Walking

My doctor says to do it, as it will speed up labor. It is my only means of transportation, other than a taxi or train. As my bike hasn't moved since this time last year, I'm sure it's rusty beyond repair and I wouldn't trust myself and my altered center of gravity on it anyway. But man, walking has become difficult. Besides the fact that the only shoes I can really wear at this point are my hot pink sneakers, which look decent with about three things that I own. Most of my really comfy pregnancy clothes aren't really coordinated with sneakers, but then I guess I should really let go of my ego, since I am walking around with a watermelon attached to my tummy.

The most annoying thing about the difficulty I have with walking around, is my inability to shop. I have a very reliable shopper, who is perfectly willing to go out and get the groceries, especially now that he has his flashy new scooter. But, I like doing the shopping, especially for the produce. I do not, however, like lugging it back up the hill to the apartment. Especially now, since the ever-present watermelon means that my carrying capacity is severely reduced.

But today, I heeded my doctor's advice and went out for a long walk. I did a bit of shopping, only for the necessities, and avoided going into my favorite produce place. Which fits in nicely for the photo-of -the-day theme of "Color". Oh but the apples looked so good!

November: Photos and Baby

November has arrived and I'm still very pregnant. As I am now getting into the swing of this whole stay-at-home-wife business, I will soon get to change all of that with my new stay-at-home-mom/new-mom role. Exciting!

One of my goals over the last few months, has been to take more photos (oh and to maintain my blog, ha!). I take millions when we travel, but very few when it's just normal life, but I suppose that is not unusual. Obviously, with the baby on the way, I will have a constant source of inspiration here in my apartment very soon. But until then, I'm going to attempt to do something slightly more creative by participating in a Photo-A-Day Challenge. Now, off to find things that start with the letter C. Too bad I've already used the crib photo!

WaNavi Japan: Harvest of Hope

I've just discovered, thanks to a friend at work, WaNavi Japan's Harvest of Hope. I don't know much about WaNavi yet, but one of the things that they have set out to do is to provide Japanese people and foreigners in Japan access to fresh, local, radiation-free produce.  Hooray! Everyone loves radiation free produce! I'm fairly confident that most of what we buy is radiation free, but this organization seems great. Plus, they will deliver a box of produce to my door and make a donation to Tohoku relief whenever we buy. Even better! My first delivery arrives in one week, just in time to start prepping freezer meals for Tony to prepare once I'm out of commission.

Birthing class and burritos!

We had our first birthing class today. It was a fantastic experience with some very nice people. The whole philosophy of the class made me much more comfortable with the fact that I won't really be able to understand anyone in the labor room. Well, that is anyone except Tony. My doctor does also speak English, so I can speak to him, when he's around, which I have a feeling won't be all that often.

Also, since the Japanese system is very hands off and anti-medical intervention, I will more than likely not have any sort of pain relief. I'm happy with this, but obviously need some method to get through the process. The class is called Hypnobirthing, which sounds very new agey and weird, but really isn't. The whole philosophy is based on the idea that most of our pain in childbirth comes from fear and the resistance to the labor process. So, they teach techniques on how to relax throughout labor and allow it to happen. The reviews are amazing. I suppose I'll find out soon enough if I agree with the reviews. Seven weeks left as of tomorrow!

The other good news about our class is that it is in Azabu Juban, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo. Not that I've seen that much of Tokyo, but it's a cute little neighborhood with great shopping and restaurants, including Frijoles! My favorite (read only) burrito place in the Kanto Plain. I even got photographic evidence, as always when I'm excited about a meal, or want to brag about it to Todd, I took a photo, not a very exciting photo, but it was a delicious burrito.