Our Date with Sandy - Hurricane Sandy

Our trip to NYC had been planned for months, and we were excited. Unfortunately, we weren't the only out-of-towners headed for the eastern seaboard. A certain hurricane by the name of Sandy was right behind us.

At 36,000 feet, Mimi didn't fret over the chance of high winds. Instead, as her father languished in coach, Mimi tossed back a few cocktails with her mother up in business class...

...and finished them off with a private DVD viewing of Pixar's "Cars." 

It'd been over a year since we were last in New York. Mimi wasted no time. She immediately made friends with Harry, her grandparents sheltie. Readers of this blog may remember that the original Harry passed away shortly after we left New York. This Harry was quite a bit younger (only about a year old) and I don't think Mimi noticed the difference. Makes me a bit worried if Sumie should consider replacing me in the future!

We arrived on a Friday evening and, knowing the storm was headed our way, left early Saturday to hit Manhattan. Mimi was all excited about riding the trains, but one of them came by the station full-speed, which startled our little girl who is used to Thomas and Friends speeds and the even slower rate of SF Muni transit. Thankfully, Ojichan was there to comfort her.

We had an amazing time in Manhattan that Saturday. Too much to share in this post, but in summary, we had a fantastic meal at our friend's restaurant, The Breslin, and walked the Highline, a rare New York first for us. We immediately felt at home. Even Mimi. Within moments of hitting the streets Mimi was chatting about "So many taxis!" A few minutes after that, the hustle and bustle of her hometown lulled Mimi into a stroller nap. Sumie and I were shocked. This girl never naps in her stroller. But then again, she is a native New Yorker. After waking, she continued to prove her New York credentials by taking down an entire slice of pizza!

Sunday was quiet. We borrowed the car and drove into the city to check on our apartment (believe it or not, I'd sincerely missed driving in Manhattan) and then went out to Queens to meet some friends for dinner at their house. Their daughter, Miwa, made instant friends with Mimi, thanks, in part, to Miwa's kind and patient nature. Mimi was making the most of being surrounded by new toys!

By the time we left Queens that Sunday night, the wind was really starting to pick up.  We spent Monday morning watching the storm come in.

We lost power around 4pm on Monday. It didn't come back for ten days, long after we departed New York. On Monday and Tuesday, as the storm raged, we listened to the radio for updates, sparingly checked the news on our iPhones (no way of charging them), and made the most of all the food in the fridge that would spoil. Our meals, though cooked in the dark, were delicious and plentiful.

On Wednesday morning, the day were were set to leave, Mimi and I walked out to survey the damage. Beyond losing power, we'd made it through relatively unscathed. Mimi tackled the slide in the backyard in the crisp sunshine...

...went for a drive amongst the fallen leaves...

 ...and smiled at the sun on the swings. 

Though our trip turned out to not be much of a vacation, we came home feeling blessed. For so many this was a tragic storm. For us it was a bit of inconvenience, but also an amazing time with family. The dark didn't phase Mimi. As she played flashlights in the evening gloom, she bonded with her Japanese grandparents, and Harrychan, in a way she'd never experienced when we lived just a few minutes away. 

As we landed back in San Francisco, our scheduled flight just happening to be one of the first to depart JFK after the storm, Sumie and I looked at each other and were thankful for all the new memories Mimi made with her family. It wasn't much of a vacation, but it was a memorable and important trip.

Quiet Nights and Crazy Weekends

It's been several weeks and they've all been filled with adventure, at least for Mimi. 

She's been in a J-Pop Idol competition...

...she's proclaimed her love for The Beatles...

...and she's even gone for a drive.

 Last weekend she spent long-overdue morning with her Great Grandmother...

 ...then played the "older sister" as we caught up with friends of Sumie's from medical school and their new arrivals.

 We finished off that night at a friend's birthday party in Davis. Mimi was such a trooper. From leaving the house at 8:30 to finally getting home at 11:30 that night, she saw the whole day through with hardly a complaint.  Not bad for a two year old.

The next day we headed out to the east bay for cousin Haruki's first birthday. We brought the obligatory cake from Schubert's Bakery.  

Mimi loves playing with her little cousin. She's been singing happy birthday to him all week!

Ice cream was in substantial supply at the party, which Mimi appreciated. 

And I think her cousins Nana and Shuhei got a bit of a sugar high.  

It was a bit cold and stormy the other night, so we decided to light a fire for the evening. Once the fire got going we turned off all the lights, turned on some classical music, and cuddled by the fire. 

I tried to snap a picture of Mimi. It was tough because of the limited light, but she was so mesmerized by the fire, she, for once in her life, held still for a picture.

I rather like the pattern of the last few weeks: busy weekends and quiet nights.  It's a good way to live. Now we just need to find a way to have our weekdays free and we'll be set!

A Date with Giants

Several weekends ago, on a rare Monday off (Labor Day, to be precise), we shrugged off our laziness and hesitation and finally made it out to AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. 

I'd been to the park multiple times, but for both Mimi and Sumie it would be their first.  As we packed the car to head out to the stadium, though, Sumie received a call from work.  Could she come in?  Of course she could.  That's the life of a doctor.  She missed the first 6 innings, but made it back for the last three which, as it turned out, were the best part of the game anyway.

So it was just Mimi and me who met my mom at the park and made our way up ramp after ramp to the nosebleed seats along the third base line.

 Despite the elevation, we still had a great view of the game. 

By the middle of the first inning, I realized I really should've brought a hat along for Mimi. Forgetting one wasn't all that bad, though. It gave me an opportunity to get Mimi her first Giants cap, which she - amazingly- wore through the next 5 inning of play without a complaint or squirm.  She just sat happily on Grandma's lap. 

Eventually, though, Grandma got a bit bored, so she took Mimi and Mimi's cousins Carson and Ryan (their parents Rob and Carol had come to join us, making for a pretty significant cheering section) down to the Coke bottle slide and the trolley. Here's Mimi and Carson on the trolley.

And here's Mimi hamming it up for the camera.  That's my girl.

Eventually, Grandpa was able to make it out, and by the 7th inning even Sumie made it to the park, having found FREE parking!  The Giants ended up pulling through in the 9th inning with a 9-8 win. It was a great outing for Mimi's first ball game.  She even learned to say "baseball" and point down at the field. Despite her growing love of the game, it still wasn't enough to get her to stop squirming for a picture with her parents.  Mimi has her priorities.

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back.  Unfortunately, a day out at the ball park isn't exactly cheap.  Between the $30.00 tickets, $10.00 beers, $11.00 chicken fingers with fries, and $137.00 in sunscreen to keep my body from being burnt to a crisp, it's an expensive outing.  I'll have to spend my time between trips to the park with quieter, cheaper pursuits.  Thankfully I came across a vintage "Simon" game from 1978 the other day.  $1.00 and still in the box. You just can't pass that up...even if you have a terrible memory, like me. 

Cutest Picture Ever and Dolores Park

Yes, coming up is perhaps the cutest photo ever.  And Mimi isn't even in it.

It all started with Mimi impersonating her Mama and me when it comes the bedroom routine.  Each night we bundle Mimi in her pajamas, read her a book, and then put her to bed with her mofu (blankets).  Well, she's decided that her friends Baby, Nyan-Nyan, Wan-Wan, and Bear need to take naps as well.  At first is was just a matter of laying them down.  Then they needed blankets.  Now, they need the whole routine.

First off, Mimi put baby to bed, complete with personal mofu, on the rolling cart from our bedroom.  We use this for our pajamas.  Mimi uses it for trundling her friends around.  I can't help but think Mimi will someday work in a NICU when she has baby in the cart. 

Before long, Mimi decided to head back to her room and fill up the cart with the rest of her friends.  They each got a mofu, just like baby.  

 And here it is, the cutest picture we've taken of Mimi's childhood to date (at least to me).  To complete the bedtime routine for her friends, she made sure each one had her own book to read before bedtime.  Mimi was so proud.  When we tried to eventually move the rack back out of the living room, she wouldn't let us.  "No!  Sleeping!"  I guess Mama knows best. 

We recently were able to sneak out to Dolores Park again on a warm and relatively sunny Sunday.  It's quite a view, isn't it?  

They'd just finished the playground and Mimi couldn't wait to tackle all the new equipment.  

She tried out the bongos...

...and used the steel rings to climb the hill-slide rubber mountain all by herself (she still needed her Papa to help her down).  

But the biggest step forward of all came when Mimi took to the big girl swings by herself for the very first time. 

Sumie and I, though always proud (if sometimes flustered) of our little Mimi, were very proud that day.  At least until she nearly took a header trying to jump off. 

Exploratorium! Perhaps the Best Museum on Earth!

Several weeks ago we headed to arguably the best museum in San Francisco, if not the world: the miraculous Exploratorium.

For those who have never been, it's a bit hard to explain.  Imagine that warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Arc filled not with crates, but with rows upon rows of interactive, home-grown experiments exploring the world around us, the world of science.

As a kid, I couldn't get enough of it and since arriving in SF I'd been contemplating when would be the best time to take my little girl.  I wanted her to love it just like me.  So, several weekends ago, despite the risk that she might be a bit young and the hands-on world of science might be a bit much, we bit the bullet and headed out for a bit of experimental mischief.

Mimi loved it.  Loved it.  She was just old enough to toddle through the exhibits and just wise enough to know when something out of the ordinary, surprising, or perplexing was happening.  Many of the exhibits were old favorites, too, which made it even better for Mimi's Papa to share them with her.  

We marveled at the rope that shot gracefully into the air like a stream of water...

 ...and wondered just how you could make a tiny tornado in a box. 

We played with magnets and washers...

...and found the scaled chair that was just right for each of us.  

 Mimi even took some time out to play some tunes. 

Of course, Mimi had her favorite exhibits.  As any parent of a toddler could guess, the bubbles were one of them.

But there were some surprises.  Amidst all the mind-blowing marvels, Mimi was entranced by a pair of big-headed goldfish.  15 minutes went by before we were finally able to pry her away.  

The exhibit that surprised her most, though, was one of my favorites when I was a kid.  In the picture below you'll see Mimi and Sumie sitting in a blue, concave shell.  I'm sitting in a similar one on the other side of the Exploratorium, taking the picture.  The shells focus sound so well that you can have a conversation at normal speaking levels all the way across the building.  

Mimi wasn't quite sure what to make of it until she heard her Papa, who was miles away, talking to her as if he were right there.  She squealed.  She giggled.  She said, "Hey!  Papa!"  She knew what was happening shouldn't be happening and it fascinated her.  That's the first step to loving science, I think.

We eventually made our way out of the museum and finished up our day with a stroll around the Palace of Fine Arts grounds.  

Mimi had a wonderful time out at the Exploratorium.  And her Papa?  Well, he made sure they'll be back.  He couldn't help but get a membership.  

No Excuse, But I'll Give You One Anyway

As the title says, there's no legitimate excuse for my lack of posts over the past two weeks, but I'm going to give you one anyway.

Several weeks ago I entered the composition cycle of my new job.  In short, I'm writing content for college courses day after day after day.  When I come home all I can do is sit with my girls, have some dinner, and zone out.  It's hard to find the inspiration to write.

But there's a problem.  I really miss sharing Mimi's story with everyone.  I love going back through the photos we take each week and reliving the little traumas and triumphs.  To keep the ball rolling and Mimi's story on the front page, I'll have to change my post style a bit.

Over the past year I've tried to compose each post as a threaded narrative.  There's usually a central theme running through each one.  Looking at the poor quality of the writing on this blog you may think that such stories come quickly but, unfortunately, I'm rather slow.  To keep the posts coming, I'm going to stick more to pictures.  I hope that's OK.  I know that's why most of you are here, anyway.

Mimi has taken a cue from her mother and father (we hope) and started parenting her "friends" Bear, NyanNyan, WanWan, and Baby.  She particularly likes putting them down for naps.  This is always quite cute, but sometimes she makes a bit of a mess.  Here's what's left of our hallway carpet.  

She doesn't just help her friends, though.  She likes to lend Mama and Papa a hand when she can as well.  Here's Mimi hosing down the BMW the other day.  

She didn't always have the best aim.  

Well, let me rephrase that.  Mimi didn't always have the best aim when it came to the car.  When the poor pizza delivery guy walked by, though, she nailed him square in the chest.  Sorry pizza delivery guy.

If you've turned on PBS anytime over the past month or two you'll know it's Julia Child's 100th birthday.  Sumie and I have been watching some of the specials and getting a kick out of seeing her in her prime.  She wasn't just a good cook, she was funny as hell!

We took her advice for a quick meal and whipped up some French omelets.  So very, very good.  Why I spent so many years of my life overcooking eggs I'll never know. 

Mimi approves of our "just-enough" approach to eggs.  Look at that face.  That omelet's so good she can't stand it.  

I'll do my best to post again soon.  I've a backlog of pictures that need to be shared.