Today we prepaerd Danish lunch at home and took it over to Atsuko’s place where we all gathered. Atsuko and her husband, daughter Saeko, mum, Takako and me and Noriko who had stayed with us since yesterday. Most of the food we had bought especially for this lunch. Cans with liver pate and salmon paste were bought in Yamaya. Sausages and raw ham (filet in Danish) in York Benimaru. The roastbeef was a present from some of our friends, and the bread we had made ourselves. Soft walnut bread and regular soft bread made with the home bakery. We had also bought some pumpkin bread in Kitakata, and rye bread at Yamaya.

We had some leftovers from when Anita and Gert were here. For instance Danish mayonnaise and remoulade, and seiyo wasabi (peberrod) and small caviar from a fish in the salmon family. We had boiled eggs generously donated by Katsushi’s hens and there were shrimps and sardines. And then I had made some good old makrelsalat (mackerel salad - mackerel mixed with tomato puree and mayonnaise!)

I think everyone liked the food, because we didn’t have to bring that much back home! So it must have been good! It was also a good chance to talk about (and play with) babies because Atsuko and her husband has a daughter which is only 10.5 months old, but so fun to play with! I have written about her before, last time we visited them. This time I could play with her a lot, and she was as sweet and adorable as always! She still loves to fly (she jumps but I lift her up high!)

The dessert was home made layer cake and maccha (green tea) ice cream! Yum yum!

A special tahnks to Take-chan (Saeko-chan’s dad) who kindly lent me a lens for my video camera. It is a 0.5x wide angle lens and I really needed it! Without that I cannot film Junya up close. I have to sit at least 1 metres away or else I won’t get everything in the picture.

Today Noriko came to visit us in the afternoon and we had a very enjoyable evening with sake and Gammel Dansk and lots of takoyaki! Noriko is staying here tonight because tomorrow we will go and visit the Iwakuras, and Takako and I will prepare Danish lunch for them at their place. And Noriko is coming too. Here are some photos from today’s dinner:

After the dinner Noriko suggested that we try and mix Gammel Dansk with juice. Noriko actually liked Gammel Dansk! (Most of the people I have given it to have thought it was way too strong to drink as it is.) We mixed it with passion fruit juice and it taste really, really good!

Joachim gave me a link to a strange structure on the coast of Dubai. It looked so weird I had to find out what it was. It turns out it is an island made from reclaimed land called Palm Jumeirah:

The Palm Jumeirah is in the shape of a palm tree. It consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that forms an 11 kilometre long breakwater. The island is 5 kilometres by 5 kilometres and its total area is larger than 800 football pitches. The crown is connected to the mainland by a 300-metre bridge.

Palm Jumeirah:
Google Maps

Palm Jumeirah on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Jumeirah

Video about the construction of Palm Jumeirah is a must see!
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=m3IHnM5K80s&feature=related

Promo video:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=0lXclgws7n8

Dubai image gallery:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/dubai_and_the_uae.html

Yesterday we tried the new underwear with the dinosaurs. It is a bit different from the other underwear we have in that you have to put it over his head first, then stick his arms through the sleeves, and finally button it up where his diaper is.

He usually wears small vests for underwear which you can just wrap around him, and maybe tie a string in the front. So I was afraid that this new one would be difficult to put on him. But actually it wasn’t that hard at all. Of course he doesn’t like to have things pulled down over his head, so you have to be careful. But the result was very nice!

Yesterday we had a lot of fun playing with him in the evening. He was very happy and talked a lot:

Taiko was preparing edible chrysanthemum flowers by pulling the petals off the flowers. The petals can then be used when cooking various Japanese dishes. Of course Junya wanted to “help”, and so he ended up with a little flower in his hand. He also likes smells, and then a mandarine peel makes a fine hat when you are a little baby!

Finally, have a look at this photo. Is this normal or is Junya already getting bald??

Just a short post to say that Junya has started to show real signs of progress when it comes to controlling his own head. He can now sit up, supported, but holding his own head up straight. He sometimes “over compensates” so that the head starts to bob back and forth rapidly! But he soon regains control over it.

I can also lift him up by holding him under his arms and supporting his chest on my palms, so he sort of looks like an airplane. I can then fly around with him, while he keeps his body completely stiff. I am not sure whether he likes it or not though, but we definitely enjoy it!

He has also eaten a couple of tea spoons of mikan juice, which he seemed to like although it was a bit sour.

Yesterday evening it started snowing, and this morning there is snow everywhere!! We have already changed to winter tires.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thorasmund/sets/72157609509071174/

I forgaars, den 19. november, doede Takakos mormor.

Hun blev 95 aar, og det sidste stykke tid har hun vaeret paa et slags hospital/plejehjem for aeldre mennesker der kraever daglig hjaelp. Jeg har aldrig oplevet hende som andet end en svag gammel dame, der efterhaanden ikke engang kunne sige noget forstaaeligt, men Takako husker hende naturligvis fra dengang hun staidg var frisk….

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Today Junya is 80 days! The last 20 days since he turned 60 days has been filled with events, and he has changed a lot in those days. For instance he has started making little clicking/kissing sounds with his mouth as an indication that he is hungry! So now there are five stages in what he does when he wants something to eat:

1. Clicking/kissing sounds with mouth
2. Sticking thumb out
3. Sucking left hand
4. Slightly grumpy
5. Full out screaming!

Another interesting thing is that he has proved to us that he is able to recognise different people’s faces. If he is sleepy (which to him is a bit similar to being hungry) he wants his mum. Period. Dad won’t do. We noticed this as he was sitting in his bouncer and started making grumpy noises, then started screming. I tried to soothe him, but it didn’t work. I held his hand, talked to ham, hummed a tune, patted his back.. no effect. Then Takako took over and did the same. And after 15 seconds he stopped crying. He smiled and laughed, so Takako went back to work.

5 minutes later the same happened. He got grumpy, and I tried to do exactly the same as Takako did. But no. He just started screming even more, tears in his eyes and nose! Then Takako came over, and the instance he saw her, he stopped crying. She picked him up, and he was fine after that.

Of course he can connect Takako’s face with being fed and sleeping, and this is probably why he doesn’t want me to hold him when he needs food or sleep. Even when we bathe him he has started crying when I hold him. I know one shouldn’t take it personally - it is just the way babies are. The positive thing is that he is still happy most of the time, and then it is fun and easy to play with him!

He has also started to outgrow some of his clothes. When I bathe him I can feel he is a lot longer than when he was born. He doesn’t fit on my lap anymore. He is also noticeably heavier! Carrying him around for half a day in the baby carrier, puts quite a strain on one’s back.

The weather report says that it will be snowing on the 20th. So when we woke up this morning we thought we should get the most out of the remaining warm days. Ever since the Iwakuras visited us, we had been talking about paying a visit to their place, and after Takako called and talked to them, we decided to go there as soon as Junya was ready.

They live in a house further down the street towards road 49 and they run the local temple. They have a daughter, Saeko, who is 10 months old, and so unbelievably cute! When they visited us I took some photos, but today I forgot my memory card, so I will be posting Takako’s photos instead.

In their house this morning was also a friend, Yuriko, and her daughter Kouko. She was also very cute; a big Asian baby with a lovely smile! Junya enjoyed being with two cute girls (again!), and behaved very nice. He didn’t hit them in the face or make them cry, like last time we visited someone!

From left to right: Junya, Kouko and Saeko. On the second photo, Kouko is showing that she is now fully aware of her own feet!

Saeko sitting with her grandmother!

They had baked some very delicious cakes with pumpkin topping and whipped cream. The cakes were very soft and spongy, exactly like the ones you can buy at the bakery. I wonder how you get them that soft.. Maybe you need to stir the eggs (a lot) before adding the flour?

There are more photos here. But finally, before I end this blog entry, here is Junya wearing the new clothes we received from one of Takako’s friends today. It is still too big for him, but we just had to try it on him! Doesn’t he look cool?

http://nafai.org/temp/rainbow.jpg