Lunch Date!

Hello everyone, Mike here...Cicely and Grace went to Bible studay in the morning - during which Grace had another explosively loud poop. Must be something about our church here; it happens almost every Mass too. Sorry, no pictures to go with that story...I'm sure you can visualize on your own. After their class, I was fortunate enough to have a relaxing lunch with my beautiful girls!

Ready for Summer

Thankfully, the weather is getting warmer and the days are getting sunnier. Every time we go out for a walk, Grace starts squinting because of the bright sun, even when I pull the stroller shade over her. So I thought it was about time for her to get her first pair of sunglasses.

Now all she needs is a little sun hat and a cute bathing suit and she's all ready for summer!

Naps and Determination

This baby was a great napper today. That's how I was able to dust, vacuum, tidy the house, finish all the laundry, AND cook dinner. The only thing I didn't scratch off my to-do list was to mop the floors. One good nap from her tomorrow and that will hopefully get taken care of too.

Grace is growing so quickly and it is such a pleasure to see her discover the world and try out new things. She has such a look of determination sometimes that I just love. I'm hoping that spirit of determination will continue when she gets older and has to finish her chores, clean her room, and do her homework.

Here she is fascinated by her toy during tummy time. Check out that tiny tongue of hers popping out at the corner of her mouth. Cracks me up to watch my little determined baby!

A Pretty Perfect Sunday

Sundays are usually our day to tackle any household chores that did not get done during the week. However, it is almost time for bed and there is a huge amount of dirty clothes piled up in the laundry room. The bed never got made today. Carpets remain unvacuumed. Floors did not get mopped. There is a layer of dust on all the furniture. Various baby paraphernalia is strewn all over the house.

Yet I still consider today a pretty perfect Sunday.

Grace only woke up for one night time feeding last night AND she decided to sleep in. We actually made it to church on time. We enjoyed a delicious all-you-can-eat brunch at the Officers' Club with our good friends, the Blews and the Estoestas.

Then the ladies went shopping while the husbands babysat. It has been a long time since I've had the chance to go clothes shopping with some fun girlfriends. We had a good time picking out clothes and approving or nixing each other's outfits in the dressing room. I left the store with a couple of cute new outfits and for once, feeling good about myself and my still-here baby weight, thanks to Jojo's and Julie's encouragement. They made me feel like I really CAN bring sexy back. Thanks, girls!


Mike and James on baby duty while the girls were trying on clothes.


Here is Grace patiently waiting for her daddy to wake up from his nap so she can get her evening bath.

Happy 3 Month Birthday!

Today we celebrated Grace's 3 month birthday. Lola and Lolo called this morning to greet her a happy birthday and I baked chocolate cupcakes to mark the occasion. These three months have gone by with lightning speed and it's hard to believe how much she's changed in that short amount of time.

Here are a few things we've enjoyed along the way:

*Her personality is really blossoming and she seems to be a pretty happy baby.

*She's teaching us to be better morning people by her contagious morning smiles. How can you not enjoy your morning when you're greeted by a joyful, smiling baby who genuinely loves seeing you, regardless of how you look?

*We're amazed at the amount of poop that comes out of such a little lady.

*She spent her first 6 weeks sleeping in our room, but adjusted to sleeping in her crib in her own room surprisingly well. It took me longer to get used to her being in a separate room. There were many nights where I kept tiptoeing in there to make sure she was okay.

*I'm amazed that I can still function with the little sleep I get.

*She really does look like an angel when she's sleeping. So much so that if she falls asleep in my arms, I have a hard time putting her down because I enjoy holding her and seeing that beautiful face.

*When she wakes up in the morning, I can hear her talking to herself and I love listening to her sweet voice. She'll do this for about 10 minutes before she'll let you know that she's ready to be up for the day by doing her little fake cry.

*Mike loves how observant and focused she can get. For example, she will stare at her hands with such determination and try to get those elusive things in her mouth that you just have to cheer when she reaches her goal.

*I'm starting to hear the hint of giggles and can't wait to hear a full out belly laugh.

*She's still got that new baby smell and I'm hoping it'll last for a little while longer.

*She's such a joy to be around! Mike is surprised at how much he enjoys having a daughter. She really DOES have him wrapped around her little finger...

Special Delivery

We made a trip to the OB/Maternity ward today to see my sweet friend Jackie's special delivery- a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Olivia Rose. I haven't been this excited about a new baby being born since the birth of my own child. Olivia Rose is also Jackie's first baby and we hope the two girls will become fast friends. I see many play dates in our future!


While we were there, we ran into Kristal, one of our awesome nurses during our stay at the hospital. She was loving how long Grace's hair is now.


This is my Friday night treat- an ice cream sundae. I know it's extremely indulgent, but the bowl is actually very small and there's lots of banana slices to make it 'healthy'. And what's the point of working out so hard if you can't indulge every once in a while, right?

Our long streak of sunny, beautiful weather ended today. It was cold and gloomy. The weekend forecast is no better with rain showers predicted on Saturday. But at least Mike will be home this weekend so it's already looking better than last weekend. I'm sure the three of us will find something to do, even if it's just having a weekend movie marathon.

Ready to Fly

Today was an exciting day because Grace's passport came in the mail. We've been anxiously waiting for it because we're going home for a visit in a few weeks and the lack of her passport would have obviously changed our plans drastically. All three of us are now ready to fly!

Here's a copy of her passport picture. Don't you just love that look of consternation? I know, baby, I'm not looking forward to that long flight either, but it'll be so worth it. I promise. There are lots of relatives waiting to spoil you when we get there.


Hanging out in daddy's office.

Florida, Here We Come!

It's official- we're moving to Florida! Mike got his orders today for a ship in Mayport, Florida, but we'll be living in Jacksonville. I can't tell y'all how excited I am about this. Although living in Japan has been a great experience, I'm definitely ready to move back to the good ol' USA. And being on the east coast is another plus because we'll be close enough for frequent visits with family and friends. We leave Japan in October and Grace and I will stay in Virginia Beach while Mike takes a month and a half long class in Athens, Georgia. By December, we'll be enjoying life in sunny Jacksonville.

Florida, get ready- the Augustines are on their way!


"We're going to Florida, baby!"

Welcome Home

My long week of single motherhood came to an end this morning when Mike came home from his business trip to Australia. He came back bearing gifts for his girls- a koala bear for his baby and jewelry for his Baby Mama.


Grace was napping when he came home so when she woke up, Mike went in her room to go get her. It took her a little time to recognize her daddy because she cried her "I'm scared" cry when she first saw him. But it didn't last long at all. She was all smiles after the brief initial readjustment period. I was relinquished of my bath time duties tonight and it was so nice to have some help again.

Welcome home, Daddy!

"Next time, take me with you!"

Passing the Time

Grace and I stayed busy over the weekend trying to make time pass quickly so we wouldn't miss her daddy too much. Because of our full weekend, I was left exhausted at the end of the day with no energy to blog. My mom called me today about my lack of updates. Sorry about that, grandparents!

Saturday we went to the big Spring Bazaar where I normally spend way too much money. And with this being our last Bazaar before we leave Japan, I was expecting to go crazy. I walked out of there with just $20 worth of washi Japanese paper. I then proceeded to spend two and half times that much at the baby store buying Grace spring and summer outfits. I suppose this is another sign of motherhood when I get more pleasure buying stuff for my baby than for myself.

Sunday was spent at church and a professional photography shoot for Grace's 3 month portraits. Church was great, the portrait session, not so much. My normally laid back and easy to smile baby cried pretty much the entire time! Her daddy and I would've been better off messing with the new SLR and taking her picture ourselves. Go figure.

Check out her latest accomplishment- she can hold a rattle!


Yet ANOTHER diaper blowout. Why does she always look so pleased with herself at times like these?


Diaper and wardrobe change in the car before her big photo shoot.


See this pretty smile? She didn't have any of these for the photographer...


Birthday wishes for Grandpa.

Three More Days

Three more days and I can take showers lasting more than 5 minutes. Three more days and I can stop eating cereal for dinner. Three more days and I can take a break from bath time routine- not that I mind it at all, but the 30 minute evening break I get because of it is sorely missed. Three more days before Mike comes home. The countdown has officially begun.

As I type, she is complaining about being put in her crib before she was good and ready. Don't misunderstand- she's not actually crying. She's got this thing now where she just 'whines'. I don't know how to explain it. It's actually quite amusing. When I'm not completely exhausted.

Stay-at-home moms should get bonuses during times like these when daddy's gone and they have to do overtime. Luckily the big spring time Bazaar is this weekend. Stay tuned for what kind of 'bonuses' I find....

Welcome to the Jungle

Thanks to my dear friend, Elizabeth, Grace has been playing in her jungle gym ever since she was a week old. But today was the first day where she was absolutely captivated by it. She had a blast batting at the hanging rattles and had intense conversations with 'Mr. Monkey' and 'Timmy the Toucan'. I didn't even turn on the lights or music and it still kept her occupied for a good while. I am so glad Grace enjoyed her time in the jungle!

Today's Lesson: Always Be Prepared

I learned a very important lesson today: always be prepared. I was in a rush this morning to get to my Zumba class and made a monumental error when packing the diaper bag. I had a few errands to run after my workout so I wanted to put an extra change of clothes for myself in the diaper bag. Because my clothes took up so much space, I decided to do just the baby essentials - diapers, wipes, hooter hider.

Normally when I pack her diaper bag, I bring everything for all situations- blanket in case it gets chilly, Tylenol in case she gets a fever, burp cloth for spit-ups, little toy for entertainment, disposable changing pads for messy diaper changes, and an extra set of clothes.

Not packing the last 2 items was a big mistake today.

I was shopping in the baby section when I heard Grace having a gassy moment. I didn't think anything of it. A few minutes later, I realized that she needed a diaper change so off to the restroom we went. This is what I find...



This looks pretty tame compared to what I found when I actually lifted the shirt. It was the kind of nasty that would normally send her straight to the tub.

It figures that this would happen the one and only time I decide NOT to pack her a change of clothes. So I put her back in the stroller just like this because I had no choice, went and picked out an outfit, paid for it, went back to the restroom and changed her into the new outfit.


Life with a baby is never boring, that's for sure!

On a different note, the quest to lose the baby weight continues. Yesterday I went on a power stroller walk around the neighborhood with Jojo and Julie. The babies certainly enjoyed themselves- they were out like a light before we were halfway around the block.






A look of sweet innocence from the Little Stinker.

Fight the Temptation

The Easter Bunny put lots of goodies in Grace's Easter basket. One of the treats, Cadbury Mini-eggs, was something I never had until yesterday. And today I spent all day trying to fight the temptation to devour them. I even contemplated, albeit very briefly, running to the grocery store to see if there were more left to buy because surely they'd be on clearance now that Easter is over. Crazy thoughts, I know, since I'm still trying to win the battle over my excess baby weight.

Other than that, it was a lazy day for us girls. After such a hectic weekend, we needed a day to just chill and do absolutely nothing.

This one's for Lola who likes to see pictures of a happy Grace. Lola, if you enlarge the picture, you can see her latest trick- a mouth full of spit bubbles!


This one's for Grandma who gets a kick out of crying Grace pictures because she thinks they're funny and cute.


And this one's for me who always enjoys seeing her daughter being comforted by her daddy.

Happy Easter

We had a whirlwind of an Easter weekend! A BBQ, two egg hunts, and an Easter lunch potluck have left all three of us completely exhausted. I'm so tired, I'm not even sure where to begin so I'll just post some of my favorite pictures for y'all to enjoy.


My sweet little angel slept through a BBQ party.


Mike was in charge of getting her ready this morning. Because we got back so late from a BBQ last night, she had to skip her evening bath. Apparently, she didn't like the change in routine by having a bath this morning because she gave her daddy "the lip".


Her Easter dress that I ordered online came in just in time. It also came with a matching headband, but as you can see, it was way too big for her. Mike and I didn't think the Pat Benatar look would work for Easter Sunday.


Why are her white tights missing? She had a diaper explosion during church. While I was nursing her. In addition to getting it on her brand new beautiful Easter dress, she got it all over her mommy's dress too.


Daddy's turn to take her egg hunting. They found a grand total of one egg together.


Here's all her loot from the Easter bunny. She looks a little overwhelmed...


And here's a shot from an impromptu photo session on the top of a hill overlooking Tokyo Bay. We rudely woke her up from a nap and made her sit in the bright sun for a few minutes. Consequently, this is the closest thing we got to a smile.


Happy Easter, everyone!

Egg Hunting

Today was Grace's first Easter Egg hunt, and as such, I, as a father, wanted to ensure I documented the grand event.

Between the new SLR, the HD video camera, and two point-and-shoot cameras, I figured I had plenty of options and back-ups to get the shot!

Unfortunately, no matter how prepared I was, Grace just wasn't too excited about putting eggs in a basket.





I absolutely adore the girls in my life.