2005-09-17

I did not sleep well, or more accurately, I did not sleep well before waking up. I was uncomfortable and couldn’t get comfortable. Eriko being pregnant prevents me from cuddling with her; I like to put my arm around her tummy but she doesn’t like the pressure. Trying to cuddle without being able to hug is next to impossible. ;P When I finally “wake” up, my body (especially my back) is sore from the many odd positions I tried to sleep in. Eriko has become more introverted and doesn’t really acknowledge me as she gets out of bed. I lay there for a little longer, hoping to feel relief, but to no avail. Eventually I do some stretching and get out of bed. Eriko went to Uwajimaya yesterday and has bought some kind of bread which we eat for breakfast. I’m not so hungry again today but my stomach feels fine. I work on my Japanese homework for a little bit, write some emails, make some coffee, pick up around the house, and then dive back into my vim manual. Eriko takes a nap. After waking up, she avoids me due to the coffee smell. I put in some gum, but it was mint so she didn’t want me close then too. She started to nap on the couch but soon moved to the bedroom. I let her sleep for a while and then asked whether she still wanted to go the wedding we had been invited to. It started at noon and it was now 10:45. I let her know that it would be OK if we didn’t attend and I started thinking about who I would call to send along our wishes. After a few minutes she lamented that she was all prepared for the wedding, gathered herself up, and began putting on her outfit. I moved to put on my suit and we were leaving the house at 11:20 (5 minutes later than I had originally intended, but great considering the late start). We arrived in Capitol Hill about 11:35, found a nice parking spot, and then found that there was a slight delay due to pictures. We waited outside in the hall (at the Century Ballroom) and I observed a dance class for a bit until Eriko told me she’d like to sit down. We wandered about looking for a chair and I spotted my co-worker, Brian, who has three small boys. We began to chat and he found a chair which was broken but still sufficent for sitting. I was relieved and Eriko sat down. Brian and I chatted a while and I asked him questions about how his life changed, specifically when it came to his career. He shared his valuable experiences with me until the doors opened. We met up with Miki (native Japanese) & Todd (my co-worker) and decided to sit together on the 2nd floor balcony. There were only three tables up there (compared to over 20 below) but I was happy to have Eriko sit with Miki so they could speak in Japanese. We were joined by our co-worker Bret and close by were my co-workers Danny and Scott (and his wife, Judy). Of course, we were hungry – and the appetizer was sushi. Todd and I got sushi and water for our ladies as well as drinks for ourselves. That satisfied Eriko for a little while but soon she was hungry again… I wandered downstairs just in time, for the food line began! I signalled for Eriko to join me and we stood in line for … Indian food! It was great and I heaped my plate full. The wedding ceremony (which actually occurred before the food) was very short (about 5 minutes) and everyone had a good time. Eriko and I arrived back at home around 3. While she checked her email I began to read one of my textbooks on the couch. I was excited about reading it until … I yawned. The next thing I knew, I was waking up from a 2 hour nap (Eriko was also napping in the bedroom) to the phone ringing. It was the Nadeshiko Clinic confirming Eriko’s appointment on Monday. The noise woke Eriko up as well and we congregated on the couch. To my dismay, she doesn’t really like me kissing her face so the only part of her body not off limits at this time is her feet. Eriko began to eat some bread and I resumed reading on the computer. Next, Eriko wanted to watch some more of the movie Oliver (which she had already watched once a few days ago). I watched a little too. ;P I went ahead and ordered a land-line from Qwest. Not something I wanted to do, but the poor reception of the cellphone doesn’t make me comfortable with Eriko pregnant. After retrieving a phone (which apparently doesn’t work) from our storage closet, I found out that we had a letter waiting for us (in the exercise room, the overflow mailbox). Eriko’s mother had sent her some paperwork required by the Japanese government (to change her name) as well as a baby magazine! Eriko spent the next two hours reading the magazine and occasionally relaying a tidbit of information. I watched a bit of the Mariner’s game (the lost), continued reading the vim manual, and made myself some dinner. The smell from the dinner was a bit overwhelming to Eriko, so I had to open the window & door, turn on the fan, and eat on the counter. Eriko and I switched positions; her to the computer and me to the couch, where I watched some TV and looked through my textbook. Then it was time for showers & bed. We had several minutes of levity before sleep was upon us.