December 2005 Old Blog Posts
December 26
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family back home! It's actually December 26th right now, but for y'all, it's Christmas Day. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday and enjoying this special time of the year.
So...what's new? Not a whole lot, to be honest. I've said that I feel like a manatee and I do. I pretty much feel like a cross between a manatee and a sloth. Would that be a slothatee or a manasloth? Not really sure, but suffice it to say that I feel very big and lazy, broken by sporadic bursts of manic energy during which I forget all pregnancy-related woes and spend two hours scrubbing the handles on my kitchen cabinets. The "nesting instinct" perhaps? Only God knows. The bottom line is, we've been pretty darn lazy, sticking close to home and its comforts.
I told Hans just the other day that we're just homebodies and I'm tired of feeling guilty about enjoying my home more than any other place. I don't know why I get to feeling guilty, but I do. I always feel like we should be out scaling mountains or learning to windsurf or something. Something highly illogical given our circumstances. 2006 is the year that I will stop feeling guilty for being a homebody! New Year's Resolution #1. I have always been a homebody and I guess I just always will. Hans is the same way. I'd much rather be curled up in bed on a Saturday afternoon reading than any other place. Except maybe Target.
Sorry. Veering off the Christmas story path. We have had a pleasant Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve evening at the captain's home. They hosted an open house for the wardroom and their families. There are a lot of single guys in the wardroom right now, guys who are living on the ship. Not exactly a Christmas-y place to be (though the ship did win the prize for the best decorated ship at Yokosuka), so it was very generous of the captain and his wife to open their home to us. The pictures of us together are from Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, Christmas Day, we opened what remained of the gifts, someone small and determined having opened the majority of them long before the official holiday! Gift opening was definitely more fun this year as Josiah has grasped the concept of the fact that there are cool things under the wrapping paper. It was a very Thomas the Train holiday for him. In fact, he got so spoiled by having trains in every package that when he did get the rare package without a train he seemed really perplexed as to where the train could possibly be. Annika got some lovely little things that Josiah obligingly opened for her, but he kept turning the boxes over and shaking them as if a train would magically appear. By the way: a BIG thank you to you all for your gifts for all of us, they are truly appreciated! I plan on chaining Josiah to the table leg this afternoon and forcing him to doodle you all pictures to send as thank yous.
Enjoy the pictures...and Merry Christmas!
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December 21
Alert! First Look Cover Shot!
OK, everyone...this isn't too exciting, and still, it IS exciting. Josiah's first cover is on display on the Combimini website. It's very small and you can't get it much bigger, but it is him. Just scroll down the page until you get to the "Kid 'N Baby" 2006 catalog.
Breathe, grandmas. The catalog isn't available in paper copy or online yet. Just this shot of the cover. I'm also pretty sure that the pictures in the upper left hand corner of that page are from recent shoots, so you might check from time to time to see if Josiah shows up.
Not much, but still exciting in its own way! My baby, on the internet!
Here's the web address: http://combimini.jp/want/catalogue_order.html
Actually, I just noticed that he's in the "Daily Wear" catalog right next to the "Kid 'N Baby", though you'd need a magnifying glass to see it, he's in the top middle on the right. The only way I can tell is because I was there! OK, so two covers!
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December 18
Best...TAO...Ever!
Hi All, just hammering out a little entry while Hans and Josiah are busy watching football in the living room. There's not too much to report from Japan today. Josiah's eyes are doing 100% better. They were better the morning after he took his first dose of medicine, which incidentally, smells fantastically like Carmen Miranda's hat, but must taste like balrog slime, because Josiah has to be restrained to take it. Sometimes, he is such a fussy-budget.
Woah...big break between paragraphs. Josiah just threw up his entire breakfast and then some. Where in the world does such a small critter store so much vomit? Poor kid. I've never seen him throw up like that. Hans came running into the kitchen, holding him at arm's length while he strewed vomit all over. Thank goodness for all of our hospital-like white tile flooring. It does clean up easily, though it makes me feel like I'm living at St. Mary's. I think it was just his medicine, which, as I mentioned above, he doesn't care for. So don't panic, grandmothers. He is all right. I promise. He has had a bath and a toothbrushing and is currently clean and happy and tucked warmly into bed for a post-puke rest. Mommy (that's me) has summarily scrubbed down said floors and treated the one area of carpet that got bombarded.
So, OK, about the title of this particular entry. Destroyer Squadron 15 has selected my handsome husband as Junior Officer Excellence in Tactics, or best TAO (tactical action officer). He had to undergo a written test and an oral board. He took the oral board on Friday afternoon and got the news on Saturday morning that he had...won? I'm not sure won is the right word, but you all know what I mean. Now, he moves up and becomes the nominee for either the Pacific Fleet or Seventh Fleet. He's not really sure. Somehow, I keep picturing him like Miss Minnesota, moving through the ranks of competition until he gets to put on the crown and mantle of Best TAO in the Navy. I can just see his happy tears and his elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist wave.
Joking aside, though, I'm extraordinarily proud of him. He deserves it. He does a fantastic job and as those of us who love him know, he's passionate about what he does. I'm so happy that he's being recognized for his work. So happy that I finally ordered him his Star Wars Clone Wars Anakin vs. Asajj animation cel. Of course, under the strict understanding that I don't want the darn thing in our bedroom!
Finally, I'm posting some pictures. Warning--some are of graphic nature. Josiah's eye may totally gross you out or fill you with pity, or both. The rest are from around the house and from the ship's Christmas party for the children that was last night. In case you're wondering what the kids are doing with those balls of white paper--they are having a "snowball fight". Sounds pathetic, but they actually had a pretty good time throwing wads of paper at each other!
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December 14
My Poor, Hideous Child
So, Josiah has cellulitis, again. The same stuff that he had during our fun ER run in Tacoma. Remember, Gen? "Live at the Tacoma Dome 2005". She and I had the worst time trying to find that hospital. Never fully trust Mapquest, that's my advice.
Anyway. Josiah has cellulitis, which is strange because the other kids in Ikego that have had this strange eye condition have had what their doctors term "a viral infection". Some sort of strange affliction of the sinuses that causes mucus to get so backed up that it comes out of their eyes. No, I'm not making this up folks. I tried to do such a good job of keeping Josiah quarantined and he still got something from them, though it's a completely different strain.
It all started on Monday in his right eye, which got a little red and goopy, but seemed to clear up fairly quickly. Basing my diagnosis on that of what my friends' childrens' doctors said, I decided to wait it out for a day. Yesterday, his right eye was almost completely good, but then all of a sudden, his left eye started getting really red and swollen. This started happening on our way to the commissary, of course, so by the time we were in the frozen foods, he looked like Rocky Balboa and I was considering going back to get a raw steak to hold to his eye. Seriously, his eye swelled shut that quickly. Plus, of course, the lovely gooky, gross eye-boogers associated with eye infections. And Josiah has those cursed long, thick lashes, so cleaning him up has been no picnic.
I could hardly stand having people looking at Josiah like he had the power to throw the eye-boogers at them like Chinese stars, thus infecting them with the hideous disease. Maybe they were thinking that I had given him a black eye. Probably they were saying that I'm a horrible parent for taking him out of the house. I felt horrible for him, being stared at and shunned by the public. I guess what I'm saying is that I feel so sensitively any little slight towards my child. I suppose that it's just going to get worse, the older he gets. Being that I'm rather a sensitive person myself, I'd better develop a tougher hide and quick.
He's doing better now. Well, it helps that he's discovered the enormous pile of presents that we have under the tree. Thanks, everyone! Josiah has discovered that there are interesting things in all that wrapping paper and they're TRAINS and they're for HIM! He's unwrapped a few things already. I promise that as a form of penance and thanks, I will take pictures of him with your gifts and post them. I have to admit that I kind of "steered" him towards opening one or two, knowing that it would cheer him up! He asked me to say thanks to Titi for Ivo Hugh, Henry and Emily and to Grandma and Grandpa Kuehl for Annie and Clarabel. As Josiah says, "sank u".
Oh, one last thing about Josiah, then I promise I'll shut up about him already! He amazes me everyday with his capacity to learn. He can now identify almost all the numbers from zero to nine. We're still having a little trouble with seven and four. He sees phone numbers on TV, license plate numbers, numbers everywhere and yells "Five" or "Two". It's not only adorable, but stunning, how much he retains. Our little sponge. Time to stop swearing, Rach. Seriously.
Take care, everyone. Stay safe, stay warm. Stay in touch.
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December 11
Josiah the Jedi
The end of another short weekend in the De For household...I hate Sunday evenings, always have. Even though Sunday evening no longer means that I have to work the next morning, it still means that the weekend is at an end. To me, there's nothing more depressing than Sunday afternoon, about 4:00. Ugh.
Had a busy day on Thursday. Someone burned out our windshield wiper motor, so I had to take the car to the Autoport. I also wanted a general safety check, fluids, tire pressure, etc., etc. I can't help but feel unsafe driving that rickety thing around. Anyway. I made an appointment for 10:15, showed up. Told them what I wanted done. They told me "about two hours", so Joe and I bummed around, went to a nearby playground and the thrift store and came back an hour later to check in. The car hadn't moved from where I parked it, which was not a promising sign. Go in, check in with manager, who tells me that the car may be done by 3:30, but they do the "appointments" on a first-come, first-served basis and suddenly there are sixteen people ahead of me. I'm thinking "HUH?". What good is making an appointment, then? And why tell me it would be done in two hours? Wish I could blame this line of bull on American workers, but it's a Japanese staff that runs the auto repair shop.
So, anyway, I ended up driving off. I was very polite, though it was a highly irritating situation and I could have easily blown up at the guy. Besides, he tells me, we don't even have a motor for your windshield wipers here. We have to order it. I'm confused as to why I was told that they were even going to fix it that day if they didn't have the part. Guess I have gotten used to wonderful Volkswagen service. I've never had better repair service than at our Volkswagen dealerships. Hans has to take the van in tomorrow and leave it all day and all I can say is that they'd better have it done or they will feel the wrath of Rachel. It's not very safe not to have windshield wipers in this climate.
Had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, too. Josiah was kind enough to sleep through the majority of it. It was a quick weigh, blood-pressure check and meeting with my doctor. Dr. Bosco pretty much loves me because I'm so boring, pregnancy-wise. I'm just so healthy and normal, I guess! Which, of course, I'm terribly thankful for. Everything is looking very good. Not too much longer now. We're headed into the 31st week. Hans is predicting February 3rd. I'm predicting January 29th.
The ship's Christmas party was last night. We left Josiah at Mariska's. The party was certainly less of a flashy affair than it was last year. Last year in San Diego, we had the party at a ritzy hotel downtown, with a sit-down dinner and a formal dress code. This year, it was at the enlisted club with a buffet and jeans were acceptable. It was still nice to get together and see everyone and meet some new people. There's been a terrific amount of turnover recently, so I got to meet a bunch of new people. There's only Hans and I and the captain and his wife that were with the ship last Christmas.
Dinner was good, there was a DJ and dancing. There are some hideous pictures of me trying to do the Electric Slide. Normally, I break out in hives at the first notes of the Electric Slide song, but someone dragged me out there and before I could protest, I was fenced in by a score of shuffling, clapping bodies. I couldn't escape. I can't do the Electric Slide...and I didn't really want to learn, but I did try. That's all the dancing that this pregnant lady did!
We won a $200 giftcard to the Navy Exchange, which we promptly blew today on various things that I'm still not certain we really needed. Movies, CDs, books, magazines. The only thing that we bought that was really essential was a hat and gloves for me--the weather has turned chilly enough to warrant hats and gloves. Anyway, after we left, I felt distinctly sick, like we really should have spent our $200 on something more lasting, like a grill. Oh well. It was just funny money, I guess (Mom, I know you're writhing). The ship gave away some awesome prizes last night--iPods, a laptop, two mountain bikes, digital cameras. Nice stuff. We had a good time, and Josiah had fun hanging with his little friend Lily. He's started saying "Lily".
Speaking of useless purchases...there are some pictures of Josiah the Jedi playing with one of Hans' impulse buys. The sound effects on that dumb lightsaber lasted all of a day, then it went kaput. But Josiah is having fun batting his balloons around with it and stabbing at them! There are some pictures of him in the ball pit ("The babies look unhappy--add more balls") at Daiei as well.
Enjoy!
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December 07
CHRISTMAS LETTER 2005
Christmas 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our friends and family back home!
2005 has been a year of big changes for the De For family. As any of you with young children know, the life of a toddler changes from month to month. Josiah has become more of a little boy and less of a baby with each passing month. He’s changing with almost alarming velocity, learning new words every week and constantly surprising us with his new vocabulary. He is walking, running, climbing, exploring on a constant basis, though he hasn’t figured out how to get out of his crib yet, thank goodness! Truly, he is the light of our lives and the greatest gift God has given us. From time to time he’s a bit of a trial, but most usually he’s a sweet, charming, happy little boy.
Having enjoyed our experiences as parents thus far, we decided we were brave enough to go ahead and order Josiah a brother or sister. I found out I was pregnant just before Father’s Day and tried to surprise Hans with the news, but being Hans, he figured it out before I could surprise him. Maybe it was the look on my face! I have had a comfortable pregnancy thus far. Annika Eliese De For is due on Valentine’s Day, 2006. We are looking forward to meeting her and introducing her to her big brother. Josiah knows that there is a baby in Mommy—he pats my tummy and says “baby” and “Nana”!
We were in San Diego until August. We had a total of three moves. The first came in mid-June, when the household goods we needed in Japan were packed, crated and shipped. That shipment was due to take 60 days to get to Japan. The second pack came in mid-July, when another smaller shipment of items was forwarded. The last pack was whatever was left over (which wasn't much at that point!), which went into storage. We moved into the Navy Lodge in San Diego on August 8th. Josiah and I, with the wonderful support of my sister (indebted forever, Gen!), left for Japan on August 12th. Hans left on the ship the same day. It was a long flight, to say the last, but Josiah was surprisingly well behaved and all in all, it wasn't too terrible an experience.
We stayed in the Navy Lodge in Yokosuka for about a week before we moved into our townhome at Ikego. After all of those horror stories about the lack of housing! We were offered our home within three days of arriving in Yokosuka, and we love living at Ikego. Ikego is a military housing development about 7 km from Yokosuka. About 3,000 people live out here, so it's like a small town. There are high-rise towers and townhomes, a small mini-mart, a child development center, a pool, a club, a gas station, a post office. We like it out here because it's close to Yokosuka, but far enough away from the ships and offices of the main base. The housing is all relatively new and the Japanese contractors keep the development so amazingly clean and beautifully landscaped.
Hans is still enjoying his job, or he was the last time I asked. He took over as Combat Systems Officer on USS LASSEN in August. The ship has been gone more often than not during the time we've been in Japan. They have had a very busy schedule, training and making some port visits. They were to have been in Hong Kong for Thanksgiving, but a storm kept them from entering the harbor there, so (lucky for us) Hans was home for the holiday. We're discussing colleges for our next duty station. So far, the votet seems to be for the Naval War College in Newport, RI, which sounds good to me!
Japan has been wonderful, though I admit that it's been difficult to truly enjoy it when Hans has been absent to much. I find that I like being here and experiencing new things much better when Hans is here with us. It is beautiful here. The people are generous, courteous to a fault, and very helpful. The area is very green, actually, very colorful now that fall is here--we are enjoying having a cool fall with the trees turning colors. We missed that in San Diego. We have been out to explore a few times, spending the night in Tokyo and exploring the Imperial Palace gardens. We've been to Kamakura to see the giant Buddha statue there and a shrine. It's interesting just to go into the Japanese grocery and wander the aisles looking at the food! Josiah has done some modeling jobs in and around Tokyo, so he and I have been up in that area quite a few times--those have been some interesting experiences!
We hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying this holiday season with the people they love. We think of you all often. Have a safe and happy holiday and keep in touch!
Love – The De Fors
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All Quiet on the Eastern Front
Hi All. Just a quick message to let you know that we're still alive here in Japan. We just haven't had too much going on, so I don't feel like I have any interesting news to share. Last weekend we ran errands on Saturday onbase and that was about the extent of our weekend. I was extremely tired on Sunday and spent part of the day in bed. Josiah and Hans got out for a little walk in the rain. I didn't go outside at all.
I was feeling a little spunky (and housebound) yesterday, so I packed Josiah up and ran a few errands onbase. Finally got the van washed. I cannot believe that I drove a vehicle, even a crappy one, for almost four months without washing it once. I didn't even know there was an automated carwash onbase, but I found one. It didn't do a very good job, but at least the worst of the crud is washed off. Then, I took time to vacuum out the millions of pine needles left behind by transporting the Christmas tree. But wait--this blog gets even more exciting: then, we went to the POST OFFICE! Whee!
Josiah got a haircut yesterday too, so he's looking like a shorn little lamb. I can't get over the vulnerability of his skinny little neck when it's been freshly shaved. He was so good for his haircut, although he objected to sitting on the booster and ended up having to sit on my lap, both of us swathed in capes. He sits very still and doesn't cry and even giggles a little when the shaver touches his neck. I can't believe that was his third haircut already. I just can't stand a shaggy baby. Some mothers like to let their babies' hair grow forever (until they're mistaken for girls, right Donna?) but I can't do it. Must be the military wife in me!
We did go to the 100 Yen store yesterday and also to Daiei Mall to the infamous "Balloon Playroom". The 100 Yen store is exactly what it sounds like: everything in there costs 100 Yen. It's the Japanese equivalent of the dollar store, only the things there are actually kind of nice. I mean, don't get me wrong--there is plenty of plastic crap in there, but they have really nice dishes, glasses, candles...things of that ilk. Cute toys--I've gotten Josiah three wooden train cars that are compatible with his Thomas set. It's Japanese crap, so I guess that makes it more interesting! Yesterday we bought balloons, bubbles, a ball, a red Beetle (just like Grandma's), yarn, and lots of bizzare Japanese candy and snacks to send to Genevieve. Apparently, the possession of Japanese food has only served to increase her popularity at work...hard to say it "made" her popular, since Genevieve is loved and admired all over the world! Which actually...is true, if you think of it. I guess you all are!
Josiah had a great time playing at the Daiei playroom. I did take some pictures, but they didn't turn out too well. I may post them later. It costs 500 Yen for unlimited time in the playroom and it's worth every yen. He loves the room filled with balloons and the two ball pits, the slides. It's like baby heaven!
Well, this was supposed to be short, and yet, has turned long and rambling! Sorry that our adventures have been a bit dull as of late, but I really am not in the mood to do much adventuring right now and won't be for awhile. We're still going to try for Kyoto for Christmas, that should be plenty for this mama!
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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family back home! It's actually December 26th right now, but for y'all, it's Christmas Day. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday and enjoying this special time of the year.
So...what's new? Not a whole lot, to be honest. I've said that I feel like a manatee and I do. I pretty much feel like a cross between a manatee and a sloth. Would that be a slothatee or a manasloth? Not really sure, but suffice it to say that I feel very big and lazy, broken by sporadic bursts of manic energy during which I forget all pregnancy-related woes and spend two hours scrubbing the handles on my kitchen cabinets. The "nesting instinct" perhaps? Only God knows. The bottom line is, we've been pretty darn lazy, sticking close to home and its comforts.
I told Hans just the other day that we're just homebodies and I'm tired of feeling guilty about enjoying my home more than any other place. I don't know why I get to feeling guilty, but I do. I always feel like we should be out scaling mountains or learning to windsurf or something. Something highly illogical given our circumstances. 2006 is the year that I will stop feeling guilty for being a homebody! New Year's Resolution #1. I have always been a homebody and I guess I just always will. Hans is the same way. I'd much rather be curled up in bed on a Saturday afternoon reading than any other place. Except maybe Target.
Sorry. Veering off the Christmas story path. We have had a pleasant Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve evening at the captain's home. They hosted an open house for the wardroom and their families. There are a lot of single guys in the wardroom right now, guys who are living on the ship. Not exactly a Christmas-y place to be (though the ship did win the prize for the best decorated ship at Yokosuka), so it was very generous of the captain and his wife to open their home to us. The pictures of us together are from Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, Christmas Day, we opened what remained of the gifts, someone small and determined having opened the majority of them long before the official holiday! Gift opening was definitely more fun this year as Josiah has grasped the concept of the fact that there are cool things under the wrapping paper. It was a very Thomas the Train holiday for him. In fact, he got so spoiled by having trains in every package that when he did get the rare package without a train he seemed really perplexed as to where the train could possibly be. Annika got some lovely little things that Josiah obligingly opened for her, but he kept turning the boxes over and shaking them as if a train would magically appear. By the way: a BIG thank you to you all for your gifts for all of us, they are truly appreciated! I plan on chaining Josiah to the table leg this afternoon and forcing him to doodle you all pictures to send as thank yous.
Enjoy the pictures...and Merry Christmas!
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December 21
Alert! First Look Cover Shot!
OK, everyone...this isn't too exciting, and still, it IS exciting. Josiah's first cover is on display on the Combimini website. It's very small and you can't get it much bigger, but it is him. Just scroll down the page until you get to the "Kid 'N Baby" 2006 catalog.
Breathe, grandmas. The catalog isn't available in paper copy or online yet. Just this shot of the cover. I'm also pretty sure that the pictures in the upper left hand corner of that page are from recent shoots, so you might check from time to time to see if Josiah shows up.
Not much, but still exciting in its own way! My baby, on the internet!
Here's the web address: http://combimini.jp/want/catalogue_order.html
Actually, I just noticed that he's in the "Daily Wear" catalog right next to the "Kid 'N Baby", though you'd need a magnifying glass to see it, he's in the top middle on the right. The only way I can tell is because I was there! OK, so two covers!
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December 18
Best...TAO...Ever!
Hi All, just hammering out a little entry while Hans and Josiah are busy watching football in the living room. There's not too much to report from Japan today. Josiah's eyes are doing 100% better. They were better the morning after he took his first dose of medicine, which incidentally, smells fantastically like Carmen Miranda's hat, but must taste like balrog slime, because Josiah has to be restrained to take it. Sometimes, he is such a fussy-budget.
Woah...big break between paragraphs. Josiah just threw up his entire breakfast and then some. Where in the world does such a small critter store so much vomit? Poor kid. I've never seen him throw up like that. Hans came running into the kitchen, holding him at arm's length while he strewed vomit all over. Thank goodness for all of our hospital-like white tile flooring. It does clean up easily, though it makes me feel like I'm living at St. Mary's. I think it was just his medicine, which, as I mentioned above, he doesn't care for. So don't panic, grandmothers. He is all right. I promise. He has had a bath and a toothbrushing and is currently clean and happy and tucked warmly into bed for a post-puke rest. Mommy (that's me) has summarily scrubbed down said floors and treated the one area of carpet that got bombarded.
So, OK, about the title of this particular entry. Destroyer Squadron 15 has selected my handsome husband as Junior Officer Excellence in Tactics, or best TAO (tactical action officer). He had to undergo a written test and an oral board. He took the oral board on Friday afternoon and got the news on Saturday morning that he had...won? I'm not sure won is the right word, but you all know what I mean. Now, he moves up and becomes the nominee for either the Pacific Fleet or Seventh Fleet. He's not really sure. Somehow, I keep picturing him like Miss Minnesota, moving through the ranks of competition until he gets to put on the crown and mantle of Best TAO in the Navy. I can just see his happy tears and his elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist wave.
Joking aside, though, I'm extraordinarily proud of him. He deserves it. He does a fantastic job and as those of us who love him know, he's passionate about what he does. I'm so happy that he's being recognized for his work. So happy that I finally ordered him his Star Wars Clone Wars Anakin vs. Asajj animation cel. Of course, under the strict understanding that I don't want the darn thing in our bedroom!
Finally, I'm posting some pictures. Warning--some are of graphic nature. Josiah's eye may totally gross you out or fill you with pity, or both. The rest are from around the house and from the ship's Christmas party for the children that was last night. In case you're wondering what the kids are doing with those balls of white paper--they are having a "snowball fight". Sounds pathetic, but they actually had a pretty good time throwing wads of paper at each other!
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December 14
My Poor, Hideous Child
So, Josiah has cellulitis, again. The same stuff that he had during our fun ER run in Tacoma. Remember, Gen? "Live at the Tacoma Dome 2005". She and I had the worst time trying to find that hospital. Never fully trust Mapquest, that's my advice.
Anyway. Josiah has cellulitis, which is strange because the other kids in Ikego that have had this strange eye condition have had what their doctors term "a viral infection". Some sort of strange affliction of the sinuses that causes mucus to get so backed up that it comes out of their eyes. No, I'm not making this up folks. I tried to do such a good job of keeping Josiah quarantined and he still got something from them, though it's a completely different strain.
It all started on Monday in his right eye, which got a little red and goopy, but seemed to clear up fairly quickly. Basing my diagnosis on that of what my friends' childrens' doctors said, I decided to wait it out for a day. Yesterday, his right eye was almost completely good, but then all of a sudden, his left eye started getting really red and swollen. This started happening on our way to the commissary, of course, so by the time we were in the frozen foods, he looked like Rocky Balboa and I was considering going back to get a raw steak to hold to his eye. Seriously, his eye swelled shut that quickly. Plus, of course, the lovely gooky, gross eye-boogers associated with eye infections. And Josiah has those cursed long, thick lashes, so cleaning him up has been no picnic.
I could hardly stand having people looking at Josiah like he had the power to throw the eye-boogers at them like Chinese stars, thus infecting them with the hideous disease. Maybe they were thinking that I had given him a black eye. Probably they were saying that I'm a horrible parent for taking him out of the house. I felt horrible for him, being stared at and shunned by the public. I guess what I'm saying is that I feel so sensitively any little slight towards my child. I suppose that it's just going to get worse, the older he gets. Being that I'm rather a sensitive person myself, I'd better develop a tougher hide and quick.
He's doing better now. Well, it helps that he's discovered the enormous pile of presents that we have under the tree. Thanks, everyone! Josiah has discovered that there are interesting things in all that wrapping paper and they're TRAINS and they're for HIM! He's unwrapped a few things already. I promise that as a form of penance and thanks, I will take pictures of him with your gifts and post them. I have to admit that I kind of "steered" him towards opening one or two, knowing that it would cheer him up! He asked me to say thanks to Titi for Ivo Hugh, Henry and Emily and to Grandma and Grandpa Kuehl for Annie and Clarabel. As Josiah says, "sank u".
Oh, one last thing about Josiah, then I promise I'll shut up about him already! He amazes me everyday with his capacity to learn. He can now identify almost all the numbers from zero to nine. We're still having a little trouble with seven and four. He sees phone numbers on TV, license plate numbers, numbers everywhere and yells "Five" or "Two". It's not only adorable, but stunning, how much he retains. Our little sponge. Time to stop swearing, Rach. Seriously.
Take care, everyone. Stay safe, stay warm. Stay in touch.
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December 11
Josiah the Jedi
The end of another short weekend in the De For household...I hate Sunday evenings, always have. Even though Sunday evening no longer means that I have to work the next morning, it still means that the weekend is at an end. To me, there's nothing more depressing than Sunday afternoon, about 4:00. Ugh.
Had a busy day on Thursday. Someone burned out our windshield wiper motor, so I had to take the car to the Autoport. I also wanted a general safety check, fluids, tire pressure, etc., etc. I can't help but feel unsafe driving that rickety thing around. Anyway. I made an appointment for 10:15, showed up. Told them what I wanted done. They told me "about two hours", so Joe and I bummed around, went to a nearby playground and the thrift store and came back an hour later to check in. The car hadn't moved from where I parked it, which was not a promising sign. Go in, check in with manager, who tells me that the car may be done by 3:30, but they do the "appointments" on a first-come, first-served basis and suddenly there are sixteen people ahead of me. I'm thinking "HUH?". What good is making an appointment, then? And why tell me it would be done in two hours? Wish I could blame this line of bull on American workers, but it's a Japanese staff that runs the auto repair shop.
So, anyway, I ended up driving off. I was very polite, though it was a highly irritating situation and I could have easily blown up at the guy. Besides, he tells me, we don't even have a motor for your windshield wipers here. We have to order it. I'm confused as to why I was told that they were even going to fix it that day if they didn't have the part. Guess I have gotten used to wonderful Volkswagen service. I've never had better repair service than at our Volkswagen dealerships. Hans has to take the van in tomorrow and leave it all day and all I can say is that they'd better have it done or they will feel the wrath of Rachel. It's not very safe not to have windshield wipers in this climate.
Had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, too. Josiah was kind enough to sleep through the majority of it. It was a quick weigh, blood-pressure check and meeting with my doctor. Dr. Bosco pretty much loves me because I'm so boring, pregnancy-wise. I'm just so healthy and normal, I guess! Which, of course, I'm terribly thankful for. Everything is looking very good. Not too much longer now. We're headed into the 31st week. Hans is predicting February 3rd. I'm predicting January 29th.
The ship's Christmas party was last night. We left Josiah at Mariska's. The party was certainly less of a flashy affair than it was last year. Last year in San Diego, we had the party at a ritzy hotel downtown, with a sit-down dinner and a formal dress code. This year, it was at the enlisted club with a buffet and jeans were acceptable. It was still nice to get together and see everyone and meet some new people. There's been a terrific amount of turnover recently, so I got to meet a bunch of new people. There's only Hans and I and the captain and his wife that were with the ship last Christmas.
Dinner was good, there was a DJ and dancing. There are some hideous pictures of me trying to do the Electric Slide. Normally, I break out in hives at the first notes of the Electric Slide song, but someone dragged me out there and before I could protest, I was fenced in by a score of shuffling, clapping bodies. I couldn't escape. I can't do the Electric Slide...and I didn't really want to learn, but I did try. That's all the dancing that this pregnant lady did!
We won a $200 giftcard to the Navy Exchange, which we promptly blew today on various things that I'm still not certain we really needed. Movies, CDs, books, magazines. The only thing that we bought that was really essential was a hat and gloves for me--the weather has turned chilly enough to warrant hats and gloves. Anyway, after we left, I felt distinctly sick, like we really should have spent our $200 on something more lasting, like a grill. Oh well. It was just funny money, I guess (Mom, I know you're writhing). The ship gave away some awesome prizes last night--iPods, a laptop, two mountain bikes, digital cameras. Nice stuff. We had a good time, and Josiah had fun hanging with his little friend Lily. He's started saying "Lily".
Speaking of useless purchases...there are some pictures of Josiah the Jedi playing with one of Hans' impulse buys. The sound effects on that dumb lightsaber lasted all of a day, then it went kaput. But Josiah is having fun batting his balloons around with it and stabbing at them! There are some pictures of him in the ball pit ("The babies look unhappy--add more balls") at Daiei as well.
Enjoy!
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December 07
CHRISTMAS LETTER 2005
Christmas 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our friends and family back home!
2005 has been a year of big changes for the De For family. As any of you with young children know, the life of a toddler changes from month to month. Josiah has become more of a little boy and less of a baby with each passing month. He’s changing with almost alarming velocity, learning new words every week and constantly surprising us with his new vocabulary. He is walking, running, climbing, exploring on a constant basis, though he hasn’t figured out how to get out of his crib yet, thank goodness! Truly, he is the light of our lives and the greatest gift God has given us. From time to time he’s a bit of a trial, but most usually he’s a sweet, charming, happy little boy.
Having enjoyed our experiences as parents thus far, we decided we were brave enough to go ahead and order Josiah a brother or sister. I found out I was pregnant just before Father’s Day and tried to surprise Hans with the news, but being Hans, he figured it out before I could surprise him. Maybe it was the look on my face! I have had a comfortable pregnancy thus far. Annika Eliese De For is due on Valentine’s Day, 2006. We are looking forward to meeting her and introducing her to her big brother. Josiah knows that there is a baby in Mommy—he pats my tummy and says “baby” and “Nana”!
We were in San Diego until August. We had a total of three moves. The first came in mid-June, when the household goods we needed in Japan were packed, crated and shipped. That shipment was due to take 60 days to get to Japan. The second pack came in mid-July, when another smaller shipment of items was forwarded. The last pack was whatever was left over (which wasn't much at that point!), which went into storage. We moved into the Navy Lodge in San Diego on August 8th. Josiah and I, with the wonderful support of my sister (indebted forever, Gen!), left for Japan on August 12th. Hans left on the ship the same day. It was a long flight, to say the last, but Josiah was surprisingly well behaved and all in all, it wasn't too terrible an experience.
We stayed in the Navy Lodge in Yokosuka for about a week before we moved into our townhome at Ikego. After all of those horror stories about the lack of housing! We were offered our home within three days of arriving in Yokosuka, and we love living at Ikego. Ikego is a military housing development about 7 km from Yokosuka. About 3,000 people live out here, so it's like a small town. There are high-rise towers and townhomes, a small mini-mart, a child development center, a pool, a club, a gas station, a post office. We like it out here because it's close to Yokosuka, but far enough away from the ships and offices of the main base. The housing is all relatively new and the Japanese contractors keep the development so amazingly clean and beautifully landscaped.
Hans is still enjoying his job, or he was the last time I asked. He took over as Combat Systems Officer on USS LASSEN in August. The ship has been gone more often than not during the time we've been in Japan. They have had a very busy schedule, training and making some port visits. They were to have been in Hong Kong for Thanksgiving, but a storm kept them from entering the harbor there, so (lucky for us) Hans was home for the holiday. We're discussing colleges for our next duty station. So far, the votet seems to be for the Naval War College in Newport, RI, which sounds good to me!
Japan has been wonderful, though I admit that it's been difficult to truly enjoy it when Hans has been absent to much. I find that I like being here and experiencing new things much better when Hans is here with us. It is beautiful here. The people are generous, courteous to a fault, and very helpful. The area is very green, actually, very colorful now that fall is here--we are enjoying having a cool fall with the trees turning colors. We missed that in San Diego. We have been out to explore a few times, spending the night in Tokyo and exploring the Imperial Palace gardens. We've been to Kamakura to see the giant Buddha statue there and a shrine. It's interesting just to go into the Japanese grocery and wander the aisles looking at the food! Josiah has done some modeling jobs in and around Tokyo, so he and I have been up in that area quite a few times--those have been some interesting experiences!
We hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying this holiday season with the people they love. We think of you all often. Have a safe and happy holiday and keep in touch!
Love – The De Fors
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All Quiet on the Eastern Front
Hi All. Just a quick message to let you know that we're still alive here in Japan. We just haven't had too much going on, so I don't feel like I have any interesting news to share. Last weekend we ran errands on Saturday onbase and that was about the extent of our weekend. I was extremely tired on Sunday and spent part of the day in bed. Josiah and Hans got out for a little walk in the rain. I didn't go outside at all.
I was feeling a little spunky (and housebound) yesterday, so I packed Josiah up and ran a few errands onbase. Finally got the van washed. I cannot believe that I drove a vehicle, even a crappy one, for almost four months without washing it once. I didn't even know there was an automated carwash onbase, but I found one. It didn't do a very good job, but at least the worst of the crud is washed off. Then, I took time to vacuum out the millions of pine needles left behind by transporting the Christmas tree. But wait--this blog gets even more exciting: then, we went to the POST OFFICE! Whee!
Josiah got a haircut yesterday too, so he's looking like a shorn little lamb. I can't get over the vulnerability of his skinny little neck when it's been freshly shaved. He was so good for his haircut, although he objected to sitting on the booster and ended up having to sit on my lap, both of us swathed in capes. He sits very still and doesn't cry and even giggles a little when the shaver touches his neck. I can't believe that was his third haircut already. I just can't stand a shaggy baby. Some mothers like to let their babies' hair grow forever (until they're mistaken for girls, right Donna?) but I can't do it. Must be the military wife in me!
We did go to the 100 Yen store yesterday and also to Daiei Mall to the infamous "Balloon Playroom". The 100 Yen store is exactly what it sounds like: everything in there costs 100 Yen. It's the Japanese equivalent of the dollar store, only the things there are actually kind of nice. I mean, don't get me wrong--there is plenty of plastic crap in there, but they have really nice dishes, glasses, candles...things of that ilk. Cute toys--I've gotten Josiah three wooden train cars that are compatible with his Thomas set. It's Japanese crap, so I guess that makes it more interesting! Yesterday we bought balloons, bubbles, a ball, a red Beetle (just like Grandma's), yarn, and lots of bizzare Japanese candy and snacks to send to Genevieve. Apparently, the possession of Japanese food has only served to increase her popularity at work...hard to say it "made" her popular, since Genevieve is loved and admired all over the world! Which actually...is true, if you think of it. I guess you all are!
Josiah had a great time playing at the Daiei playroom. I did take some pictures, but they didn't turn out too well. I may post them later. It costs 500 Yen for unlimited time in the playroom and it's worth every yen. He loves the room filled with balloons and the two ball pits, the slides. It's like baby heaven!
Well, this was supposed to be short, and yet, has turned long and rambling! Sorry that our adventures have been a bit dull as of late, but I really am not in the mood to do much adventuring right now and won't be for awhile. We're still going to try for Kyoto for Christmas, that should be plenty for this mama!
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