Oyako Eigo (Mommy-Baby English)

Timing is a funny thing. Often when something doesn't work out, it's as much to do with the timing as the idea itself. When I tried to start an English class for moms and babies at our church two years ago it fell flat on its face. I was beyond bummed. I put so much effort into planning and advertising, yet no one came. I didn't have the connections into the mom-community to get it off the ground. In fact, that's why I wanted to start it: to make mom-friends. At the time I was pregnant and trying to find other moms in my neighborhood. (I didn't yet know about the importance of routine in making friends in Japan.)

This year, however, after months and months of slowly building relationships in a variety of contexts, I felt it was time to dust off my curriculum and get back in to the teaching game.

The moms I met through swim class and the neighborhood park were eager to join. I was blown away when at out first class, two weeks ago, 4 mom's showed up with their children: two park moms; two swim moms. Woot Woot!

The lesson for the day was colors. We sang songs, played games, made a craft all using our new English words for the colors of the rainbow.

Practicing our new color words while we draw together

Today was the second Oyako Eigo class. 6 Moms came: 3 park moms; 3 swim moms. The new "park-mom" hadn't yet met the other "park-moms," so I had the pleasure of introducing them. They live less than a block away from each other and they met for the first time at church while singing silly songs. The moms are slowly gelling. You can definitely see the two group from how they sit on different side of the circle. But, as with all relationships in Japan, slowly but surely, they'll get to know each other and soon this new group will be a common connection point. Not only that, but these 6 moms have now been inside of a Christian church. Twice! That's huge!




Today's lesson was body parts. We sang the ubiquitous "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and played Simon Says. The craft for today was making Funny Felt Faces.

For fun, I thought I'd write out instructions for today's craft, incase any of you want to play along at home. :)

For the record: it's not too clear from the picture, but
I used tan felt for the faces, not white,since the kids are Japanese. 

Felt Funny Faces
Materials:
Felt (various colors)

Prep:
Cut out large-ish circles for heads out of felt.
Draw and cut out a set of
-hair
-eyes
-nose
-mouth
-ears
in different colors. (I made a variety of shapes as well. Ears were a bit of a pain. Mine all looked like kidney beans.)
Seperate parts by kind.

Class:
Pass out faces
Let kids/ parents choose one of each for their face. They can mix and match colors or go monochomatic.
The beauty of felt is the kids can reposition and change out the parts as they wish. After a bit it all starts looking like a Picasso, but that's fine. ;)

*** Pro-Tip: to get the felt to stick to itself, scratch it up with your nails. The rougher the felt is, the better.

K-chan and the Japan-able Lasagna

"Suddenly, I'm a vegetarian," our friend K-chan announced in English class one night. We were planning having her and our other student S-kun over for dinner and a movie and when I heard her proclamation, I knew at once I should make the Japan-able cheese lasagna a fellow missionary taught me to make. Why "Japan-able"? Well, because there is one kind of cheese available in every grocery store and it isn't ricotta so westerners craving Italian food need to get creative. I"ll leave the recipe below for anyone who wants it. I promise it's fabulous! I think I might continue to make it with the clever substitution even once I'm back in the States.

That evening was months ago, but the meal must have left an impression on K-chan because Friday I got a request to teach her how to make it.

I was delighted to have her over and cook with her. The recipe was simple enough, so instructing her in Japanese didn't stretch me too far. She even got to do most of the work while I fed Jillian her dinner.

After dinner K-chan got to play with Jilly and even read her a few of her Japanese bed-time books. I'm sure it was nice for Jillian to have the Japanese books read to her by a native speaker for a change.

I really hope K-chan enjoys making the lasagna herself and that we have more chances to cook and hang out together.

Sue's Japan-able Lasagna

(Sue, if there is a real name for this dish, please let me know and I'll edit as needed :) )
*Lasagna noodles (cooked)
*Filling:
      -2 eggs
      -1 brick of tofu (This is the magic substitution. It is creamy like cheese, has a lot of protein, but is available in Japan!)
      -2 cups(?) shredded generic white cheese ( I use most of the bag and reserve a bit to use as a topping. If you have access to better cheese than "generic white" use it!)
       -Various seasonings to taste (Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley, etc...)
*Pasta sauce

1- Layer sauce, noodles, and fillings until you've filled your pan.

2- Top with extra cheese 

3- Bake 30 Minutes at 180C (350F) or until cheese is bubbly.

Ta-da! The easiest Japan-able Lasagna Ev-ah

You Were Born to Be Loved

We were blessed to get connected with a women's clinic run by a Christian doctor and his Midwife wife for my pregnancy and Jillian's birth. From the start, and even now, over a year since Jill's birth, the way they care for women, both physically and spiritually has really impressed me.

 I've written a little about it before. I mentioned it here, but I never got around to writing all that I wanted about it. This week, though, I was reminded of the wonderful ministry the head doctor and his wife have cultivated over the years when I attended the final play group for the babies born in April and May of 2012.

The group flowed as usual: time for songs, a lesson on child development, time for tea, time to chat with the other moms. This time, however, when it began time to wrap up, the 2 teachers were joined by the head doctor and his wife to sing to our children. They sang a song that is very familiar to me; one I love to sing and hear. It goes "Kimi wa aisareru tame umareta..." "You were born to be loved." As they sang, Jillian, a lover of all things musical, crawled up front and danced. The scene was so precious to me: the doctor who delivered my baby, the midwife who cared for me while I was panic stricken that I would break this new life, were singing to my baby. I couldn't hold back the tears forming in my eyes as I snapped a few pictures to hold the memory always.

This same doctor sat with the women who were in recovery the week I was, a few of whom where at the play group, and read us Psalm 139. He told us that it was God who put our children in our lives; that He knit them together in our wombs. Then presented us each with a Bible bearing our name and baby's birthdate carefully written inside the cover.

I don't know how many lives this man and his wife have touched. Countless, I'm sure. I pray God encourages him and the women he cares for; that they would know, "They were born to be loved"; that they were "knit together in their mother's womb."

Silly-Jilly: Lost in Translation

Anyone who has ever typed something into Google Translate can tell you, the word you want to use doesn't always convey the meaning you hope it does. Some rare words translate perfectly; conveying the precise meaning from first language to second. Others... well, not so much. "Silly" is one such word.

Sunday at church as a friend, Y, and I bowed to pray Jillian took the opportunity to pet Y's hair and stick her, Jillian's, foot into Y's praying hands. When we said our "Amen"s I told my friend. "Jillian is such a silly girl" in English and gave Jilly a kiss on the head. I asked Y, who speaks fluent English, if there is a  word that translated well for silly. The closest I've been able to think of don't really convey the right shade of meaning. "Tannoshii" is more like fun or enjoyable. "Omoshiroii" is like interesting or enjoyable. "Kawaii" is cute. But silly is more like a combo of the three with a little bit of "Henna" (weird) thrown in.
The word she gave me I didn't even commit to memory because when I asked her if it was a good or bad image, she said bad. Her word translated to something like foolish.

I was mortified. This woman, and how many other English-speaking Japanese people, think I've been calling my daughter foolish! I quickly explained that silly has a positive image. Perhaps in the past it was negative, but now it's "Wee Sing in Sillyville"; it's "Silly Songs with Larry"; it's our own Silly-Jilly. Definitely not negative.

Someone needs to warn Larry that he might not translate well into Japanese.
Image credit 

The whole encounter got me thinking about how many other words, or actions I've been using that are COMPLETELY misinterpreted. Probably a lot. I recently found out that when Jillian waved "hello" to people, even in response to "Konnichiwa" people think she's waving "bye-bye". Poor baby has been inviting people to come play and they've been thinking she wants them to leave. We should probably practice bowing rather than waving, but I hesitate because the waving is so darn cute!

I know I'm bound to make, or discover, more mistakes in my word choice. I just hope none of them give the impression I'm speaking ill of my daughter, or other people for that matter.

Unexpected Blessings

This past weekend was the annual A2 Spring Retreat. Each year our time as a mission family is much anticipated. There is nothing like joining with friends I only see once or twice a year for fellowship and renewal. This year, especially, I felt God's tender care for me and my family as we gathered with our mission.



From the get-go our plans got thrown out the window. Stephen came down with a major virus that had spread quickly into his lung the day before the retreat. Jillian and I went on ahead and prayed Stephen would recover fully by the weekend, so he could join the retreat. Traveling on my own with a squirmy one-year-old went better than I could have expected, even if Stephen had been with me. Once at the retreat, everyone was so helpful with Jillian I didn't feel like I had to miss out on everything because I didn't have my partner in crime to pass her off to from time to time.

A picnic lunch with some of our mission family before Stephen arrived.

By Friday, Stephen had been given the ok to travel and make his way to the retreat site. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see him! Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

While I was waiting for Stephen to arrive, though, Jillian decided it was her turn to be sick. Poor little baby spiked a fever and wanted nothing more than to sleep. By God's grace our friends had some baby fever medicine for us to use. Go figure, the time I decided to pack light, something major would happen.  Because I was still solo at this point, the child care team took great care of me by helping watch Jillian in a separate corner of the kids' room. Because she was such a cuddly lump while sick, it worked well.
Thank you King's Harbor Church for your excellent service! You saved my behind!
(I should also add that I received a couple other unexpected blessings from the team from King's Harbor: a hair cut and neck massage. If anyone wants to bless a missionary-wife here are three simple ways: make them feel beautiful, let them relax, and love their kids!)

By the time Stephen arrived, Jillian was on her third day of fever and had begun throwing up. With the help of two other moms I took Jillian to the urgent care at the hospital near by. Thank you so much Yuko and Rhonda for translating, driving, and just being with me. Without them and the prayers from the A2 family back at the retreat site, the doctor would have just given Jillian an not yet needed IV and sent us on our way. He changed his mind suddenly and gave us some fever reducer and decongestant to help her ride out the virus.
By the next day Jill was feeling much better.

The retreat itself was fantastic. I was blessed by the message on prayer and the team from Evergreen Church who prayed with us over the course of the retreat. I walked away from the retreat feeling refreshed and so loved. It's tough some times to be a little speck of light in a dark land. Times like spring retreat are so necessary for my spirit.
I feel like this particular retreat could have gone a lot differently with all the challenges that were thrown at us, but even in the midst of chaos, God's tender care showed through.

Only in Japan: Baby Supplies

Moving to Japan has opened my eyes to a whole new world of strange things to buy, becoming a parent has opened them even wider. I didn't know that were possible. As I've been out shopping for Jill, I've been keeping a mental list of "Huh, You'd never see that in America." I finally took my camera with me on a shopping trip, just for you! 

Here's 4 items you won't find in the States.

Barley Tea:

I got a box of this tea free with Jillian's formula. Do you see the number 1 in the upper right hand corner of the box? That stands for one month, as you can drink this tea from one month old on. I was shocked to see this since every American produced bit of information about baby care said "BREAST-MILK OR FORMULA ONLY FOR 6 MONTHS!" I believe there was an "or else" implied. Or else what, I'm not sure. 

We didn't introduce mugi cha (barley tea) at one month, but that had more to do with not being to excited about mugi cha myself. ;)

At 11 months, Jill tried mugi cha for the first time. She wasn't impressed. Guess we should have let her try it at one month like the box suggests. ;)

Furikake (Rice seasoning) for toddlers:

Furikake is a dried rice seasoning, usually some sort of fish, although the package in green below is various vegetables. I forgot to look for the age recommendation for this one, but I believe its about one year or one and a half. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine many 1-2 year olds being excited about dried fish flakes on their rice. Personally, I love furikake, but I wonder about little non-Japanese kids. Readers with children, what do you think? Anyone think your little one would eat this on rice? Let me know below. Maybe I'll have to mail some out and conduct a study. :)

Outlet covers:

Yes, I know these aren't only in Japan. I'm including them, not because the idea is special, but because the form is. I worry about something that is supposed to deter your child from playing with outlets that is brightly colored and shaped like Mickey Mouse. Somehow that just screams, "come play with me!" But maybe that's just me. 

Training Chop-sticks:

I think these are brilliant! We actually own a pair, even though Jillian's too young for them. We bought them for a visitor who wasn't comfortable using the utensil of choice in Japan. Only, Stephen didn't pay attention to the kanji in the corner that said left or right hand. He grabbed the ONLY pair of left handed training chop-sticks in the store. :) Maybe Jill will be left-handed and we won't have to buy a new pair.

What's the weirdest thing you've seen for sale for little kids and babies (in The States or Japan)?

Easter 2013

Time for a photo post!

Easter was fantastic this year. Not only did we get to celebrate at church with lots of food, a skit, and a packed sanctuary; it was also Jill's very first Easter which meant lots of chocolate a ruffles. :)

this year's skit was an adaptation of the folktale, "The Three Trees." In the story, three trees in the forest hope for greatness, and end up telling the story of Jesus' life as they become a manger, a boat on a stormy sea, and a Roman cross. 

The craft used eggs and paint, but not in the usual way. Everyone teamed up to glue colored fragments of egg shells on to a picture that Stephen drew. I was happy to see the finished products displayed out front for people to see as they walk by. 

As for the baby....

She had a fun day too!

We hope you had a blessed Easter with friends and family! Let's continue to celebrate the risen King everyday!

Love, The Borbas

Only in Japan: Onsen

I can't believe we've lived in Japan for almost 2 year (the time has flown) and we haven't written even once about onsens!

Onsens are the places to be in Japan. Whole vacations are planned around the best ones. No place inspires as much terror for a first-timer, yet once you've been, it is one of the greatest parts about living here.

The onsen is a public bath, divided men and women (usually, I've heard scary stories from missionaries who've been here longer than I). Think large naked spa, more than high school locker room.

Image
I don't have any pictures of the actual onsen we go to (for obvious reasons) . It's pretty much like this, but with ya know... people)

Once you get over the whole "I'm naked and people can see me!" thing, it's a nice time of relaxation.

Image 
Here's a better picture. I think we're getting closer. 

Since Japan was formed by lots of volcanic activity, there are a lot of natural hot springs. You can take trips to towns that have sprung up around the springs (bu-da dum). There are also basic onsen in each little community.

Image
Here we go! Nicer than the one we went to, but a good image of onsens in Japan.
( click the image link to read the wiki article, if you're interested)

Stephen and I took Jillian to our neighborhood onsen this weekend. We didn't stay long since wrangling a slippery baby kind of cuts into the relaxation element for me. I think Stephen had a nice time on his side of the wall though.

Outside the baths, we were able to snap a pic of our little bathing beauty, squeaky clean and warm in her jammies. 

Jillian loved the baths, even if her rubber duckies had to stay home. Though, I do think I have to work on keeping her from trying to swim in the tubs. I feel like it will be frowned upon when she's older. And incase you were worried (cuz it's always on the forefront of my mind when I take Jill to the public bath), there were no accidents to be had. All potential debris was left safely in her diaper before we got there. :P



Would you ever go or have you ever gone to an onsen? Any funny stories to share? Leave me a comment.

Jillian's Foot: An Update

Jilli's been such a trooper through this whole clubfoot ordeal. Although, I guess it's the only reality she knows, so she doesn't have much to compare it to. 

Her last cast came off in late June. We were so excited to have access to both feet for the first time since she was a week old. 

At that point, the doctor fit her for special shoes that would act as a brace to keep the newly stretched muscles and tendons from shrinking back to where they were. She's been wearing the braces 23 hours a day, every day, since then. 

I was worried at first about how the braces would affect our daily life with Jill. I knew it would be better in the cast for things like baths and play time, since we were now free to have some bare feet time each day. 

Other things though, like diaper changes and clothes, were new territory. Turns out, other than not being able to wear footy-jammies, the bar hasn't been too much of an imposition. And now I have a handy-dandy handle bar to assist in diaper changes. ;)

We've been amazed watching her play while wearing her brace. Her tummy and leg muscles must be getting so strong from all the leg lifts she does. 

She even figured out how to use the bar as leverage to roll over before most babies do. Other things, like finding her feet, took some extra time. But I'm sure now that she's discovered them, it won't be long before she's trying to unstrap her shoes. 

At our last doctor's appointment, we thought we would get the go ahead to move to only night and nap wear. After looking at her xrays, the doc said, "everything looks normal, but let's be extra cautious and keep the bar on 23 hours a day for a few more months." We're not sure how much of this is typical Japanese cautiousness, but even though we're frustrated, we're following doctor's orders and keeping the bar on. :/

We're all anxiously looking forward to FINALLY being graduated out of the bar during the day. I feel like Jill is trying to get mobil and having bare feet would really help her out. Although, I'm sure she'll manage even in the bar. This kid is a go-getter!

Providence and the Play Group

As I look back over the events of the past day and months, I can't help be amazed at God's hand of providence.

Jill woke up earlier than usual from her first nap. After she ate, I tried to Skype my mom. Since she was in a meeting, I thought we should take a walk since the weather is finally turning nice again. I usually only take a purse with a diaper, travel wipes, and a burp cloth rather than my whole diaper bag when I take a walk to the park. Today, I decided to bring the whole bag, even though I only planned on being gone 10-15 minutes. My plan was to go to the park across the street and let her feel the grass, but when we got there I realized the ground was too wet from yesterday's rain. I changed tack and headed to the park a little further down the road where there is more sunshine to dry the ground.

As we neared the 2nd park a women and her 8 month old daughter rushed to catch up to us. 

I met this mom 2 months ago at the park near my house. I was there on a whim and she and her daughter sat with us to chat for a few minutes. 

She recognized me as I was walking. She even remembered my daughter's name and was excited to see Chiyo-chan (Jillian). After chatting our way down the road, past the park, I discovered she wanted to invite me to the neighborhood play group she was walking to. 

I knew this play group existed, I just didn't know where it was, or when it met. I learned the Japanese name for it on Wednesday and was actually looking it up online when Jill woke from her nap this morning. 

As we were walking, the mom told me about how she moved here last year and really wanted to make friends. This was going to be her first day at the kids' club and she was embarrassed to go alone. She was happy she saw me and that I wanted to come too. 

At the kids' club there were dozens of other moms with there kids. Babies and toddlers filled the rooms.  It was wonderful watching Jilli interact with the other babies. I sometimes worry she doesn't get enough time with other little ones since she's the only person under 13 years old at our church. Jill was gentle and sweet as she touched there other babies' faces and hands. She even showed off her giggles and rolling. 

Offering your hand to be chewed on is the international sign of friendship among babies

Before we left to get home for her nap, another mom came up to me to ask if I lived in the building named "LaForce."  I do, and it turns out, so does she. She and her 1 year old son live two floors down and have the parking space next to ours. Go figure. 

The play group meets ever Friday, a 4 minute walk from my apartment. I am so excited to go back again. I feel like a genuine connection is being made, and to think, if Jill had slept for her whole nap, or my mom was free to Skype, or the grass was dry enough to sit on, I never would have gone. 

God's Got My Back

 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,  he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.  News of this spread through all that region.

Matthew 9:18-26

It figures that the week my pastor gives a message on Jesus the Great Physician is the same week my back goes out.

On Sunday, I was so glad to understand the message. Like always, it was given in Japanese, but this week I felt I understood more than usual. As I was listening, I thought, I believe Jesus can heal, but I don't really have any personal stories to share in small group today. I feel like God was sitting up in heaven laughing, saying, "Child, just you wait..."

Now, I'm not saying God made my back go out to prove a point. I mean, He totally could have. But, no, I am sure this was going to happen regardless. (Too much up and down with the baby can mess you up.) I just feel like the message was extra timely in my life.

Wednesday morning, I was feeling a little stiffer than usual. Bending over to pick up the baby was a bit more of a challenge than usual. By Thursday, I was in tears limping to and from the baby's room. Pulling her from the crib was a force of will. The three steps from the crib to the rocking chair to nurse her took all of my strength.

I spent the morning literally praying through every step. Most of the prayers were something like, "Please, don't let me drop the baby." I even enlisted the prayers of my Facebook friends. (Those of you who prayed, THANK YOU!)

To make matters more interesting, Jill was in the throws of a growth spurt and wanted to eat more often than usual. Which meant I was mobile a bit more than I would have preferred.

For play time, I decided to lay on the floor with Jillian. It was great in theory. I got to rest my back and Jill got to play with Mommy. I say "in theory" because when play time was over, I realized I was stuck. It took me 10 minutes to get up off the floor.

Jilli didn't mind  a little extra playtime. She had Elmo to keep her  busy.

Thursday was the worst of it. Thankfully, Friday and Saturday have been progressively better. I feel like God has been gracious in answering prayers. I'm still not at 100%,  but each trip to the baby's room is a little bit easier.

I'm hoping to be better tomorrow to go to church and share my new story with my small group. Even if it is a week late.

Only in Japan: Poop Card and Other Government Paperwork

Anyone who has lived or worked in Japan will tell you that this is a country that loves their paperwork. It's the downside of their famed efficiency and attention to detail. In order to get anything done, there are myriad forms that first must be filled out, approved, and filed with the appropriate office. If it weren't for our A2 office staff, supervisor, church friends, Japanese teacher...... we'd be lost. It's is easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed.

Now that Jillian is in our lives, it seems that amount of paperwork has increased exponentially. But, in the jumble of paperwork I've submitted since Jilli's birth, the most bizarre has to be the poop card.



What is "the poop card?!" you must surely be asking yourself.

THIS is a poop card

Months and months ago, when I registered my pregnancy to get my pregnancy mark, I received a stack of paperwork to be submitted after birth. It was all pretty standard: birth announcement, application for birth certificate, stuff like that. There was was one form though that was to be submitted for her 1 month check-up. It had a list of different kinds/colors of baby poop with corresponding numbers. I was instructed to categorize my daughter's doo-doo and share the information with the government health center.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. This is the country that brought us the literary classic Everyone Poops (Minna Unchi by Taro Gomi), and candy like the baby gave Stephen for Valentine's Day.

The (unintentionally) funniest book I've ever read of poop.
Photo credit Wikipedia

I assume the government wanted me to submit the poop card for Jilli's health check-up. Either that, or they were trying to give a little comic relief to my bureaucracy woes.

Jilli's Foot

When Jillian was born we noticed right away there there was something different about her left foot. We were referred to an orthopedic surgeon and were given the news that Jill had a condition called clubfoot. I won't get into the nitty gritty of the condition here, but basically it means the tendons and muscles on the inside of her left foot were shorter than the outside and needed to be stretched.

Jillian's foot at 3 days old

We were shocked to find out our perfect little girl would need special treatment if she were ever to be able to walk. 

But since nothing surprises God, we trusted that He was already at work.

Since meeting our daughter and seeing her clubfoot, here's how we've seen God moving:

*Clubfoot is a correctable condition if treatment is started right away. Jillian was in her first cast at 8 days old.

*We were referred to a leading clubfoot specialist in Sapporo. 

*We realized we live in a big city that has a specialist. We don't have to travel to another town like we would if we lived somewhere else. 

*Our doctor is an English speaker and can clearly explain procedures and progress.

*My (Kathryn's) mother is an executive in a large California hospital and has provided access to double check Japanese protocol for clubfoot against American procedures, giving us peace of mind.

Even in a cast she's stinkin' adorable!

Since getting the official diagnosis at 6 days old, Jillian has had 5 casts to stretch her tendons and muscles, and 1 surgery to release the tension in her Achilles' tendon. Surgery was uneventful (which is the best kind of surgery in my opinion) and Jillian is coping with the recovery and a new cast by snuggling with Mommy and Daddy all day. 

There is still a long way to go in her treatment. After wearing this final cast for 2-3 weeks, she will wear a special brace on her feet every day for a few months and then at night for a couple years. 

Even though the situation is not ideal, we are so happy that Jillian has every chance to grow up with normal use of her feet. In the mean time, we'll continue to seek God's comfort, provision, and plan through it all. 

Jillian Chiyo

Jillian Chiyo

ジリアン　千代

Just 1 hour old

You may have already heard, our daughter has made her entrance into the world. After lots of labor and lots of prayers, Jillian Chiyo was born on Thursday, April 19th in Sapporo, Japan. And true to her nick-name, she was a little peanut baby weighing in at 6lbs 3oz.

You may have also heard that we were waiting to share her name when she was born. Our friends and families waited (not always so patiently) to hear her name announced at her birth and it was Stephen's joy to call all our family members back in America and announce that she was finally here!

1 day old

Both of her names have meaning to us and were chosen to reflect the faithfulness of God in her life. 

Jillian: In the Chronicles of Narnia, Jill Pole is a girl who was strong and courageous. Hers is a story marked by faithfulness. In the book, The Silver Chair, Aslan gives her instructions and tells her to "remember, remember, remember the signs" that will help her on her mission. As we all do, Jill gets distracted, becomes forgetful, and acts selfishly through out the story. But even though she doesn't always remember, Aslan remebers her and faithfully guides her and her companions on their quest. 

Chiyo: It was important to us to give Jillian a Japanese middle name to help her be more connected to this country where she was born. Chiyo (千代 ) means 1,000 generations. The same kanji can be found in Deuteronomy 7:9 

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

それゆえあなたは知らなければならない。あなたの神、主は神にましまし、真実の神にましまして、彼を愛し、その命令を守る者には、契約を守り、恵みを施して千代に及び、

Through out my pregnancy with her, God has been showing Himself faithful to us and to her. He provided a clinic, maternity clothes, informational resources, friends, ministry opportunities, and so much more. We felt that God's faithfulness has and will continue to mark this little girl's life. 

5 days old

St. Patrick's Day, Hinamatsuri, and a surprise baby shower

We have been really enjoying teaching English classes this past year. 2 of our favorite classes are our Chistose beginner and intermediate classes. Once a week, we drive an hour to a neighboring town to teach 2 classes of women. Since they are all friends, we have begun combining classes once a month for a special lesson on American culture and fellowship time.

For March, we taught a special lesson on St. Patrick's Day. We were surprised that the women also planned on sharing a special March holiday (Girls' Day) with us as well during fellowship time. We were even more surprised when our Girls' Day celebration, turned into not one, but 2 surprise parties!

St. Patrick's Day

Sharing St. Patty's Day with these 4 Japanese women, was a treat. Stephen brought pictures of things like leprechauns, pot's of gold, green beer, shamrocks, and Lucky Charms cereal. We also were able to talk about the origins of St. Patrick's Day and St. Patrick himself.

My favorite part was teaching them some common St. Patrick's day expressions like "Kiss me, I'm Irish," and "Top o' the Mornin' to ya."

Our students reading a list of St. Patty's Day phrases

Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day)

After our lesson on St. Patrick's Day, we moved onto tea time/ fellowship time. The women quickly got to work setting out hinamatsuri decorations and foods.

For those of you like us, who didn't know about Hinamatsuri, it is the girls' festival. Every year on 3/3, families celebrate their daughters. They set out hina ningyo (dolls), eat chirashizushi, and drink white sake [with or without alcohol (ours was without ;) )] Our students brought the supplies to have a small hinamatsuri celebration, complete with food, (alcohol free) sake, and a small version of the hina ningyo that families display for their daughters. We were also treated to special onigiri (rice balls) made by an English student.

ShiroZake (white sake) and a very small version of traditional Japanese hina ningyo

delicious chirashizushi. Mmmm, oishii!

Enjoying a special redbean and chetsnut onigiri, hand made by an English student

Surprise parties:

Towards the end of our Hinamatsuri fellowship time, we got to celebrate all over again. The first surprise was for our English student, S. In honor of her birthday, the other ladies brought a cake and had us lead everyone in the "Happy Birthday" song.

S is by far our most gregarious student! Could you tell?

After sharing in S's surprise, Stephen and I were treated to a surprise of our own. Our English ladies had planned a baby shower for us!

We were touched by their thoughtfulness!

and I learned that rubber duckies are universally awesome!

I'm excited we've started this new monthly combined class. I don't expect every month to be such an extravaganza, but I am looking forward to spending more time with these fun ladies as a whole group.

Cultural Difference at a Moms' Class

Getting into a group is one of the most important things you can do to minister in Japan. That's why when I learned about the new mothers' class at my city office, I jumped at the chance to participate.

The class brought together women from the same neighborhoods with due dates close together for conversation and lessons about pregnancy and motherhood. Of course, these classes were all in Japanese, but understanding the content was a bonus in my mind. I was going with the intention of breaking into the "mommy" group in my community.

The class itself was broken up into 4 teaching sessions and 1 postpartum play group scheduled for September. I was surprised how much I actually understood from the class. It's probably due to the text book (with pictures!) they handed out the first day. Well, that and the very kind women who helped the confused gaijin (foreigner) in their group.

new moms practicing diapering and dressing baby-dolls

Some of the information was old hat. Things like, eat proper meals that include all the food groups. Some of it was surprising, like finding out that fruit is on the "only eat a little bit" side of the food pyramid, rather than next to the vegetables.

Photo credit: The Food Guide Pyramid

During the class, I kept a running mental note about things to share with you all from my experience. so, for your enjoyment, I present:

"strange and interesting things I learned at "moms' class"

Diet:

I've already mentioned about the food guide strangeness I encountered. I also was not expecting 10 pages of a 70 page book to be devoted to telling women things like "don't eat a lot of fatty and salty foods." In our discussion groups, I got the feeling that these women are terrified of gaining too much weight while pregnant. One woman said it was important to "not eat your favorite foods, so you don't get fat." And all the rest of the skinny Japanese ladies agreed that getting fat would be horrible. The lone American just kept quiet and thought about the candy bar waiting for her in her purse.

Pain relief:

In two of the four class sessions, a woman from my group was brought up for a demonstration. A strip of bleached cotton cloth was pulled tightly around her hips. When I asked my neighbor why, she explained it was for pain relief. Not being satisfied with that answer, I asked when one would do this. I assumed after birth, since I know the Japanese have a tradition of wrapping one's hips to put them back into place after birth. Nope, she said you do it before birth, to ease back and hip pain. I was under the impression that my hips and back hurt because my hips were supposed to move outward to prepare for labor.

I think I'll stick with tylenol, thanks.

Bathing babies:

Using life-like baby-dolls, moms (and some dads) practiced bathing babies

I was really glad we got some instruction and practice on this topic. Since I've never bathes a slippery little baby before, I'm going to assume everything they taught was standard procedure in the US also. One thing I was surprised to find out, though, was how frequently they recommend bathing your baby. When I asked my instructor, she said "Mai nichi" (EVERYDAY!) How dirty do these babies plan on getting? I thought rolling in the dirt was an activity for older toddlers, myself.

The advice does fit with the culture though. Japan is all about their baths. Whole vacations are planned around where has the best "Onsen" (public baths/spa). I'm sure my instructor thought Americans are filthy when I said most people only bathe their babies every other day or so (I think even this frequency is being a bit generous.)