November 11th to the 12th! Life changed!

It was November 11th, Tuesday.
Sunday the 9th Naomi felt contractions.
Then through the day on Monday more.
Monday night and into Tuesday morning more contractions.
Tuesday morning Naomi asked me if I could take these photos of her baby belly, and with Karl. At one of their favorite beaches on the Westside of Santa Cruz.

 

Tuesday morning Naomi asked me if I could take these photos of her baby belly, and with Karl. At one of their favorite beaches on the Westside of Santa Cruz.

I got an email from Naomi Wednesday morning about 5:30 a.m.
Contractions were 5 minutes apart, but they would wait a little longer.
I got a message that at about 10 a.m. It sounded like it was "happening".
About 12:15 I heard the baby had been born! Born at 12:03 noon.
No problems, born naturally, and healthy and all fine!

 I got to see them about 30 minutes after the birth!

At 30 minutes old, it looked like Kieahla was ready to see the outside world!

 

Sheon and Yuriko drove from San Francisco and they met Kieahla at about 3 hours old.

 "O.G." they call Motohiko now! (Another way of saying Ojii-chan?!)

I went and picked up my 95 year old Grandmom the next day.
Naomi's Great Grandmom.
Kieahla's Great Great Grandmom.

For me, I especially love seeing how happy my daughter is with her daughter! And how well everything goes for them. That is what I give the greatest thanks for!

November in 2014, celebrating baby to come!

I’ve been “away” from this blog I really do care about for longer than I like!

It could end up being a seasonal “thing”? Or not! 

I wish it were easier to put photos in and write about them. But it really does take time.

However THESE photos were of Naomi’s BABY shower which is what I felt really busy preparing for, since even before the LAST blog entry actually!

Naomi and Karl’s due date, to have their little girl Kieahla, is November 17th. 

The day I am writing this is November 2nd, so two weeks from now

maybe baby Kieahla will decide to be born about that time!

Enjoy the photos of the shower at our house, below. I’m so glad we could have all the fun we did with all who could come!

 My Grandmom, Naomi's Great Grandmom, and baby's Great Great Grandmom made it to our party!
At 95... she awaits the baby's arrival. She could very well be the one most wishing to be able to hold a new soul in her arms!

My father (and mom) aren't here to celebrate the second of five generations here.

 Sheon's sweetheart David and she were who made all the amazing balloons.

 My sweetheart worked at the BBQ!

 I created this fun "bean bag"  toss

 although the "bags" were baby socks with washed pepples! I should have written "Baby Sock Toss" on the sign

 ARIA, from San Fran was in town with her friends too!!! FUN!

 And Misa's sister, their kids and dog from the Bay Area

 Almost no one took party favors : (   all the squash grew here- on their own.

 I moved Buddha to this safer spot at the top of the stairs. I like for him being here better. He gets to greet the people coming in! (Before he faced out to the farmed fields)

 See the umbrella? I made all those raindrops. Wanna know how? ASK me! Log into this site and please ask me (no one does that for me! Logging in and commenting!!!)

Karl's mom and sisters checked in via SKYPE.

Naomi, me and Ana who is one of my most amazing friends, from when I lived in Santa Cruz in 1981!

 AND, Ana's son Joseph playing with Taka, below. Joseph is one of Zen's best and oldest friends.

 MARINA, of Tsuruta, Yota and Marina! Came too from "over the hill"!!!

 Here's us watching the present opening

 Sheon and David wrapped up all those dixie cup tissue slippers for veggie sticks!

                     

ごぼ and TEMPURA and family in Montana!

Taka and I went to Montana, and my little brother Carl with his still- kind of new- wife Laurie.

It felt like our week there almost revolved around the dinners we eventually would have...

...maybe it's just me. Making dinner feels like such a biggie!

The night Taka and I made dinner, well, really it was just Taka doing most all the work for TEMPURA. But we went digging up ごぼ ... "gobo"=BURDOCK  to use in the tempura too. Burdock is growing all around Mom's and Frank's, in both Montana, but also Pennsylvania. It's kind of funny!

Digging up the burdock isn't easy. We always end up not able to dig down far enough and it breaks off about halfway.

Scrapping off the skin with a good knife (not using a peeler) is the way I learned to do it in Japan.

Then slicing it in slivers, and leaving it to soak in water for at least ten minutes.

Here's how Taka's tempura can look!!! He's getting better and better. 

I love that he cares so much to cook too!!!

There are SHISHITO in there, and kabocha squash, and the bunches of onions with burdock (GOBO), and carrots fried together, called KAKIAGE is SO gooooooood!!!

Well, you can see why our meals with Mom and Frank are so looked forward to! What a lovely setting we get to eat in! (Although one night was so cold... and this porch isn't meant to be dined in in the cold! There are no closing windows!)

I wanted to share this window shot which I took while standing in the guest house shower. While showering this is what we get to look out! 

It reminds me of another window shot I took from our house in Corralitos. This scenery below is what men, who are using our toilet, can stand and look out at! Nice, huh?!

Anyway, back in Montana, we stopped at this market when we first drove into Big Timber. It's a big souvenir shop, but also... a gun shop. I had to ask the cashier if they were really real. Mind blowing.

And the last night! MORE amazing food! We got to hang out with my old neighborhood buddy David Wiehler, who works for the restaurant called The Mint, right around the corner from Bozeman Airport. "Born to Cook" is how I would say David is! The foods were so excellent. I'm only sorry I'm not a good food photo taker!!!