Back to "Japan"

Nihon e ikitai desu. Nihon e ikitai desu. Istu? Ima. Mochiron. Ikimasenka? Ikimashou!

It's been a year since we have set foot in our beloved Japan. And, while we enjoy living stateside now, we do miss LOTS of things about our lives in Kyoto.

Thanks to Pa, this Christmas, we were lucky enough to be able to return to "Japan" for a day.

With grandparents chomping at the bit for an extended babysitting opportunity and two fellow fun-seekers (Charlie and Erin) to share the day with, we headed out on an Asian Adventure in New York City.

Our first stop was Katagiri. Chris says that they are the oldest Japanese grocer in New York City. Sugoi desu ne! We stocked up on lots of Japanese favorites that we hadn't been able to find in the US - (real) Udon and soba noodles, Pocky, Sansai (Kyoto mountain vegetables), Tonkatsu sauce, (good) gyoza sauce, and kabocha, a Japanese pumpkin that my Dad said looked like a calabasa. Yum!! They even had a fridge full of C.C. Lemon!

Just in case we didn't have enough authentic groceries in our bags, we hit another Japanese grocer - JAS Mart. This shop was larger, but carried more snacks and non-food items as opposed to fresh foods. I was excited to find so many brands of canned Japanese coffee. Also, they carried the dehumidifying pouches and containers for drawers and closets. Not that I need them in the middle of dry winter, but I got a few anyway for when warmer wetter weather prevails!

Next, on the recommendation of my friend Dan, we went to Ippudo, a New York branch of a popular Japanese ramen chain. Even though we arrived before 5pm, there was still a bit of a wait. This place was SO popular, and rightfully so. Our ramen was **amazing!** Chris and Charlie both got the special and Erin and I both got the Akamaru-modern. Following the traditional custom we all ordered "Kae-dama onegaishimasu!" - a second helping of noodles for our ramen broth. As we were leaving, the lines of hungry diners filled the bar, lobby and poured out onto the street. Clearly, being early was the way to go.

Our final stop was Duet 35 - an authentic Japanese karaoke place near Penn Station. Japanese karaoke is so much cooler than a typical American karaoke bar because instead of putting your name on a long list only to have to then sing in front of a room of strangers, you get your own private room with a big screen TV and microphones for just you and your friends! We met up with a bunch of Charlie's friends there- all of whom were excellent singers. :)



Another fun feature, you can order drinks and snacks to be brought to your room. Chris and I each ordered one Kahlua Milk drink just like we did on most singing occasions with Muraki-mama, Sayaka and Dominikus! Natsukashii desu ne! Plus, the drinks made everyone sing (and hear) better! We stayed for over two hours, until our vocal chords begged us to hop on the next train home.

What a fun and nostalgic day! For the record, not having to take a 15 hour flight to enjoy these Japanese foods and activities is AMAZING! Anyone up for a repeat adventure?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Can you tell that Christmas makes us happy? X-mas definitely agreed with X-man. :)

Seven Months Old

Today, X-man is seven months old. As usual, we are shocked and amazed by the continual passing of time.

This month was jam packed with exciting baby milestones. It's possible that more "firsts" occurred in the last few weeks than in the first six months combined!

Xavier celebrated his First Thanksgiving. He also "enjoyed" his first set of holiday road trip traffic. It took over eight hours to get to Baltimore! But, it was definitely worth it. We had so much fun staying with Sara, Julian, Catriona and Gareth. During this trip, Xavier also got to see his Rasmussen Grandparents again and meet his Great Grandfather - Pa. Of course, we took some great "Four Generations of Rasmussen Men" photos. On the way back home, we stopped in NY to see my parents and joined in the festivities of the traditional post-Thanksgiving dessert party with my cousins. Sadly, X-man was already asleep by the time guests arrived.

In other seasonal milestones, Xavier witnessed his first few snowfalls this month. Nothing huge, but enough to coat the world in white and be really beautiful for a few days! Plus, it was a great chance to go outside while wearing his super cute snowsuit. (Thanks again Sean and Kerry!)

Xavier had his first introduction to solid foods on 12-1-2009. He had rice cereal and was not all that impressed. Later in the month we also introduced sweet peas (hates them) and sweet potatoes (likes them). We can sometimes fool him into a few more bites by hiding peas inside a spoonful of sweet potatoes.

As you saw in an earlier post, Xavier had his first haircut on 12-5-2009. He did fine and looked so handsome once it was over. With his hair growing skills, I wonder how long the cut will last?
Another milestone moment was the eruption of his First Tooth. The lower right front tooth appeared on 12-15-2009.
Xavier's likes and dislikes this month remain pretty much the same. But, moving teething up to the top of the dislike list is in order. While we wait for teeth 2, 3 and 4 to erupt, poor Xavier and his swollen gums are trying to be patient. He manages the discomfort by pulling on his ear, chewing EVERYTHING in sight, and sticking out his tongue. High energy distracting, especially in the form of silly sounds, songs and dances also seems to help. A new favorite is the vibrating grapes teether shown in the photo above. Its great! He likes playing with the ladybug on the handle and biting it all day. Plus, it doesn't matter if it it loses its chill like other teething rings.

X-man's First Haircut

It seems that one of Xavier's best talents is growing hair. It finally reached the scruffy point of no return - hair extending past his eyes, past his ears, and creating a baby mullet in the back. It was time for his First Haircut!

We went to Scissor Kids, a salon nearby that specializes in haircuts for babies and kids. There were novelty chairs shaped like cars, trucks and horses. Xavier was feeling a little too wiggly that day though, so he sat on my lap for his haircut this time. They even had tiny smocks with cute designs. Xavier's had zoo animals on it - very appropriate since he brought Sophie, his giraffe, and his little orange lion with him to the salon.

During the haircut, which took less than ten minutes, there were no tears at all - neither from mommy nor baby. We both did so well! Lisa, his stylist, was impressed by his big kid bravery and his big kid hair. She guessed that his hair will grow in even more thick and full as he ages based on the growing pattern she saw now. Not a big surprise given how much hair all the rest of us have in this family!
They gave us a "Baby's First Haircut Certificate", complete with a lock of hair and a photo. Now that his first haircut is done, what do we think of X-man's new look? We think he's more handsome than ever! Clearly, he, in all humbleness, agrees.

Twinkle Toes

Check out the sweet kicks that I found for Xavier on babysteals.com. These shoes are SO cute! They were on special for 54% off. Plus they keep his toes warm, which is perfect for winter in Connecticut. Lucky little man.

Baby Zagat

Court Street Cafe

Food = 2/30

Decor = 28/30

Service =13/30

Cost = $0

The "less than astronomical" cost of eating here makes this establishment ideal for "deal-seeking" babies in Central Connecticut. Keep in mind, "you get what you pay for" though. The “service can be hit-or-miss” and the waitstaff seems to take it as their personal mission to make sure you finish (or at least attempt to finish) your meal. This makes for a "less than pleasant" dining experience. The Precious Planet highchair decor was both "comfortable and entertaining." The suction cup animal toy set up for diners at each table was a "charming touch" that added to the restaurant's overall ambiance. Just a “touch above ok”, diners may leave feeling "unimpressed" by the sparse menu consisting of their "signature dish" of rice cereal and nothing more.

Six Months Old

On November 22 Xavier turned six months old! We're not sure where the time is going, but it is getting there in a fast and very fun manner!

We've made some slow but positive progress this month on the sleeping front. Primarily using the strategies outlined in "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, we kept moving Xavier's bedtime earlier and earlier until he started to sleep through the night with more consistency. Daylight savings time helped us out nicely with this. We got to make a 90 minute change with only 30 minutes of "effort". Bedtime is between 6:30 and 7:00 these days and X-man wakes up 1-2 times each night while logging 10-12 hours of sleep. Much better than last month! Naps are still a challenge most days, but we're taking things one step at a time.This was his last full month of nursing exclusively. I am both excited and a little apprehensive about introducing his first foods soon. If he likes solids even half as much as he likes milk, we'll have an eating champ on our hands.

Each week our little social butterfly becomes even more interactive. In addition to clearly loving people, he has finally noticed his "brothers" of the feline persuasion. He will laugh and squeal at the cats, and always smiles when Ventura walks into a room or pays attention to him. A Venty sighting will even (temporarily) stop a meltdown. Yeah! His repertoire of sounds has increased a lot this month, but so far, most of the "words" he uses resemble cute pterodactyl noises more than human ones.
At night, we have transitioned from using our beloved Pea Pod swaddle to a fleece sleep sack. Xavier seems very glad to have his hands at his disposal at night. Sometimes, he can grab his paci and successfully put it in his mouth. This is a key skill to have. Other nights, he will find his tiger lovey and snuggle and hug it to soothe himself. It's SO cute!

Getting one last milestone in just under the wire, X-man began rolling in both directions (front to back and back to front) on his six month birthday. And, now there is no stopping him. He constantly rolls to reach toys, to get a better view of us or the cats and to try to sneak a peek at the TV or the computer screen. Illegal activity, mister! :) He is also working on sitting up unassisted. He can sort of sit up for a few seconds and then he either lists to one side, folds in half at the waist (sometimes using his arms to support himself and other times going way beyond "nose to knees") or falls over completely (which can be painful when he topples headfirst onto a toy!)
Pat-a-cake, baths and eating continue to be favorite activities. New favorites are singing "Pop goes the Weasel" (he anticipates the "Pop!"), watching the "Magic Flower" paper toy as we open and shut it, playing with his frog castanet toy from Nadine in Japan, getting "thrown" up in the air, (don't worry - we don't actually let go, we only play this over a soft surface and we are careful to mind his head and neck) and being kissed on his chest/tummy on the count of three. He will usually be laughing by "2" before the kisses land!

He also likes chewing on everything, "standing", being held upside down and watching the leaves when we go for walks. He does not like the wind.His six month stats from his pediatrician appointment on 11/30 were 16 lbs, 14 oz, 28" tall and 45cm in head circumference. (He weighed 16 lbs, 4.6 oz on 11/24 - Can you guess when his growth spurt occurred?)