Keeping Up With Sophie

4/6/11

Earthquake and Update

Just over a month ago exactly, Japan experienced the biggest earthquake in their history. On March 11, around 2:45 pm, I had just read Sophie a few books and put her down for a nap and went into my bedroom to do email while Jim's parents were in the living room talking and reading. I sat down on the bed and felt the 9.0 earthquake begin, just a little shaking. I figured it would stop quickly, as they all did, and went out to talk to them. The shaking grew into swaying, as we were on the 32nd floor in our building in Shinjuku, a village right outside of Tokyo. The floor just kept moving, back and forth. The walls were creaking and the doors kept opening and closing on their own. I ran into Sophie's room to stay with her, in case she fell out of bed. There was nothing on the walls and no danger of anything falling on her. I crouched above her, watching her face the entire time. I tried to smile and act like I wasn't scared. She clearly wasn't, as she was laughing and saying it was fun. It must have swayed a few feet, back and forth, for what felt like a lifetime. We didn't wait for it to stop. I ran out into the hall to my neighbor (another Cirque Mom) to see if we should evacuate. We decided yes, and the announcement came on over the loudspeaker, first in Japanese, to take the stairs down to the ground floor. I got Sophie out of bed to get her shoes on, and she fell and giggled (while announcing it, of course! HA!). I grabbed her coat and diaper bag and we made our way to the stairs. We made our way down. I think the building stopped moving, but I was too shaken and shaking to remember or notice. It was a long way down. Sophie wanted desperately to walk herself. People had their kids and dogs in tow. Jim's parents were amazing, carrying Sophie for me and helping us all stay together and safe. Once outside, we made our way to the park across the street, where we met a lot of the other Cirque families. The earth was still moving. Someone on site likened it to "cement surfing." There was no one screaming or freaking out. In fact, it was very methodical and orderly. The streetlights were still working and being obeyed. There were, however, a lot of video cameras. I'm sure you've seen a lot of the videos. Jim's dad shot one inside our apartment. The movement you see is not him moving the camera, it's because of the quake. Also notice the curtains, it shows just how much we were swaying.

There are a few more interesting earthquake videos, like this one (outside the buildings in Tokyo) and this one (walking in a park, watch the cement). And here is a really cool before and after picture site from the resulting tsunami. Toggle over the pics, it's really amazing and just plain devastating.

Once in the park, Jim and I were trying to contact each other. Of course the cell phones were not working, but Skype was! We finally got each other on the phone, and figured out where we were going to meet. Jim was waiting for the train to arrive when it happened. Thank goodness he was not on it yet. He made his way to the park where we were reunited. Saying I was happy is a vast understatement. He called Cirque to see what was going on, and they were adamant that he return to site for a rehearsal. I think they figured that everyone was there already, they might as well do it. I don't know, but I'm guessing they think that was a silly decision now. Hindsight is always 20/20, yes? Jim left again, walking the two miles to site with another musician, and we waited some more for things to calm down. Taxis were not an option, nor were the trains obviously. We went back to our apartment building, but the elevators weren't working. With the aftershocks still going, we didn't really want to be back up there anyway. We waited a few hours until Jim got home and walked up about 20 flights of stairs. While ascending, we heard an announcement that one of the elevators was back on. We ran to it (as much as our fatigued muscles could do) and squeezed in.
We heard about the tsunami, but were so far inland that it didn't affect us. We didn't know about the nuclear reactor situation until later. We went to bed, me in my clothes in case there was another emergency evacuation.

Fast forward a few days. Cirque sent an email telling us to watch our email at a certain time. That time came and the email we received said they were finalizing things and to wait for another email. This was a huge red flag to me, and Jim's parents too. They packed up and got on the phone to get a flight out. I also packed my and Sophie's things, and Jim packed his. We got the call around 3:00 that we would be evacuated to Macau, and that our flight was in 4 hours, and to go to the airport now. Thank goodness we packed and were ready to go. A two-hour taxi to Narita, a five hour flight to Hong Kong, a shuttle bus to the high-speed ferry, a one hour ferry ride to Macau and a half hour shuttle bus ended our trip. It was 4:00 am when we checked in. Sophie, by the way, was amazing. Here's a picture of her and Iris having fun on the ferry.

We stayed at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, which is where another Cirque du Soleil show Zaia is. Zaia and the hotel was very accommodating, allowing us to have access to the employee cafeteria to eat for free. There was also an amazing food court, which we frequented often. Sophie's favorite was Boost, the smoothie counter. Sophie was a ROCK STAR! At least a few random people would take her picture every day we were there. Even the children were taken with her!

We ended up staying there for two weeks, when it was announced that Cirque would be sending us home, which is where I am right now. It was decided that KOOZA would be resumed April 9, and all artists were to return to Japan. Not one wife with small children returned. Not one. It has been very difficult without Jim here, and Sophie is quite a handful. Even her worst is better than others, so I'm not complaining. Ok, I am, but I probably shouldn't be. And our parents have been amazing as well, allowing us to stay at their homes, eat their food, etc., while they bond with Sophie. It is definitely a good thing, as they hardly ever see her with us living on the road. The plan is for Jim to fly home on their May break, and we would all fly back together about a month from now. This is all depending on the nuclear situation, of course. So far, Jim and Cirque are taking all precautions and everything and everyone is safe. He is enjoying the cherry blossoms and beef bowls of Yoshinoya, while I am in the cold and rain of a Michigan spring. But my feet are firmly on the ground.

3/1/11

Things I learned from my two-year-old

Aah, if only adults could live their lives as if they were two. Can you imagine? Here is a list of things I learned from Sophie on how to live your life.

1. Pants are annoying.
Every nap should conclude by taking off one's pants and yelling "Naked baby butt!"
Example:

2. It is necessary to narrate everything your Mommy or Daddy does as loudly as possible.
Ex: In Miami, Sophie and I were bra shopping. She felt it necessary to tell everyone about my "biiiiig boobies." Awesome.

3. Vegetables hit the ground every time they are dropped/thrown.
Yes, it's true. And you, my dear, have to pick them up every time as well.

4. Toys belong everywhere but in the room where you sleep.
There's nothing I love more than stepping on a puzzle piece in the middle of the night when going to the bathroom.

5. Eating like a kitty cat is normal, and should be an every day occurrence.
Ex:

6. It is necessary to give a play-by-play narration to one's day-to-day happenings.
Ex: Sophie will be running ("Running so fast!") to get her ball ("Get the ball.") and she'll trip and fall ("I fell.") and maybe bonk her head ("Bonked my head.") It's actually quite cute.

7. One must follow directions literally or not at all.
Ex: Sophie and Jim were playing.
Sophie: Again?
Jim: Say please.
S: Please?
J: Now say the whole thing.
S: The whole thing.

Ex: Sophie was drinking water from her sippy, and there were wet spots all over the table.
Me: Sophie, when you drink, try to hold your cup up.
Sophie picked up her cup and held it over her head.
Stinker. I meant not to turn it upside down.

8. Feigning deafness is fun.
Sophie seems to not hear us a lot, usually when she's reading or when it's time for bed.

9. One must always yell/scream whenever anyone doesn't do what you want right at that precise moment.
Can you imagine doing this at work? Your boss comes in, tells you he needs a report, and you just scream at him?
Ex: I made cupcakes for Cirque in Miami and I was taking pictures of them. Yes, in front of Sophie, so it was totally my fault. Check out the progression in these photos. PS I think we let her have two (minis) before I even took pictures.

10. And lastly, it is necessary to be as cute as possible at all times. Or, most of the time, if you're two.
And not grow up too quickly.

2/20/11

Exploration

Now say it like Spongebob:

Yes, that's the best video I could find. Seriously. Exploration.

Jim, Sophie and I decided to explore the area where we live (Shinjuku) a few weeks ago by checking out the little park next to where we live. We saw lots of things. There was a beautiful shrine (where some newlyweds were taking pictures!!!)

There was also a little playground with a slide, swings, pigeons, and a cute doxie. These all just happen to be on Sophie's Big Happy Fun Time Checklist. We also met a little 3-yr-old Japanese girl who is taking English classes and spoke with us a bit, and took a picture to fulfill her homework assignment.

And to my enjoyment, a few cherry blossoms decided to pop up a bit early. They smell delicious. I cannot even wait until they are everywhere!

Later, Sophie decided to explore how pretty and colorful her crayons would be on our brand new window sills. Don't worry, I sprung for the good, washable crayons. Exploration.

Last week, a few of the KOOZA spouses decided to take a night off and explore the town. We took the train to Harajuku and had drinks at TGIFridays and then dinner at an authentic Mexican restaurant that the Quiros family knew about. We walked and went down about 1000 stairs, and found it was almost like we were actually in Mexico. The menus were in Spanish and English (I had the chicken tacos and an amazing margarita), and there was a 3-person mariachi band there that was really, really good! It was hard to believe we were still in Tokyo! I had a great time!

2/15/11

Life in a Venn Diagram

For those of you who don't know what a Venn Diagram is, it's basically two overlapping circles, where one can compare and contrast two things, where the overlapping part is what the two things have in common. This has been my life the last month. For realz.

I haven't posted, in all honesty, because I'm just too overwhelmed. I have a lot to say, just nowhere to begin. This country is beautiful and has its own nuances and way of things. For instance, people actually wait for the cross walk to turn green before going. I love that. And there are bikes not locked up. They know that if it doesn't belong to you, don't touch it. I love how efficient they are. Trains are always on time. And each station has a cute musical tone that plays. The steering wheel is on the right side because they drive on the left side of the road. Taxis open and close the door for you, and tips are considered rude. The workers here, in my experience, go over and beyond what they have to, just to do a good job. You don't hand the cashier your money or credit card, you put it on a tray. Every day at 4:30 exactly, a musical tone plays in Shinjuku. Every Sunday, people dress up in 50s/Elvis outfits and stand in a circle and dance at Yoyogi Park. People are MAD for their dogs and dress them up in cute outfits. Even the construction cones are cute.

Here are some posters of the show, and a picture of the marquee on the Fuji Dome. And why yes, that IS snow. And no I don't have my winter coat, thanks for asking. *cue sad trombone*

Speaking of Fuji, we can see Mt. Fuji from our AMAZING apartment. The sunsets have been nothing short of breathtaking. In the apartment, there are so many buttons I haven't even attempted to touch, for fear of something happening. And not knowing how to make it stop. We can fill up the bathtub by pushing a button in the kitchen. There is a heated toilet seat, for Pete's sake! We are so spoiled. For realz.

As far as Sophie, she is adjusting quite well. She is getting a lot of attention from the Japanese ladies, young and old. Pretty much every time we go out, there's someone saying something to her or patting her head. She's a beauty, that's for sure!

And she's even learning the language. Ish.

2/12/11

Sayonara Michigan, Konichiwa Tokyo!

Hello all! Long time no talk, I know! We made the move to Japan and we're finally getting settled, figuring out all the stuff that needs figuring out. I promise I will talk about that later.

Before traveling, we got to spend two glorious weeks with our families in Michigan, got to see our brothers and sisters, and the kids got to spend time with each other, as well as with the grand parents. It was lovely seeing Sophie play and interact with her cousins, notably with Ivy and Eve (since they are closest to her in age of all her cousins), especially now that she's old enough to be able to do that. Last time we saw them, she just turned one, and was crawling. Now she can play and learn. It truly was amazing seeing all the kids play with Sophie. Here is Ivy showing Sophie how to hula hoop.

Her absolute favorite cousin was Hannah, I think. She read to her, she let her wear/steal her bracelets, and they genuinely liked each other. Sophie still talks about her! She truly was amazing with her, and it was lovely seeing them together. Plus it was nice being able to hang with the adults, knowing Sophie was safe and having fun. Sophie even got to check out the snow for the first time. Like her mother, she was not really a fan of the cold. She refused to wear her gloves and we had to use plastic bags on her shoes since we didn't have boots.

Another highlight was Jim's brother Jon coming up from Tennessee (to visit, but also to take our Prius) and going to the D to see the Red Wings live. My parents were kind enough to take Sophie overnight so we could actually enjoy the game. Our seats were pretty good and they won in overtime. Here are a few I snapped from the warmup skate and during the game:

The Perfect Human: