The littlest one has gone off to kindy or 幼稚園 (youchien) this month.
He looked so small in his way-too-big uniform, with the shorts practically down to his ankles and his jacket looking more reminiscent of a dress than outerwear. I had my doubts about him going off to school because he seemed (and still seems) so babyish, but in true Mini-Ping fashion, he hopped on the bus with tentative smiles at the bus monitors and is wreathed in smiles on his return.
It's been strange having the house to myself during the time the Pinglet and Mini-Ping are both in school, and working during the daylight hours. I'm sure I'll get used to it in time, but for now, I'll enjoy missing my little ones and hoping that their days at school are happy ones.
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Schooled in (or by) the medical system (Take 2: Ride 'em, cowboy!)
Following in his big sister's footsteps, Mini-Ping has decided that he too would like to be one of Japan's medical mysteries and take us through yet another field of medicine--urology.
Mini-Ping was born with a bum kidney. He has unilateral hydronephrosis, which means that one of his kidneys has a slight obstruction which inhibits the flow of urine out of the kidney. His pediatrician discovered this defect during his 4-month-old check-up, just by chance. He had (and still has) no symptoms or problems, so it is a blessing that she caught it so early.
Mini-Ping has to be monitored and put through a series of tests each year to check the size and function of that kidney to make sure that nothing has changed for the worse. We were told that this type of problem can usually resolve itself as the child grows: the bigger they get, the bigger the opening in the kidney will get, which will make the flow of urine go faster. While his kidney size and function has never improved, it hasn't gotten worse which made us cautiously optimistic that things would resolve itself over the course of time.
This changed in September, when during a routine check, the pediatric urologist informed us that Mini-Ping has what is known as a "horseshoe kidney," otherwise known as a "super kidney." Basically, both of his kidneys are fused together at the lower end, which is causing the hydronephrosis in one of his kidneys because the fused area is obstructing the flow of urine. We were also informed that it is probable that it will not resolve on its own and that he will require follow-up visits pretty much for many of the coming years. However, as long as his kidney function remains at the level it is now and there are no infections or other problems, he may not need surgery. We're hoping that this is the case!
So, there you have it...our foray into the Japanese medical system with the kids. Should be a bumpy ride, but always filled with adventure!
Mini-Ping was born with a bum kidney. He has unilateral hydronephrosis, which means that one of his kidneys has a slight obstruction which inhibits the flow of urine out of the kidney. His pediatrician discovered this defect during his 4-month-old check-up, just by chance. He had (and still has) no symptoms or problems, so it is a blessing that she caught it so early.
Mini-Ping has to be monitored and put through a series of tests each year to check the size and function of that kidney to make sure that nothing has changed for the worse. We were told that this type of problem can usually resolve itself as the child grows: the bigger they get, the bigger the opening in the kidney will get, which will make the flow of urine go faster. While his kidney size and function has never improved, it hasn't gotten worse which made us cautiously optimistic that things would resolve itself over the course of time.
This changed in September, when during a routine check, the pediatric urologist informed us that Mini-Ping has what is known as a "horseshoe kidney," otherwise known as a "super kidney." Basically, both of his kidneys are fused together at the lower end, which is causing the hydronephrosis in one of his kidneys because the fused area is obstructing the flow of urine. We were also informed that it is probable that it will not resolve on its own and that he will require follow-up visits pretty much for many of the coming years. However, as long as his kidney function remains at the level it is now and there are no infections or other problems, he may not need surgery. We're hoping that this is the case!
So, there you have it...our foray into the Japanese medical system with the kids. Should be a bumpy ride, but always filled with adventure!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Schooled in (or by) the medical system (Take 1: Sensational Kid)
A health update is in order for the two kiddos! Today's segment (Take 1: Sensational Kid) is all about the Pinglet.
Do you know a child that cries and shields their eyes from bright light? Or who can't stand tags or elastic in their clothes or the stiffness of new jeans? Or needs the seams in their socks just so? Or who complains of pain when she eats certain types of foods? And who can have meltdowns of epic proportions when any of these needs aren't met?
This is a child that has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). This child's brain isn't able to process sensations the way a typical person does and ends up disorganized/confused when her brain doesn't know what to do with the information coming from a particular sense(s): sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and movement. She may overreact (with intensive meltdowns lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours), or under react (and then need to raise their level of comfort by crashing about the house, doing handstands or dancing in the living room instead of eating dinner).
I'm not talking about a minor (or even, major) tantrum or meltdown when it's too bright out, or when a child's clothing is the reason they are feeling less than happy. The issues I'm referring to are day-in and day-out, constantly there, and are debilitating to both the child and other family members, as the senses are overloaded minute-to-minute and starts to take over family life.
Well, this is our Pinglet.
In July 2011, after a bout with hand-foot-and-mouth disease, the Pinglet started having meltdowns about burning/tingling pain in her hands and feet (at least 7-10 times a day), being too hot (even when it wasn't) and pulling at--or off--her clothes, which was usually followed by massive meltdowns lasting 30 minutes to 2 hours. When we went to New York to visit in August 2011, the episodes when she cried from pain became more frequent and more intense. This happened even when she was playing or doing something fun. She would tense up her hands and feet and cry, asking me why it hurt so much. I felt paralyzed because I wasn't able to do anything to help.
We returned to Japan in September 2011, and the Pinglet continued to complain about the tingling/pain in her hands and feet. The complaints were so frequent and so scary that I decided to bring her to a pediatric neurologist, where she was tested for various illnesses: Vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetes, RA, shingles, tumors in brain/spinal cord, epilepsy. We even went so far as to have her tested for Fabry's disease, which was the scariest two months of my life, waiting for the results. All the tests came back normal.
A year on, she still complains and cries about her hands and feet (tingling/burning like pins and needles). From what she's told me, it seems to be like the type of pain you would experience after your feet fall asleep and then the blood starts circulating again. It comes in a sudden swoop, and leaves just as suddenly about 15-20 seconds later.
Complaints appear most frequently when she's putting on clothes that "don't feel good" (her own words), especially seams in her socks, "itchy" tags in her clothes, elastic in arm sleeves/winter feet pj's, putting shoes on ("too tight" or "too hot"), loose hair tickling her back. Other triggers are changes in temperature (going from hot to cold, or cold to hot, or becoming too hot from clothing that "doesn't feel good" or is "too tight"). She also complains/cries about bright sunshine or headlights and streetlights at night, and may cry that she can't see and rubs her eyes excessively until she adjusts. Even when she is doing something fun (like coloring/crafts) and is concentrating very hard on an activity, she will suddenly cry out about the pain in her hands/feet, and then follow-up by telling me she is too hot and proceed to pull at or fuss with her clothing. These bouts of pain with her hands and feet are also signs of anxiety from what I can see, as she will also have a number of meltdowns when things aren't how she imagined they would work out, transitions are too quick, or if she's not able to deal with her emotions, whether they be anger, happiness, or sadness.
Looking back now, I can see various issues that, with hindsight, I should have realized were not typical. The (even today) never-sleeping, constantly moving, inability to comfort herself, excessive need to always be held should have been a clue that all was not right in the world.
At night, we still lie down with her until she falls asleep. Right as she gets comfortable, she'll stiffen, tense up her hands and feet, and ask to be held in a desperate voice (but very particular about how you do it: "Not like that, Mommy, like this")...anxious about going to sleep. I had never thought very much about this, but now think of it as her way of needing to be reminded of her her place in time and space.
My sensation-al girl is a fighter and will come out of this on the other side...all the experiences she's having will only make her that much stronger.
Next post: "Take 2: The World's Next Superhero: Mini-Ping, Super Kidney Boy"
Do you know a child that cries and shields their eyes from bright light? Or who can't stand tags or elastic in their clothes or the stiffness of new jeans? Or needs the seams in their socks just so? Or who complains of pain when she eats certain types of foods? And who can have meltdowns of epic proportions when any of these needs aren't met?
This is a child that has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). This child's brain isn't able to process sensations the way a typical person does and ends up disorganized/confused when her brain doesn't know what to do with the information coming from a particular sense(s): sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and movement. She may overreact (with intensive meltdowns lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours), or under react (and then need to raise their level of comfort by crashing about the house, doing handstands or dancing in the living room instead of eating dinner).
I'm not talking about a minor (or even, major) tantrum or meltdown when it's too bright out, or when a child's clothing is the reason they are feeling less than happy. The issues I'm referring to are day-in and day-out, constantly there, and are debilitating to both the child and other family members, as the senses are overloaded minute-to-minute and starts to take over family life.
Well, this is our Pinglet.
In July 2011, after a bout with hand-foot-and-mouth disease, the Pinglet started having meltdowns about burning/tingling pain in her hands and feet (at least 7-10 times a day), being too hot (even when it wasn't) and pulling at--or off--her clothes, which was usually followed by massive meltdowns lasting 30 minutes to 2 hours. When we went to New York to visit in August 2011, the episodes when she cried from pain became more frequent and more intense. This happened even when she was playing or doing something fun. She would tense up her hands and feet and cry, asking me why it hurt so much. I felt paralyzed because I wasn't able to do anything to help.
We returned to Japan in September 2011, and the Pinglet continued to complain about the tingling/pain in her hands and feet. The complaints were so frequent and so scary that I decided to bring her to a pediatric neurologist, where she was tested for various illnesses: Vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetes, RA, shingles, tumors in brain/spinal cord, epilepsy. We even went so far as to have her tested for Fabry's disease, which was the scariest two months of my life, waiting for the results. All the tests came back normal.
A year on, she still complains and cries about her hands and feet (tingling/burning like pins and needles). From what she's told me, it seems to be like the type of pain you would experience after your feet fall asleep and then the blood starts circulating again. It comes in a sudden swoop, and leaves just as suddenly about 15-20 seconds later.
Complaints appear most frequently when she's putting on clothes that "don't feel good" (her own words), especially seams in her socks, "itchy" tags in her clothes, elastic in arm sleeves/winter feet pj's, putting shoes on ("too tight" or "too hot"), loose hair tickling her back. Other triggers are changes in temperature (going from hot to cold, or cold to hot, or becoming too hot from clothing that "doesn't feel good" or is "too tight"). She also complains/cries about bright sunshine or headlights and streetlights at night, and may cry that she can't see and rubs her eyes excessively until she adjusts. Even when she is doing something fun (like coloring/crafts) and is concentrating very hard on an activity, she will suddenly cry out about the pain in her hands/feet, and then follow-up by telling me she is too hot and proceed to pull at or fuss with her clothing. These bouts of pain with her hands and feet are also signs of anxiety from what I can see, as she will also have a number of meltdowns when things aren't how she imagined they would work out, transitions are too quick, or if she's not able to deal with her emotions, whether they be anger, happiness, or sadness.
I've figured out most of her triggers (stiff clothing (like jeans), clothing that may feel a little rough on the inside (almost like pilling), elastic around the arms/waist/thighs/ankles, seams in her socks, tags, tight clothing). What I've done is to either not put her in those types of clothes or try to adjust things for her while she's crying/melting down about how they "don't feel good." She is getting better about waiting until I can do this for her and may only fuss with her clothing until it's adjusted to where she can tolerate it (She'll say things like, "it still doesn't feel good, but it's OK." and go on her way, for example to the park or the bus for school.) She is also starting to recognize her own triggers, such as a particular piece of clothing, and will let me know that she's decided to steer clear of something so she won't "hurt."
I've worked on steering clear of clothing that I know triggers a reaction in her: elastic, tight-fitting, jeans because of the stiffness), for example. She will wear less comfortable clothing if I adjust it well (i.e. like sock seams or loosening elastic in sleeves by stretching it out so it doesn't touch her skin). I have worked out a longer preparation time in the morning and/or when I have to leave the house if it necessitates a clothing change. This seems to have worked some with smoother transitions. Also things that have worked are distracting her (with TV or music) when she changes clothes.
This daily routine of 7-10 meltdowns per day (lasting from 30 minutes to 1 hour each) went on for over a year, with me online desperately trying to figure out what could possibly be the cause for all the pain that my little girl was going through. And then I came across SPD and a major source of information. I read a book (the SPD bible) called The Out-of-Sync Child, which gave me goosebumps as I was reading along, nodding my head to certain parts of the book, and hissing, "Yes!" when I came to other sections.
I decided that I wanted her to be evaluated for SPD during our visit to New York in August 2012. We went to Kidabilities where we met with a team who evaluated the Pinglet and gave us pointers on how to do in-home OT, since OT for SPD is not available in Japan. The therapists did come to the conclusion that she has SPD for mostly tactile issues (related to touch, for example, with her clothing) and fine motor planning issues (being unable to figure out what to do next when given a task, such as using scissors to cut something out, or having difficulty with pencil grasp). They also think that because there isn't any physical reason for the pains in her hands and feet, she may be experiencing an adrenaline rush when her senses are overloaded, which may send a zing throughout her body--a sort of "flight, fight or fright" reaction. Reading the report and listening to the therapists made me feel like they got her--and might actually have been living together with us since she was born.
At night, we still lie down with her until she falls asleep. Right as she gets comfortable, she'll stiffen, tense up her hands and feet, and ask to be held in a desperate voice (but very particular about how you do it: "Not like that, Mommy, like this")...anxious about going to sleep. I had never thought very much about this, but now think of it as her way of needing to be reminded of her her place in time and space.
My sensation-al girl is a fighter and will come out of this on the other side...all the experiences she's having will only make her that much stronger.
Next post: "Take 2: The World's Next Superhero: Mini-Ping, Super Kidney Boy"
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Happyness (and yes, I DID purposely spell it like that)
Watercolor painting of a girl with rainbow-colored hair under a sky bright with fireworks
I love when my girl is happy.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Terrible Two's?
My little man turned 2 this month. TWO! He is such a quiet, little life in the world--in great contrast to his sister who announces her presence loudly. It is a joy watching him learning a new concept, picking up more and more English words to add to his repetoire, planting kisses on unsuspecting faces, and waving to everyone he sees when we are out-and-about.
Happy, happy birthday, to my precious little man. We can't wait to see what life has in store for you.
Happy, happy birthday, to my precious little man. We can't wait to see what life has in store for you.
Friday, July 20, 2012
So fast
I once read somewhere that when you become a mother, you wear your heart outside your body. My heart stuttered a bit today as the Pinglet turned five. FIVE! Who would have known that the little Happy Vomiter/insomniac would have turned out to be such a presence in the world.
From this:
To this:
In such a short time.
Happy 5th birthday to the baby who rocks my world every day!
From this:
To this:
In such a short time.
Happy 5th birthday to the baby who rocks my world every day!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Toddler Apocalpyse
We're gearing up for our annual (torturous) trip to New York this summer. Well, I'm gearing up, Pinglet is focusing on all the fun things she's going to do (both real and imaginary), and Mini-Ping is...well...he just "is" at the moment. Except when he's testing his boundaries and lying prone on the floor, yelling his head off, after being told he couldn't do something for the millionth time. Ping, meanwhile, is deciding what he'll do with all his free time while we're away ("work," he says, but methinks that's just something he's saying to make me feel bad for ditching him in sweaty Japan for the worst part of summer. Tant pis!)
I'm a bit nervous about the upcoming flight, although I've flown alone with the two kids before. It's just that Mini-Ping is turning 2 (my goddess, where did the time go? And why is there still baby-fat on my body??), and I'm afraid that the 24-hour trip will be awful beyond my wildest dreams (or nightmares, would probably be a better way to describe it). What does a 2-year-old do on a long haul flight?
I've scoured the net, spoken with "Dr. Google" (not in person, of course, but he's never let me down in the past), and am frantically trying to put together a busy bag for my busiest of babies. I'm sure it will all be for nothing, since he'll spend the entire flight torturing our fellow passengers, running up and down the aisles and annoying the flight attendants, and/or turning the water on and off in the bathrooms, leaving longs lines of irritated people waiting to get in. The Pinglet, meanwhile, will be happily absorbed in her coloring and crafts, so I'll be able to focus the majority of my attention on the one who will probably end up making the pilot reroute the flight to drop us off somewhere in the Pacific...I could always do Fiji, I guess.
I've recruited the Pinglet as my partner in crime to deal with the chaos (I mean, her brother) that will be accompanying us. She has pledged her alligiance to our alliance and hopefully we will come out on the other side, aka New York, relatively unscathed.
If you happen to be at JFK airport when we get there, you'll know that we've arrived when you see a bunch of bleary-eyed travelers running out of the terminal to get as far away from the Toddler Apocalypse, otherwise known as Mini-Ping, as possible.
Even apocalypses have to end at some point, don't they?
I'm a bit nervous about the upcoming flight, although I've flown alone with the two kids before. It's just that Mini-Ping is turning 2 (my goddess, where did the time go? And why is there still baby-fat on my body??), and I'm afraid that the 24-hour trip will be awful beyond my wildest dreams (or nightmares, would probably be a better way to describe it). What does a 2-year-old do on a long haul flight?
I've scoured the net, spoken with "Dr. Google" (not in person, of course, but he's never let me down in the past), and am frantically trying to put together a busy bag for my busiest of babies. I'm sure it will all be for nothing, since he'll spend the entire flight torturing our fellow passengers, running up and down the aisles and annoying the flight attendants, and/or turning the water on and off in the bathrooms, leaving longs lines of irritated people waiting to get in. The Pinglet, meanwhile, will be happily absorbed in her coloring and crafts, so I'll be able to focus the majority of my attention on the one who will probably end up making the pilot reroute the flight to drop us off somewhere in the Pacific...I could always do Fiji, I guess.
I've recruited the Pinglet as my partner in crime to deal with the chaos (I mean, her brother) that will be accompanying us. She has pledged her alligiance to our alliance and hopefully we will come out on the other side, aka New York, relatively unscathed.
If you happen to be at JFK airport when we get there, you'll know that we've arrived when you see a bunch of bleary-eyed travelers running out of the terminal to get as far away from the Toddler Apocalypse, otherwise known as Mini-Ping, as possible.
Even apocalypses have to end at some point, don't they?
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Updates!!
I think that the Pinglet's English is pretty on par with kids her own age in the U.S. Sometimes I can see she has problems speaking in Japanese--like when she talks to Ping using katakana-style English (horrors!), instead of actually "interpreting" what she wants to say into Japanese. I know she doesn't have problems at school with this from hearing her talk with her friends, just sometimes when she switches back and forth. I would LOVE to be in her head for a bit.
Mini-Ping has had a bit of a language explosion over the past few weeks. He has a book that he loves, First 100 Words, that I picked up during a Costco run, which he takes out the minute the Pinglet gets back from school. He'll sit there and point at pictures, demanding that she tell him what it is. At the moment, his favorite words are "elephane" (elephant), "ilovu" (I love you, said as one word) and repeating everyone's names.
Both the Pinglet and Mini-Ping are very into music at the moment. Mini-Ping goes to a music Mommy-and-Me class 3x a month, and grooves around the room to the amusement of the other people in the room with their much better behaved children. The Pinglet has been begging to take ballet classes(?!?) and we've been considering it for next year. To balance out her love of all things classical though, she likes to sing along to "Tic-Toc" by Ke$ha, and occasionally asks me to define certain words, like "tipsy." (eek) I guess I could look at it as her wanting to expand her English vocabulary...right?
Mini-Ping has had a bit of a language explosion over the past few weeks. He has a book that he loves, First 100 Words, that I picked up during a Costco run, which he takes out the minute the Pinglet gets back from school. He'll sit there and point at pictures, demanding that she tell him what it is. At the moment, his favorite words are "elephane" (elephant), "ilovu" (I love you, said as one word) and repeating everyone's names.
Both the Pinglet and Mini-Ping are very into music at the moment. Mini-Ping goes to a music Mommy-and-Me class 3x a month, and grooves around the room to the amusement of the other people in the room with their much better behaved children. The Pinglet has been begging to take ballet classes(?!?) and we've been considering it for next year. To balance out her love of all things classical though, she likes to sing along to "Tic-Toc" by Ke$ha, and occasionally asks me to define certain words, like "tipsy." (eek) I guess I could look at it as her wanting to expand her English vocabulary...right?
Saturday, June 9, 2012
New endeavors
This year, I vowed to myself that I would get away from the funk of 2011 and get myself back on track. One of the things I wanted to do was to start a bilingual kids club and that has finally come to pass with the launch of the Kids International Club!
I'm enjoying getting to know the other women that I've met so far and hope that we will get a few more members in the coming months. The other women who are in the group are both Japanese moms who are teaching their children English. This will definitely give me a new perspective on raising bilingual kids!
I'm enjoying getting to know the other women that I've met so far and hope that we will get a few more members in the coming months. The other women who are in the group are both Japanese moms who are teaching their children English. This will definitely give me a new perspective on raising bilingual kids!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Surviving the holidays
The New Year's holidays are looooooonnnnggggg when you have children who actually WANT to go back to school. It's a credit to my entertainment-value as a mother when my four-year-old begs to be allowed to go back to school and cries crocodile tears? when informed that it's still closed.
So, thank the goddess for nearby friends. Illahee arrived today with her kiddies, bearing gifts of KFC, black cherry TimTams (jealous?), and some cross-stitching samples which mesmerized the Pinglet and kept her from complaining about how-hot-she-is/how-tired-she-is/how-itchy-her-clothes-are/how-she-wants-to-go-out-in-the-snow-without-a-jacket-or-shoes. Lunch turned into dinner after the two of us had no energy to stave off the onslaught of four kids under-7 (and a Mini-Ping, who couldn't actually add his voice to the angry horde, but just kills you with his cuteness), begging for just a little more time to play.
Only a few more days to survive until the Pinglet starts complaining about having to go to school. I can never win.
But before that shining day arrives, I will be ushering in the dawn of a new decade this coming Sunday. *gulp* In my before-I-was-Kuri visions, I was a high-powered businesswoman living the good life in one of the many fabulous capitals around the world, speaking at least four or five languages, and jetting off to exotic places (in first-class or by private jet, bien sur). Hmmm...well, I have the "various languages" part of that statement down pat at least; today's eclectic mix included Japanese, English, chanpon (Jpn/Eng hybrid), New Yawwwwk-ese, and the language of the Pinglet and Mini-Ping.
A new decade of the unknown...kind of exciting, don't you think?
So, thank the goddess for nearby friends. Illahee arrived today with her kiddies, bearing gifts of KFC, black cherry TimTams (jealous?), and some cross-stitching samples which mesmerized the Pinglet and kept her from complaining about how-hot-she-is/how-tired-she-is/how-itchy-her-clothes-are/how-she-wants-to-go-out-in-the-snow-without-a-jacket-or-shoes. Lunch turned into dinner after the two of us had no energy to stave off the onslaught of four kids under-7 (and a Mini-Ping, who couldn't actually add his voice to the angry horde, but just kills you with his cuteness), begging for just a little more time to play.
Only a few more days to survive until the Pinglet starts complaining about having to go to school. I can never win.
But before that shining day arrives, I will be ushering in the dawn of a new decade this coming Sunday. *gulp* In my before-I-was-Kuri visions, I was a high-powered businesswoman living the good life in one of the many fabulous capitals around the world, speaking at least four or five languages, and jetting off to exotic places (in first-class or by private jet, bien sur). Hmmm...well, I have the "various languages" part of that statement down pat at least; today's eclectic mix included Japanese, English, chanpon (Jpn/Eng hybrid), New Yawwwwk-ese, and the language of the Pinglet and Mini-Ping.
A new decade of the unknown...kind of exciting, don't you think?
When I passed forty I dropped pretense, 'cause men like women who got some sense.
- Maya Angelou
- Maya Angelou
Monday, January 2, 2012
3日坊主
3日坊主 (mikka bouzu), otherwise known as being a "monk for 3 days," is a Japanese proverb that's usually quoted around New Years, when everyone makes all sorts of resolutions, keeps them for 3 days until January 3rd (mikka bouzu, voila!) and then breaks them. As my birthday this month ushers me into another decade (*shudder*), I'm hoping that this year will finally be the year that I get past January 3rd on my"keeping my resolutions" resolution
This year, as in year's past, I've made up a few resolutions that I'd like to see through. You all know the drill: lose weight, exercise more, yell less at the kidlets, etc. I also want to see through some financial promises I made myself a while ago, develop a year-long English homeschooling program for the Pinglet (and subsequently Mini-Ping) and get a move-on with my grant-writing studies.
I've already "broken" one of my resolutions (yell less at the kidlets)--on New Year's day even. Mini-Ping woke up moments after the last gong of the bells at the various shrines around Japan and stayed awake, crying, for almost an hour for no apparent reason. I kept my cool though and thought lovely thoughts of unicorns and sunshine and by-and-by, he went back to sleep after which I congratulated myself on my awesomeness (*polishes nails*)
And then...New Year's day dawned. And with it, a V.E.R.Y. grumpy, cranky, whiny, PITA Pinglet, who literally grumped/cranked/whined from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed. And as the day limped along, so did my resolution to yell less at the kidlets. It pretty much was a shout-fest from dawn to dusk, pausing only for a brief nap in the car.
So, one resolution has already bit the dust, but tomorrow is another day. And I still have two more days left on my 3日坊主 schedule...
This year, as in year's past, I've made up a few resolutions that I'd like to see through. You all know the drill: lose weight, exercise more, yell less at the kidlets, etc. I also want to see through some financial promises I made myself a while ago, develop a year-long English homeschooling program for the Pinglet (and subsequently Mini-Ping) and get a move-on with my grant-writing studies.
I've already "broken" one of my resolutions (yell less at the kidlets)--on New Year's day even. Mini-Ping woke up moments after the last gong of the bells at the various shrines around Japan and stayed awake, crying, for almost an hour for no apparent reason. I kept my cool though and thought lovely thoughts of unicorns and sunshine and by-and-by, he went back to sleep after which I congratulated myself on my awesomeness (*polishes nails*)
And then...New Year's day dawned. And with it, a V.E.R.Y. grumpy, cranky, whiny, PITA Pinglet, who literally grumped/cranked/whined from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed. And as the day limped along, so did my resolution to yell less at the kidlets. It pretty much was a shout-fest from dawn to dusk, pausing only for a brief nap in the car.
So, one resolution has already bit the dust, but tomorrow is another day. And I still have two more days left on my 3日坊主 schedule...
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Brief recap of 2011
Tentatively sticking my toes back into the pool of blogging...
Life has gotten away from me this year. Well, pretty much since Little Ping marched out onto the stage. The "baby" isn't much of a baby anymore: he's a toddling (at 14 months), loves-to-play-peek-a-boo, laughing...and SO easygoing...little boy. He's a bundle of sweetness who smells like oranges. And who naps and sleeps through the night. Alone in his crib. Who knew that I could have a child like other normal women?
Of course, he continued the tradition of Happy Vomiting, my cross to bear apparently, but after a long 8 months of puking up the contents of his stomach 30 times a day (not kidding), he has emerged on the other side, relatively unscathed.
He doesn't have very many words at the moment (sometimes says DaDDY (with emphasis on the -DDY), hi, and bye), but I figure he will get it down eventually. The Pinglet was similar and didn't really start talking until she was 2 1/2. All in English, just in time for her to go to Japanese kindy.
The Pinglet is now a 107cm (3'6") bundle of energy, who makes us laugh when she isn't driving us up a wall (ha). She had a lot of firsts this year, just like her brother: went to summer camp in the U.S., went swimming, started playing piano and doing gymnastics at school. She loves drawing and crafts, and still loves her PreCure, but has branched out into princesses and fairies as well.
The Pinglet has had a few health hiccups since the summer, which ensured that Ping and I were able to put all the doctors' children through college, but I think we're finally getting somewhere.
The Pinglet has had a few health hiccups since the summer, which ensured that Ping and I were able to put all the doctors' children through college, but I think we're finally getting somewhere.
Wishing you all the best for a very happy 2012!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Heartbroken
How can a heart hurt so much? You hear about natural disasters of such magnitude around the world and your heart goes out to everyone affected. But when it affects one of your own, that's when you feel like shattered glass has pierced a part of your soul.
The funny thing is, I would never in the past have referred to Japan as home. But watching the devastation on TV has made me realize that Japan is my adopted country. I've been reacting to each new piece of news just the way I reacted when disasters have happened in the U.S.--9/11, Katrina, the Challenger.
I spent the day watching the disaster on TV, checking in on friends every five minutes on Facebook, on the phone, and with my own little family. We are extraordinarily lucky. The earthquake and tsunami have not physically touched any parts of our lives and we can watch the scenes unfold from the privacy of our own little home. For this I am eternally grateful, and can only send out my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy.
People's help, whether it be physical, monetary or spiritual, will be key in the coming days, weeks and months. Thank you for sending out your support to the universe in your own special way.
The funny thing is, I would never in the past have referred to Japan as home. But watching the devastation on TV has made me realize that Japan is my adopted country. I've been reacting to each new piece of news just the way I reacted when disasters have happened in the U.S.--9/11, Katrina, the Challenger.
I spent the day watching the disaster on TV, checking in on friends every five minutes on Facebook, on the phone, and with my own little family. We are extraordinarily lucky. The earthquake and tsunami have not physically touched any parts of our lives and we can watch the scenes unfold from the privacy of our own little home. For this I am eternally grateful, and can only send out my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy.
People's help, whether it be physical, monetary or spiritual, will be key in the coming days, weeks and months. Thank you for sending out your support to the universe in your own special way.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Revisiting the Japanese medical system
So much for my New Year's resolution to post daily! Somehow January has gotten away from me, even though it isn't over yet. Mi madre will be coming for a visit at the end of February so I'm already in the future making plans about what we'll be doing. Hopefully, she won't mind working on putting together a few albums of about 1,000 photos that have yet to be "organized." Can't you just feel the excitement?
The Pinglet and Mini-Ping continue to keep me and Ping on our toes with the various ailments they come up with. I wonder if they have a children's version of the Merck Manual and go through it nightly so that they can present ever new and innovative symptoms to us in the morning.
Miraculously, the Pinglet has (knock on wood) escaped the flu outbreak that occured in her class. Her BFF, a certain K-chan who's name I hear daily, was out for about a week. Every time the Pinglet would come home on the bus, she would have to undergo questioning before being allowed to come near Mini-Ping, the only one of us to not receive his flu shot. So far, all is well on the home front.
Mini-Ping, on the other hand...*sigh* He is SUCH an easy baby. Sleeps well, eats well (except for the constant vomiting, of course, but such is my life), has a smile for everyone, and is just a really easygoing baby. It makes me nervous because I'm so used to the Pinglet who rails against the world when she perceives that she's been slighted in any way, such as when she is refused a second mug of hot chocolate, for example.
Mini-Ping had his 4-month check the other day (and just to interrupt myself here, I can't believe he's 4 months old already!), and they found a problem with one of his kidneys. We visited the pediatric urologist today and found out that he has hydronephrosis, a malformation of the kidney, which can affect the kidney function. Basically, the urine isn't flowing correctly and remains in the kidney, leaving him vulnerable to UTIs. The doctor isn't quite sure what the problem is yet, but it's one of two things: "vesicoureteral reflux," which is where the urine is pushed back up from the bladder into the kidneys, or "ureteropelvic junction obstruction," which happens when the ureter (pipe connecting the bladder and kidneys) is kinked or too narrow.
At the visit today, they did three tests (my poor baby!). The first was a blood test to see if his kidney function was OK. My little champ passed that with flying colors. The second test was a urine test to see if he had any infections. His white blood cell count was slightly high, but they didn't know if that was because it wasn't a clean sample, or if he has the beginnings of a UTI. For the forseeable future, every time he has a high white blood cell count, he'll have to take antibiotics to fend off any UTIs.
The third test was an ultrasound of his kidneys. His right kidney is fine, but his left kidney is engorged within the kidney itself, and also at the exit of the kidney. Hydronephrosis is graded on a scale of 1-4 (1 is mild, 4 is severe). Based on the ultrasound, the doctor has graded him as a borderline 3, since there is swelling both inside and at the exit of the kidney. A class 4 would require him to have surgery as soon as possible. Class 3 means Mini-Ping will have to undergo two more follow-up tests to determine the course of treatment.
One test is called the "voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG)," where they examine the urethra and bladder as it fills and empties to find out if there are abnormalities and if the flow is normal when the bladder empties. This tests for vesicoureteral reflux. The other test that he'll have done is called an "intravenous pyelogram." They'll inject a liquid that can be seen on xrays into a vein and will check out the entire urinary tract to see if they can determine if/where there is an obstruction.
Depending on the severity of either the obstruction or reflux, they'll either recommend surgery, or not. This condition can clear up on its own and may just require periodic monitoring. I'm hoping/leaning towards that.
So, that's where we stand...he's fine, looks like he wants to crawl all over the place (but can't of course!), is smiley, SLEEPS!, and isn't in any pain. He doesn't exhibit any symptoms (no fever, no distended abdomen, no pain), so had we not had a routine ultrasound for him at his 4 month check, we never would have known.
Ping and my track records for pediatric surgery is not good. The Pinglet has 2 surgeries under her belt already: once for an ovarian hernia at 4-months (seems to be the magic number) and the second time on her eye. I'm hoping that gives us our quota and we'll escape with minor monitoring of Mini-Ping's condition. Thoughts and prayers greatly appreciated!
The Pinglet and Mini-Ping continue to keep me and Ping on our toes with the various ailments they come up with. I wonder if they have a children's version of the Merck Manual and go through it nightly so that they can present ever new and innovative symptoms to us in the morning.
Miraculously, the Pinglet has (knock on wood) escaped the flu outbreak that occured in her class. Her BFF, a certain K-chan who's name I hear daily, was out for about a week. Every time the Pinglet would come home on the bus, she would have to undergo questioning before being allowed to come near Mini-Ping, the only one of us to not receive his flu shot. So far, all is well on the home front.
Mini-Ping, on the other hand...*sigh* He is SUCH an easy baby. Sleeps well, eats well (except for the constant vomiting, of course, but such is my life), has a smile for everyone, and is just a really easygoing baby. It makes me nervous because I'm so used to the Pinglet who rails against the world when she perceives that she's been slighted in any way, such as when she is refused a second mug of hot chocolate, for example.
Mini-Ping had his 4-month check the other day (and just to interrupt myself here, I can't believe he's 4 months old already!), and they found a problem with one of his kidneys. We visited the pediatric urologist today and found out that he has hydronephrosis, a malformation of the kidney, which can affect the kidney function. Basically, the urine isn't flowing correctly and remains in the kidney, leaving him vulnerable to UTIs. The doctor isn't quite sure what the problem is yet, but it's one of two things: "vesicoureteral reflux," which is where the urine is pushed back up from the bladder into the kidneys, or "ureteropelvic junction obstruction," which happens when the ureter (pipe connecting the bladder and kidneys) is kinked or too narrow.
At the visit today, they did three tests (my poor baby!). The first was a blood test to see if his kidney function was OK. My little champ passed that with flying colors. The second test was a urine test to see if he had any infections. His white blood cell count was slightly high, but they didn't know if that was because it wasn't a clean sample, or if he has the beginnings of a UTI. For the forseeable future, every time he has a high white blood cell count, he'll have to take antibiotics to fend off any UTIs.
The third test was an ultrasound of his kidneys. His right kidney is fine, but his left kidney is engorged within the kidney itself, and also at the exit of the kidney. Hydronephrosis is graded on a scale of 1-4 (1 is mild, 4 is severe). Based on the ultrasound, the doctor has graded him as a borderline 3, since there is swelling both inside and at the exit of the kidney. A class 4 would require him to have surgery as soon as possible. Class 3 means Mini-Ping will have to undergo two more follow-up tests to determine the course of treatment.
One test is called the "voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG)," where they examine the urethra and bladder as it fills and empties to find out if there are abnormalities and if the flow is normal when the bladder empties. This tests for vesicoureteral reflux. The other test that he'll have done is called an "intravenous pyelogram." They'll inject a liquid that can be seen on xrays into a vein and will check out the entire urinary tract to see if they can determine if/where there is an obstruction.
Depending on the severity of either the obstruction or reflux, they'll either recommend surgery, or not. This condition can clear up on its own and may just require periodic monitoring. I'm hoping/leaning towards that.
So, that's where we stand...he's fine, looks like he wants to crawl all over the place (but can't of course!), is smiley, SLEEPS!, and isn't in any pain. He doesn't exhibit any symptoms (no fever, no distended abdomen, no pain), so had we not had a routine ultrasound for him at his 4 month check, we never would have known.
Ping and my track records for pediatric surgery is not good. The Pinglet has 2 surgeries under her belt already: once for an ovarian hernia at 4-months (seems to be the magic number) and the second time on her eye. I'm hoping that gives us our quota and we'll escape with minor monitoring of Mini-Ping's condition. Thoughts and prayers greatly appreciated!
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