HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM JAPAN!!

So, we survived the 14-hour flight to Japan. Taka slept a grand total of about 3 hours within the 26-hour travel period. (And of course, Mommy & Daddy slept even less...) But he enjoyed the bassinet, the best toy was a Poland Spring bottle, and when we finally arrived in Japan he was all smiles to see the grandparents. Upon arrival, he completely crashed. Naturally, he was awake at 5 a.m. But thank god for grandmothers! -- while Mitsue whisked Taka upstairs to play, Hisa & I managed to catch a few more Z's...

Days 1 & 2 have been adjustment days of relaxing and getting used to the new environment. Aside from a 4-hour nap yesterday, we're not suffering too much from the jet lag.

Tomorrow we leave for the hot springs in central Japan and New Year's in Yokosuka!

Here are a few pictures from the plane and our first couple of days...

movin' right along

ready... set... okay, not quite yet...

Taka is going to crawl any minute now. unless he walks first!

measurements as of 11/24/08 (taken by myself, so no guarantees as to accuracy):
21 lbs.
28.5 inches tall

and in other news, i've finally updated the slideshows, so take a look at some great new pics of taka's first thanksgiving, a modeling session (watch out, some nudity!) and the box we stick him in to keep him quiet. ;-)

7 months old!

Hard to believe 7 months have gone by, but so they have... Here's what Taka is up to now:
- rolling like crazy
- no crawling, but scooting backwards all the way across the room
- sitting
- wishing he could stand & walk
- making all sorts of crazy sounds
- picking up food by himself (and chewing it with his 3 teeth)
- smiling and laughing a lot
- mimicking our sounds and faces
- and our favorite: wrinkling his nose at anything that touches his face (except food, of course)

Here are a few new pics. I'll update the slideshows shortly, and maybe take a height/weight measurement too!

Safety First!

As Taka approaches the 7-month mark, he's showing signs of being ready to start moving a little bit more. So of course, we're looking around us & realizing how much babyproofing we have to do! Most people have to remove items on low shelves... We have to remove a cab door. Yes, it was goodbye to the cab door after eight years. I had to take some pictures to commemorate the occasion.



... But since I know you don't tune in for pictures of us, I'm adding one updated photo of Taka -- here, happy to just be sitting in one spot!

Taka's first Halloween

OK, I have to start by saying, I am not one of those parents who dresses their infant up in a Halloween costume. Except that it turns out I am one of those parents. It's not my fault, really: My co-worker got me the costume and convinced me that I have to do it because "it's so cute." Well, you know what? It's sooo cute. So okay, guilty as charged. Taka did us the honor of wearing his puppy costume to the Halloween festival in Fort Greene Park -- and he even kept the silly dog ears on for one picture! He thought the whole thing was worth it because of the horses (pulling carts for hay rides). He was super impressed by that. But you can see by his expression what he thought of the costume itself...

We also carved our very first pumpkin together, later that same day. Can't wait to check out the trick or treating scene this Friday!

A lot has happened this month, and I'm behind (again) on blogs. So you'll just have to check out the new slideshow, and the new pictures I added to the new slideshow, and I'll just have to try to get better at finding time to update this.

miles to go before i sleep

With Daddy in Dubai, Taka & Mommy went on the 5K Miles for Midwives walk in Prospect Park. It was a chilly fall day, a little wet, but still a great time. One loop around the park wasn't so bad--despite my fears that I could never push my chart-topping baby up the hills! We got to catch up with our wonderful midwife Kristen, pictured here with us. Afterward we had a nice lunch in Park Slope. It was a long day, but tons of fun! Next time we hope Daddy can join...

meet me in Montauk

Ah, Labor Day... that wonderful transition of summer to fall, the last chance to relax for 3 days in the lazy heat and August sunshine. We celebrated with a day-trip to Montauk. Caution: Don't try this at home with a 4-month old baby! Turns out, this should be an overnight trip--it's a tiny bit farther than we realized. But the long drive aside, what a wonderful place to catch some sun and sand. Taka actually dipped his toes in the ocean this time--he seemed a little nervous, but he braved the cold water like a champ. Here are some of the best shots of the day...

so this is what happens...

...when you start working. No time for blogging! Of course, we've had less time to do blog-worthy things, too. But we have had some fun over the past month... We made it up to Harriman State Park a few weekends ago, just for a picnic lunch outside of the city.


That's been our only trip, but we're having fun at home, too. Daddy likes to play music for Taka (who doesn't quite get it yet...!)


And Taka is also really into active games these days: bouncing, jumping, standing, anything that involves a lot of movement!!



We're all pretty exhausted these days. Working, cleaning, and somehow fitting in time for fun--it all takes a lot out of you. Sometimes, we all just need a little break.

A family vacation

Seeking to escape the heat of the city, we all headed up to Minnewaska State Park for the weekend. Our first family vacation! -- and Taka's first time hiking. He loved it, of course. We were all sorry to have to come back to reality. Not much else to say, really... the pictures say it all.

MoMA with MoMMA (and Daddy, too!)

Taka's first cultural outing... We hit the MoMA pre-fab exhibition opening Tuesday night, featuring Reiser & Umemoto's vector wall. Everyone who was anyone was there, and everyone else (including us) was there too! True to form, Taka went right to sleep with all the ambient noise. When he awoke he was a little peeved at being up past his bedtime, but he still enjoyed the artwork. :-)

summer daze

Well, I've been slacking on the posts, but it doesn't mean we haven't been having a busy summer! The days are just flying by. Finishing out June, we had a day at the beach (as in, Rock, rock, Rockaway ...)
)

... Unfortunately we had to stay on the boardwalk the entire time, because the beach closed for a thunderstorm as soon as we got there!

July brought us a few visits with friends...


...and Taka got to meet his older "brother" Judah.


After our exciting 4th of July celebration (watching fireworks from our windows while trying to put Taka to bed...), Hisa headed to balmy Dubai for some 120 degree heat, while Taka and I headed north to Grandma's house. After an 11 hour drive (normally takes 6 hours, sans baby), Taka was happy to relax in beautiful green VT.


Now back in NYC (btw, any other moms out there ever feed their kids on the New York Thruway while stuck in traffic?), suddenly it's only 2 weeks until I'm back at work and Taka officially starts day care! The next adventure...

Taka rolls over!

OK, I have to admit: In my pre-motherhood days, I didn't get why it was such a big deal when babies roll over. So what? I thought, and chalked it up to the fact that over-zealous parents get a little too excited about every coo and giggle. But as soon as we had Taka, I realized the big deal. Before that crucial roll-over moment, babies can't move! They're just stuck in one place, on their backs, waving their arms and legs around. Now, as this video shows, our little Taka is getting tired of being in one place -- he's ready to get somewhere. And Mama? Well, she's just as excited and proud as can be!

mom's turn

After our successful trip to Daddy's office, we decided to brave the drive to White Plains to see where Mama works. Taka was a big hit in his new little outfit! He met about 50 people, give or take, only a few of whom are pictured. And he did great -- stayed in a very good mood for almost the entire time (only got a little mad when there was a slight delay with nursing him for the 4th time!). The trip lasted a little longer than expected, but it worked out great: both a.m. & p.m. naps happened in the car seat, along the oh-so-soothing BQE.

Today is what?

Hisa and I, just this minute, remembered that today is our 6 year anniversary. Wow, I guess having a kid really does change everything! Well, no better way to celebrate, really. We had a nice quiet weekend with Taka. Yesterday morning Hisa took the reins -- and a new bottle that Taka loves -- for the morning, while I indulged myself with my first yoga class since November (that is, a regular, non-pre-natal, non-mommy/baby class!). Taka enjoyed the down time, too. In these pictures, he's practicing a little tummy time (and doing some full-on push-ups!) and helping Hisa figure out where to hang the artwork.


"Uh, no Daddy, I don't think that's quite right."

Taka takes Manhattan

Taka paid Daddy a visit at the office today! His first subway ride (he slept the entire time). Then he met lots of new friends before lunch in Central Park (he fell asleep again for that part). Mommy enjoyed the trip into Manhattan -- first time in about 2 1/2 months (not counting doctor visits by car) -- but came home exhausted. But not too exhausted to post pics for baby's first real NYC outing! (RUR guys -- if I didn't post your picture, don't worry, it will be in the next slideshow, or we will email them to you. No room for all the great pics we got!)

Oh, and yes, the general consensus does seem to be that Taka takes after his daddy! (But that's just because you all can't see the back of his head in the pictures.)