jet lagged baby

We're back in NJ from Yokohama and this time around, Terran's jet lag is worse. It's been 5 days since we've been back in he is not adjusting. Even worse, he is taking little naps of 4 hours max and no continuous long sleep. Last night, he was up from 9pm to 4am. with a 30 min nap in the middle. We've been getting up and playing with him at night but we are changing tactics today and making him stay in bed. I go to him every 15 min or so to try to calm him down and encourage him to sleep but so far, it's not really working. During the day, he doesn't sleep much either. At most his regular naps. We go out to the park and play and try to stay out in the sunlight. I wonder when it's going to end.... I google for "baby jet lag" but there's really no real advice. tired....

more pictures

Terran and my mom and grandpa's japanese garden in front of the house.

Terran at grandma's, playing with her vacuum cleaner.

Grandpa's calla lily with a little frog.

Terran with his playful naughty face.

Terran and grandma as she offers him more strawberries.

Terran at Yamashita Park in Yokohama on a nice saturday.

a trip to obaa-chan's

Last week, mom, Terran, and I went to Osaka for a couple of days to visit my grandparents. I had not seen them in awhile so it was a trip worth while. It takes a little under 2.5 hours from Yokohama by Shinkansen.

Terran's progress: While at grandma's, he started crawling. What triggered this new trick of his? My aunt brought out a huge bowl of strawberries, freshly picked from grandma's farm. Terran loves strawberries so when he saw them, he just got going. We kept pushing the strawberries away from him, and he just kept moving! Back in Yokohama, he was able to pull himself up to a standing position. I was doing this and that in the kitchen, and when I looked, he was standing, hanging on to some shelves.

At Shin Yokohama station before getting on the Shinkansen.

My grandfather's calla lillies. He has a small farm full of blooming flowers. These were beautiful. He said that in Japanese, they are just called "Calla".

Grandma is giving some strawberries to Terran as he patiently sat and waited for them.

Grandma picking strawberries. They are so sweet and juicy.

Grandpa and Terran. Actually, he would be Terran's great-grandpa. They are more than 80 years apart.

I'm just gonna do photos from now on

We strolled to Akarenga again. Terran is aware of the camera so he's giving me a great pose for the shot.

May 5 is children's day, a national holiday in Japan. Because of this, Yamashita Park was packed with people, especially with children. Terran and I sat on the grass, people/ dog watching. He's not very comfortable on the grass so he's asking me to pick him up.

Here's me and Terran on Children's Day.

Terran is getting more and more acclimated to grandpa. Every morning, the two of them go down stairs to get the newspaper. Today, he is sitting happily on Grandpa's lap for breakfast. Don't you love his orange pants? We just got it for him the other day.

Papa came back from work and Terran was excited to see him.

today's photos

Terran's in a good mood today. Playing at home wearing a compass around his neck.

Today is the first day of Golden Week, 3 consecutive days of national holidays plus Sat. and Sunday. Our neighborhood is packed with tourists today and probably for the rest of the week. There was a parade in Yokohama. It started in Yamashita park so Terran and I walked down to the park to see it. The streets were packed. I've never seen so many people here. It's like being in Shibuya.

After his PM nap, we went to the park again. It was a bit cold but sunny. My mom took this picture of me and Terran. He doesn't usually sit and play on the grass so he seemed uncomfortable.

We talk to Pat every morning via Skype and Yahoo Messenger. We have cameras on both ends so Terran can see his dad and Pat can see his baby and me. When Terran hears Pat or sees him on the screen, he immediately brightens up with a smile. Pat does virtual Peekaboos and wins great big smiles from Terran.

Terran made a new friend during his walk. He played with little "Chai" who is also 9 months old. Terran is not afraid of dogs at all but sometimes, the dogs are hesitant to be touched (also pulled and poked) by a baby.

Mackenzie Thorpe and Terran

We were wondering through a gallery this weekend and came across some artwork by Mackenzie Thorpe. I loved the innocence that he depicted in the big smiles of children. And I loved the colors and the hearts all over his work. Apparently, Terran loved them as well. As I stood there in front on the painting, holding Terran in my arms, he stretched out his hand and moved his fingers, a gesture that he uses when he wants something. I told him that he can't touch it but we talked about how colorful it is and how happy the child looks. I told him that the boy in the painting looks like Terran. Terran was obviously very excited and started talking loudly with a big smile. Then he started clapping his hands. A big sign of approval.

Terran is almost 10 months old. It's hard to determine how much he understands. But by looking at his reaction to the artwork, he showed that he has the ability to interpret the art and appreciate it in his own way. He was also able to express how he felt about it to everyone in that room. I'm a proud mom!

more pictures

Terran and Grandpa hanging out at Akarenga on a really nice sunday. The two brick warehouses have been converted to house restaurants, shops, and galleries in this really popular spot in Yokohama. It's just a 10 minute stroll away from my parents' condo.

Terran likes to go through the magazines in the basket. He flips through the pages, then puts them in his mouth. He puts everything in his mouth.

We went on a very short train ride today to buy a baby chair for Terran. He loves getting on the train and hanging on to the shiny bars. I held him in my Ergo through the trip.

I can't remember why he was crying but he's got tears rolling down his cheeks as I took this picture. My dad thought it was cute.