Thursday, October 1, 2009

Energy Fest!







I wish I could attach some kind of fanfare to this post, but I can't, so you will have to make do with a written one. Last night, I slept from 12a.m. until 6:30a.m. (insert fanfare here)! That's right, no night waking - woohoo! I even managed to get in another 40 minutes from 6:30 while I gave L his morning feed. So today is a good day. I almost feel like my normal self, not that I can remember what that feels like :P

So after breakfast, we go to take H to nursery and just before we get there, I remember that it's October 1st, and that H's hat changes from the straw version to the warmer winter version from October, hmm, start of October, mid-October? Sure enough, as I drive up, all the children are wearing their winter hats, some of them are wearing the long-sleeved blouses, jackets, and their own thick heavyweight trousers. Not sure it's that cold just yet, but you know what it's like when it's decided that the season has changed...no going back! So I keep on driving, which is slightly embarassing, as I have to stop at the zebra crossing to let the mummies cross and they look at me as if I am stupid enough to have forgotten to drop off my child...

Ten minutes later, seasonally attired, I drop H off and set the navigation system for the docs. for L's jab. I realise that I am going to be a little late, which I really don't like to be :( I arrive at the docs., or I arrive where Betty (my satnav...don't ask) tells me the docs is, only to find there is no surgery there, just a car park - oops, wrong entry. Frantically try to find the real one, and then breathe a sigh of relief when I find out it's only another 8 minutes drive. When we get there, L is asleep - of COURSE!! and we are only 10 minutes late, so that's not really bad. I take L's temperature, and then we wait in the inside waiting room. This is quite fun because there are lots of toys, books and a sofa. L is quite happy being somewhere new. Obviously completely oblivious to the fact that a man is about to stick a dirty great needle in his arm.

Once in with the doc., he asks me something which I think is, "how heavy is he?" so I answer, "9kg", only to find that he was asking about his mood today..ah well, easy mistake to make (please tell me it is!). I like this doctor and I dislike him all at the same time. The reason being, is he is on the Takasaki English-speaking doctor list. I have been to several doctors on this list, and whether they know how to or not, NONE of them speak English! Maybe it's down to the fact that I speak to them in Japanese, but there are times when we have communication difficulties and not once to they resort to English. Today I look at him blankly when he jabbers away in medical Japanese and he tries to make me understand, again all in Japanese. Maybe I should just start talking in English, but I always feel a bit arrogant doing that. Anyway, the good thing about him is that he is vaccination crazy. That's good for me. Y tried to schedule all the vaccinations with all the rules about how long you are supposed to leave in between certain ones, and which ones you have at the docs and which at the hoken centre, etc. So today the doc. writes down in L's health book when to have the rest of the jabs. Next in just one week, MR (just measles and rubella, no mumps included here), then another in November and one more in December. There is a meningitis one as well, but forgot to ask about that one. I have a feeling it's 8000 yen for that one, but relatively speaking, well worth it.

I try to distract L by showing him the pretty pictures on his healthbook, but he is no fool. He swivels his head round to watch the needle being plunged into his arm and immediately cries, but it is very short-lived. Nurse then tells us to wait in the car for 30 minutes to see that he is ok. I find this a bit odd, so instead, we "wait" in the little play area outside while L makes friends with a big gorilla.

Then off to the post office to return some underwear and p.j.s that I ordered from Figleaves. Am a bit annoyed with myself, because although the delivery from the U.K. was only 5 pounds, the return delivery for me is 3,250 yen :( Let's hope that the exchange rate suddenly shoots back up and gives me lots of yen for my refund instead! While out I spot a bakery that I have not been to. Will definitely have to give that one a try. I realise that these days I rarely just go out exploring like I used to do with H. I think the children get a bit bored in the house all the time, even H after she has been at nursery all day. Put it down to tiredness and vow to make time for it instead of being a cleaning demon.

So today ends up being a pretty good day. And Y is home and I am wearing my gym gear waiting for 9 o'clock so I can go and burn off some more calories (make room for all that bread ;)).





2 comments:

  1. Hey Laura.. ah you moved again = ) No worries I will make note of your new address! You and I have been in Japan for almost the same amount of time, I came in the summer of 2000!

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  2. Ah, really? And does time fly for you? I often feel as if I have been here forever, ha ha ha! Yeah, I moved because I was always having problems with Wordpress, and although they seem to have more functions, Blogger is a lot easier to use ;)

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