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Our New Years in Tanegashima

How exactly was our New Years in Tanegashima?
We figured your might be interested so I put up a few pictures to show you how it all went. Being from a more rural island, Kiko’s family was very into tradition, so we did a number of things from making rice cakes, to planting pine trees at the entrance of doorways, to visiting a shrine (or temple… or something). Noa has grown quite a bit in the 3 weeks since we have been here and has put on a lot of weight. He is getting stronger and is becoming quite expressive.

We hope you enjoy the pictures!

New Years in Tanegashima

We also thought you might like my brilliant photography. If you have any complaints, its the camera’s fault. seriously. im perfect.

Noa : Up close and personal

Happy New Year … & stuff…

Ug…. this is coming a little bit later than I hoped but,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! emoticon

明けましておめでとうございます！

I am going to try not to cry as this is the second time I am writing this (stupid browser crash!), but suffice it to say we want to wish everyone a very very happy new year. Things have been quite hectic here as we are getting ready to leave Kiko’s island (we are going back to Kagawa today!!) and Noa has been keeping us quite busy. We are both looking forward to going back to Kagawa, but Kiko is going to miss her family and the help that have been giving to Noa. We aren’t very excited about the 20cm of snow and 6 degree house waiting for us there either…

Other than that, things are quite good! Noa is doing well (I’ll send pictures!) and we have been very busy preparing the new website. I know I have been saying this for the better part of 6 months, but the website is almost done! People have seen it and I think it looks quite good. In the next few days it should be up and should make it easier to update, a lot more interactive and fun for you guys, and be chalk full of photo galleries chronicling our lives over the past 2 years (with regular photo gallery updates!). So look forward to that!

A little bit of upsetting news however… we spent about 1 billion hours making Christmas cards and 年賀状 (nengajou) for pretty much everyone we know. Apparently only about 20% have arrived…! I am hoping that this is on account of the holiday season and the fact that we sent them fro Kiko’s island in the middle of the Pacific (I made that up.. I don’t know what Ocean we are in!) but expect them soon. In the meantime here is the christmas card you will be receiving, with a special note written in chicken scratches by me on the back. Enjoy!

That’s about it for now. Expect a whole lot of excitement/pictures/changes in the next few weeks here at davidandkiko.com. We also look forward to an exciting 2006 with lots of changes for the website, us (job/where we live), and of course for Noa, who is on track to be a strapping handsome young boy (which is no surprise considering who his pappy is.)

We really appreciate everyone who keeps visiting the site and look forward to chatting with you through the comments and the chat box, etc.

In the meantime, go get skype. get it now. best thing ever. ask mike.
love,
David & Kiko & Noa

Substance…

Once again the people have spoke… and I have listened.
"We want to know more about Noa."
"What is he doing?" "What is he like?"

"We want more substance in your posts."

Ok. I get it. Here is a general idea of how Noa works.

Noa Kenichiro Bennett

Lots of arm flapping. He really likes the flapping.
He is attentive and loves to be held.
He likes musical instruments.
He flaps his legs when he is bored of flapping his arms.
He has learned to smile!

First things first, he is a very advanced baby. I am not joking. He has been able to hold his own neck up since he was born. He is very good at sucking things. He can sort of pick things up. He has developed a sense of security when you hold his hand. He can smile when he is happy.

Now I don’t know much about babies, but from what I have been told, these are all characteristics of a 2 to 3 month old baby. Way to go Noa!

Now, a little bit more about our time in Tanegashima.

Here is Noa has been able to meet his 3 cousins. Hina, Kana, and Shuichiro. They love him a lot and even 10 month old Shuichiro is very gentle around Noa.

The following are some pictures of Noa’s first plane ride, his time in Tanegashima, and spending time with his cousins.

This last picture is of Noa and Shu chillin’. (after Kiko made them lie down together.)

Omiyamairi – お宮参り

I was scouring the internet trying to find a few sites that I could link to for information, but no such luck. It looks like I’m in charge of explaining what we put Noa through.

Here goes.

In Japan, 32/33 days after the baby is born (depending on whether it is a boy or a girl), the child is taken to a shrine where an “ujigami” lives. An ujigami is a god that lives in a shrine and has the role of protecticing babies. (I made that last part up… but I think it’s true.)

So anyways, you dress the baby up in a a little white dress, slap on a baby kimono, and you are set. The child is taken to the shrine where a Priest waves a magic tree branch over him and he is blessed. It’s kind of like a christening without the water and with lots of magic. The shinto priest recites a prayer for the health of your baby and then -poof- it’s done.

Noa slept through most of it. The ceremony was only about 10 minutes long, and followed by family pictures. They were professionaly shot so when they are done I will send them up.

In the meantime, have a look at Noa in his hot baby dress.

Merry Christmas … from the future

Merry Christmas!

I have finally figured out how to upload some pictures from here on Tanegashima, so expect some new pictures of us and what we have been up to over here.

Our Christmas is pretty much done over here. We are 14 hours ahead of Toronto remember? Not only that, but we had our Christmas on the Christmas eve as opposed to Christmas day, which made it that much more futurey.

Here are some pictures of our first Christmas on Tanegashima, and Noa’s first Christmas ever.

We have tried to send out Christmas cards this year, but with the baby and the traveling and the baby, it didn’t work as well as we would have liked. Everyone who is visiting the site, family, friends, and the occasional people we don’t know, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We miss you tons and will do our best to keep in better touch in the New Year (except for the people who we don’t know. um…. hi?) Please keep visiting the site to find out what we are up to and to keep in touch. Expect some changes in the New Year.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. The baby Noa will keep crying until he gets more presents. The baby Noa also wants me to let you know he accepts paypal.

love, David, Kiko, and Noa.

Where does Noa sleep?

Everyone asks where Noa sleeps.

He sleeps on the floor. On a futon. Like a good Japanese boy.

But it is a cute, Miffy futon. Look? See for yourselves where we sleep.

Look at how cute his bed is!! That and it also costs almost 4 times as much as our bed cost. Crazy Japanese baby futons.

And this is how he sleeps:

He is very talented. And heres some cute pictures for good measure.

Look how sweet they look. emoticon I said that because I am sweet.

What you really want.

That was an exciting Noa post. Now more about me.

I recently had a conference in Tokyo (right after Noa got out of the hospital) where we did CIR stuff. Here is a picture of other CIR’s from Shikoku.

cir midyear conference.jpg

Damn, that picture is huge.

Here is a letter I got from one of my students in my English class. She is a very sweet older lady who just started studying English a few years ago. She is amazing! She wrote me a very kind note about the birth of my baby. (Thank you!)

yoshiko hirao's baby letter.JPG

And finally… the sweater incident.

Let’s just say it involved my favourite sweater, a christmas party, and a candle. and sadness. deep sadness. emoticon

The business that is my life

So everyone says you get really busy when you have a baby… they weren’t joking. Funny thing is, its not just the baby. It seems like a billion things are all happening at once.

A baby. Lots of crying. Lots of staying awake. Lots of throwing up. (its gross.)
JET Program PR Video

This is a little bit more interesting. I have been selected as one of 6 people to be in the JET program introduction video. This video will be sent around Japan and around the world to show people what the JET program is about and to encourage new recruits.

Basically this means that I have a video crew of about 7 people following me wherever I go. Here in Chunan 7 people is more than I get for most of my classes/activities/events. It makes for some exciting times…. When the video is done I will try and get some clips up.

It also doesn’t help that my house is like 5 degrees. emoticon My computer room doesn’t have a heater so that plays a big role in me not updating the website. I have a ton of pictures/videos (mostly Noa related) to put up… hopefuly I will get it up soon. davidandkiko 4.0 is also being redone after a few problems appeared in the picture album… but it should be good.

Ok, here are some new pictures. I will get off my ass and get some more albums/photos and some videos up soon! We will be ordering our new camera soon, so expect even better pictures in the next few weeks.

Here are some pictures of Noa and I, and Noa and Kiko’s Mom.

emoticon

Still at the hospital

So here’s what I am going to do. Some of you want more Noa pictures. (Ok, I’m lying… anyone that has bothered to contact me wants more Noa pictures…) (Thanks!! emoticon )

So, I am going to setup a gallery/page for Noa only pictures. It will be updated regularily (because that’s what new parents do… take pictures of their babies!) so you can see how he is doing. If you don’t want the clutter, the main page will still be about us (including Noa stuff) but not only Noa.

This way you get lots of Noa pictures (if you want) and you can still come to read about Kiko, Noa, and I. (which is why you are here… right?)

Until Noa and Kiko I will be posting new pictures of Noa and Kiko here!

Shh… don’t tell anyone… but expect video soon.

Why is his face so red? He enjoys pinching and scratching his eyes and cheeks. He also enjoys sleeping with his hands in his ears. He is a special boy.

More Noa

I cave to what the people want. (Or what I want to give the people.)

Kiko and I will be putting up more photos when I get some sleep. But worry not! This will not turn into a Noa-only website. Expect to see lots of stuff from all of us over the next few weeks. (That being said, this is also a good place to get lots of Noa pictures as well.)

"waaahhh.. give me books!"

… and send presents. I spoke with Noa and for his birthday he wants presents: English books, CD’s, anything that will enable him to communicate with you!

Here are some pictures… enjoy!

Kiko is fine and anxious to get some so we can spend time together as a family.

And yes, I recognize how studly I look in that picture above. It was either that picture (which favours Noa), or the one below, which favours me. I chose the one above (the mark of a good father.)

She currently has Noa captive with her in the hospital.

That is all.

Love, David, Kiko, & Noa.