This is not normal!! 普通じゃないかも！！

It was the 2nd week in Japan. We have been sight seeing almost everyday, but I felt like I was taking it easy once I got to Hokkaido.  I guess my baby was sending messages the whole time (my tummy was tight often). I just heard lots of friends (even Dr and nurses) saying how it is very common to feel tightness the whole pregnancy with baby #3, I thought I was feeling just normal! As I was getting ready for the day, I had this strange feeling that I shouldn't do what we had planned to do for that day and stay home. Now I know it was spirit whispering ;0) but I wasn't wise enough to listen to it. Josiah was leaving soon to the US, so I wanted him to see Japan as much as possible!

After I got kids ready to go to school, my tummy felt a lot tighter than usual! I really had to lie down... soon my lower back and my stomach started hurting, I felt like I had to cross my legs because I felt like my baby was coming down!! I knew that it was not normal. The feeling was not so usual. After laying for a while to see if things would calm down... I knew we'd better hurry to see the Dr.

日本に来てから1週目半くらいのことでした。日本についてからは休みなく毎日のように観光して、子供の時差ぼけのせいもあって全然眠れずって日が続いてました。でも、北海道の実家に来てからはハードスケジュールかって思えばそうでもないようなきは自分ではしてたのですが。体はそうは思ってなかったんでしょうかねぇ。友人や、主治医、看護士さんからも3人目はずっと張るからって言われてたのもあって、これは普通普通っておもってたんです。母にしては私を見てハラハラしてたって。その日も旦那を連れてちょっと遠くまで観光にって思ってて、色々朝から調べて、準備オーケーって思いながらも、なんかどこかで今日は家にいたほうがいいのかもなんて思いながら。きっと神様がやめたほうがいいよって警告してくれてたのに、主人ももうすぐアメリカ帰るからってちょっと体に無理してるかなぁってわかっていながらも聞かないようにしてたのかも。

子供たちの幼稚園の用意して、なんかいつもと張りが違うのに気がついて、ソファーにとりあえず横になって様子を見てみました。だんだん腰も痛くなって、お腹も張るだけじゃなくって痛みも来て、足を交差してないと赤ちゃんが出てくるんじゃないかって言うような圧がかかって、これは普通じゃないのがさすがに私もすぐわかりました。心配かけたくないからとりあえず横になるねって言うだけにしておいて、でも母には何か違うっていうのは見てすぐわかったらしい。

しばらく寝てみてもやっぱり張りはそう簡単には落ち着かなくって、主人にも病院行ったほうがいいかもといつもと違うことを話して、（でもアメリカはそう簡単に病院とかいかないから、よっぽどこれはまずいと思わなきゃ行かないのでそこらへんを説明して）すぐ母に運転してもらって行くことにしました。

  

Lots of fun before the Japan trip!!

Now I look back, I might have done a little bit too much for being a prego... but I was totally fine after all these fun activities we did!!! I have a lot more pictures ( you know I am Japanese...) but here are some cute ones ;0)

Camping with Jex family

Allergy almost killed me...but it was a fun camping trip! Lava Hot Sping ID

don't tell anyone we did this!!!

Alllll squished!!!

At Japanese Festival! Kids walked at the Kimono Fashion Show! Proud mommy and daddy moment!

Kai's preschool program! He danced and sang so well!!!!

Memorial day weekend camping before Japan trip! It was rainy one for a few days... but the sun shined on us on the last day!!!

Baby # 3 adventure....

So, now that I am on the bed rest I should have more time updating ;0) I know that many friends and family who check my blog know that we are expecting baby #3! We've been sensing since end of last year that there is one who really wants to come, but Josiah was finishing up his grad school so we waited till he was done and got a job to plan #3. I don't think she wanted to wait any longer.... we found out we were expecting in Feb ;0) Kids were soooooooooo excited to have a baby!! Lily is super excited to be a big sister and having a little sister to play with. Kai is a bit disappointed that he is not getting a brother, but he still haven't given up his hope for possible #4. (good luck, son) She is expected to arrive on Oct 14th, but knowing all my kids have come early, she will be coming in Sep.

and that was a story till end of first week of June. I've had Braxton hicks like crazy, but I was told that is pretty normal for #3. I had a pretty normal pregnancy up until the trip to Japan.    

 

My crazy Josiah

This was from last Sep! We went camping at Flaming Gorge with some friends. Josiah said this is where I came for the scout camp here and went clif jumping!!! So we were searching for the spot where he went alomst 15 years ago. We stopped at the dam info center and asked where it will be and the lady knew that place. It is abour 10 min away from the dam and a little hike to the spot.

If you are looking for a place to clif jump, this is a place to do it!


This is the sencond clif

He is crazy.... first one was about 70 feet and the second one.... a lot higher than the first one. I need to ask Josiah. I was more nurvous with the kids trying to get to the edge of the clif to see Dad jumping.







I can totally see Lily trying this kind of stuff someday!

Here are some pictures from the camping trip

My addiction...

It was last year when my good friend Aya gave Lily the crochet flower pin for Christmas gift. She told me how easy it is to make it! I have tried to learn to crochet before, but I never really got it. She invited me over to her house and showed me how to make it, but my kids were there... so didn't work.

But those flowers were soooo cute!!! I really wanted to learn it!! So, since then I used You Tube like crazy!!! to learn how to crochet!!!!! I still have a lot of learning to do, but I am getting pretty good at it!
I've made a lot of things ever since and it is sooooooooo fun!!!

My mom is super good at crochet! Why didn't I learn from her as I was growing up!??
Here is THE site that helped me TONZ to start learning crochet.

Crochet Geek by Teresa
http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/#!/p/index-of-patterns.html

She has lots of tutorial on Youtube and she does slow motion! So student like me that needs to repeat the motion many many times, this site is amazing and I have no guilt to go over again and again! because I am not bothering my teacher ;0)
She also have free patterns. So its good to practice on those before spending money on patterns that is beyond my skills!

So, etsy.com has been my addiction. There are many patterns there (easy to super intermediate) and I bought many patterns ;0) I am working on Josiah's hat now and leggings for my friends new babies!!! How fun!

Good reminder

So, I always dreamed all the fabulous things we can do and have when Josiah is done with school.... I just see many friends around who has all the things that I wish I had and it is not easy not to be jealous. That is my honest feeling. Then I heard this talk by President Uchtdorf (He is in the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) He always seemed to know what I need to hear. I really enjoy listening to his talks. I loved his talk at General Relief Society Conference 2011, and this part of his talk really reminded me how the happiness can be found everyday. What he said is nothing new.... I know it. But it is so good to be reminded time to time.

The lesson here is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us.

This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.

The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.

明けましておめでとうございます ～ここ何年か振り返って～

明けましておめでとうございます。

今年こそは少しずつ私たちの生活の様子を書いていこうと思います。

年が明けてもう１週間！！アメリカはハッピーニュイヤー！！！！って夜中に言って１月１日ちょっとだけリラックスな１日をおくりそれでお正月終わり、みたいな感じなので、全然お正月なきがしません。ちょっとお正月っぽく３１日はお寿司をしてみたりお雑煮作ったりしましたが、やっぱり日本のお琴がいつでも聞こえるようなテレビ番組もないし、ここではお正月気分は無理です。でもお雑煮とかお餅とかが恋しくなるのは日本人って証拠ですよねぇ。子供たちもおいしいって食べてました。子供たちにも文化を教えるのに、もっと色々やるべきだったかなぁ。皆さんは何かしました？？

そうそう、１月３日でやっとジョサイアも大学院が終わり、５日から仕事が始まりました。今週いっぱい休んで月曜からスタートにすればよかったのに、今までずっと勉強の毎日だったから。私ならゆっくりしたいけどなぁ。

ジョシーも運がよく(いや、がんばってきたからかなぁ）、ユタの電力会社での就職が決まり、昨日ニコニコして仕事から帰ってきました。同僚も同じくらいの年代の人たちが多いようで、仕事に行くのが楽しみといってます。

長かった学生結婚生活。やっと終わりです。苦しい苦しいって言う生活ではなかったけれど、何が大変だったかって子供たちの手助けがもうちょっとあればうれしかったなぁ。うちの子たち他のお友達よりもけっこうやんちゃだし、元気良すぎだったりすること多かったから、あぁもうわたしだめぇって思うこともしょっちゅうだったし、でもお勉強あるからちょっとの時間子供達ジョシーにあずけて気分転換にどこか行くとかとかあまりできなかったなぁ。子供たちもお父さんは勉強だから！宿題してるから！って言われて育ってきたから、なかなかお父さんとたっぷり遊ぶって事出来なかったんじゃないかな。でもそんな中でもジョシーは子供たちに本読みとかしてくれたり、時間のある時はあそんであげたり、勉強のない夜は一緒にテレビドラマ見たり、愚痴ろうと思えばリストは長～く続くけど、でも感謝することや楽しかったことも愚痴るリストを超えるくらい沢山あったから、きっとやって来れたんだろうなぁ。

学生生活してるママたち！ガンバレー！！！！何か私に出来ることあったら連絡してね！！！
そして応援してくれた家族の皆さん、お友達、ありがとうございました。