I some how thought I'd be ambitious enough to keep writing over the holidays while I was in the States. I even had some photos with me and some posts all ready to go in my head but, nope! Didn't happen. I managed to find other things to keep myself busy.
I had a lovely time. We spend a few days with my husbands family, a week in Boise in our house and hanging out with our dogs and then I spent a week with my parents (Jeff left a little earlier to go back to work).
The flights were long and uncomfortable and I was slower to get over the jet lag than normal. Usually I have no problems with long flights and jet lag but this time it lingered for quite a while (chocking that up to yet another fun pregnancy side effect). I'm not sure if it's because I had so much fun enjoying American food and being able to read the menu or if it is just timing in the pregnancy but some how at the start of the trip I was just looking a bit on the pudgy side to now, I have an honest to goodness, no confusing it baby bump. Thank goodness one of the items on the itinerary when in the states was getting some maternity clothes. I'm sure they have them some where in Japan but I haven't figured out where yet and have no idea how to ask. I'm sure I'll have to pick up a few more items over the next couple of months so I'll find out but for now at least I have comfortable pants and shirts that don't look like they are straining.
I also finally broke down and bought some baby clothes. We don't know what the gender is yet (next appointment is Friday and hope to get a more confident sounding answer then) but my mom and I picked up a bunch of gender neutral-ish things. This might sound a little strange, but it was actually the very first time ever that I have bought baby clothes and it made things feel a little more real. I'm still routinely shocked when I see myself in a mirror and I see how big my belly has gotten. I suppose it's normal but I find it all very strange and my body no longer feels like mine, it's foreign.
I joyfully did a ridiculously large amount of laundry while back home. It was so fast and easy! I didn't pack many clothes since I planned on shopping so I washed them a couple times, all my new clothes and the baby clothes. Today I'm doing the dreaded laundry in Japan.
Sleeping in our big, lovely bed back in Boise helped remind me how uncomfortable I fine our small, hard bed in Japan. We can't do anything about the size as there is only a couple inches on either side between the bed and the wall, but we could do something about the firmness. A trip to Cost-Co got us a memory foam topper which we sent back to Japan (the Hiroshima Cost-Co doesn't have them). It has helped so much!
Before Jeff and I left we had a list of things to do, eat and buy on our trip. We crossed off almost everyone of them. Eat: Mexican food (twice), pizza, Italian, Ben and Jerry's, In & Out, BBQ ribs and cheese. When I went into Whole Foods to buy cheese I just stood at the cheese counter in awe. One of the people who worked there must have seen the shock on my face and offered to help me. When I mentioned my cheese deprived state from living in Japan a group of them started rushing around and feeding me cheese samples. I bought $25 in cheese, worth it!
We had such a nice time seeing friends again and just hanging out with our dogs (unfortunately, the lab seems to be mad that we left again and is taking it out on our poor friend who is watching them, sorry!). We enjoyed simple conveniences like central heat, familiar items in the grocery store and driving on the side of the road that isn't scary.
It was a good trip. I am really really happy that I went but it's also good to back in Japan. I have another 8-ish months here and I now feel ready for it.
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