Project Kitsune

It's Sunday, December 10th. You're already two days old. I'm here at the hospital with you and mama. You're both sleeping. It's nice to see you both resting. It's been a busy two days. You look great, you're a pretty good sleeper..not great, but pretty good. Most importantly, you and mama are healthy and coming home tomorrow! Kiko and Genki really miss mama, and we are excited to bring you home and relax. So let me tell you a little bit about what you are coming home to. First, you have a big brother named Genki and a big sister named Kiko. They have both met you. You were sleeping. They looked at you for a few seconds then went to watching cartoons or causing trouble. Sorry. If they can't touch you or play with you they are not interested. But they are really good kids and I am so happy you will be their little brother. You are all very young, and this is great as you can grow up close to each other. Sometimes that will feel not so great. But ...

Well, in about 24 hours, you’ll be here. It’s strange to think about it like that. Usually the arrival of a baby is estimated, but not known down to the hour. But, unless you start to get busy sooner, we’ll see you tomorrow morning. An are we ready? Yes of course. And, no. Your Grandma and Grandpa are here from Japan. They are helping to take care of Genki and Kiko and are really excited to meet you.  We know your first name (we decided to call you Kiri, very cool right?). Last night though I was thinking more and more about your middle name. Still I am not 100%, but I think I have the name. It will match your Oregonian spirit. But how long you live in Oregon is not sure. You see there is a chance we might move. But that is the third thing I am thinking about right now.  First is bringing you into this world safely. Second is mama recovering and feeling comfortable. Third is where we might or might not move. Well baby fox, we are as ready as we wi...

Hey little guy, you’re not so little anymore! It’s now 31 weeks done, 9 more to go (maybe even a little earlier)! We can’t believe it. We are all so excited to see your face. Your brother and sister don’t really know you are coming, but I know they will be excited. I’m sure there will be lots of screaming and shouting to welcome you. But I think at night we should all be quiet and sleep. That would be fun, right? You will have a very nice welcome party. Grandma and Grandpa from Japan are coming. Your mama is very happy about this and I know they are excited to see you. We still did not decide your name yet, but we are close and it will be cute and fit you well. You’ve only got a little more time inside mama’s belly, so enjoy it while you can. Pretty soon you will see the bright lights and sounds of the outside world. We are so very happy 

It's been a long time since we first found out you were joining our family soon. A busy, crazy hot summer. But that doesn't mean we haven't been thinking about you. In fact, we've been thinking about you every day. We also learned recently that you're a boy! Mama guessed it. I don't know why I thought you were going to be a girl, but we're glad. Kiko will have two brothers on both sides of her. Genki will have another dude in the house. It's going to be a crazy house, but it will be fun. Lately you've been moving around in mama's tummy more and more. You're about halfway there, still growing lots, but looking more and more like a chubby little baby day by day. We'll go to Hawaii soon to celebrate you. Maybe you're a little jealous, we will go to Hawaii to enjoy fun in the sun and pool while you're still swimming around inside mama, but I promise you we'll go back when you get a little older.

Well, well, well...it begins again. After your sister was born, we thought, or maybe only I thought, our family was complete. 2 kids, 2 parents. It seemed like a good ratio. With Kiko just born, and Genki growing and going to school, it felt like mama was working at 110%. We knew we had a full family. But of course, after a few months go by, things start to get a little easier. Kiko starts sitting and almost walking. She's eating a lot (will eat anything) and Genki is in a groove with his school schedule. Things aren't easy, but they start to feel easier. So this idea sneaks in. After Kiko was born, I was 100% sure our family was complete. Fast forward and now I'm not. I think your mama was always not 100% sure the family was complete, but I was. Then, not. So, here we are. You're 8 weeks into your journey and the size of a raspberry (and growing a tiny bit every day). It seems like you will be the best Christmas present we have ever received. But that...