Heading Back...

On Wednesday of this week myself, Kan and Miyako are scheduled to fly back to Tokyo. It has been a grueling decision for us, as you can imagine, but we feel like the Lord is leading us back there to have this next baby and go from there. For those of you who know me, you know that I am a planner. I hate to feel out of control. And ever since this earthquake, that is exactly where I have been - out of control. I have felt out of control emotionally, physically and spiritually. I have never been in a place where I have been so dependent upon the Lord before, and to be quite honest, I have not always depended on Him for the past two and a half weeks. This decision is a heavy decision for us. In some ways, we think "better to be safe than sorry" and stay here in the US to have this baby. In some ways we think "just send Kan back" and then he can return a week before we are due, but let's be honest people - do I really want to be separated from my husband after enduring the largest earthquake in Japan separated from each other? No. Then there is the side of you, the little voice that says, "God can use you there to reach people, to encourage people, to support people." The Japanese people are hurting. It is a dark country spiritually with about .8% of the population claiming to be Christians. Are Kan and I "missionaries" paid by the church? No. But we are believers, saved by grace, and we hear this small voice reminding us that God has us there for a reason. Let's not forget the logistical reasons of going back - a job (kind of hard to sell when you are 7000 miles away from your customers), my doctor and insurance, our home is there...you get the point. There really is no black and white answer here so it comes down to a step of faith. It is not like where the Bible says "Do not get drunk" and you go out and get drunk...clearly a black and white issue. Sadly I have not found a verse that says, "Kan and Shari, you need to stay in the US" or "You need to go back to Japan." I wish it was written on a billboard as I drive around New Circle Road. But it isn't, so it comes down to a step of faith.

Here are the things I do know - God is faithful to His children. If for some reason He does not want us going back, we will not be on that plane on Wednesday. God knows - He has ordained all of this. He was not surprised by this earthquake. He was not surprised by the fact that I am 35 weeks pregnant as we make this decision. Nothing is slipping by Him. Another thing I know - my husband loves Jesus. And for that I am so grateful. In my state of hormones lately, I feel completely incapable of making such a huge decision for our family. I have seen my husband love me so much in the past couple of weeks - our communication has gotten so much better, our sensitivity to one another has increased, and boy does he love me and his kiddos. And has he said tonight in the car, we will get through this together.

Do we know what will happen with the nuclear power plant next week, next month, next year? No. Do we know when we will move back to the US? No. Do we know what we will eat for dinner the first night we are back in Tokyo? No. But, we do know who is over all of this, who is leading us, and who we can trust when all things seem to be crumbling around us. My personality bucks up against this - I want to be able to say, "Yes, we are going back but we plan to move back to the US in December of 2011." But I cannot do that. God has stripped this from me and is forcing me to live day to day. It is not easy, and I spend a lot of time fighting it, but it is where we are at.

Our visit has been fabulous. I will blog more about that once I get back to Tokyo. I have seen a lot of people and have felt very loved. I still have several more phone calls to make before we head back on Wednesday. I hope to get them all in. But if I don't, please forgive me. It has been a bit of a whirlwind, but so so worth it.

My thoughts are a bit scrambled, but that is ok...this too is where I am at. Your prayers are appreciated. Specifically, please pray for our travel back to Tokyo on Wednesday. Pray also for grace as we recover from jet lag, after just having gotten through it just a few days ago. Continue to pray for Japan as a country and for those suffering so much. Pray also for the nuclear issues to get under control. And pray for God's peace to transcend our family's hearts and minds as we take this leap of faith.

We Made It

After 48 hours of traveling and very little sleep we arrived safely in Lexington. Miyako did great traveling. She slept about five hours to Seattle and slept for about four hours last night. Then she took a nap this morning and on the plane today. Right now, she is enjoying playing with her piano that Aunt Kim and Uncle Tom handed down to her and we had in storage at my parents' house.

Many of you may be wondering what our "game plan" is. As you can imagine, Kan and I had limited communication when we booked our tickets since I was in Kyoto and he was in Tokyo. I figured we would not be able to travel back before the baby was born. I am so thankful for the long flight to Seattle as we were able to really talk and discuss our options and expectations. One thing for sure - the Lord is definitely using this to make our marriage stronger and our communication has been encouraging to me throughout this trial.

We both really desire to get back to Tokyo to have the baby and resume our life there. We knew we needed to get out just in case the situation got worse. I did not want to get "stuck" per se. If I were not 34 weeks pregnant we probably would have just gone somewhere within Asia, but we knew we needed to be somewhere that I could have the baby if we had to. The US was the best option for us. Ironically as we boarded the plane, the last email I received was from the US embassy saying citizens within Tokyo are safe. President Obama gave military families in Japan the option of leaving, but said only those within 30 miles of the earthquake epicenter were in danger regarding nuclear reactions.

All of this to say, our game plan is to stay in Lexington for a week. We will monitor the situation from both US perspectives and Japanese perspectives. We will be in touch with friends back in Tokyo as well to monitor the situation in terms of aftershocks, power outages, and food supplies. We will probably make a decision within the next 48 hours and if things are in the clear to go back, we will head back sometime early next week. Right now, we are learning to live day to day and listen to God's tender voice as he leads us and guides us. I know to some of you, it may seem crazy that we would want to go back. But for now, it is our home. And if business resumes as usual back in Tokyo, we would like to be there for it and resume our normal life. One thing we believe firmly is that we cannot mess this up. God has His sovereign hand over our lives and has been with us each step of the way. We will enjoy this week in Lexington seeing family and friends and take it one day at a time. What a journey this has been. I look forward to seeing what God does with us next.

Our church has played a significant role in getting supplies up to the northeast part of Japan that was hit the worst with the earthquake. I know Kan would love to be able to help with that as well. Hopefully if we get back, the Lord would be able to use him in that way. Although he has lived in America for some 20 years, Japan is still his home country and his heart breaks in a different way for the people of his country who are suffering so. I met a lady on the plane from Osaka to Seattle who was very pregnant as well. She is due April 16th and plans to fly back to Osaka on April 2nd. It made me not feel so bad about the possibility of traveling back at 35 weeks pregnant. :)

Thanks again for all of your love and support. And I thank God for a plane ride that allowed Kan and I to really find out where our hearts were in all of this so we could be on the same page in coming back. We serve a very very good God.

If you want to see us, we will be staying at my parents house. Please email or send a message on facebook as I would love to get together and see as many people as I can. We will keep you posted on our final decision once we have it made. :)

Another update

We are overwhelmed by the love and support of so many of you. Thank you. We really hope this visit to us is short term. We want to see japan recover. Just to let you know, if we see vast improvement before the end of march, we will travel back to Tokyo and resume to have the baby here. However, I will also look into seeing a doctor in the us on case there is not improvement. I also forgot to mention to pray for miyako. She keeps wanting to go back to "48" which is what she calls our apartment. I know she won't remember this but it still breaks my heart.

We're Coming to America

Hi friends and family - We have decided to get back to the US. It was advised by the US embassy to leave Tokyo due to after effects of nuclear issues, not necessarily the radiation. We have a flight booked out of Osaka for Saturday, flying through Seattle, then Detroit, then Lexington. We should arrive in Lexington on Sunday afternoon.

Please know we appreciate your thoughts, prayers and concerns. It may sound weird to those at home, but this is a hard move for us. We never expected this and hate to leave so many loved ones in Japan behind. But due to my pregnancy, and many other factors, we really need to get back. Kan thankfully will be able to support the Japanese office from Lexington while we are there. We have no idea what is next but for now he will keep doing his same job remotely and we have full support from his management in Singapore. I feel like I have no closure with anyone so this is all very emotional for me. We do not know how long we will be in Lexington as we are taking this day to day. All we know is we have a flight out to Seattle on Saturday.

As for prayer requests, my biggest one right now is that Kan would make it to Kyoto tomorrow safely. Until we are together, in Kyoto where it is safe, it is hard for me to rest. Pray that he would not have power shortages in Tokyo. It got cold there today so many people turned on heat. Now the electric company is having to do more mandatory power outages. Thankfully these are controlled shut downs so they most likely will not shut down the shinkansen which is the train he will take to get to Kyoto. Once we are together in Kyoto, we have no concerns for power issues or getting to Osaka as it is on a completely different electric system than Tokyo. Pray for us also as we travel - to be patient with each other and Miyako as it is a long travel day. And emotionally, again, this is just very difficult for us. Our life is here so leaving like this is so surreal. Pray also for baby K to stay healthy. When I went to the doctor last week he/she already measured at 5 pounds so he or she is still growing. :) But I am praying this stress does not effect him or her. Pray also for insurance issues we may face with having the baby. Right now we are on japanese health insurance so I am not sure how this will all work. And finally, continue to pray for the country of Japan. This is just awful and I hate leaving under these circumstances.

Thank you for supporting us and praying for us.

A Decision

Well, we have made a decision. For now, I am going to take the train tomorrow to Kyoto and stay with a friend from seminary for about 5-7 days, if she will have Miyako and I that long. :) My doctor did give me a note to travel internationally. From what we have read, I can travel up until 30 days before my due date on most flights, so I have until the end of March. We ran through several options - go to the US with a return ticket of March 30th and if things get worse then stay there; go visit a friend in Hong Kong for a week; go visit a friend in Sydney for a week; or go somewhere more local like Kyoto. For those of you who do not know, Kyoto is south of Tokyo. I will be 450 miles southwest of the radiation plants. My friend said everything is running normally in Kyoto. They are not having aftershocks. There are no issues there of power loss or food shortage right now because they run on a different electric company than the Eastern part of the country (Japan is divided into East and West - Tokyo is considered East). Kan and I both feel like it is best to give it another week or so and see if life gets back to normal here in Tokyo. We have sought wisdom from a man we trust who has professional experience in the nuclear industry. We have prayed earnestly. The reality is I do not want to be too far from Kan. And I do not want to fly back to the US and then back to Tokyo in ten days by myself with a two year old if things do in fact get better. Because I have a couple more weeks travel time frame, we thought it would be good to get me out of Tokyo for awhile. My friend speaks Japanese so I will not be alone in that sense. The city is running like normal. We believe that it is either going to get really bad in the next five days or start to get better in Tokyo. If we see it taking a downward slope, at that point, we will meet in Osaka and fly back to the US together. We appreciate your prayers.

Where Are You Now...

Many of you are wondering what our plan of action is now. To be honest, we go back and forth on what to do. Obviously I am 33 weeks pregnant so traveling back to the US can be difficult. I did get a note from my doctor today if I decided to leave so I would not be questioned by the airlines. The baby is healthy, almost too healthy as this is a big baby, but the bigger the baby the better it sleeps right? Emotionally, I am not doing so hot. However, with a background in counseling, I do know this is all normal. I am struggling a bit with survivor's guilt as I see horrible images on the TV or internet of people suffering so much more than myself. Also, having a lot of fear and do not want to be separated from Kan right now. Spiritually, we are having to run to Jesus. And what better place to be. I know truth and keep trying to repeat it over and over. I figure eventually it will land in my heart, but right now it is just head knowledge. Thankfully, Kan has been able to work from home. We have power and food and have carried on as normal as we can. The stores are out of milk, rice and bread, but we have been able to get fruit, veggies, and meat. As long as we keep power, we should be okay in terms of food. McD's next door has not run out of milk, so I go there each day to get milk for Miyako for the next day.

Many of you have written and called, left messages, and I really appreciate your support, prayers and love. I am sorry I have not responded to all of them personally. Please know they encourage me and help me tremendously. Here are some prayer requests for us as a family -

1. Pray for wisdom as we try to discern what to do.
2. Pray for peace from God to transform our hearts and minds.
3. Pray that we would continue to have power and be able to cook and carry on as normal as we can.
4. Pray that the baby would continue to remain healthy.
5. Pray that we would not live in fear, but trust the One who is in control of this entire situation.

Pray for the country of Japan and the people suffering all over. Pray that the nuclear issues would not get worse as the country cannot afford another tragedy.

Again, thank you for your love and support.

Where Were You When...

Everyone in America still at times discusses the disaster of 9/11 and "where were you when the towers came down." To be honest, it is the only way I can remember Kan and I's first date. He said he was going to call me Monday night on 9/10 and chickened out. Then 9/11 happened and he could not call that night. He knew he had to call by Wednesday or else I would have my weekend booked. We went on our first date the Friday after 9/11 which was 9/14/2001.

Almost ten years later, with five years of marriage and almost two children, we find ourselves asking a different yet similar question - "Where were you when the largest earthquake in the history of Japan hit?" Well, I was in our apartment, on my computer as usual while Miyako was napping or "talking to herself." Just a few days before we had a rough earthquake, but it was not enough to get Miyako out of bed or send off our alarms in the building. So when the shaking started, I figured it was much the same thing. But then it kept shaking and shaking, and the alarm in our building was going off, and Miyako was screaming. I instantly threw my computer down, ran to get her, and just did not know what to do. All Miyako kept saying was "Mama outside. No more 48." I looked outside to see if anyone was evacuating, trying to walk straight as the shaking was so bad I kept running into the wall. I saw a lady on the floor below me with her toddler going for the stairwell, so I headed in that direction as well. All the time, Miyako is still crying and screaming. A neighbor heard us and opened her door. She kept telling us in Japanese to go back inside but I did not understand. Her daughter came to translate (her daughter is a college student who plans to spend next year at Vanderbilt University). When they saw the tears in my eyes, they invited me in. Once inside, we sat down and the shaking was starting to subside. She got out cake and tea and we all sat around a heated blanket and small table and enjoyed a little snack.

Another big shake came shortly thereafter. At this point, Miyako wanted to leave their house but I kept assuring her we needed to stay and be with people. It was interesting to see them going out on their balcony and taking pictures or enjoying cake and tea. At one point, I felt like I was going to throw up so I went to their bathroom. Thankfully I did not. After cake, the lady brought out chips that were like Pringles. At this point, Miyako thought we were having a party and loving it. We stayed there for about 2 hours and then went home to assess the damage.

To be honest, I expected a lot worse damage than what we had. Our fridge had rolled out from its position but it was still plugged in and did not run into the microwave. I had vitamins on the top shelf of the bathroom closet and they had fallen down. My ironing board had fallen and a little dresser on wheels had moved slightly. As for our bookshelves, they were still standing and nothing had fallen down. Our dishes were still in tact. Even picture frames were standing upright. We did have a picture hanging, and it had fallen down. We have not hung it back due to the frequent aftershocks we keep having.

Many of you may be wondering where Kan was...he was on the Narita Express coming home from a business trip. Praise God his plane had landed and he was on a train. If it had been in the air, he probably would have turned around back to Taiwan. We have different cell phone providers and cannot text each other, but the lady whose house I was at used his same cell phone service. So, she texted him for me to let him know we were ok. He was able to respond and tell me where he was.

Once Miyako and I got home I tried to keep things as normal for her as I possibly could. We ate dinner, read books, and she went to bed. Thankfully Kan and I both had internet service as phone lines were dead. We emailed throughout the night. Obviously neither one of us slept. His train was pulled into a station, and he was able to get McD's for dinner which is good. The aftershocks throughout the night were pretty strong. Every time we had one I kept saying, "Please Jesus, make it stop." I did not want Miyako waking up, especially with the alarm going off in our building. My American SIL kept saying "You need to sleep." I knew I needed to, but I just couldn't. I did sleep from 3-4 but I woke up to what I thought was Kan coming in the door. I jumped up and said "Kan, Kan" only to find it was high winds moving the building. At 8AM Kan was moved from the Narita Express to a local train so they could transport more people. He stood for two hours before it started moving. He finally walked through the door at noon on Saturday. I had never been so happy to see him.

I have attached a few pictures of what the damage was in the apartment. There is also a picture of smoke from a fire that started across the Bay from our apartment, as well as a picture of traffic after the earthquake.

March 11, 2011

If you remember, my day to scrapbook this year is the 11th of each month. You know, record what you did, take a few pics of the kids, and this way you have a monthly report of the year. Little did I know this day would bring about the scariest adventure of my life. It started out like any other day - Kan was out of town for work, and I woke Miyako up with "Daddy will be home today." We have signed Miyako up for a sports class nearby starting in April, and on Friday we had an informational meeting for it. We met our friend at the meeting and then went to the park after wards to play and have a picnic lunch. Miyako wanted to wear five hair bows this day, so I obliged. And we were having a fabulous day.

We came home around 1ish and I put Miyako down for a nap around 2. Then came 2:45, when the largest earthquake in the history of Japan hit. We had an earthquake earlier in the week, and I experienced a lot of shaking and things moving, but this one just kept going and going. As I re-hash this in my mind as I write, I realize I am not ready to go there. It was the scariest moment of my life and I think I need a little bit of time before I dive right into it. Plus, right now, I am running on one hour of sleep, it is 10:00 at night, I have bronchitis and cannot stop coughing, and really need to go to bed. But reality is, I am not emotionally ready to write about it. And that my friends is okay. I can leave you with some cute pictures of Miyako taken before we went to our sports class meeting. Good night all.

It's been one long week

Well, friends, it has been one long week. I told Kan if we are this sick next winter we are packing our bags. :) All joking aside, it has been slightly rough.

Sunday I was laid out on the couch with an achy body and sore throat so Kan took Miyako to church. She had a lot of fun riding the bus, seeing her friends, and grocery shopping on the way home with daddy. As we were changing her into her pjs that night, I noticed a slight rash on her tummy and behind her legs. I asked Kan if she ate anything funny at church, but he said no. Nothing really seemed to match up and we could not think of what it might have been. I considered it being a reaction to her antibiotics she had started on Thursday, but she had been taking them for several days so I thought she was fine. And she was, as the Japanese say, "genki." She was in good spirits.

Monday morning she woke up and the spots were gone. However, they came back Monday night again. At this point we are thinking maybe she gets too hot in her pjs or just has very sensitive skin. She also finished her antibiotic this day but still had a very bad cough. The rash subsided and we did not really worry about it. Then comes Tuesday...

Kan left for Taiwan Tuesday and that night at midnight I was on the phone with him with a very red little girl. She woke up crying and saying she needed a diaper change and when I opened her pjs her little tummy was covered in this rash. Not only that, but her left cheek was a bit swollen as well and I was pretty nervous. Nervous enough to wake up my Dutch friend to talk through whether or not I should take her to the hospital. As I was talking to Kan, he was on the internet researching all of the possibilities. In that short time, her cheek started to go back to normal size and color and her rash was getting smaller. I had her sleep with me that night, which meant I did not really sleep (who knew a two year old could take up so much room in the bed and leave a 7 month pregnant woman with a few inches). On Wednesday morning the bumps were gone.

Miyako felt fine and acted her normal cheerful self, but I wanted to confirm with the doctor that it was not a reaction to the medication and also have him check on her cough, which was still very deep. I figured since we had taken the medicine, her cough should be getting better. My Dutch friend went with me to translate (we were seeing the local Japanese pediatrician) on Thursday afternoon. The doctor was surprised to see us as Miyako was so cheerful, and I showed him pictures from the rash and explained I was concerned she still had a bad cough. I asked if the rash could be a response to the medication and he immediately refused this idea saying it was probably just cold related. Both my friend and I thought this was ridiculous. He prescribed more medicine for the cough, which looked similar to stuff Miyako had taken at the beginning of February, so I thought it would be fine as she never had a reaction then.

Well, I gave her the first dose at 5 and at 7:30 she was breaking out again. At the same time she was throwing a temper tantrum. Yes, my sweet angel can do that sometimes, especially when it is time to get ready for bed. So, then I thought to myself maybe it is a response to getting too hot or being upset - kind of like hives. I was told to give her some right before bed. I did as I was told, and at 10:30 she is crying in her bed. Her hands are shaking, as are mine from nerves, and she is itching everywhere. I immediately call Kan and then my Dutch friend, who quickly comes to the house. At this point I am certain it is the medication. Now the question is whether or not to take her to the hospital. She says she wants to go to bed and slowly her body starts to return a little bit to normal. I put her back to bed and my friend stays with me a little bit to make sure she does not get worse and we need to go to the hospital. Kan meanwhile is researching and said a reaction can come 10 days or more after exposure and also that her continuous cough was probably more related to the allergic reaction to the medication rather than the actual cold. It is pretty nerve-racking when your child has an allergic reaction. My main concern was she would not be able to breathe.

In the meantime, with all of this going on, my throat is still aching from the weekend. My cough is deep. And I simply do not feel well. So today while I had Nena, I ventured out to my American/Japanese based doctor (and skipped class) to check on myself. How normal it felt to walk in his office, hear American jazz music in the background, and visit with someone who speaks impeccable English. I did have a slight fever today when I saw him and he gave me medicine to help cure my very enlarged throat and cough. It was not the powder stuff Miyako got - it was stuff I was used to back in the US. I found out his office is open on Saturdays from 9-12 so next time we have an issue with Miyako and I need assistance in the train ride and lack of elevator access, Kan and I will both take her on a Saturday. It may be farther away, but it felt like home.

Now, I know lots of my friends here see Japanese doctors and are fine and get great treatment. I am not bashing them. But for me, and after this experience, I simply feel more comfortable going back to the man who went to Stanford for undergrad and Yale for medical school.

Through this whole experience, I learned several things. One, the body of Christ is AMAZING! I truly could not have done this without my Dutch friend. She was such a huge support for me and it made the world of difference in how I was able to control myself and my emotions. God truly knew what He was doing when He provided this apartment for us in such close proximity to dear friends. They, and many other friends from church, have become our family here, and I know that only happens through the bond we share in Christ. I am so so thankful.

I also learned that family is amazing. My "American sister-in-law" in Arkansas has been a huge support through this. I guess I run to those who have lots of kids for help with this stuff because both she and my Dutch friend have five children! I figure if anything, they have seen it all, and will also remain the most calm in helping me. I think I emailed Arkansas 20 times in about 3 days, sending her pictures, and then calling her as well. Such a blessing.

And finally, I will be honest, last night as I held my sweet girl with her rash all over, I was kicking myself for not going to the American educated doctor to begin with. I knew the reasons I did not go to him were legitimate. We had been to the local doctor before and he treated Miyako well. And the transportation there is simply hard for me at 33 weeks preggers - no lifting a stroller up and down stairs for this mama. Nonetheless, I was still kicking myself, especially as I discussed it with him today and I said, "where can you get the pink stuff that I grew up on for sickness" as I knew the answer was with him. :) But I was reminded of this video a friend posted on facebook - I was reminded as a mom to forgive yourself. You will make mistakes. But you live and learn. And all in all, I do not think Miyako will be permanently damaged or scarred from this experience.

If you want to check out the video I am referencing, go here - it is beautiful.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mamamia.com.au%2Fweblog%2F2010%2F12%2Fthe-things-mothers-wish-theyd-known-earlier.html&h=e3544

Girls Day 2011

March 3rd marked the annual holiday for Girls Day here in Japan. You can visit my post from last year for more details on the actual holiday and meaning. Anytime we can celebrate girls in our house, we take advantage. This year we bought Miyako the traditional doll set that families set out for the girls. A lot of the sets are very expensive and LARGE, but we found this cute little felt set that sat very comfortably on our TV stand. The best part is Miyako cannot break the dolls so she was able to actually enjoy them rather than be told "Miyako, don't touch the nice dolls." Miyako had to visit the doctor on the actual holiday so we celebrated a little late with our Dutch friends. I think the mamas enjoyed the cakes more than the girls, but it was fun nonetheless. We have a very special little girl. I did take the dolls down today while cleaning. I hope Miyako is not too disappointed. Supposedly if you leave them up too long your daughter will not get married. Our babysitter claims this is why her daughter is not married at 28. :) So, I took Miyako's dolls down while she napped. We will see if she notices.

Indoor Play Areas

So, when you live in 900 sq. ft. you try to find things to do around the city to get out of the house. Tokyo provides tons of indoor play areas with lots of fun toys to play with for free! Miyako loves them, especially the ones with large kitchen sets. One reason we have not bought a kitchen set for the house is we simply do not have the room...another reason is I want to keep the novelty of the kitchen set for the indoor play areas. She could spend hours fixing me lunch at the kitchen sets. The downside of the indoor play areas is germs, germs and more germs. Yes, they clean the rooms and the toys, but it is winter and when you have lots of children in there with runny noses you are bound to get sick. We have been sick more in Tokyo in one winter than we ever were in the US and it is obvious why - a lot more people in Tokyo than in Lexington, Kentucky; public transportation verses the confines of your own vehicle, and we never went to indoor play areas in Lexington. Come to think of it, I do not think they had them. Our play dates were usually with one or two other kids at someone's home.

So, last week we had a stomach bug, or Miyako did, and we stayed in most of the week. Until Friday when she was so much better and the weather was GORGEOUS! We went to a great park last Friday and a mall on Friday night, where we played at an indoor play area with lots of slides and fun balls. Indoor play area Friday night...runny nose Monday...eye infection Wednesday from rubbing hands in nose and then eye. Gross, yes I know. Kan told me last night, "No more indoor play areas!" I told him he needs to be the one to tell Miyako that as she asks to go to one every day and knows what toys are at each one.

Now for the doctor issue - last night I knew I needed to take Miyako to the doctor today. My friend here, who is an eye doctor back home, suggested she get some eye drops for the infection in her eye. I love my English speaking doctor, but he is quite far and the station does not have elevator access, which is not very good for someone in my late stage of pregnancy. However, Kan had back to back meetings all day long and had no way of going with me. Nena to the rescue - today was class day and Nena was coming to our home anyways to babysit. Kan made our appointment with the local pediatrician in the morning, and Nena went with me to translate. She was really helpful and I was so grateful. Turns out Miyako has a bad sore throat and cold so she got an antibiotic (which she loves since I serve it in jello) and eye drops to help with her infection. Giving eye drops to a two year old is not very fun. Heck, I do not like putting eye drops in my own eye, so I can see why she does not like it. But hopefully in a few days her big brown eyes will be back to normal.

Today was girls day and we did not get to celebrate due to the commotion of going to the doctor, her eyes being yucky, and Kan coming home late. But tomorrow we will make up for the lack of celebration! Pictures of that to come.

We have been studying in Isaiah lately in BSF how God is in control of all circumstances and how He is faithful to His children. He controls every single circumstance and event that takes place in our lives, and He will ALWAYS take care of us. He showed me his faithfulness and provision today. He took great care of us, as He always does.

Enjoy the fun pics I have taken lately of Miyako. I washed my sheets on a rainy day and had to hang them inside. They instantly became a fun tent to play in. In the other pictures, Miyako is sporting her apron and chef's hat while I fix breakfast. Mama has a matching apron that Grandma sent us.