For a child who is not yet 1 year old, 10 months is a long, long time. So much has changed since last I wrote, and yet, so much still remains the same (only with less sleep and more noise).
This morning represented a bit of a milestone for the wife and I, and so I decided it was time to revive the blog and share. Chris has always been a good sleeper. After 3 months, he was sleeping through the night. This was a blessing, well received. But, as is always the case with children, it came with a catch. Kuri (our Japanese nickname for Chris), would sleep through the night as long as we did not enter our bedroom, the location of his crib. We tried sneaking in for a week, but failed almost every night. Eventually, we chose sleep and retreated to the guest bedroom. The master bedroom, complete with full bath and walk-in closet, became the 4 month old's.
Yesterday, all that changed. Kuri slept the whole night through in his own room and Sumie and I, well, we slept through the night in our own bed for the first time in 6 months. It was a welcome change.
Since last I posted, Kuri has learned to sit up, clap, crawl, eat anything within reach, and smile, smile, smile. We're very proud of our little guy. So too are we amazed with Mimi. She's still, um, an "individual," be she loves her little brother like no one else.
Every morning, I feed Kuri his bottle as Mama gets dressed. After he's changed and dressed, we go in to get Big Sister. Mimi's usually grouchy when I wake her up by myself in the morning, but if I bring Chris, she comes up from her covers with a big smile.
Weekends find me out with the kids quite often. Between Mama's call schedule, and the need to take the kids out of the house to get it clean, Saturdays or Sundays are spent exploring Marin and Sonoma counties. A while back we went to the Famer's Market at the Marin Civic Center. It is awesome. They even have remarkable organic popsicles which can turn even the cutest girl into the Joker. Note the personality differences. Mimi looks mischievous. Kuri, he's laid back. That about sums the pair up.
About a month ago I experienced a milestone in easier child transport: being able to use the child seat in a shopping cart. Thank you, Costco, thank you for providing two.
Mimi's growing up fast, just like her little brother. She has lots of hobbies. Every day she draws at least 3-4 pictures for her Mama and Papa. She also likes mechanical things. At a children's sale we found a huge box of Capsela, a construction toy I loved as a child. We built our first car together, which Mimi has been racing around the house for the past several days. She's learning which capsule has the motor, and which has the gears.
Mimi's also taken up gymnastics. Saturday mornings now find Mimi jumping around a gym. She's not the best tumbler in the group, but she definitely brings the most excitement. Perhaps it's because her little brother is there to cheer her on.
Mimi also likes going for rides in Papa's new toy. Oddly, her favorite saying is "Not too fast, Papa!" I find this odd in that I drive slower than Mama in her VW Jetta. Kuri's still a bit young for a ride, but I can't wait to take him out. He loves the feel of the wind on his face, so I think he'll get a real kick out of cruising with the roof off.
Mimi already thinks she can drive. That's also something that will have to wait. When I asked her if she wanted me to teach her how to drive Papa's car, she surprised me. "No," she said, "I'll just have Kuri drive me around." Hmm, I wonder if she'll feel the same way in 12 years when she has her license.
As a family, we have less time, but we're having more fun. Here's a quick shot of playtime on Sunday afternoon. Kuri's starting to use some of Mimi's old toys (which causes its own unique problems). I was really proud of this pic. Partially because I love my family, but mainly because I was able to take it.
The first six attempts of the pic above ended up like this. Yes, Mimi is still Mimi.
Very thankful to be sharing my life with these three. I can't wait to see what the next milestone, for Mimi, Kuri, or even Sumie and me, will be.
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