I promise I won’t make this a daily occurrence, but please indulge me once again. Yesterday was the first day I could see Kaika “in person,” so to speak, that is, not just from behind glass. And yes, I held him. So small, so tiny. I was shocked at how warm he was, like he had a fever, but Naoko reassured not to worry. The nurses say he hardly cries at all, such a quiet baby. But when I was leaving, he let out the briefest of cries. I’m sure it was a coincidence, but hey it was a nice touch anyway.
The day before yesterday, my mother-in-law made a big deal about checking the ochinchin (penis), making sure it was there. And the hands and feet, checking that Kaika has the right about of fingers/toes on each. It doesn’t occur to me to do this — I trust that the doctor or nurses would have told us had there been something missing. And an equally big deal was made over whether or not the baby has a smooth eyelid or a “double eyelid,” as it’s commonly referred to. Again, it never occurred to me to look for this.
Hi Kurt.
I’m so happy for you and your family! Congratulations!
Best wishes,
Mike b.
Actually, this entry touched on a lot of things I’m dying to know. (However, if you consider these questions too personal, feel free to ignore them.)
I’ve been very curious to know the reaction of your in-laws. I especially love hearing your mother-in-law stories.
I’ve also been wondering about the Japanese hospital experience. In the US, insurance companies will only pay for a one-day stay for a normal delivery and a three-day stay for a Caesarian (unless there are complications). How long will Naoko and Kaika stay in the hospital?
Most fathers are in the delivery room these days, so it seems odd that you said yesterday was the first time you held Kaika. Did Naoko have to go it alone?
And finally…what is the Japanese custom concerning circumcision? In the states, it’s still done as a matter of course, but it’s less popular now than in my brother’s generation. Neither my son or Alex’s son is circumcised. Alex says in England (where he’s from), it’s not the norm.
The lid problem..
It occurs that some who has smooth eyelid transforms to double eyelid sometime in their life, and vis versa happens too. Everyone in my family has so-called double eyelid, and my brother did when he was small, but now he has smooth eyelid. He’s cute anyways. =) So don’t worry too much!
Yuki
yuki-
yeah, i’ve been telling myself constantly that so much can change, the eye color, the hair color, the lids, etc…. part of the fun, ne… anyway, however the lids turn out (or eye color, or hair, etc.), I’ll be happy. Anyway, it seems my mother-in-law and the nurses are more concerned about the lids. If they hadn’t said anything, I never would have thought about it!
Indulge yourself as much as you like sweetie – the photos are fabulous (^^)