Sara Marie Grey is here at last! At 1:03 AM Japan Time, she came into the world weighing 3,306 grams (7 pounds, 4.6 ounces) and measuring 51 cm from head to toe. Both Mother and Baby are doing fine.



On Tuesday the 14th, at around ten in the morning, Tomomi knew something was different. She was feeling discomfort every ten to twenty minutes -- a pain that suggested the onset of labor. It wasn't until late in the afternoon, after seeing whether or not the pain would come at more regular intervals, that we all decided it was time to go to the maternity clinic.

The clinic was busy. A lot of babies were being born at the time, and we quickly learned that the rooms were nearly full. Tomomi was brought to one of the labor rooms, where she and I stayed for about 4 hours. According to Tomomi, the labor was nowhere near as tough as it was when Anri was born (24 hours of little progression, followed by a shot of pitocin). But, when we were finally taken into the delivery room and the pushing began, that is where it got difficult. When Anri was born, the actual pushing was not so bad, Tomomi said. This time around, it was the opposite. Short labor, really difficult push.

She did so well, and the feeling of joy we both felt at first sight of our baby girl was overwhelming! We both remarked, almost in unison, how much Sara looks like Anri did when she was born. The doctor was quick to get out the digital camera after the birth and snapped a handful of shots for us. The time of birth was 1:03 AM, November 15, 2006.

By 3 AM, Tomomi had been taken to her room, where she would spend the next five days with Sara. A private room with a bathroom and shower, Tomomi was happy to finally get some rest after a tough day. After getting Tomomi and Sara settled in and all of their things put in order, I finally headed back home, getting to bed at four in the morning.

For pictures of Sara, please click here.

Anri is drawing at a rate that we have to buy her a new coloring pad practically every other day! It surprises us at the level of detail she is putting into her drawings, which are now starting to include features as intricate as eyebrows and eyelashes.



She is still drawing objects at strange angles. Often she will draw something upside down, making us wonder if she has some form of dyslexia, but she has started adding details like hands, feet, eyebrows and eyelashes to her drawings. In the picture above, according to Anri, she drew herself in blue and her Mommy in green below.

In the image below, she drew a dancing bear. We knew upon seeing it that it was a bear, but it was Anri who told us it was dancing.



Kids are just amazing! As soon as I get a chance, I will scan more of her images and put them online for everyone to see.

Tomomi's due date is the 16th of November. By the looks of her, she is going to be having our second baby at any moment.



Despite the size of the baby she is carrying around, Tomomi is hangin' in there. Today, November 3rd, is Culture Day, a national holiday in Japan. That means festivals. The first was a rather raucus one at Anri's nursery school. Kids of all ages were there, as well as parents and grandparents. What did Anri like best of all? The bubbles some of the kids were blowing.



In the afternoon, it was on to the Mori Shogunzuka Matsuri, a festival on the grounds of the local history museum downhill from the ancient Mori Shogunzuka Keyhole Tomb. Though we usually hike 25 minutes on the trail to the top, the shuttle bus was free today, so we rode up. From the top, Anri was quick to spot Daddy's little white car in the parking lot below.

Anri's drawings have been steadily improving, but this evening, we had quite a surprise. After writing Anri's name with a crayon, she took a look at it and wrote her own version. Take a look!



Her name is in green, in the lower half of the image, in case you can't figure it out. Anri looked at how I wrote her name first and said, assuredly, "I can do it." Then she proved it. Granted the "n" is backwards, but we're feeling very proud right now!