Shinryu came home today! I ran some final errands in the morning and stocked the fridge with veggies and other food for the next couple of days. Then i went over to St Barnabas Hospital around 1:30. Beautiful sunny day! I met Ulala's parents in the waiting room and we worked our way through the process of checking out and paying. Then the nurse did a final check and we put little Shinryu in his ErgoBaby carrier and i walked home while the rest of them took a taxi. We only live a 10 minute walk away so i insisted that i walk, regardless of whether they took a taxi or a car or whatever. It's a short, easy walk and i actually beat them home. No car seat, no driving. That's a rule i won't break unless it's a a real emergency.
When we all got home, Ulala's father hung out for a brief time before heading back to work. Ulala had to breastfeed and that was a family awkward moment they decided to avoid for now. Ulala's step-mom stayed, though, and helped us set up the bottle sanitizer and make sure we had everything we needed. She'll be back to help a few times over the next couple weeks, until my mom arrives from Canada. And i have a light day tomorrow and Friday off, so i'll mostly be home as well.
Then i cooked a big healthy dinner and we watched part of The Princess Bride - still one of my all-time favorite movies - while the little one napped. I've been on an '80s kick lately. A couple weeks ago we watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Ghostbusters. Then i made Ulala watch Sixteen Candles, because she had never seen it. And last night i re-watched Back to the Future for about the millionth time. "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads!"
The hibiscus on the balcony bloomed this morning. Two blooms, like it knew.
Baby Shinryu's first venture outside!
Gifts from friends and family, flowers from Hana-Matsuri,
and decorations by me, because what else is a fretting father to do as
he waits? Drink wine? Yeah, i did a lot of that, too...
Mochi with anko in the shape of a sea bream.
Sea bream in Japanese is "tai" and "congratulations" is "omedetai",
so this is a common play on words on happy occasions.
The name scroll from Shinryu's grandparents. Very cute. And apparently there is a hollow space in the bottom of the roll into which we can put his umbilical cord, if we are so inclined. Why is it that in almost every culture birth and babies leads to a proliferation of very odd (and vaguely gross) traditions?
The dinner i made for Ulala and i. Note all the very healthy vegetables!
Shinryu sleeping in his crib for the first time.