We’ve had some recent get-togethers with new friends at our home. Last weekend Liz & Drew & kids, Nicole & Mike, and Catherine & Tyler came over for pizza, Wii, and MST3K. We’ve had them all over before for lasagna or shish kabobs and anime, games, and MST3K previously as well. It’s nice to spend time with other couples and I’m so glad we’re getting to know people over here. Mostly everyone we spend time with right now we know from church. Everyone has been so great to us there and I’m really enjoying getting to know other people in the church. Matt’s ushering and I’m working in the nursery now and we’ve opened up and are being more sociable than we ever were in California. There have been some fun picnics and fellowship potlucks lately that have been really good times.

Rhino is doing well. He’s making a lot of really funny faces lately and flashing us huge, toothy grins. He flails his arms all the time, both in joy and frustration. I think he’s getting ready to get mobile — he thrashes around more when he’s on his stomach or tries to climb up me if I’m sitting with him. He sits up on his own flawlessly and is now gently leaning forward and getting onto his tummy on his own from the sitting position. He’s eating yummy mushed peas, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes mostly along with some baby oat cereal. He’s practicing pinching and self-feeding with sweet potato puffs. He’s doing really well with picking them up between his forefinger and thumb (or thumb knuckle) and putting them in his mouth. I had also been giving him chilled baby carrots for a while to teethe on. He really enjoys holding the little carrot, holding it up and showing it to me, waving it around like he’s conducting an orchestra, etc. He’s getting so much better at chewing, he will pretty much demolish (and eat!) a baby carrot. Of course, I’m always sitting with him to make sure he doesn’t bite off a chunk that he could choke on, but really he just kind of grates the side of the carrot with his teeth so the pieces are really small and he can swallow them easily. He really has the best time with the carrot, too — I think they’re his favorite toy!

We haven’t really been doing too much else lately. Matt is back on a day schedule. His new term is starting up this week (he’ll be taking a math class online and hopefully tomorrow will be signing up for another class to satisfy his CCAF requirements.) Tomorrow through Sunday our church is having a world missions conference, which we’re looking forward to attending. School is going slowly for me, but it’s going. And that’s about all! We’ve been pretty dull lately. It’s been raining a lot, so we haven’t gotten out too much. I’m really itching to go on a hike soon and get some pretty pictures before it starts to get too cold. Hopefully we have a nice, dry weekend someday soon!

We relaxed for a while and watched Japanese TV in massaging chairs, then got a bite of ramen at a cafe. Nobody we talked to spoke any English at all, so we sort of picked something to eat at random. So we had our first Japanese meal. Rhino had a snazzy airport stroller in which we carted him and our bags around.

The flight to Misawa was pretty quick. We flew over some snowy mountains and the water, but it was dark by the time we landed, so we didn’t get to see too much else. When we landed there were three guys from Matt’s work waiting for us. Matt’s sponsor, Pete, took all our luggage in his van and we rode with Andre to the base. They took us to billeting, where we were told we may be staying for about a month. They took a list of groceries and ran to the store to get us a few things to eat for the next few days.

Misawa Inn from Melissa on Vimeo.

Tuesday morning Pete picked Matt up to go to work and take care of some paperwork. They showed back up at billeting to pick up me and Rhino to go have lunch at the BX food court. Then Matt went to housing to sign up for a house. They came back and got me when he was given keys to look at our new place. They pick one house as a first choice. If we decline that one, they give us a second choice. If we decline the second one, then we can no longer stay in billeting on the Air Force’s tab and need to find a place off base. We checked out our first choice. It’s on the bottom floor of a quadplex. It’s two bedrooms and has a washer and drier and a yard. It’s bigger than our old apartment and I like it quite a bit. So Matt got an appointment for Friday to accept the place and set a move-in date. Apparently we have to wait for FMO to move in some temporary furniture while we wait the 3 months for ours to arrive.

Wednesday Matt took care of a few more appointments and briefings, he and I both attended a driving class (to learn how to read the traffic signs and drive on the left) and received our Japanese driving licenses, I got a new ID, and then we had dinner over at Pete’s house. We met his wife and three kids, took a walk to the beach, and had some steaks and squash. It was a nice time and I think we’re going back over there for a barbecue this weekend.

Today we went out to dinner at Sukiya for some beef and rice bowls off-base. I think it’s a Japanese fast food place. They had about 500 menu choices and what we had was pretty good.

Then we went car shopping. We had looked at a few of the cars at the base lemon lot. They tend to be a little cheaper when sold by other military members moving on. Japan has this insurance called JCI that is good for 2 years and transferable with the vehicle. It gets to be about $1000 when you have to buy it. So, when car shopping on base, we were looking for cars that still had plenty of time left for JCI. There were some nice ones, but we heard that the lots off-base had full JCI and warranties and 0% interest. We also wanted a car that we wouldn’t have to worry about too much. You can get cars for extremely cheap or free here, but we didn’t want to have to deal with lots of repairs and issues. So we chose a ’97 Honda off a lot off base. It’s a bit pricier than on base (but still much cheaper than in the US), but we have the warranty and the 2 years JCI, which makes a difference to us. Japan is having a bunch of holidays this week (Shōwa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day & Children’s Day) so the title won’t be transferred until they’re over, on the 7th. So they loaned us a little car in the meantime. It’s nice to have our own car than to rely on Matt’s sponsor.

There are more photos here!

Today you are now one month old! It has definitely been the most amazing month of my life. Your birth was the most beautiful event I’ve taken part of. Labor was hard, but Daddy and I were well prepared. The very second you were born all the pain drained out of me and I was filled only with love and joy. Daddy and I screamed with excitement and cried tears of happiness as we held you for the first time. It was definitely love at first sight.

The month has flown by so quickly. Daddy had ten days off work when you were born so he could take care of us. And you had a lot of visitors! Aunt Jen, Daddy’s sister, was also here to help out and spend time with you. She decorated our apartment for your arrival, took a lot of pictures of you, and helped Daddy and I out a whole lot. When you were almost two weeks old Grammy, my mommy, came to visit you from Colorado. We took you out to a restaurant for the first time (Chinese food), went to Santa Barbara, had your first bath, and had your two-week pediatrician visit. Grammy also helped Daddy and I out tremendously by cooking some yummy dinners and doing lots of cleaning. While she was here, you went to church for the first time and were dedicated to the Lord. There was a little ceremony in front of the whole congregation where our friend and church elder, Jim, said a very nice prayer for you. Grammy had the video camera to record the whole thing. She did a terrific job and we were very pleased to have a video of the event to share with people who couldn’t make it. But when we got home to look at the video, we found that Grammy never actually was recording! She felt very bad, but it funny now and there will be plenty of videos of you in the future! The day after Grammy left, Grandma and Grandpa (Daddy’s parents) flew in from New York. They brought lots of gifts from family and church members back there. While they were visiting you were held and played with all the time. A bunch of ladies from church also threw you a party where you got so many clothes and nice things! When Grandma and Grandpa left, we got a little break from guests to just spend time with you alone. Then yesterday Pop, my daddy, came in from Texas to meet you. You, Pop and I took another trip to Santa Barbara to pick up your birth certificate and go out for pizza. We also visited the base where Daddy works. Today is my 25th birthday, so Pop took us all out for a nice dinner where you were very good! Pop will be here a few more days before going back to Texas. Other than family members, my friend Denna and her 18-month old son Tyler came to meet you. Tyler loved spending time with you, holding you (with me), patting, and kissing you. You also met people from church who have come over and you have been to our weekly Bible study. You sure have had an exciting month of meeting new people!

You sleep a lot and don’t cry very much. Sometimes you sleep in the bassinet, but usually you sleep with us. I didn’t used to think we’d want you to sleep in the bed with us, but now I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love cuddling up together as you feed, then drift off to sleep. I love even more waking up with you as you stretch and grunt yourself awake. You eat a lot and have grown so much! In the three days you were in the hospital when you were born you lost 10 ounces. By your one-week appointment, you gained it all back and then by your two-week appointment gained 9 more ounces! Everyone thinks you are going to be very tall, just like Daddy. Most people also say you look just like Daddy. I think it’s because you have dark hair like him. We looked at some pictures of me when I was about your age and were very surprised that you look a lot like I did. So now we think you look like both Daddy and I — you have the best of us in you!

Daddy and you are getting along very well! He was worried before that he wouldn’t know what to do, but he is an expert at taking care of you! He is a pro at diaper changes (and asks to do them to give me a break!), holds you in the shower while we clean you (yes, you take showers now!), and talks to you and plays with you all the time. You are very lucky to have such a wonderful, loving Daddy and we are so lucky to have such a sweet baby!

It is a very exciting time for our new family. Daddy was supposed to be transferred to a new job just a couple weeks after you were born! The job is in Japan and that isn’t a good idea to move right away, so we asked to have it bumped back to the end of March. So now we are getting ready to move to Japan for about four years! Your grandparents aren’t quite as excited for us, because they just met you and now they are going to miss you a lot because you’ll be much farther away. We will take lots of pictures and videos of you for them and you have all ready used a video camera over the internet to talk to your grandparents. We will visit when we can and they will even come out to see you! Japan should be a very neat place. Daddy has always wanted to visit there and now we get to live there and see lots of new and exciting things!

We thank the Lord every single day for blessing us with you, such a beautiful, healthy boy. You have made us so happy and we are so excited to get to know you better and grow with you. We will do our very best to take care of everything you need, to love you completely, and to help you grow healthy and strong in body and in faith. We love you, Rhino. Thank you for making us a family!

Love,
Mommy

We’ve been doing just fine on our own. We’re about to have our families out to visit for a few weeks. Matt has had ten days of paternity leave from work and goes back on crew Saturday night. It has been nice to have him home to help out in the middle of the night, with taking care of things around the house, and doing diaper changes. We are doing just fine with sleep and get naps during the day when Rhino naps. Everything is going wonderfully and it has been so great getting to know our son!

Rhino, Asleep on Boppy

Mommy and Baby, Matching Pajamas

Matt with Rhino

Rhino on Tummy on Soft Blanket

Matt has been working mid-shifts, 5:30pm-6am. I was up late Tuesday night when my water started leaking and I had weak contractions. It was about 1:30am and I decided not to get too excited just yet — we could have a very long day ahead of us. I didn’t call Matt because I didn’t want him to come home until I needed him because I didn’t want his paternity leave to start just yet. Around 3:30am contractions were about 8 minutes apart and I couldn’t sleep through them. I was debating whether or not to call Matt or just wait a few more hours. Matt came home at 6 and we decided to try and get some rest. Of course, I couldn’t sleep more than a few minutes at a time. Matt got about an hour of sleep before I woke him. I called Barbara around 8 and told her I was feeling fine, but to stand by. She had spent a week in Kentucky and had just arrived back the previous day, very tired. I had been feeling decent, but from then on things started speeding up a lot. I called Barbara back at 9 to let her know she needed to hurry up. I was considering just skipping Santa Barbara and going to the Lompoc hospital instead. She assured me I had plenty of time, but she was still an hour away from us. Matt was great with every contraction and made sure to take care of me, give me plenty of water, rub my back, and keep me calm. I was encouraged to eat a little bit, so I made some oatmeal. Then I started getting sick with the contractions, which was quite a surprise. Barbara arrived around 10 and we pretty much left right away.

The drive to Santa Barbara is about an hour and I didn’t think that would be such a bad idea. Contractions were uncomfortable enough in a bed, they were even worse in the passenger’s seat of Barbara’s car. I was sick a few times along the way and had to pull over on the side of the 101 for an especially rough contraction. We showed up at the hospital at 11 and a nurse told me to take a seat in the waiting room. Sitting was the last thing I wanted to do, so I took my pillow and curled up on the floor. The man sitting next to me didn’t seem to mind. I was taken to the delivery room with the tub because I had requested to labor in water.

Matt with Melissa, laboring

The nurses knew how I felt about my doctor, that I was worried about him wanting to intervene to speed things up or try to push pain medication on me. After my first exam, the nurses asked him to go back to work and they would call him when the baby crowned. I was hooked up to the fetal monitor, supposedly for a 10-minute strip. With each contraction, Baby’s heart rate was dropping, so they kept me hooked up to keep on eye on it. I tried a lot of different positions to move Baby around, and eventually something worked. The tub was filled, but I was never able to get into it because I was on the monitor. I was still getting sick, so they put me on an IV to replenish all the fluids I had lost. Because my water had broken more than 12 hours previously, they also put me on antibiotics. When I arrived and had my first exam, I was 5 cm dilated. I focused a lot on relaxing and pretty much “played dead” most of the time. Keeping my eyes closed, keeping my breathing deep and regular, and staying quiet was the key for me. Supposedly I progressed really quickly for a first baby. By 2pm, I was complete and ready to push. I wanted to push when I felt the need and not have anyone tell me when. The pain was so much more tolerable by this point and each push was a relief. I hadn’t slept for over a day and didn’t have any food in me, so I was pretty exhausted. I pushed for two hours, which were probably the most tiring two hours I have ever experienced.

Meeting our son, “Rhino”

At 4:06 pm our son was born. I tore a little bit, but it wasn’t bad. Matt cut Rhino’s cord and then he was immediately placed on my chest to feed. He was really stuffed up with mucus and was having difficulty breathing, which made feeding really hard. They tried to unclog him with the aspirator, but it wasn’t enough. They suctioned him out with tubes, which helped him out a lot. I had some complications with the afterbirth and was on the table for another hour trying to get everything to detach. They kept talking of sending me in for surgery, which would have been really disappointing. To go through all that I had with no pain medication to have a natural birth, I really didn’t want to be put under for surgery. I prayed and pushed and, against all expectations of the nurses and doctor, at 5 finally I was finished. Matt had spent the hour with Rhino and Jen (who was present the whole time) and Barbara was there to support me. Because Matt had been up working all night, by 7pm he passed out in the waiting room. Barbara went home and Jen stayed with me to eat.

Hospital Family Photo

The birth center was great to us. Matt and I had our own private room with two beds and Rhino was able to sleep with us the whole time. The accommodations were comfortable and the nurses were wonderful and very helpful.

Melissa and Rhino

It was the most amazing day ever and I felt so empowered, energized, and ecstatic. Rhino is so beautiful and I fell in love instantly.

It was also nice to connect with some of the people from our small group, whom we haven’t seen since the Christmas Vaudeville show. Our group has been taking a break since we finished up the Salt & Light series before Thanksgiving and now that the holidays are over, we’ll be meeting back up again soon. Groups usually rotate members when a study finishes up, but we’ve pretty much been the same group (lost one couple) since we did the marriage study, but they want to keep the same group together until we leave for Japan, which is really nice. We have been at the church almost 3 years now, technically, and never really made a large effort to get to know people there. The group has been good for us and we really enjoy the other couples (although they joke around with us, since we are the only couple under 50!) So I’m looking forward to finally starting that back up, even though our schedule will be pretty packed in the near futur