Whoops! This post is super-late BUT I HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE. Even now I'm typing this one-handed after yet another abortive attempt to put Akari down for a nap. WHY WON'T SHE GO TO SLEEP SOMEPLACE OTHER THAN MY ARMS? DX

Anyway, just wanted to announce that while "Full Circle" didn't take home any prizes (darn!), "The darkest hour..." got a third runner up nod in Best Drabble. :D

Link to the awards is here if you want to check out the winners!

There's really no place like home. :)

Can I just say how awesome it is to be sleeping on a bed again? (^o^)/ Futons are comfortable, but beds are just so much easier to get in and out of. I don't even mind the annoying low water pressure of our shower- just because it's our shower.

( Pics and more rambling under here... )

My left arm hurts from carrying Akari all day. I'm told it'll get better once my muscles get used to toting the extra weight. It makes me happy that she's put on so much weight though, looking more and more like one of those pudgy babies in ads with the fat cheeks and plump limbs. She's more like a little person now too, complaining when I talk on the phone while she's trying to drop off to sleep, (Whoops! Sorry!) but she's mostly a good, quiet baby: alert and contentedly looking around once she wakes.

Doctor LJ is a lifesaver! The breastfeeding  community has saved my newbie mom butt a couple of times now. Nursing is really simple, but like anything, there are often problems starting out that only people with experience know about. The books I bought didn't adequately prepare me for engorgement when my milk came in (OUCH) or to deal with overactive letdown (very distressing to have Akari choking on her only food source). The only thing that bothers me about the community is how crazily gung-ho some of the members are, acting as though formula feeding moms are villains or fools.

Speaking of lifesavers, my iPhone is a wonder device. I can only get on the computer for a limited time now, but I can still check my email and friends page (and slowly tap out replies), play music, take pictures (and post them to Facebook).

Paid the hospital bill on Friday. The total? 1,010,110 yen. (About $10000.) I have insurance that should cover most of it, but that takes the  "most money NRG has ever spent at one time" prize. 

Akari's recently started to show colicky symptoms at night, and it's scary how angry and in pain she seems when she cries. I feel so helpless- she's not wet or hungry, and she gets so upset that it's almost impossible to soothe her. She just seems like a completely different baby from the one I care for the other 20 hours of the day. D: I've taken to researching colic soothing strategies and I'm hoping that cutting dairy out of my diet will help. (Some studies have shown that dairy sensitivity may be to blame for some colic striken babies- the proteins pass into breastmilk and irritate baby guts.) It's helpful to know that even if it continues, she'll likely only have colic until she's about 3 months old, but it's a small comfort when faced with an inconsolable baby at midnight. (T_T)

Here's 明莉 (Akari) at long last! She was 2672 gm and 47.5 cm long at birth. She was born at 3:18AM on May 17th via emergency C-section, but she is healthy and alert (and still loves to suck her thumb!) and I am recovering just fine.

EDIT: sorry about your f-lists guys! The LJ app for iPhone screws up when it "restores previous draft" and no longer gives pic and cut options. Some of the following may be TMI, so I feel I should warn you to scroll by without reading if talk of nursing and/or surgery squicks you out. Sorry again- I'll see if I can fix the post and add photos via Safari, but I have no Internet access besides this thing, and I'm in pain, tired, and I have to feed a newborn in 3 hours or so, so forgive me if I can't, ok?

[Unknown LJ tag]

( Fixed! )

 

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I'm still pregnant. (T_T)

Started having contractions every 10 minutes last night around 11, and we went to the hospital at 2am... but I was only dilated 1.5 cm. This was unchanged by 8am, so they sent us home. Just better to relax and eat and sleep that way (as if sleeping is possible when having regular contractions), not to mention cheaper, but it was such a letdown to have to walk out of there baby-less. The midwife said that some women are in early labour like this for THREE DAYS. Somebody had better shoot me if that happens...

I was pretty crushed at first, but everybody's been working at keeping up my spirits, and I'm getting used to the regular doses of pain. My husband looks a lot better after getting some proper sleep, and I'm a lot better at breathing and staying relaxed through the contractions now. We're going to go for a walk later to try to speed things along, and now we know when to try to check in again: when the pain is three times as bad as now (even if contractions are still 10 minutes apart) or if the interval shortens to every 6 minutes.

*Sigh* Just wanted to keep you guys updated.

I woke up this morning having what feels like cramps and started having bloody show last night. So maybe it's happening soon? I really hope it isn't- my husband is on flights to and from Yonago (Tottori prefecture) today, and won't be back until 5... Have a doctor's appointment this morning anyway. *is nervous*

EDIT: FALSE ALARM! I'm only one cm dilated, and the contractions are just Braxton Hicks that have become more painful. The doctor expects that I'll give birth within the next two or three days though. The anticipation is KILLING ME...

d_angel : Hope you have an awesome B-day today! *throws confetti*

Trying out posting via iPhone! Have been lying here for twenty minutes as this thing records the baby's heartbeat and movements. Her pulse speeds up everytime she moves to 150-something beats, but resting seems to be 130-something.
Ra for free wireless at my hospital! (^o^)/

Now to try and LJ cut this...

( Why won't this cut already? )
*sigh* That's my baby.

At least she didn't turn her back to us this time, but that may be because she's running out of room. She hasn't changed her position for weeks, with her head in the lower left part of my tummy, her back curving up the right side, and her feet in my ribs. I can feel her every movement now, and it's usually visible from the outside too- bumps moving across my tummy and the whole thing quivering as she shifts. My mother-in-law gets quite excited about these little "shows," and I'm sad that my husband keeps missing them- he always looks over too late (if he's even around). Hopefully he'll get a chance this week- it's Golden Week so he gets a full week off. (^o^)/

It'll be nice to be home with him for a couple of days. Living at his parents is nice- his mom is such a great cook and she does all my laundry (including ironing!). Being in the family home means I always have someone to chat to, but I still miss being with my husband. When I told him this, he said I can't be samishii (lonely) because I always have the baby around. So I pointed out how she doesn't snuggle me- she just kicks me in the stomach sometimes (which, BTW, makes me barf into my mouth a little. The joys of motherhood.). Then I thought about it and added, "Well, at least she doesn't fart in bed!" (The joys of marriage.) XD

Anyway, she's passed the 37 week and 2500 gram mark, (5 lbs 8 ounces) so she's considered full term even if she's born now. It doesn't seem likely though- everything is proceeding normally, Braxton-Hicks contractions and all. Fun fact: 40% of first babies are delivered well after the due date. (T_T)

This is a pretty long edit, but after talking with my MIL last night, I figured I should be documenting this pregnancy a little more thoroughly. She's completely forgotten about the details of her own pregnancies because they were so long ago, so it'll be nice to have this blog of my experiences, hiccups and all. :)

 

I'm pretty well settled in at the in-laws now. It helps that we have such a good relationship- I really wonder why it isn't as easy with my own mother. Conversely, my mother-in-law has said that it's easier to understand me than her own daughters sometimes, because I always say what I think.

My husband is actually very traditional. I know he was proud of my career and the fact that we contributed equally to our family finances, but he's just had the most self-satisfied look the last month or so. I think he really likes knowing that he's providing for us. Or maybe it's just funny watching me waddle around. XD The nice dinners (two dishes and a soup) sweeten the deal too, I suppose. Sexist? Maybe. I think it's sweet, though.

The baby is not used to the dog. She kicks when it starts barking. My ribs do not appreciate.

Cooking with the dog around is very funny. I made tacos, tortillas and bean soup last night and it kept hovering, hoping desperately that I would drop something.

Tortillas are the Mexican version of temaki zushi (Handrolled sushi) according to my in-laws. XD They really loved them!

According to my doctor, my hipbone has started to open up so that the baby can drop. Just a few more weeks now...

Just wanted to let you all know that I may be on hiatus for awhile... I'm moving to the in-laws today (They're closer to the hospital, and my husband worries that I'll go into labour while I'm home alone.) and up 'til now, their wireless has been incompatible with my laptop. I can usually get a sporadic connection off the neighbor's but it's frustratingly inconsistent. I'll keep checking my f-list via my iPhone, but don't expect posts if the wireless drivers I downloaded onto the laptop don't work. I'll try to let someone know when the baby arrives, though!

:)

NRG

EDIT: NEVERMIND. We got a LAN cable to hook up to the modem instead and now I get to experience the joys of hikari faiba- (Fiber optics)! (^o^)/ Downloading has never been this easy, lemme tell you guys...

Ah the difference Blu-Ray makes. It's very pretty, with a lot more detailing in everything, from the backgrounds to the skin of the characters. At one point I was marveling at how you could see the veins in Reno's hands. They've also changed some stuff up- for example, the mess on Cloud's desk is now all scientific research instead of photos and energy drinks and Omnislash is better than ever. Masamune also now has a light saber-like sound effect. XD However, despite the substantial addition of lines for Rufus, the Turks, Marlene, Denzel and Zack, it doesn't add much --if any-- new knowledge to the compilation. They just pretty much do exposition for all the things that have been stated in the Reunion book and other sources through character dialogue. It seems like Square really wants to underscore how Rufus and the Turks are now good guys and Cloud is a family man.

Shippers will be glad to see new scenes with Cloud oh-so-dramatically rescuing Tifa (I know I grinned like a fool) and Zack giving Cloud a bit of a pep talk.

Despite rumors of an epilogue, there was no such thing- there was only a "Reminiscence of FFVII Compilation," summing up Crisis Core, Before Crisis and Dirge of Cerberus with scenes from each, much like the original "Reminiscence of FFVII" summed up the game for those who hadn't bothered to play it.

The anime version of "Case of Denzel" is really not that interesting- reading the novella is better, IMO. And Reeve's mullet is REALLY bad.

The FFXIII demo is super long- three whole stages with cutscenes- which it should be, considering it cost an extra 1000 yen! It's pretty amazing- the camera is super movable, and you can watch the battle going on in the city in the background as you make your way through the stages. The whole thing reminds me of Star Wars- even the bad guys are like stormtroopers. Gameplay was pretty ho-hum though. Not being able to access the menu between fights was annoying, and there isn't a huge area to explore with loads of NPCs or objects to interact with. Mostly I just attacked, trying to kill baddies as efficiently as possible (Ooh! 5 stars on this battle!) by choosing how many to chain together.

There are also trailers for Versus and Agito on the disc. Versus looks very interesting- dark and urbane. Fighting with magic cards in Agito is less intriguing to me, but the trailer was full of impressive graphics nonetheless. I wonder how long the wait for these two will be- even FFXIII won't be out until "Winter 2009" according to this demo, and we've been waiting for a couple years already. *sigh*

*victory fanfare blazes*

"Full Circle" and "The darkest hour..." have both been shortlisted at this year's Genesis Awards! (In Best Het Romance and Best Drabble respectively)

Congrats to f-listers alliterationluv , knightlineninja , sansukumile , readingchick  and rsasai  for their shortlisted fics as well!

I should get some sparkling grape juice to celebrate tonight. (^o^)/

Every spring Japan is transformed by cherry blossoms. The whole country takes notice- cherry blossom status is tracked starting in Okinawa (the trees generally bloom south to north, starting in the warmest places) and broadcast with the weather report on the news, so that everybody knows when to expect the week that their local trees will be mankai (in full bloom). As some of my friends have noted, no matter how long you've been here, it's hard to feel jaded in the face of all the fragile prettiness. It really does make you wax poetic about how fleetingly glorious life is --and also how reliably it cycles-- at the start of the new year. (Fiscally and academically, the year starts in April in Japan.)

That and the hanami parties are a great excuse to stay out 'til dawn drinking with your friends. XD

( More pretty pictures under here... )

My mother recently expressed how unfortunate it was that I chose to live in Japan. They have such closed views towards foreigners. A belligerent North Korea is right next door.

But where else would they have festivals celebrating penises? With cherry blossoms? XD

( Possibly NSFW pictures under here... )( Possibly NSFW pics under here... )

Well, my sister called the CIC to confirm. And yesterday the embassy called again. And officially, it looks like my baby will not be granted citizenship by descent.
The lady from the embassy was very sympathetic- this law is supposed to exclude all those token Canadians that can't even speak English/French and have no ties to Canada, not people like me. But the way it's written now is pretty clear.
So Canadians, please ask your friends and family to sign the petition. Get the word out that this new law needs to be looked at before they pass it. The amendment affects about 3 million Canadians, most of whom are conveniently overseas and can't do things like directly call the CIC. An addition to the law about proving connections to Canada would be enough to give us "non-token" Canadians a chance to get our rights back. I can send them copies of my report cards and transcripts to prove that I was educated from kindergarten to University in Canada. They can look at my SIN to see that I paid taxes and into the pension plan for years before I decided to go teach English in Japan.

*sigh* Well, I know it's been a while, but here's the latest baby pic. She's all blurry because she likes to keep her face tucked into the bottom left corner of the uterine wall, but you can see her closed eyes and open mouth. She weighs over 4 pounds and likes to move around in the evening when she can hear her dad's voice: *My husband talks* *I get an tiny elbow in the side* "Yow! Hey!" *I roll over to make her stop prodding me* *She starts poking the other side*

My little tormenter. XD

I've been suffering from edema (swelling due to water retention) recently because of the pregnancy. It's been compressing the nerves in my arms, so at times they alternate between numbness and tingling and aching. I've had to take off my wedding ring. But otherwise everything is pretty normal. The car seat arrived yesterday, and we got four newborn sized diaper covers last week. (I'm going with washable diapers instead of disposable.) All that we have to do is get the baby bed before she arrives. Oh, and finish judging! hehe

I found out just this morning that the Canadian Citizenship Act is being amended in April. Of course, the person who put up the info on my Married in Japan group made it sound like our children would not be accorded Canadian citizenship, but with a little further research it looks like this is not always the case. It only takes away the right of second-generation children (and onwards) to be given Canadian citizenship. However, since I was born in Hong Kong, I was given Canadian citizenship because my father had it. (I think.) So does that make my baby second gen? We'd always assumed she would have every right to get a Canadian passport and go to Canada to spend summers at grandma's visa-free. Go to school there, if she wanted. Hell, even get into the army. (In fact, this is one of my husband's little fantasies: seeing one of our kids enter the Royal Canadian Air Force.) This certainly makes me worry about something I thought was just a natural right. So if you Canadians on my f-list wouldn't mind signing the petition in the first link, us Canadians living abroad would really appreciate the support!

EDIT: Here's another article about the reaction of Canadian expats here in Japan to the whole thing.

see more pwn and owned pictures

What I don't aspire to, hehe. XD

1. The baby now weighs more than a kilogram! (1205 grams) The last pic we got at the doctor was TERRIBLE though, so I refuse to post it. Going again on Friday, so hopefully she'll be less scary looking this time.

2. We are probably going to get a PS3 and RE5 today! My hubby is dying to play RE5. So we'll pick up the cheapest used PS3 we can find and be shooting zombies in a few hours. He says we have to play the game before the baby comes, because it'll be scared if it can see it. (Doncha love his reasons?)

3. Still haven't picked out kanji for the baby name, so we have to go tachiyomi (stand and read) baby name books at the bookstore this weekend, too.

4. Strollers are ridiculously overpriced in Japan. I don't know why Babies R Us here sells the SAME strollers as back home at a 300% price increase, but we're going to try to get ours through amazon.com and pay the extra shipping instead. It'll save us so much money if that works!

5. Had a talk with my boss yesterday. I am probably ineligible for Maternity leave because I became a part-time teacher, although he will check. (T_T) So I will go from terrible pay to zero pay just as our family gets bigger. Reproducing sure is expensive. My co-worker has given me some ideas about going to claim UI instead, but that means pretending to look for a job, so...

6. Maybe we shouldn't get that PS3. XD

Taking another break from judging by posting about my HK trip! :)

( HK pics 'n stuff )

:) It's been so long since I've been back, but it's so comforting to be around family. I'll try to put up some pics tomorrow, but HK is all smoggy and nasty right now so expect pics of my adorable cousins and the bird's nest soup they've been feeding me (for the baby) instead of the "million dollar view." My 5 year old cousin is the cutest. We get along great and he likes to "stick to" me and chat and play. He's just tickled pink that he's going to be "uncle" (rough translation of the Chinese) soon, and tells me to go to bed early and take my prenatal vitamins. He watches me eat the bird's nest soup with fascination. ("Do you want to try?" "Noooo! Ewww! You're eating bird spit!") It really doesn't taste like anything- it's just jelly-like. All I can think when I eat it is that it's the same price as silver, ounce for ounce.

coconutty_tree , saw this on my facebook and thought of you straightaway! Future NaNoWriMos should be no worries at all with this!

lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

And readingchick , drop me a line! Hearing about all those wildfires down under is making me worry.

I thought this was cute!
dizziness.deviantart.com/art/FFVII-AC-rough-day-100120245

I'm taking a break from judging...by making icons of a judge! XD

Gabranth is my new favourite character. I love how conflicted he is; how he's so sure of what is right and just at the beginning of FFXII, but starts to question and doubt as the story develops.

That and he's badass. <3

FFVII fandom, will this be goodbye? We shall see... haven't finished the game yet, but I've already ordered Revenant Wings. I adore worlds with loads of background to play in. (^o^)/

As for judging, I'm rather disappointed by the nominations thus far. I hope I'm just saving the best fics for last, but I'm shocked by the ones I can't even give a passing grade to. It's actually downright annoying to read through multiple chapters of a fic that I desperately hope won't really don't think will make the shortlists. But fair's fair. And I have to admit that later chapters are usually better than earlier ones, probably just due to accumulated writing experience.

Ok, back to the scoresheets and scrolling. *rolls up sleeves*

I just found out that the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is going to change from 4 levels to 5 as of next year, to address the level gap between Level 2 and 3. Which means that MY JLPT certificate may end up being obsolete. Which it is, I know- I took it years ago and I know I'm a lot more proficient now. But it costs 4000 yen to take the stupid thing. Sigh. Just when I was feeling nice and complacent. I don't wanna break out the kanji books... /whine

www.jees.or.jp/jlpt/en/index.htm

And because I feel it deserves a mention, here's a link to Obama's Inauguration. There's actually an English textbook in Japan based on his speeches- and it's the current runaway bestseller at amazon and in bookshops. The Democratic Party (perennial losers to the Liberals here) has apparently been studying it like crazy. However, from reading "The Audacity of Hope," I think it's more than just Obama's oratory skill- his writing is persuasive and eloquent, never pointing fingers or assigning blame. There's a lot to be said for a politician who tries to win his arguments without having to resort to mudslinging.

Sorry I've been so quiet over the holidays. As most of you know, I went back to Canada for about 3 weeks. It was really such a wonderful trip home- great conversations, food and experiences. My mom has mellowed so much now that my sister has moved out, and that has made the whole atmosphere of our family completely different. Having my stepdad (sorta- they're engaged) around is a big part of that. So I came back relaxed and much bigger- you'll know why once you see some of my many, many food pictures under the cut! (Although I'm not fat! Just pregnant! Right...)

( Droolworthy pics under here... )

Happy B-day to readingchick! Hope you are having an awesome day!

With all the ads on TV about the release of the Dissidia potions, my husband has been teasing me about getting some. Which means, of course, that I had intended NOT to go out of my way to get any...

But after doing interview tests in the unheated school hallway for 2 straight hours, I decided to stay in the warm comfort of the convenience store while I waited at the train station for the bus. And guess what had gone on sale that day...
( NRG has no willpower... )