Sky is an American! He is also legally a permanent resident of Japan. And he's been circumcised. All in a week's time. I've made a half dozen trips to the ward office. Baby boy has behaved amazingly well. I wish there had been another way that would have kept us from having to drag him all over the city so soon after his birth. Friday was pretty difficult. We ended up on a packed out train because immigration took 5.5 hours instead of the 1-2 I thought. Traveling during rush hour became inevitable. Mom was with me the whole time. I am so grateful. The immigration office was completely filthy. We found a nursing room there that was a tiny bit cleaner than the rest of the waiting room filled to the brim with people. We parked in there for most of the time.

Sky continues to delight us. I still can't believe I birthed him and that he's here!! He's the cutest most cuddly little guy ever. I often think about the fact that God really knew what he was doing when he made us to bond so intensely with these little beings so that night after night of staring into their eyes at 3am doesn't bother us at all. And it really is 3am. Every. Single. Night.

I've done quite a bit research today about how to create a schedule for a newborn...apparently you can't. So we will continue like this until he's two months old and sleep training can begin. I don't think we'll go the cry it out route, but we shall see.

Peace to you all! Enjoy a full night's sleep for me if you can.

Tomorrow we go to the embassy to report the birth of our son. Paperwork has taken just about forever to accomplish, it seems. But taking a passport photo for a two week old was the real doozy. Two eyes open, both ears visible, the mouth closed, facing the camera. No small order!!

Today the exhaustion has finally caught up with me. With both Sonny and I. We can't seem to shake the tiredness. Sky stays awake for an average of about two hours when he wakes in the middle of the night. Lucky for us it usually only happens once, somewhere between 2-5. Then he's up again between 6-8. Tired. And wouldn't trade these times for anything.

On Friday we have a doctor's appointment. I think Mom is coming to help me since Sonny will be working. I completely lack the confidence to go out alone with Sky. I still get winded incredibly fast when I walk for more than a short distance, though I have regained my ability to sit for short periods of time. I am grateful for the improvements, slow as they are. I am especially grateful I am no longer in constant pain.

2 weeks

I wanted to get Sky’s birth story written before I posted anything else, but I’m not quite done with it and so much is happening that I don’t want to forget. 

We’ve been home for 10 days. Sky is 2 weeks old today. The three of us have gotten to know each other so well. Sky has adjusted to us and us to him. He is a wonderful wonderful boy. He started rolling over at 5 days (back to stomach) and has done it a few more times since. He has a huge array of facial expressions that I am ever trying to capture on camera. He nurses incredibly well. He's put on weight. I'm excited to find out how much. I love chunky babies!

We’re not really trying to create a schedule just yet so much as we are just adjusting to being here together. We have some “ground rules” that we try to follow. Lay him down when he goes to sleep, wake him every three hours during the day to nurse (this is more for me and my milk supply), as much interaction when he’s awake as possible. We read to him a good deal. He’s begun to make eye contact, he smiles from time to time in response to our voices. He is simply wonderful in every way.

We're working tirelessly on his paper work. It's a lot to register your "baby born overseas." So many little things that have to be done. I called the embassy this morning to find out if we can get the quotation marks put in his name like we want. The lady on the phone thought it was the strangest thing, but seemed willing to work with us. So it looks like "Sky" will be matching with "Sonny" after all.  

I am finally healing enough to get up a bit. We have had one visitor besides my mom since I started going down hill last Tuesday. Tonight I had the slightest twinge of feeling like myself. Just a twinge, like a faded memory or something. 

It reminded me of when Sonny kissed me the day we got home with our baby. I had forgotten that part of me in all the events that happened. It’s like that. I can’t really remember what it’s like to be with energy, to want to do something besides care for Sky and my husband and take naps, to be able to walk around without pain or exhaustion setting in so quickly.  

I am looking forward to the rest of me coming back. And I can't wait to be able to sit without pain. The strange things we take for granted.

#maternityleave2014

Awake a lot last night with hard contractions. They aren't consistent though, so I know we still have some time. I have moments of feeling like I truly could be pregnant forever and not mind a bit, then a couple of hours of contractions will set in and I realise he. must. come. out. or something bad is going to happen to someone. :-D The contractions don't hurt, bless the Lord. They just require pauses in whatever I'm doing and concentration to get through. There have been a few that are "down low" and those feel like a tampon is jammed up in me the wrong way (excuse my bluntness...hormones...). Unpleasant.

I've taken to pointing at children and saying (in varying degrees of loudness) "born!" whenever I'm out. It gives me hope to see other people who have actually birthed their children. I've also been looking at Sky's clothes, bed, diapers, etc. to remind myself that we didn't just fill up our house with baby boy things for no reason. Soon a living, breathing soul will fill this space that Sonny and I have called our own. Such encouragements are necessary when sitting at home resisting the urge to organise the closet AGAIN or bake more muffins for the freezer--which is completely full at this point.

Sonny suggested I start watching a series of something to keep me occupied. I've never seen the Star Wars movies so he thought that would be a good place to start (since "Sky is sure to be interested in them in the future," he told me last night). We decided (who am I kidding? He decided) it would be good to watch them not in the way they were made but in chronological order. So I'm through episode 1, and now beginning 2. It keeps my mind on something while I continue to sew things I don't need and find ways to repurpose old jeans and t-shirts and scraps of fabric. <>

My intense ice fetish continues. Crunching now as I write. So satisfying. Now I'm off to go on one of my many walks that fill my day.

May the force be with you. 

It's September, 2014. It's almost time to do another "looking back on the year post" and I've not published anything in nine long months. Which brings me to a point of interest. I've been pregnant for nine long months. It's hard to believe we are in the home stretch of this pregnancy. Less than two weeks away from our due date we are just itching to meet our little guy. I can't believe how fast everything has gone--and how very slow. Way back in March when we announced to everyone our pregnancy, a friend told me

"it's the longest shortest time of your life." 

And that has been so true. These last weeks feel like they are just never going to end and that I will never meet my son. This feeling was totally prominent the weeks leading to my wedding. And here we are, about to celebrate two precious years of marriage.

Time is a funny thing.

I've actually written a lot here. Just haven't published anything. So much of it is random findings on pregnancy, hormones and general body hugeness. Maybe one day I'll get around to organising and sharing. For today I'm just trying to start writing again.

Standing on the brink parenthood has led to a lot of interesting conversations between the hubs and I. What do we value? What is at the core of what we hope to leave Sky (and the others we are already thinking about!) with? What about "education" (unschooling, here we come!)? Are we actually hippies after all? Will we spank? Will we go with crying it out or nursing on demand? Are we interested in purposefully creating a "democracy" in our household or will it be a bit more socialistic? Are we going with the "everyone is a winner, special and destined for greatness" philosophy that seems to have disillusioned so many in our generation? Or will we actually tell them they aren't good at things (like my parents did!) and try to point them in the direction of their natural talents?

I've read SO MUCH! about so many things. And at the end of it all I've kind of thrown most of it out realising no one has had our children in our circumstances with our convictions. I've got a head full of ideas. Now time, God's grace, and general common sense will help us make decisions as we go along. Nothing can prepare us for all the things that will come. Might as well relax and stop trying to plan for the ifs and buts "for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" right?

Not knowing what to expect is one of the hardest things for me to face. Pregnancy has been an incredible journey of releasing things and trusting God in many a new way. My verse has been 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Christ took our punishment (Rom. 3:21-31). We do not need to fear.

Signing off now. Truly hoping I make more of a habit of this in the coming months. Remembering is vital.

2013

Remembering the Lord's faithfulness in our lives.

In March we moved from our first home together in Gotemba to Tokyo. We watched God provide all of our needs as we stepped out in faith even when Sonny didn't have a job.

In May Sonny found a job that seemed just right for him and God graciously provided an apartment for us. We moved out of the share house and into a beautiful three room apartment close to Sangenjaya. We love this area of Tokyo and have had a blast exploring it and getting to know all the restaurants and coffee spots. 

 In June my choreography was performed on a little stage in Shizuoka by a group of 12 girls. I was honoured to have my work displayed and for my family to be there to watch it. God continues to stir my heart in the area of dance. It isn't over, despite my best efforts to find a new career. 

In July we witnessed a beautiful miracle when Lia Joy Manda was born!! We also found an AC for very cheap. This was a tremendous blessing because I don't handle heat very well and our heat situation was on the brink of unbearable. 

In August I got to assist Sonny at summer camp. What blessing to be in Hakuba away from the city and the heat!

In September we lumbered through the difficulties of Sonny's job, all the while declaring God's goodness in our lives even when things were crumbling around us and we didn't feel a release for Sonny to quit. 

In October God cleared the way for Sonny to turn in his 2 month notice at his job. There was much rejoicing in the Sweatt household! We also had a precious visit from Mary Grace, my college bestie. What a privilege to have her in our little apartment and share a few days of uninterrupted time catching up, sharing about the work the Lord is doing in our lives, mutually encouraging one another and prophesying about the future. Please come back, MG!! One more thing in October. We welcomed our 5th nephew, Ryan Sadrakh Gunawan. He is the CUTEST little chunk of baby boy ever!! 

In November Sonny started his new job leaving no gap between pay checks! God is great and greatly to be praised!! His new job is an amazing fit for him and he is loving every minute of it. Click here to  check out some of the work his company is doing.  

December brought some sweet time as a couple as I've had time off and been able to relax and enjoy our time together without the crunch I feel most days of running a household and working full time. I've made some solid decisions about how I want 2014 to be in regards to my attitude about my current job, running the house and my relationship with my husband. I am thrilled at the insights God has given me into being a less stressed, more relaxed human being while still maintaining the things I am responsible for. 

Happy New Year to everyone!