kiko – Page 23 – d@vidb dot net

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.

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.

Noa’s First Week – Part #2

Happy 1 week!!! (Don’t worry, this won’t be a regular thing!) emoticon

As promised… here are some pictures of Noa from his 1st week in Japan (or anywhere!) from Kiko’s cellphone. I will begin with one of our favourite pictures so far…

Look… he’s sleeping. Because he is cute. And that’s what cute babies do…

That is all.

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.

A BIG Update

Not that big of an update. (baby wise anyways…) But it did take me a hell of a long time to get everything ready. So you best be reading this.

First of all, quite a few people have noted that this website has turned into a baby-watch. It’s true. Our visitors are up by about 8 times what they usually are. This will definitely be the first place pictures are posted (don’t get too excited!). I will be e-mailing in photos from the hospital and they should automatically get displayed online so you will know right around the same time I do.

Secondly, some of you may be seeing some weird crazy pages when you visit. Sorry! I’m trying to get 4.0 online so that when the baby comes it’s all ready to show you tons of pictures… ‘cuz that’s what you want to see… maybe. That’s what I want to see anyways. Besides, I figure that if you are actually visiting this site you have a vested interest in what Kiko and I are doing.. right? I suspect the baby will be a big part of what we are doing so you get to look at the billion pictures that I take (with our crappy camera. thanks everyone! emoticon )

At any rate, the reason this is a big update is because I am going to be sending up pictures that have been sitting here for ages. I have also updated some of the photo galleries. Expect all of this to be re-done in time for the baby … (lots of pictures, easy to read entries and other fun stuff!)

By the way, thanks for all of those who called/wrote to wish me a happy birthday. emoticon It meant a lot to me. (That’s the closest happy face I could find to a birthday hat…) to those who didn’t…. I’m not naming the baby after you.

So here goes…

Recenetly, in Takamatsu, at the Kagawa International Festa (weird, no homepage… but look here.) my Tug of War team took first place in all of Kagawa. Yes, I have a tug of war team. Yes, I was clearly the deciding factor in the win (laugh now, but I was the anchor and had some good skill. I beat other anchors who were three times my size.) We also destroyed the girl-scout team in the semi-finals. It was exciting…

Can’t get enough of all that Tug of War action? Getting excited by that Tug of War pose I have? Look here for more pictures.

Last (maybe) but not least, remember the Halloween Party? (Of course you do.) Well I also had a Halloween event in my town on November 6th (the greatest day to have a Halloween party.) With the help of my good friends Nikki and Jim (thanks Jim!) we took 25 elementary kids (only 10 signed up) and got them to cut tiny ass little green Japanese pumpkins into something resembling a jack’o’lantern. It also marked the first time in my life where I have ever made my own pumpkin (all by myself.) … Here are a few choice scenes. Go here for the entire album (my pumpkin is the one on the chair with the candles in it!)

Damn it! I knew I was forgetting something…. in one of my kindergarten classes I recently received a love note. It was really really cute. A little 4 year old girl (named Madoka) came up to me after class and handed it to me. I was going to read it but then she said I should put it in my pocket and read it when I was alone… emoticon crazy…

I will translate:

David-sensei (teacher): I love you. Let’s keep studying English together.

Please make note that she went to the extra special effort to write from left to right instead of right to left (so that my white brain could understand…)

That is all… maybe the next update will be baby news?

Kiko @ 10 months!

10 months!??! Those advanced Japanese people. Babies in Japan gestate (??) for 10 months.

Not really … I bet you believed me for a 2nd, right??! (I actually thought this was the case when I was first told about this 10 month deal.) No, actually they start counting from an earlier date and the baby is said to be in the womb for 10 months.

Backwards little yellow people? Advanced future overlords? I’ll leave it to you to decide.

At any rate, here is the beautiful Kiko at 10 months (or 2 weeks from the due date.) See how nice she looks? emoticon (I’m happy by the way.. that’s my picture face.)

Halloween Party

The Famous Potato Festival

This entry was actually entitled "Update on Kiko" but she didn’t like the photo I was going to upload. She promised I could post one tomorrow, so expect an update tomorrow. She looks… umm… big. But cute…

Anyways… yes, it’s the Potato Party. Remember how Kiko used to work at one of my schools? Well they invited us back for a Potato Party. The actual translation was "The Honourable Potato Party"… but well… umm… that’s stupid.

Now what do you do at a potato party you ask?

Well, first you take cut-up sweet potato, put them on Ritz crackers with whip cream, add some more whip cream and sprinkle liberally with chocolate chips and sprinkles emoticon

Potato Party

Then what do you do? (Do you really have to ask?) You have a potato quiz, sing the potato song and talk about potatoes. (He is pointing at a sign that says "Potato Quiz" by the way.

Potato Party

You’re jealous right? And why shouldn’t you be.

Daily Updates?

Do you know difficult it would be for me to update this site daily? Not that I don’t have the chance.. (I do!) – I check it everyday… It’s more of the fact that I don’t have enough stuff to write about.

How many times can you look at a picture of some vegetable we have grown, or how big Kiko has gotten? emoticon

That being said… expect (more) regular updates coming soon. The last few months have been busy with the site re-design, but both Kiko and I have decided to focus more on writing stuff. That being said, when the baby comes expect more baby pictures than you will ever want to look at.

In the meantime, look at this crazy huge Sweet Potato I grew. Are you jealous? (and admire the beautiful model…) emoticon (yes… I am sweet.)