Typhoon Vongfong

*blue dot is Okinawa

Since living in Japan (July 2013), Tony and I have experienced 6 typhoons.  Quinn has been through 2 already....

Of all the typhoons we've been through, Typhoon Vongfong was probably the worst one yet.  As you  may have heard on the news back home, Vongfong was considered the strongest typhoon of the year.. and the looks of it on satellite you could have seen why!  The typhoon was moving SO slow (around 8mph) that we had the strong, loud, obnoxious winds for nearly 3 days.  Here's the breakdown

Friday night:
The winds really started to pick up Friday night which caused a few lost "zzzzz's" on my part.  Tony and Quinn slept great - not sure how!!  We knew Saturday was going to be the worst day as Vongfong was predicted to hit Okinawa directly around 11:00pm.  I remember wondering Friday night how the heck it was going to get any worse!  It did.

PREPARATION

Satellite came off the roof

Margaritas poured (notice how small my drink is - had I not been nursing, I can assure you more margaritas and more wine would have been consumed)

Bringing the flowers/plants in.  The salt water ruins them in a matter of minutes.  I saved them all!

Filling up the bathtub, just in case we run out of water

Saturday:  Little did we know that today we would lose power for 28 hours straight.  The morning was fine.  Quinn took her normal naps (somehow) and Tony and I did our normal chores inside.  I made some food and did all the laundry in case I wouldn't be able to.  Around 2:00 the power kept going in and out. I crossed my fingers, but it didn't work!!!  We lost it at 3:00pm  The night was actually pretty fun.  We lit a lot of candles and cozied in for the night.  Quinn was amused and I'm sure was wondering what the heck was going on with her weirdo parents!

Through the window to our backyard.  Wish I would have recorded the sound of it that day!

Starting to burn the candles...

What else to do when you're bored????

Our Japanese neighbor brought over some GREAT curry!  

Tony made me some coffee from his Jetboil.  Thank god.

Saturday night:  I was over it.  The cozy night in, constantly checking the weather, the TV not working, worried all our food was going to spoil, blocking out the wind as much as I could, etc.  It was finally time for bed and there was no way I was going to sleep a wink.  I managed to get a couple hours of sleep, but I couldn't get much knowing that the eye of the storm was going to hit us.  My phone was about to die, but thankfully my mom bought be a pocket juice charger before I left the states.  That gave me another hour or 2 of weather updates.  Quinn ended up sleeping with us that night.  She also decided to spread her arms out as wide as they possibly could go, too.  BED HOG! ;) We put the sound machine on right above her head, in-between ours and turned it to the "rain" option - thought that made sense considering...

This is what comes up on our phones when there is an emergency.  Now if only I could read it!

Sunday:  Lets just say that being inside with no power for a day can really put your marriage to the test :)  Tony and I were going a little stir crazy...ok, A LOT.  We decided to get out and take a drive and look at all the damage.  The crops looked awful - so did all the trees, bushes, flowers, etc.  It was all brown and dead...so sad, especially for the farmers.  As I was putting Quinn to sleep that night the power finally came back on. I've never been so thankful for power in my life.  I felt human again.  After Quinn went to sleep, I ran a quick mile on the treadmill (training for the Thanksgiving mile run) and made some dinner.  Phew.  It was over.  Here are some pictures that I took from people who posted on Facebook.

Cape Zanpa.  This is about a mile from our house.... 

The typhoon didn't cause as much damage to the island as some were predicting.  I am thankful that the houses here can withstand all of the craziness that rips through.  There will be more of them in the next 18 months we are here, but for now I am happy that the typhoon season is about to come to an end.  Free until June now!!!  Or so we should be :)

Time never stands still...for a reason

Ever since Quinn was born - well, actually since she was 6 weeks old - I have wanted time to just slow down!  For as long as I can remember, time has always been my enemy.  In high school, I just wanted to be in college.  In college, I just wanted to get a job and have my own apartment.  After a few years of that, I just wanted to get married and start a family.  Looking back on it, I wish I would have slowed down a bit, but I have such great memories regardless.  Nowadays, I just want time to stand as still as possible.  Many of my friends and family are probably wondering where this is coming from because all I could (and still do) talk about is WHEN i'm coming home next!  I have always been known for my infamous countdowns (In case you were wondering we have 629 days left on Okinawa..It's an app on my phone so don't think I have a calendar that I mark off everyday. I like it more than that here).  But today I am so happy with the now, yet excited for everything yet to come!

Anyways, back to time.  I thought this would be a blog worth writing after a conversation I had with my good friend, Rose the other day.  She has a 10 year old daughter, Anna (sweet girl) and 7 year old son, Nate.  Nate has just joined tackle football with the 8 year olds (against Rose's preference) and he is excelling beyond belief.  I saw a video of him - and it was unbelievable.  He even runs like a football player (Don't laugh at that comment - you know what I mean).  The other thing that I remembered is my niece, Mya.  She is 6 and has recently been invited to join a gymnastics team with a few other girls.  When I was fortunate enough to spend time in Canada last month, I was able to go watch her and she blew my mind.  This kid has talent....  So many new things every year with all my nieces and nephews and friends' kids.  It's easy to get sad seeing them all grow up, but man its FUN!

So as I sit here soaking up Quinn at 3 months old,  I can't be too sad when I put her newborn clothes away - and soon her 0-3 months.  Tony and I have SO much to look forward to!  Every age of a child's life is awesome.  Sure, there are the challenging days...but how lucky are we as parents, grandparents, family and friends to witness all these changes and see their world expand!

for the record, this blog was not written after a glass of wine.  ;)

Quinn is 3 months old!!

Our sweet little Miss Q is 3 months old today.  Where has the time gone?!  As much as I am looking forward to all the new things ahead, I sure wish time would stand still for awhile.

Quinn is growing so much these days and discovering so many new things.  She enjoys her crib, her fingernails grow at record speed, and her smiles and cooing are in full effect.  It's actually more of a yell than a "coo".  She continues to gag on any pacifier and refuses to take any bottle.  I've tried 5 different ones.  Not going to give up!  She is sleeping about 12 hours a night (bedtimes ranging from 5:30pm-7:30pm).  Her longest stretch is the first stretch anywhere from 4-7 hours.  The 7 hour one was just after we arrived back in Okinawa, so not holding my breath for that to happen quite yet, but it is welcomed!  After her longest stretch she is up every 2-3 hours the rest of the night.  Quinn isn't the greatest napper in the world right now.  She takes a 30 minute nap (exactly) every 1.5-2 hours.  Some days I feel like all I do is put her to sleep! We are working on different strategies.  Just yesterday I got out a cozy fleece blanket and she had her best days' sleep.  Don't worry Grandma's, she hasn't been cold!  Who knows what the trick is.  Once I think I know, she'll change it up on me anyway ;)

She is loving the Baby Bjorn and going for walks.  We try to get out a couple times each day to get her some fresh air.  Thankfully the weather is cooling off now so our walks will start to get longer and I can put her in the actual stroller.  She kicks her feet with excitement when I lay her on the floor while I snap the bjorn in place.  She knows what is coming :)

As the grandparents pointed out, looks like Quinn is holding the umbrella!

Tummy time is happening a whole lot right now.  She enjoys it for about 1-8mns.  Yesterday she rolled over from back to stomach!  I put her on her back in the living room and went to the kitchen to get my water out of the fridge and when I came back she was up on her elbows!  I was one proud momma!  She did it about 10 more times that day.  We even were able to FaceTime the Grandma and Grandpa's to show off her new skill!  Dad was one proud dad when he came home from work, too :)

Quinn has been a drool queen lately.  She loves to get her fists in her mouth, often choking herself on a couple fingers, and sucks on anything that is near her face.  We've gotten the bibs out and using them daily!

Tony has had so much fun with her when he gets home from work.  He plays a lot with her on the play mat we have and takes her outside quite a bit.  I swear she gets really mad when we come back inside.  Today, we had the football on and Tony purposely stood in-between her and the TV so she wouldn't watch it - and she got MAD!  It was cute.

My morning coffee, news, and babes :)

As for me, my heart grows more each day I am with this little girl.  She is so fun and sweet.  I enjoy all the snuggles I get through the wee hours, the smiles, and everything about this girl.  I am so blessed to be staying home with her.  We sure love our little buggers.

The meanings of "home"

Recently, my sister and I had a conversation about all the places that "home" has been for us.  I've thought about it a lot lately and I realized that I have called many, many places "home". Luther was my first "home away from home".  Started with Brandt, Ylvi, Dieseth, and then the Tree House where I spent my senior year.  I've referred to the city of Decorah, Minneapolis, Murrieta, and Okinawa as "home."  After college, my sweet apartment at Excelsior and Grand was home, then the 2 duplexes in Linden Hills, 2 condos downtown, a loft in Minnetonka Beach, a house in California, and now our place in Japan.  There were other short term stays in between all of that, too.  I'm sure I will live in many other "homes" in my lifetime, but the one constant place that will never change is Decorah and where my parents live.  It's the one home I have always had and always will have.

Quinn and I were very fortunate to spend 7 weeks back at home with my mom and dad this past summer.  Even married with a newborn I still felt like I was 16 somedays.. raiding the fridge, not making my bed, and some nights staying up too late.  I can guarantee you that I wasn't nearly excited to see my parents when they got home from work back in high school as I was this time around.  It was one of the highlights of our day to see Grammy and Pops drive up at 5pm.  Maybe it was because Happy Hour started in the backyard shortly after 5:00 (like 5:15pm) or that I had some free time and free hands, but mostly because I have the best parents in the world. Who wouldn't want to spend every moment they possibly could with them.  I love going home.

Back to Oki

Well, Quinn and I made the long journey back to Okinawa last Thursday!  We took off from Edmonton around 12:00 noon on Wednesday and arrived in Okinawa Thursday evening at 8:50pm!  The Hoden clan helped me check in my luggage at the Edmonton airport, which was a great help.  I had the big BOB stroller, a carseat, suitcase, and a pack 'n play.  Glad they were able to come help and say our goodbyes at the airport, although those "goodbye's" are never fun.

The trip started with a fast entrance into the security line.  When you're a single parent carrying an infant, you get a whole lot of help!  This held true the entire way to Japan (more on that...)
So as I was waiting to put my bags on the belt to be scanned, a kind gentleman took my bag from me and pushed it through.  He asked a million questions about my travel ahead... did Quinn have the appropriate shots, was I planning to nurse on flight (weird question I thought!), was my tetanus updated, etc.  Turns out he was a pediatrician in Canada with small kids of his own.  He was giving me all sorts of tips for the journey ahead.  I thought this was a good sign to start off the 20 hour travel day :)

So we arrived in Calgary just an hour later.  Calgary is a 2.5 hour drive from Edmonton so the flight was a whopping 35 minutes long.  That was awesome.  Quinn slept most of the way so I was able to relax a little bit.  When we got to Calgary, I strapped on my K'tan (baby wearing) and made my way to A20 gate for my 10 hour 40 minute flight to Tokyo.  My only anxiety for this trip was, of course, how Quinn would do - and just praying that she wouldn't have an outburst of tears and wake up every passenger on board.  Well, she didn't.  If she woke anyone up it was because of her LOUD talking she was doing!  Quinn was an absolute rockstar.  We flew Air Canada to Tokyo as well and the best part is that we got a whole row to ourselves! (Air Canada is my new favorite airline).  My mom and I spent many nights talking about what would be best to bring on flight for Quinn and decided on a memory foam pillow which THANKFULLY we brought!  She never did sleep on it, but she spent about 3-4 hours on flight laying on it, talking, playing, etc.  It was a lifesaver when I needed both my hands whether that was to eat, get something out of my backpack, or just a break!

We made it to Tokyo and boy was I tired.  I think I slept maybe 20minutes on the long flight and now I had to get all my luggage, go through customs, and do all that annoying stuff.  Well, like I said - when you're a single parent carrying an infant child - PEOPLE HELP!  Someone at the Tokyo airport helped me put all my bags on a cart.  I was wearing Quinn at the time and although I probably could have gotten it all on the cart, it would have been tough not having the help.  I was very thankful...When I asked the gentleman who helped me (he was Japanese and didn't speak english) if ANA (my airline to get to Okinawa) was "this way" or "that way"  he thought I was asking him to wheel all my stuff TO the ANA counter.  OOPS!!!  So he did.  I felt bad, but I decided to just continue to be thankful.  Besides, I was dead tired.  Checked in on the ANA flight, sat at the gate for 2 hours -and boarded!  This flight was a little under 3 hours and again, we had our own row!  Quinn slept for the whole flight in my arms (where she would sleep on every flight)...

Our arrival to Okinawa was pretty awesome.  I was beyond excited to see Tony and have Tony see us.  I knew he would be so surprised at how big Quinn was!  That he was! :) A lot happens from 5weeks to 11weeks!!! No one is allowed through the glass door to the baggage claim so Tony asked the guy working if I could just hand Quinn to him through the door quick so I could get all the luggage ..baby-free.  That was actually a nice 20 minute break :) I couldn't help by to stare back at Tony holding Quinn the whole time.
An hour drive back home and here we are 4 days later.  Home sweet home.

Edmonton to Calgary flight.  Happy girl!!!!

Sleepy girl :)

Calgary to Tokyo!  She had room to kick, turn, and roll! :)

I turned this monitor on about 10 times during flight.  The time went by fast!  You can see where we are and the direction we went.  

Watching the beverage cart.  The flight attendants loved her :)

Watching a little TV.  This was a perfect "I don't know what to do with you for 20mns" activity.

My luggage in the Tokyo airport.  I was at the ANA counter at this point.

ANA counter still.  Her body time at this point was 3am :( poor girl.

Slight smile in her sleep because in just 30 minutes we were going to see DAD!!!

O Canada

Before we headed back for Japan, Quinn and I were able to visit the Hoden house up in Edmonton, Canada!  Mom and Dad came with for the weekend as well, which was so nice to have the help with Ms. Q on the flight.  We all had an early bells flight on Thursday at 5:55am, but brought us into Edmonton at a good time on Thursday! It was SO much fun seeing everyone.  Beth and Ivy picked us up at the airport and man oh man was Ivy excited to see us.  She took off sprinting when we walked through the baggage claim door, right into Grampy's arms :)

Max and Mya were in school Thursday and Friday, of course - but in Edmonton the kids are allowed to be picked up for lunch!  Is that not crazy?? So we all went out for lunch when we came into town, which was so fun.  Our weekend was filled with great dinners from the best hostess around, cards, wine, and parks.  It was one heck of a great weekend.  It was sad to see Grammy and Gramps go...but it always is.  

Quinn and I stayed until Wednesday.  These days flew by.. much faster than I would have liked!  Quinn got some lovin' by her cousins and auntie/uncle :o) and Beth and I had some good productive days around her house.  We were able to go through bins and "goodwill" things. I'm somewhat of a "ahhh, just get rid of it" type gal - so hopefully Beth doesn't regret anything that she got rid of because of me!!!

Ivy's Big League Chew.  Or as she calls it, "CHEW!!!!"

Safe to say she was OBSESSED with this for a few days.  She even slept with it under her pillow.  Guess I know what to give her for Christmas this year, huh ;)

Ivy wanted her and Q to have matching pajamas.  Aren't the cute!!!?

Uncle Chris still has the touch.  Quinn looks mighty comfortable ;)

Mya and Quinn reading before bed.  Mya was mini mom all week.  She always wanted to hold Quinn asking about 15 times a day.  I loved it.  Mya helped me get Quinn dressed, change diapers, hold her, watch her, etc.  Best babysitter around :)  WE MISS YOU MY MY!

Beth making peanut butter bars.  We went to great lengths to NOT wake up Quinn during her nap :)

The 3 amigos. 

Beth told me she never put her kids in gray because of their drool.  Now I see why :)

POOR HODENS.  The garage door was close to Quinn's bedroom where she napped everyday.  Since I have one of the lightest sleepers in the world, she would often wake up if the door slammed.  Beth put this note on the door as a helpful reminder to everyone.  The kids weren't very used to having to be quiet throughout the day - SORRY! :)

Grandma Pat hanging out with the littles

We had such a great time in Canada.  I hope we can visit again before their time is up there.  So many parks to play at for the kids - and shopping galore!  Maybe next time Tony can take the kids to the park and Beth and I can do some damage in the bank accounts :)

Thank you to the Hoden's for a wonderful time in Canada!!!

Luther move-in day

Last night I took a detour on my run and went through Luther's campus.  It was so much fun seeing all the kids (I'm old enough to call them "kids" now??!!!!) moving in.  To see all the cardboard boxes overflowing the recycling bins, kids hugging their parents before they left town, and friends reunited it brought back so many great memories from my time there.  I wouldn't change my life now, but man it would be fun to go back and do it all over again!

 

 

Q is 2 months

Miss Quinn is 2 months old today!!  She sure has grown since the last post at 6 weeks.  Amazing all that can happen and change in just 14 days.  I think I'll just list all the things that are happening now instead of going into great detail!

• She has just recently started to sleep long periods in the afternoon.  Typically it's about 3-4 hours (she'll eat once during that time)
• She continues to refuse the bottle and pacifier.  I have given up a little at this point and will try again in a couple weeks when we get back to Okinawa
• Still enjoys the car seat BUT the car has to keep moving.  When I put her in the seat to go somewhere, she is now juuuust about smiling and kicks her little legs around.  I hope she's always this excited to go somewhere!
• This girl loves to be held.  I'm not ashamed and I'll hold her all she wants (well, most of the time)...  Once she's old enough to "cry it out" during sleep time, I'll be sure tony ties me down so I can't get to her room in .5 seconds like I can and do now.  I have to admit, there are plenty of times she just squirms a little and I am there at her beckon call.  I keep going back to something I read and heard "You can't spoil and baby under 4 months".  deal!
• Her messy diapers are very, very, very messy. Happens about once every 24-48 hours
• Getting better at stroller rides.  I hope she loves them in a few months when her dad and I take her out on runs in the jogger
• Her mornings are the best!  She is quite the talker and gives many warm smiles when she wakes :)
• No matter what time she goes to sleep, I can usually count on 12 hours until she rolls (not literally) out of bed.  
• During the night she is eating every 2-4 hours and falls right back to sleep.  I am so lucky.
• Her "tough 1-2 hours" around dinner is getting better, yet still exists.  The afternoon nap makes a world of difference, of course!

We sure love this little girl!  We can't wait to get home and see daddy-o very soon, too :)

Quinn is 6 weeks old!!!

This is the 3rd time I've sat down to write this blog...oh, how things change in your daily life with a little one.  Quinn turned 6 weeks old this past Tuesday.  My mom and I took her into the hospital to just get weighed.  With her clothes on she was 11lb 13 oz.  She is getting some rolls!! :)  There are times it seems like she has been with us for 6 months, but other times it feels like 6 days.  She sure is growing and changing.  I thought we would never get out of that newborn stage.  I loved that stage and loving this just as much. 

Quinn is so close to pulling out a full smile!  We get half ones here and there.  She has also started to notice her voice.  I love when she "coo's" ... it melts my heart!  As far as sleeping goes, we have a very light sleeper on our hands.  She is startled easily, which makes day time sleeping a little bit more difficult . I often get a good nap out of her in the morning (left over from the night) but during the day it ranges between 15mns to an hour.  I'm sure it will change, especially when it is very quiet in our place back in Japan.  Or maybe I should just start running the vacuum cleaner in her room every nap time so she gets used to noise! :)  Quinn is so good during the day and just to keep us in tact, she has her fussy time (where nothing seems to help) around 5:00 for a couple of hours.  She is loving her bath and gets a little mad when we take her out of it!  The car is a life saver.  9 out of 10 times she is sleeping within the first 5 minutes of any car ride.  This has sure helped with my trips to Minneapolis since being back! 

We have FaceTime'd Tony a few times since he returned to Japan.  I know he misses her terribly, but it will be such a fun reunion when he picks us up from the airport.  Thank goodness for technology.  Tony leaves for his field exercise this Saturday.  They will take a ship up to mainland that will take 3.5 days...and then will be back on Okinawa Sept 14th (or so).  Time will fly for us both!