夏梅朝陽
Saya Cayce Natsuume
 

出生日	:	2004年2月4日	Date	:	Feb 4, 2004
出生時	:	午前1時48分	Time	:	1:48 am
身　長	:	52cm	Height	:	20 1/2 in.
体　重	:	3230g	Weight	:	7.12 lbs.
頭	:	33cm	Head	:	12 in.
場　所	:	コーブルグ（ドイツ）	Location	:	Coburg (Germany)

Chris: As you can see, after the whole birth thing we were all tired, especially Saya. Here I am practicing the patented “football carry” of the sleeping child. One of us is drooling, can you guess which?

For a few days after the birth we hung out in the hospital with Saya. I rented the other bed in the room and stayed with the girls. I had thought I could help out and get some dad-training. Instead, I found out that the nurses were confused by this whole dad-in-the-room thing, and didn’t know why I couldn’t just leave mom alone to do her job. So much for progressive shared parenting. But I did learn how to change a diaper, and how to hold a baby, both of which they tell me might come in handy for a while. I also caught up on my big book of child rearing basics. We’ll see what happens when theory meets practice.
 

静香：前日からの変な天気に引き続き朝から雪模様だった退院の日の朝。タクシーで家に帰った頃には雪も溶け青空になっていた。

Chris: As long as you are in the hospital, there is a sort of unreality that clouds the whole experience. I mean, you have a child, but there is a whole team of professionals there who are all too eager to help you out when you feel over your head. Baby screaming at 4:00 in the morning, and you don’t know why? Call the nurse! But then, the first night, in your own bed, with a new person there in the room with you. A person that in no way whatsoever can take care of herself, who is entirely your responsibility. This is pretty heavy stuff. But it is also pretty cool. But I guess from here it gets a lot harder. It’s like they took the training wheels off and pushed you out into the street.

静香：

Chris: It is actually Japanese tradition that when a child is born, the mother goes back to her home to be close to her family through the last of the pregnancy, the birth, and the first few months of raising the child. Of course, being in Germany, this was not possible. But when Mohammed cannot go to the mountain…

So, until the middle of March, Shizuka’s mother is staying with us and helping out with the baby. She is a great help – I am not sure after seeing how demanding Saya is of Shizuka’s time (and breasts) how any single mother survives. I mean, the girl eats every 1-3 hours. This means Shizuka has not slept more than 3 hours in a row for weeks. You know, this is one of the torture techniques of the CIA: stressful noises and sleep deprivation. All Shizuka needs is a little orange suit and she is ready for Camp X-Ray.

But with grandma around, Shizuka gets some rest, Saya gets to hear some well sung Japanese songs, and everyone is happier. See, tradition makes sense sometimes.
 

Grandmother Natsuume is already one of her favorite people.

静香：姉の電車は2時間遅れの5時にコーブルグへ到着した。母が姉を駅まで迎えに行ってくれた。

Chris: Because this year is Shizuka’s mothers 60^th birthday (and because they wanted to see their new niece), Kiyoka and Arne have come to visit. So that's six people in a one bedroom apartment. But since one person is really small, one is usually at work, and the other four get along well, it worked out fine. Everyone got to play with the kid, and Saya got to see a lot of new blurry shapes and hear new sounds, which I guess is how she understands "meeting Aunt Kiyoka and Uncle Arne."

静香：今日のイベントはお風呂。助産婦さんにお風呂の入れ方を教えてもらいました。

そして午後には初めてのお散歩。近所に買い物を兼ねてお散歩へ行きました。ストローラーを使って街を歩いてみると建物の造りや歩道と車道との段差など、意外と不便な部分に気が付いた。

私はと言えば産後はホルモンバランスが不安定なため湿疹が広範囲にわたり出来てしまったために皮膚科で診察を受けた。母乳育児をしているため処方できる薬が限られているとかでかなり軽めの痒み止めを処方してもらった。

Chris: So I am spending a lot of time at work finishing the big project (Far Cry), so Aunt Kiyoka and Grandma Natsuume get to spend a lot of quality time with Saya, including her first bath at home. In doing so we learn that she likes to be in the water, but she doesn’t like being naked. We intend to strongly support both opinions in her upcoming development.

Also, as the weather is getting a little warmer (all the snow is gone, anyway) everyone took the new stroller for a test run. We’d like to say Saya enjoyed it, but she slept through the whole thing. She could have been on an elephant ride through the jungles of Borneo, she wouldn’t have known any different.

静香：クリスの両親からやさしいピンク色の花束が届いた。

Chris: Today we got a a bunch of pink flowers from Chris's parents. Maybe Saya liked them, maybe she didn't. Who can tell? But they do help the room smell a little less like baby poop...