A Tartan Greeting!

Hello from the Scotland. Home of the Highlander and William Wallace. The whole family made it out here safely without really driving anyone around us too crazy. We had a 10 hour flight from San Francisco to London, a 5 hour layover and an hour flight to Glasgow. Abby was so well behaved and slept for more than 6 hours on her flight to London. We had a bassinet which she barely fit. There was even a belt above her head which prevented her from lifting up her head too much - poor girl. It still helped her sleep for a long time and we were really happy. Other than that, there was a guy behind us who snored so loudly - I've never heard a guy snore more loudly sleeping upright.



We got to Glasgow pretty late and settled into our hotel which is very close to the conference center. It stays very light until quite late at night (10PM or so). Still, we were quite tired and went to sleep pretty quickly. The next day, we went to the city center where we explored some of the shopping district. We found a Marks & Spencer where we bought some desserts for later in the day. We also got some basics for Abby including baby food. One comment on British baby food - they feed their babies things Americans would never dream of feeding their baby at 4-6 months... like "Grandpa's Sunday Lunch" - a combination of carrots, peas, potatoes and chicken or "Shephard's Pie" - veggies and lamb or chocolate pudding or egg custard for that matter. We're embracing the British baby food and letting Abby go crazy with the meats.

In other news, Abby has not only mastered sitting up pretty completely, she is now rolling both from front to back and from back to front (the latter took a while). She has also finally discovered a consonant. After months of "AAAAAAAAAA!!!!", we now have "bababababababababa". It's quite cute (purely objectively speaking of course).

Food:

1. Random hole in the wall British eatery

Here I had fish and chips and Albert had a beef casserole. It was good but too salty and greasy for our taste. I think we've had enough British food for a few days.

2. Wagamama's

We went twice to make sure our assessment was correct. I went to Wagamama's many times in London many years back and loved it... so much so that I asked Albert to get me a T-shirt when he was there. We eagerly anticipated touching down in Glasgow to get our first taste of Wagamama's in a few years and was very very disappointed. The ramen was too salty. The rice was too sticky. The curry sauce was lacking. The rice noodles were al dente. To top it off, the price was nearly $20 a head! I still bought a T-shirt but that's because I love the name - in Japanese it means "spoiled brat". My parents used to call me this all of the time when I was a kid.


3. Mrs. Majhu's

41 Byres Road, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G11 5RG
T. 0141 339 1339
Lunch here was actually very good and fairly reasonable. For a prix fixe lunch, we were able to share 4 small plates plus some rice and naan all for 8 pounds per person. We had saag paneer, chicken curry and two lamb dishes. All were spiced very well without being too overwhelming. The restaurant was also clean and inviting. Abby slept through the entire meal so Albert and I were able to really relax.

Sights:
1. Kelvingrove Museum

This is one of the most eclectic museums I have ever been to! We loved the fact that over the stuffed elk and moose, you could view an old WWII Spitfire aircraft. In the same museum, there were Matisse paintings as well as a neon Elvis. There were some really pro-Scottish statements in some of the commentary on British history which we also enjoyed.



Beyond our general sightseeing, I am here for a more important purpose - the ICC 2007 conference where I am presenting a paper. I will be spending most of my time at this conference and am limited in my sightseeing for Glasgow. All in all, we thought Glasgow was a lot of fun but we're excited to be moving on!

I admit I am a Japanese food SNOB

This admission doesn't take any strength of character or long introspection. I've come to embrace this fact as if it were a trait of mine to be treasured and cultivated. I admit to calling Japanese restaurants to make sure that the people who work there are Japanese. I can tell from the handwriting on the help wanted signs hanging on the window if the proprietors are Japanese. I'll even turn my nose at an Asian owned Japanese restaurant if I sense that the ownership were not genuinely Japanese. In my own defense, I'd feel this way about most other restaurants. I wouldn't want to go to a Korean restaurant owned by the Japanese - it would probably be too expensive anyway (ahem, Yakiniku Juban). Nor would I want to go to a French restaurant owned by an Italian... or a Greek restaurant owned by a Turk, etc. etc. You get the picture. I like food that is authentic. That said, I have to say that there are "poser" Japanese restaurants and there are ones I could eat at every day. The point of this posting is to guide my friends in the right direction. That doesn't have to mean an expensive direction, mind you. There are Japanese restaurants that are reasonably priced. I've categorized them to make it even easier for my fellow audience:

Sushi Restaurants:

Kanpai Sushi


330 Lytton Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 325-2696

Sometimes I wish I had an even more enthusiastic thumbs up for restaurants I really really love. Kanpai would get one of those. My mother's influence has heavily colored how much I am capable of liking sushi restaurants that are not truly excellent. I can say that Kanpai really meets the bill. The only other restaurant that comes close for sushi is Kaygetsu in Sharon Heights but that is not just a sushi restaurant. You'll find that under Kaiseki. On the peninsula, I would say that this is the best I've found so far.

come to embrace this fact as if it were a trait of mine to be treasured and cultivated. I admit to calling Japanese restaurants to make sure that the people who work there are Japanese. I can tell from the handwriting on the help wanted signs hanging on the window if the proprietors are Japanese. I'll even turn my nose at an Asian owned Japanese restaurant if I sense that the ownership were not genuinely Japanese. In my own defense, I'd feel this way about most other restaurants. I wouldn't want to go to a Korean restaurant owned by the Japanese - it would probably be too expensive anyway (ahem, Yakiniku Juban). Nor would I want to go to a French restaurant owned by an Italian... or a Greek restaurant owned by a Turk, etc. etc. You get the picture. I like food that is authentic. That said, I have to say that there are "poser" Japanese restaurants and there are ones I could eat at every day. The point of this posting is to guide my friends in the right direction. That doesn't have to mean an expensive direction, mind you. There are Japanese restaurants that are reasonably priced. I've categorized them to make it even easier for my fellow audience:


Sushi House


Town and Country Shopping Center
855 El Camino Real Ste 158
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 321-3453

I've been coming here since I was in high school. It's right across the street from Paly High. That said, this is not the place to go if what you are looking for is fine sushi. That said, this place has the best california rolls I've ever had. Their other sushi is adequate but not excellent. Their other kinds of food - chicken salad, fried oysters, etc. are actually quite good. For sushi I would give it two stars and for other foods, three.


Naomi Sushi


1328 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 321-6902

I actually heard a lot of really good things about Naomi Sushi that I just had to try it. I was fairly optimistic but the sushi was quite a disappointment. I think it was a bit more expensive than Sushi House but the quality was about the same. I hear that Naomi Sushi is, in fact, owned by the same people who own Kanpai. Surprising, because Kanpai is so much more of a superior restaurant. I went once to Naomi and perhaps it was an off night but I'm not planning on ever going back. I'd much rather spend my money at Kanpai.


Teishoku Restaurants: This kind of restaurant serves the type of food my mom makes for dinner. Surprise! Japanese people don't eat sushi everyday and no, the only other option is not chicken, beef or salmon teriyaki. These restaurants will give you a feel for what kinds of other foods we eat!


Gombei


1438 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 329-1799

If a large, cheap Japanese meal is what you're in search of, this is the place to find it! Gombei isn't fancy nor is this the place to take your girl on a first date, but if your girl appreciates value as this girl does, you're in luck! I highly recommend the croquettes which are flavored with just a little bit of curry. Their tonkatsu is also quite tasty.

Hattoriya


799 San Antonio Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 857-0273

I'm not sure how old this place is but my parents live quite literally a couple of blocks away and didn't know this place existed. I recently took them there and you should have seen the way my dad's eyes lit up. This man hates to eat out and when my mother goes to Japan for a few weeks at a time, he would rather sit at home and eat fermented beans with rice than eat at a restaurant. This will be his new option for good food should my mom not be around to feed him. I highly recommend the hamburg curry as well as the cream crab croquette. The food here is so close to mom's home cooking that my mother declared that she wouldn't cook for a full week and they would eat there instead. It was also good enough that my dad didn't protest. Now in comparison to Gombei, I would say that this place is tastier but maybe a few dollars more expensive. It's about $15 a head with tip.


Kaiseki Restaurants: This type of food is supposed to be the opposite of Teishoku. It is fancy. There are lots of little plates that are delicately put together. Typically, it is also quite expensive.

Yoshida


10700 S De Anza Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 252-9907

This place really was a let down. If sheer quantity is what you seek, Yoshida is the place for you. Otherwise, it's a huge let down. The sashimi is about as good at Sushi House (listed above). For kaiseki, there is no finesse in the menu items and it feels like the huge trays are trying to cover up the fact that the cook just doesn't have the skillz (yes, that's skillz with a z). If you want authentic kaiseki, you might as well pay up the wazoo and get the real thing. Otherwise, go for one of the Teishoku restaurants or some of the Izakaya restaurants I list later.

Kaygetsu


325 Sharon Park Drive, Ste. A2
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 234-1084

Situated in a strip mall in Sharon Heights - Menlo Park, one would never expect the oasis of Japanese zen you find when you walk into Kaygetsu. The mere mention of Kaygetsu makes my mouth water. At the same time, I also fall into a cold sweat because it is so incredibly expensive. Just to set the tone, my husband and I went to Kaygetsu a while ago. We didn't order any alcohol and it was still over a hundred a head. Don't get me wrong, I think it's worth it. This is quite literally the best Japanese restaurant I've ever been to in the Bay Area... by a wide margin. It's excellent. The food here is competitive with food I've had in Japan.

Other types of Japanese restaurants:

Tanto


1063 E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 244-7311

Tanto is what is known as an izakaya restaurant. This is the equivalent of Japanese tapas. It is really supposed to be a place where you drink lots of sake and eat some food but I go for the food. Their squid dish with rice is very good as is the burnt rice balls. Many of their fish dishes are also done quite well. I also enjoyed their shabu shabu salad and copied it later at home. It has a great loud atmosphere which I really enjoy when I go there. It's fun to go with a bunch of friends and share a bunch of plates.

Himawari-Tei


202 2nd St
San Mateo, CA, 94401
(650) 375-1005

If I had more than just thumbs up and thumbs down, I would give this place thumbs sideways. Himawari-Tei is a ramen restaurant. I love ramen and they do their tonkotsu ramen pretty well but it's not to die for. It's also pretty pricey at $15 a bowl.

She's a man eater!

Abby met Philip for the first time last weekend at Shie's baby shower. Philip, for his part, has already held hands with another girl. Abby, not taking any chances that she would lose out to her rival decided to make her intentions very clear. Philip didn't stand a chance...

Cowboys in Cali

We went to the rodeo this weekend. I never thought I'd say those words but what is truly unbelievable is that I had a great time. My roommate from my days in New York City has, through some fortuitous circumstances, ended up in Reedley, California. Dara, who my mother credits with giving me a grain of interest in fashion and having my room clean, is currently living an hour south of Fresno in the small town of Reedley with her husband Phil. I hadn't seen her since I got married so we decided it was certainly time to get together.

Albert happened to know another couple who also live in Central California from law school. Albert and I assumed that this meant that they lived fairly close to Dara and Phil so we set them up. Although they live an hour and half apart, they actually hit it off and became friends over the last month so a visit to Reedley and Springville meant that we got to see not only Dara and Phil but also Laurel and Jith. Laurel and Jith live in Springville where they held a rodeo this past weekend.

What is there to do near Reedley, you ask? There is, of course, the Sunmaid Raisin factory...

... and I think that's about it.

The rodeo in Springville was quite impressive. We were city slickers to the max with our Baby Bjorn in tow...


I was really impressed with the athleticism demonstrated by the cowboys who managed to stay more than 8 seconds on a bucking horse and those who tackled a young steer to the ground and tied their legs together in less than 5 seconds! We enjoyed this while eating the requisite barbecued beef ribs. Abby got too tired and we unfortunately missed the grand finale which was the bull riding. Alas, that gives us reason to return next year!

Excuses, excuses

So we have even more reason to excuse Abby for having her crying/screaming fits recently. It turns out that she has her bottom teeth coming in. Cathy even suggested that this might be the case but I poo pooed the notion that our daughter would be early in getting her teeth (the average is apparently at 7 months). I didn't even notice until Abby took the initiative to grab my finger, stick it into her mouth and rub it against her bottom gums. Poor girl. This is why she slobbers constantly and also makes this weird fishy face all of the time:

Fishy Face

Return of Ann

After the last post I feel compelled to clarify: Abby is not always crabby. In fact, she is mostly happy except when she gets sleepy. Recently, she has become extremely vocal (read: she loves to scream happily). Albert and I find this rather annoying because we see babies everywhere who are so perfectly behaved, quiet, smiling, etc. We ask ourselves everyday: How could such a loud child come from such quiet parents? We do, however, consider ourselves very lucky because she also happens to have a really loud laugh. She shares this with us particularly when we pretend to eat her:



Last week I started up at school again. The transition was much smoother than anticipated since I have essentially been back 60% for the last couple of months. It's just nice that it's official and I'm getting paid again. I hate to admit it because it makes me feel like a bad mother half the time but I really love being back in school. I love coming home with the feeling that I learned something today. I sometimes even tell Abby what I found to be interesting. I sometimes think that it will influence her to love science or engineering and buck the convention that women aren't supposed to be in these fields. I also realize that I sound totally neurotic. What I mean to say is that these dual roles I have: being an engineer in school and being a mother are both fulfilling. I also don't think that I could be one without the other anymore. As much as I love the things I learn, I also love to come home to giggling baby who I can pretend to eat.

Crabby Abby

Rita says that Abby will really hate it one day when I call her that. My response: "She should just stop being crabby then!"

Sometimes, I sing her this song when she gets particularly crabby:
Crabby Abby was a bear
Crabby Abby had no hair
Crabby Abby was still crabby Abby

Our Japanese-Korean Princess

Abby is one lucky girl. Well, obviously, she has some pretty fantastic parents... good looking ones I might add (objectively speaking of course). On top of the easy life she leads, she has the distinct advantage of being multi-cultural. She is not only celebrating the traditions of our American society (the first outing of her life was to buy a Christmas tree), her grandparents are showing her the old traditions of their respective cultures.

Drooly Abby in a Kimono
Earlier this month, my mother opened a box sent to us from my uncle in Japan. It was a kimono that had been made for my brother and now it was Abby's turn to wear the newborn kimono. Presumably, I wore it as well but I have a feeling that as a second child, this tradition was most likely overlooked (not that I'm bitter). A baby is made to wear this kimono and go to a shinto shrine. Since there are no shinto shrines nearby, we made do with the backyard and took photos outside on the deck and inside our house in the living room. Abby promptly drooled all over the three layers of silk which my mom will have to take back to Japan to get cleaned. The kimono was quite beautiful and had hand embroidering in the back to signify the Miura family emblem. Around the same time was Girl's Day. 20 years ago, my grandmother got me a huge set of dolls depicting the marriage of a prince and a princess. It must have been difficult to find the right one because I used to hate dolls with "scary" eyes. Most dolls had scary eyes but my grandmother found a beautiful set with the friendliest eyes she could find.

Miura Girls
This year, Girl's Day was celebrated with Abby, my mother and Michele (my niece). Three generations of Miura women together celebrated the fact that we were girls by putting up the dolls and eating sweets together. It was wonderful.

100 days old
Albert's mother visited when Abby turned 100 days old. This is called the baek-il in Korea. The main feature of this celebration is that we eat rice cakes called deok. We also had a "birthday" cake. Lucky Abby. She can't even eat cake right now so we were forced to consume lots of really good food for her. She also received a gold ring from her grandmother which she promptly tried to consume. I've put it in safe keeping for her. 100 days! Can you believe it? That also meant I had survived 99 nights. I, too, had reason to celebrate.

Red roses and such

Happy Valentine's Day!

Albert and I are on a gift-giving hiatus (what do you get for two people who already have too much stuff?) so we chose to stay in with Abby and make a nice dinner. Of course, Albert broke the rule and got some roses (purportedly after he haggled with some street vendors in Spanish). It made me feel like we were back in the days when he was actively courting me and Albert routinely broke those rules.

Al's Valentines

For Valentine's I decided to go with a beet salad in a balsamic glaze and an Afghani lamb dish called Qabili Pallau which we've had a couple of restaurants but never at home.

Our Valentine's Feast

Here are the recipes:

Beet Salad

2 medium sized red (and/or yellow) beets
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tsp brown sugar
olive oil

Drizzle the cleaned beets in olive oil. Wrap completely in aluminum foil and place in oven for 1-1.5 hours (until it can be pierced easily all the way through). Take the balsamic vineger and brown sugar and heat. Stir to completely melt the brown sugar and bring to a rapid boil. Keep stirring for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon. Slice up beets and mix into the balsamic glaze. Serve with some greens

Qabili Pallau

2 cups basmati rice
1 medium onion
olive oil
1.5 lbs lamb shank
2-3 large carrots
1 cup golden sultana raisins
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cardamom
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp saffron
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Brown the diced onion in oil until brown. Add the lamb shank and brown on all sides.

Add 2 cups of water, 1 tsp. salt and the cinamon, cumin and cardamom. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender (about an hour). Remembering to keep the meat juice, strain out the meat and onions and set aside in a casserole with a cover.

Cut the carrots into match stick size pieces. Saute carrots in oil with 1 tsp of sugar. Cook until the carrots are lightly browned. Remove the carrots from the oil and add the raisins. Cook them until they swell up.

Boil the meeat juice and about 2 cups of water. Add 2 cups of basmati rice, 1.5 tsp of salt and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Finally, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix the meat, carrots, raisins and rice together and place into the casserole. Cover and place in oven for 30 minutes.

Full circle

Sometimes we look at Abby and we can tell exactly what Albert will look like when he loses most of his hair. Abby was born with a full head of hair but gradually over the course of the last couple of months, she's lost a good chunk of it. My friends tell me that this is what happens to babies but I have to admit, it looks really odd. I think it's karma.

You see, a couple of years ago, I visited Japan and saw a baby cousin of mine. She's adorable now but she had the weirdest hair loss pattern. She had lost her hair on the back and side of her head but had a full tuft up top. I had a hard time finding ways to compliment the baby because I was so caught off guard by the hair.

Now I look at Abby and I know what people must be thinking. Abby has lost a lot of her hair except for some on the sides and a tuft that sticks straight up towards the top of her head. She's lost most of her hair up front so it makes her look a bit like a monchichi. Yesterday, my mom and I went up to San Francisco to get her Japanese passport (she can have dual citizenship because of me). We had to get passport photos taken in advance. I had a bit of an ordeal to get it done but Abby was very patient. The only problem is that Abby is very camera shy. She doesn't like to smile when she sees a camera and becomes very serious. With the hair the way it is and her serious expression, her photo ended up looking a bit like a mugshot:

Abby's first mugshot
There are certain photos I look at of Abby and think to myself, "Now THAT is a photo that we should definitely have in the slideshow at her wedding!" This is definitely one of them.

Dear Abby

People told me that life would change drastically when you arrived and it certainly has. You came into my life when I was starting to feel the desire to take care of someone other than your father. I wanted to have my dreams of my future to start being realized today... and you have made it so.

Abby and her faux-hawk
Some people ask me how I spend my days with you. I tell them that we have many conversations... although most are one-sided. You should know that as much as I talk to you about Real Analysis, Schrodinger's equations, and Kuhn-Tucker, I don't dream about you becoming an engineer or mathematician. I just do that to see the look of horror on my friends' faces. Still, sometimes you laugh when I tell you how the sum of infinite numbers could actually be a finite number and I wonder if maybe you have a little bit of my nerdiness in you. Or... maybe it's that you're laughing at me. Either way, it's ok because your laugh makes me laugh too.

You were an eagerly anticipated baby. For months in advance, we gathered the gear we would need to take care of you. We used a stuffed monkey as a your substitute to test out what we got.

Testing the Baby Bjorn

Everyday, I would place a hand on my growing belly to make sure you moved at least 10 times in an hour to guarantee your health. Often, you would start hiccuping and I could count 10 movements in less than a minute.

When you were born, I expected you to cry the soft cry of a newborn but you let out a scream worthy of a 3 month old. I was startled but quickly realized that your father is incapable of whispering. That loud voice will help you be heard over the din of your boisterous parents - the marvels of evolution. I love your long fingers because I can dream that maybe one day you will play piano and will learn to love the rich symphonies of Brahms or the chord progressions by Bach or the wonderful melodies of Schubert just like me. And your eyes... I wonder if someday you will be teased as I was that your eyes are shaped like almonds. I hope that you will respond as I did that you don't care because your daddy loves your almond shaped eyes and how they curve into small arches when you let out a giggle. You should. We love the curiosity in your eyes as you stare at the sunlight reflected on our walls and the suspicious glance you throw us when we aren't handling you quite right.

Abby enjoys reading

You have filled our life with hope, love and laughter. Some people would say that I should hold off until you are a teenager to see how you really turn out. I say to those people that I will probably love you more as you start to rebel against my wishes creating a new "you" that is separate from my dreams and wishes. We are imperfect parents by any stretch. Your dad said that he hopes that in your future is wisdom, integrity, and charity. Me... I hope for languid afternoons of shopping and ice cream. I guess all that means is that I hope we are close... that you can confide in me your fears and dreams. With that, you might be able to attain all those things your dad wishes for in spite of the parents you have.

Post-baby friendships

We've been asked if we make it out of the house since having Abby enter our busy lives. The truth is that we make it out of the house and we do so often! The other night, we went to Koh Samui and the Monkey with some old friends from BCG.

Gathering of good friends
We've been there before but haven't reviewed it so we'll put in a review here.

Koh Samui and the Monkey (Thai food)

415 Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 369-0007
www.kohsamuiandthemonkey.com

What we ate:
Soft Shell Crab Salad
Mango Catfish Curry
Seafood Clay Pot

Review:
Overall, this is decent Thai food at a good price for Soma. For some reason, Soma has a lot of pretty pricey restaurants so it's nice to find a place to go that doesn't really break the bank but is tasty. The special Mango Catfish Curry was awesome but I wasn't that impressed with the Seafood Clay Pot.

Other than that, we have also been out to Circa which is co-owned by a friend of ours.

Circa


2001 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 351-0175 Reserve Online
www.circasf.com

What we ate:
Sliders stuffed with black truffle and Brie cheese, served with Maui onion strings and house made ketchup 13
Lobster & white truffle mac-n-cheese 10
Moroccan spiced roasted Australian rack of lamb "lollichops" Mint chimichurri and pomegranate molasses 18

Review: I thought that the food here was really good although it is a little bit on the pricey side for the amount of food you get. I was a big fan of the mac-n-cheese and Albert will tell you that I just love sliders (I just have a thing for small burgers). I also liked the fact that although it is a bar/restaurant, it was quiet enough for us to be able to talk like normal human beings. The crowd is distinctly "Marina". I've also heard that this is a cougar-den but I can't say for sure since I'm not a young single male that cougars would target.

Special thanks are in order to my mom for looking after our little one while we tapped into our pre-baby selves. We definitely feel more human after our nights out and love Abby more for it.

May

It's suspected that someone I knew may have committed suicide this past weekend. It reminded me that no matter how happy or successful someone might seem to be, there is pain that we might not recognize under the surface. My heart goes out to May's family and close friends.

Afternoon Tea

There are certain things that I really hope to do with Abby some day. Some of these dreams might be put under the category "Crazy Asian Mom" like helping her with calculus problem sets or proof-reading her physics project paper or attending her first piano recital. Others come from my own memories of childhood like going on hikes and collecting bugs or helping my mom wrap dumplings. I put Afternoon Tea under this latter category. My mother is a bona fide tea addict. She loves to sit down and have some tea. When I lived at home briefly after college, my parents and I would sit down almost every night for tea and we would just talk about our day. As many asian families will most likely note, tea is not simply a beverage in our culture. Particularly in Japanese culture, it is central to social interactions. My five year old niece who goes to pre-school in Japan drinks tea everyday at school. So when Michele visited earlier this month, I wanted to show her how tea is served in Western culture so I took her to a tea shop close to my house for some girlie time while my mom watched Abby.

Although Michele didn't have tea, she got to have hot chocolate. She also ate half of my tea sandwiches, soup and most of the dessert. Like any proud woman in the Miura family, she has the appetite of a small bear waking up from hibernation.


Michele prepares to demolish the dessert

My mother reports that upon getting back to Japan, Michele bragged to all of her classmates how cute her cousin Miyuki is. I like that Michele calls Abby by her full Japanese name. Everyone else seems to shorten it to Yuki but Michele insists we use the full name.

Ma-chan, it's not just Yuki! It's Miyuki. Miyuki is so much more special than just plain Yuki!

Michele is Miyuki's advocate in our family. Hopefully, Michele knows that she has many advocates within our family too.

Good Days Redefined

A good day used to mean a bike ride on a spectacularly sunny day and dinner in the city with a group of friends. A good day used to be swimming in Lover's Cove in Monterey or shopping with girlfriends in Berkeley. Who knew that good days would mean something so drastically different today? I had a friend who once told me that she and her husband used to do such fun things before they had kids and once they had kids those fun things they used to do were a distant memory. Instead, the days are filled with things they do with their kids but for her, this too is a lot of fun.


A pensive Abby

In a similar way, my good days are really good but in a different way. Today, a good day is when Abby has a solid nap when I have time to clean the house, catch up on email and upload some of the more recent photos. Some times, I might even have an extra minute to start looking at papers relevant to my research. A good day is interacting with Abby and wondering if what I saw was her first smile or not. A good day is eating dinner in peace with Albert because Abby is loving the new swing we borrowed from Cathy. I love my good days. It may not involve any physical activity yet but as Abby's neck gets stronger, I can almost see the day when I can plop her into the BOB stroller and go for a leisurely jog up Sand Hill Road. That too will be a good day.

Happy 2007

Happy 2007 to our friends and family! We haven't had much of a chance to update the blog in the last few weeks. You can imagine that things have been quite busy with baby Abby and with our family visiting! It's been so busy that Albert hasn't taken many photos. I was so surprised when I downloaded the photos on the camera and discovered there were less than 50 to download over the last two weeks - and most of those were taken by me!


Abby feeling festive

Christmas and New Years flew by in a blur. We managed to buy a 4 foot Christmas tree which was Abby's first outing ever. We got out our annual Christmas newsletter with our baby announcement. I even baked two batches of cookies! Somewhere along the line, Abby gained over 2 pounds and my mom-in-law and sister-in-law came for a visit.

Abby with the in-laws

Christmas came and went without much hoopla. We had dinner at my parents' house with Julie and Bob. I made a roast beef and my mom made a stuffed salmon. Abby slept through most of the meal. We weren't so lucky with New Years. Abby decided this would be the opportune moment to ring in the new year with lungs ablazing. I suppose she also wanted to share with Julie and Bob exactly what is in store for them in a couple of months. She did a very good job.

Abby and Al

Albert has his own strategy for dealing with an Abby meltdown. It involves the Bose noise cancelling headphones. I guess we shouldn't be calling our daughter's cries "noise" but if you heard her, you would agree that she has not exactly inherited her parents' quiet voices... ok ok we both have loud voices so we both take the blame equally.

First three weeks with Abby

I can't say I loved pregnancy. Too many complications. Too many dietary restrictions. Too many aches and pains. Motherhood is a totally different story. I finally get feedback on my efforts. When I pick Abby up, she stops crying. If I feed her, she looks full and content. Sometimes, she lets out a whine (or perhaps a ear-piercing scream) just because. And we respond. We sing her songs. We tell her how beautiful she is. She appreciatively stares back at us (or continues her ear-piercing scream). I love this feedback.

Abby on December 19

Little Abby is now three weeks old. We are almost exactly 30 years apart. I haven't even had time to reflect on the fact that I've turned 30 because things feel so busy all of the time. Luckily, Albert got 3 weeks of paternity leave. Some people ask how we do when we are together 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Albert and I do very well together in such a situation and it looks like Abby fits into the fold well too. We don't have a schedule but Albert takes lots of photos - duplicates upon duplicates.

Birth of Abigail Miyuko Ko

November 25 started out as any day after Thanksgiving ought to begin - we got up at 6AM to make sure we got to Stanford Shopping Center to claim a prime parking spot in preparation for "Black Friday" - the busiest shopping day of the year. We were surprised that it was actually quite empty when we arrived around 7AM.

Post Thanksgiving Shopping
Originally uploaded by amiura.

We first went to Nordstrom's where we bought some shoes (Ann got some nice leather boots, Al got UGG house slippers). We also got presents for friends at other stores and managed to finish part of our Christmas shopping. We were so involved in our shopping we almost forgot our 10:30 appointment with the OB (the final one before giving birth). Luckily, we remembered in time and headed over to Redwood City.

There, we did the non-stress test to make sure the baby was moving and then had an ultrasound to check on the baby. The doctor commented that the amniotic fluid was very low and continued to look around the baby. After he finished up, he came back into the room to tell us that the amniotic fluid was so low that he wanted to induce that day. We could go home to pack but I should head back to the hospital in the next 3 hours. The doctor was so calm that we asked if it would be possible to induce tomorrow since we had a birthday dinner planned for me that evening with over 25 friends attending! The doctor, however, was pretty insistent that we induce that night so we went home to pack. At home, we spent some time figuring out our video camera and sending out some last minute emails. We tried to contact friends to make sure they knew the party was off. 3 hours later, we headed off to the hospital. My mom was so nervous that even after I told her I was leaving for the hospital, she headed to our house. We luckily spotted her driving towards our house and we stopped so that she could wish me luck.

At the hospital around 6PM, we started with a very mild way of inducing labor using a foley catheter. Unfortunately, the catheter fell out but I had not progressed in dilation. They called the doctor again who said he would come back to put in a larger foley catheter. They were monitoring the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. I didn't know but I was having contractions every 10 minutes or so. My doctor had been in China for two weeks adopting a baby so he had a huge backlog of patients that day. He didn't make it back to the hospital until 10PM. At that point, he checked and felt that I was almost at 3 cm so he decided to break my water. I felt a big gush and within an hour the contractions were pretty painful.

Contractions for the whole night came anywhere between every 1 to 10 minutes. Some of the contractions lasted only 30 seconds whereas some of them would last 3 minutes. The lack of consistency really made it hard to fall asleep and the pain made me tense up as soon as I saw the monitor show that a contraction was about to take place. Albert was very supportive all night whether it was through back rubs or words of encouragement. At 8AM after spending the whole night awake, I asked the nurse to see how much I had progressed. I was so discouraged when she reported that I was tenuously at 4 cm. I had only progressed 1 cm after 8 hours of really painful contractions! I asked for the epidural at that point. For the ladies out there who are wondering, the epidural was well worth it. I was so tired from the night and the thought of having to spend many more hours in pain and then having to push was overwhelming. The epidural was done well so that I actually had quite a bit of mobility in my legs and feet. I didn't fully dilate until 4:30PM that day. I could feel a good deal of pressure so I could push with the contractions. Pushing took 3 hours - or as Albert said, the length of the USC football game. My doctor arrived around 7PM to coach me through the remainder of the pushing. I could sense the excitement as I pushed and the people in the room could see the baby start to emerge. With each push I could feel the baby move just a little bit lower but she would move back as I relaxed. I asked if she had hair and everyone was nodding. The pushing was both physically and emotionally taxing. Knowing that my baby was just a few pushes away from being here, I wanted to push more and push harder but physically, it's a full body workout. I'll never forget when she finally came out. The sense of relief and the joy at seeing the baby whose kicks and hiccups I'd felt for so many months just surged forth and I burst into tears. The doctor placed her on my belly and Albert cut the umbilical cord. Before I could even compose myself, they took the baby to the table to check her and clean her off. I delivered the placenta and the doctor put in a single small stitch. Within an hour, I was able to stand and walk a short distance.

Little Abby
Originally uploaded by amiura.

Little Abigail Miyuki Ko was born 7lbs. 8oz., 20.5 inches lon at 7:37PM on November 25. Abigail means “Father’s joy” in Hebrew. She is already the source of many happy memories. We also were inspired by Abigail Adams' strength of character and the love she had for learning and family. We also that Abigail will have the same affect on us that Abigail Adams had on John Adams:

You who have always softened and warmed my heart, shall restore my benevolence as well as my health and tranquility of mind. You shall polish and refine my sentiments of life and manners, banish all the unsocial and ill natured particles in my composition, and form me to that happy temper that can reconcile a quick discernment with a perfect candor.
- Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams before their wedding in 1764

Miyuki is a Japanese name meaning deep snow. It reflects the season in which she was born as well as a sense of serenity we had hoped she would embody. So far, this has not been the case but perhaps she'll turn a new leaf in the coming weeks.

Thanksgiving redux 2006

I love this time of year because it's really all about food. In particular, Thanksgiving is an amazing time to load-up on the carbs. That's why it's so much fun when you get to spend it with people who really love to eat. Last year, we had Cindy (Albert's sister), our friends Julie and Bob along with Bob's parents and my dad over for Thanksgiving. We made way too much food and had a fantastic time. This year, even though it was a year in which we were supposed to be in LA (we switch off each year between Albert and my family), we decided to spend Thanksgiving close to home since my due date was only a week away. I didn't want to overload my mom with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's duty so we took up Julie's kind offer to have all of us over to her house for a mega-Thanksgiving feast. This year, Julie really outdid herself because we had 14 people over at her house!

The people: Julie, Bob, Bob's parents, me, Albert, my parents, Aileen, Chris, Jeffrey, Nancy, Linda and Joseph (Linda's husband).

Thanksgiving Turkey
Originally uploaded by amiura.

It was a packed house with a packed menu: turkey, way to much stuffing, curried peas, corn, grilled vegetables, orange glazed yams, broccoli quiche, beans in mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Dessert, which was a entirely separate meal, consisted of: flan, sweet potato pie, pumpkin bread, fruit tart (an Aileen specialty), cupcakes and apple crumble.

I was anticipating a depressing Thanksgiving for myself in which my diet was entirely restricted (due to gestational diabetes) but I figured, "how much damage can I really do in one meal anyway?" and ate with gusto. I had stuffing to my heart's content as well as a sampling of every dessert. I later confessed this to my doctor but only after I checked my blood sugar with Julie an hour after my meal... I was at 98 - meaning I could have another carb serving! Julie who is not diabetic had a higher reading than me!

Al and Ann
Originally uploaded by amiura.

All in all, Thanksgiving was a great success. This year in particular I have so many things to be thankful for. I have fantastic friends who give great advice and unconditional support and love. I have wonderful parents who continue to serve as role models to me. Last but not least, I have a husband whose companionship is all I can ask for - who understands me and loves me with a completeness I never expected to find. I look forward to sharing all of this with my baby who is due any day now!

Halloween Fun

Albert discovered a long time ago my love for the holidays. The holiday extravaganza starts in mid-October when I get my ghost lights out along with a little wooden ghost and pumpkin that says "Boo!" I, then, agonize over a costume and usually become too busy at some point to really think it through and then panic the day of some party we're supposed to go to. This is how Albert and I ended up as hula dancers a few years ago when we were in Boston.

Halloween 2001
Originally uploaded by amiura.

This year was a bit different since the pregnancy makes me too tired to party and the costume options become a bit limited - I could be a Mrs. Federline and Albert a big mooch. I guess I could also dress up as a cow since that's generally how I feel these days... and Albert a farmer?!? Instead, Albert got too busy with work and I poured my holiday enthusiasm into my pumpkin.

This pumpkin was no simple pumpkin purchased from Safeway weeks in advance. I naively went to 3 stores on Monday October 30th asking if anyone had anymore pumpkins. Apparently, people are not just competitive about getting their kids into daycares and pre-schools here in the Bay Area. Pumpkin purchasing is also something that must be done well in advance. Whole Foods, my last resort, informed me that they had been sold out since Saturday!

Ann and Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by amiura.

You see, people are just not as resourceful as a desperate pregnant woman in search of a pumpkin to carve. I scanned the entire store of Whole Foods after being informed that there were no pumpkins available. I found not just 1 pumpkin but 4 pumpkins on display on the top shelf of the bread section. We found some people to get a ladder and bring it down and I ended up with my perfect pumpkin from Whole Foods for $5.


I went home and carved it and the results can be seen here: I call it pumpkin perfection...

Pumpkin 2006
Originally uploaded by amiura.