tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post5421702738697239201..comments2023-03-13T22:51:22.822+09:00Comments on Rehearsal Times Over: Universal Cosmic Protection Plancoarse gold girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06004484019542589905noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-67722897902641002342010-01-15T08:55:02.702+09:002010-01-15T08:55:02.702+09:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-7592141518897086102007-05-31T10:45:00.000+09:002007-05-31T10:45:00.000+09:00I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm in awe that you h...I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm in awe that you have the strength to share your experience. I've hd 3 miscarriages but can't talk too much about them, although it's much easier now that Julian is here and that overwhelming fear of never having kids has abated.<BR/><BR/>I have to tell you what a hypocrite I am. I always scoop out the raw egg from my noodles and whatnot, but I have no problem eating raw cookie dough! To be honest, raw egg is a lot yummier than that half-cooked stuff they serve. Oyakodon and whatnot just grosses me out.<BR/><BR/>What To Expect When Your Expecting is scary- and so is The First Year. I need to ignore it but I can't help worrying.Perogyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01066575445602451389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-91818380952907348072007-03-03T06:02:00.000+09:002007-03-03T06:02:00.000+09:00Hi Laura,I was very moved by your posting. What an...Hi Laura,<BR/>I was very moved by your posting. What an incredible writer you are! The way you tell your story sucked me right in from the first sentence--all the way to the end. I don't know why you don't write for a living!<BR/><BR/>DianeDiane. N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16474310798983119916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-2231231104314803252007-02-26T10:09:00.000+09:002007-02-26T10:09:00.000+09:00LOL. I am actually a dual citizen of Canada and th...LOL. I am actually a dual citizen of Canada and the USA but I`ve never actually lived in the US so I consider myself Canadian through and through. I definately picked up the British/Australian lingo from friends here in Japan. My LSF (lovely Scottish Friend) is so funny and has the BEST sayings. The latest being "Hashi Bashi", it means clumsy and falling all over the place. Don`t you love it?!! <BR/><BR/>"Snogs" is a great one too! :)Tigermamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07561410317253800677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-34675079353483317982007-02-25T22:24:00.000+09:002007-02-25T22:24:00.000+09:00Tigermama,By any chance, are you American? I am, ...Tigermama,<BR/><BR/>By any chance, are you American? I am, and it's funny how I had to come to live in Japan to learn British English! Although, to be fair, my two years living in Australia helped me pick it up too! But, my friends back home just think I am so affected and weird for saying things like "knackered", "bloody", "snogs", "nappy", "singlet" etc. LOL. Here's a confession: I prefer reading Harry Potter in the British version now than in the American versions. Okay. Maybe my friends are right and I am getting a little weird.coarse gold girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004484019542589905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-1798590191173688892007-02-25T21:19:00.000+09:002007-02-25T21:19:00.000+09:00Hi CGG,I loved the post too but I`m so knackered (...Hi CGG,<BR/><BR/>I loved the post too but I`m so knackered (word from Midori..hahaha) that I just can`t articulate a cohesive thought right now. So basically this comment is of no meaning...except to say that I read your WHOLE post and thoroughly enjoyed every word. Thanks for sharing so much about yourself and your experiences! :)Tigermamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07561410317253800677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-29202055662422794062007-02-25T08:14:00.000+09:002007-02-25T08:14:00.000+09:00Because my girls don't get sick very often and we ...Because my girls don't get sick very often and we don't have family histories of illnesses, I've only ever taken the girls to the hospital for ear infections, colds and mizuibo (warts!). I'm worried that if the girls develop something more serious that I will have conflict with how the doctor wants to treat the illness. I think they hospitalize (nyuin?) children here too much and for too long. My husband had back surgery when he was in high school and he stayed in the hospital for ONE MONTH! Half of it he spent in a bed hanging upside down. He said the whole experience was horrible. I'm hoping that this situation doesn't come up because I'll probably turn into some sort of control freak and add to the misconception that Americans in general are rude and difficult to work with. Yep. That'll be me!Sarah@mommyinjapanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01461367282447656731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-35827790705131677892007-02-24T23:23:00.000+09:002007-02-24T23:23:00.000+09:00Sarah,LOL That's funny! If a nurse had screamed N...Sarah,<BR/><BR/>LOL That's funny! If a nurse had screamed NO SEX at me as I was leaving the hospital I think I would have burst into hysterical laughter! <BR/><BR/>I have a friend who's husband is a Japanese doctor and when my second was given powder medicine as an infant I immediately called her and asked how I was supposed to get it in the breast fed only baby. I made it into a little paste with a drop or so of water and then stuck it on the roof of her mouth far in the back. Nearly gagged her and she DID NOT LIKE THAT, so I ended up hitting on the "ice cream" method too!coarse gold girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004484019542589905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-43172015058878284502007-02-24T22:37:00.000+09:002007-02-24T22:37:00.000+09:00I took Natsuki to the doctor when she was 3 months...I took Natsuki to the doctor when she was 3 months old because she had a cold right before we were taking a trip to Canada for Christmas. Even though I've received powder medicines for my other girls they were always older so I assumed that it was normal for kids over one. When they handed me powdered medicine for Natsuki I was dumbfounded. How was I supposed to feed this to a baby who only nurses? I knew if I asked then it would make things difficult so I ended up putting it in melted ice cream and feeding it to her with a syringe. She thought it was great. Then after she took the medicine she got worse so I stopped giving it to her. What a mess that was!<BR/><BR/>My last three girls were born in Japan and I decided that at the hospital I would do whatever they told me to do with a happy smile because I knew that when I got home I could do whatever I wanted. It helped me handle all the crazy stuff that came my way including an older nurse who was helping me check out and kept telling me loudly, "NO SEX, ONE MONTH, NO SEX"! I don't know what she thought I was thinking but at the time it definitely wasn't to rush home and have sex!Sarah@mommyinjapanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01461367282447656731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-33546300773933899392007-02-24T13:55:00.000+09:002007-02-24T13:55:00.000+09:00Sarah---LOL. That poor woman! I can just picture...Sarah---<BR/>LOL. That poor woman! I can just picture her in the maternity hospital, clutching new born baby girl and sessing out the midwives and nurses! I did that "is she still breathing?" thing with DD#1 too! Each and every time I wondered, "why did I just do that?" as I had to pick up, rock, cradle, nurse and beg DD#1 to go back to sleep. . . but I kept doing it! Have you ever read Edgar Allen Poe's short story, "The Imp of the Perverse"? something along those lines. . . <BR/><BR/>But it is so hard as an expatriate mother here. How about the first time they hand you powder and tell you to give it to your child? I am still so nervous about medicines here, even with my Japanese Health Handbook and concordance of Japanese/American medicines! Or when they want to give your baby an IV? or tell you that you shouldn't cover a new born's head or that you should plop baby into the hot ofuro just after birth? Cultural traditions and customs are difficult for any foreigner to adjust to, but it is really hard when you are trying to become a parent and parenting styles turn out to different!coarse gold girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004484019542589905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-13367685526350058212007-02-24T13:25:00.000+09:002007-02-24T13:25:00.000+09:00Yes! On one hand my husband is always telling me t...Yes! On one hand my husband is always telling me to calm down but then he'll get tense about other stuff that I don't see as a big deal. I worry a lot about teachers, too. Will they see in my children all the potential that I do or will they treat them weird because they're half?<BR/><BR/>It's not just me having a hard time, either. We had friends from college come to Japan to teach English with the JET program. When they got here they found out they were pregnant (after two years of trying - surprise!) and were a little nervous about having a baby here. The wife had been a nanny for five years and they had both been from large families so they felt pretty prepared to be a parents. Well, once that little girl was born they both freaked out. Even in the hospital she didn't want to put the baby in the nursery at night (which was a hospital rule) because she didn't know what they would do to the baby while she wasn't there (it's a good hospital with good reputation). Even though she was exhausted from a long labor she would stay up each night with the baby in the waiting room until a nurse came on that she felt she could trust. That fear took over everything. When the baby was 8 months old she started turning over in her sleep to sleep on her tummy. Even though the little girl was able to sit up on her own and had no other physical problems the mom was so freaked out that the baby would die while sleeping that she would wake up 2-3 times each night to check her which inevitably woke up the baby which meant she had to take an hour to rock her back to sleep. She kept this up for a month until she passed out one day from sheer exhaustion and her husband told her to cut it out. Since they moved back to the States they have calmed down a bit but their experience here has really left a mark on them.<BR/><BR/>Also, I love to read long posts so knock yourself out whenever you'd like!Sarah@mommyinjapanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01461367282447656731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-14887400496238254672007-02-24T10:49:00.000+09:002007-02-24T10:49:00.000+09:00Sarah! You deserve a prize. . . if only I had one...Sarah! <BR/>You deserve a prize. . . if only I had one around here that didn't come out of one of those ball toy machines! You read the "whole" thing! I was really hesistant to post this one as I thought it was just too too long for anyone to bother reading it! <BR/>I love what your mother told you about first borns. I will now deep breathe while reflecting on that myself! Thanks!<BR/>Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I didn't mention it in the essay but do you ever find yourself wondering if you are over stressing/over worrying about safety here in Japan just because it is, well a foreign country? In the states, I can take my girls through LA, Portland or Sanfrancisco (or even more impressively, FRESNO) feeling confident, I know my way around, I can "feel" and instinctively recognize safety and danger zones and situations, but here, when we were living in Osaka. . . I just never knew. . . good park? dangerous park? harmless men on lunch break? perverts on the prowl? harmless drunk? raging maniac?coarse gold girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06004484019542589905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137044632467935627.post-75665470824160707762007-02-23T22:24:00.000+09:002007-02-23T22:24:00.000+09:00Wow, what an amazing post. I want to respond to s...Wow, what an amazing post. I want to respond to so many of your thoughts but that would probably end up being as long as the original post and this is your blog, not mine!<BR/><BR/>You guys met in Portland? That's where we met, too. I lived in Portland from the time I was 13 until we moved to Japan. We lived near Rocky Butte off I-205.<BR/><BR/>Also, when I was pregnant with our first child after a year of trying to get pregnant I had spotting at 9 weeks. We went to the doctor who ordered an ultrasound. As we were leaving the clinic, our doctor came running out after us (which freaked me out) and she asked us, suddenly and out of breath, "When was the last time you had sex?". I couldn't even think of the answer. The three of us just stood there for at least 10 seconds staring at each other until my brain unfroze so I could answer her. Then she said, "OK", and went back in the clinic. I read later in What To Expect When Your Expecting that sometimes sex can cause spotting during pregnancy but at the time I was totally lost!!<BR/><BR/>Emi goes to Elementary School in April and even though it is only 3 blocks away I am not sure how I'm going to handle her going out into the world alone and unsupervised. My mom always says that your firstborn (that would be me) is the one who stretches and pulls the family in new directions. Sometimes I have to do deep breathing when I think about this kind of stuff. It's good to know that I'm not alone.Sarah@mommyinjapanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01461367282447656731noreply@blogger.com