.
The most important thing for her is to keep or to decrease her weight. So I have been cooking for her using vegetables and mainly fish. And it's troublesome to cook every meal, so I make homemade delicatessen. (I don't know how I call it. In Japanese it is called JYOUBI-sai.) They can keep for about three days in the fridge.

Today it is the first day of this week. So I cooked four dishes.
I flash-cooked NIRA-leaves and dipped them into DASHI (Japanese soup) and soy sauce.
I fried fish and marinated them with SHISO-leaves and MYOUGA.
I grilled eggplants and dipped them into DASHI.
I simmered plums with leftover wine and sugar.

Yesterday I did English picture book reading with our group members at the library. Though it is the three-day weekend, more than 10 families came. On the other hand my daughter and her husband went shopping. (because it is the three-day weekend, he is staying with us.)
So I'm free from cooking, Yuki and I went out for lunch.
It's my holiday.
I'm grinning to my self.
Because when two of us are at home, I often say "it's a little boring". But when four of people are at home , I say "it's troublesome".  Anyway I'm enjoying these unusual days.

Do you know LEO LEONNI?

LEO LEONNI is a famous picture book writer in Japan. Some of his works are appear in school textbooks in Japanese or in English.

Now at Utsunomiya of my town, LEO LEONNI exhibition is being held. I'm very happy that such an exhibition is held in such a local city.

 Then, I attended a workshop with my high school student.
A high school in Utsunomiya won debating Japan contest last year, and the team attended "world school debating championship."  The team reported the championship. I'm also happy to hear that a local public high school team won a championship in Japan, and attended the world championship.
This March, the members graduated, but new members entered the team, and this year they won a right again to attend world school debating championship in Thailand. And one of the members used to be my student when he was an elementary school student.

 

These days some people say the difference of financial, education and etc, between big cities (especially TOKYO) and local cities is getting bigger. So I'm very glad to know that an interesting exhibition is held, and we have such a strong debating team.

What's this?

Can you guess what this is?
It's an ASHITSUBO-BOU.





Though I'm embarrased, I'll show you how to use it. The sharp point is used to

press acupressure points on the sole. I'm pressing the point of adreno.

 

 

The roud part is used to massage the sole drawing a line.

I'm drawing a line to less my tiredness.

 

Here in Japan ASHITSUBO-massage (reflexology) is very common. I love it.

So I often do it by myself.

How about you?

The other day, two junior high school students were very tired and seemed sleepy. So I did it on them. They said "hurt, hurt" and of course they woke up!

 

Can you guess how old is a person who calls you on the phone?

Yesterday, a funny thing happened. After that I grinned by myself.
I got a cold call in the afternoon. It was she, and she solicited adding a solar generator on my house.

So I declined immediately, because our house was too old to add it.

But she asked me to respond surveys. I had enough confident to deny all soliciting, so I said "OK".
Well, well, first she asked me "how old is your house". So I said "It's almost 30 years old". I heard her disappointment.

And next she asked me "may I ask your generation? " So I said "I'm in my 50's".

She was """VERY""""" surprised.
She said " I'm sorry I thought you were in your 30's." (I don't know why she said sorry to me.)
And she stopped soliciting. (I don't know why? Probably she understood, if she continued, it couldn't be help.)

And the  conversation was done.
I was grinned.

Well, well, these days I often have cold-caller about "graves".
So I thought that if I said "I was in my 30's", a cold-caller would hang up immediately".