I dont really have a Story Line for this post....Its just a bunch of fun pictures and things that have happened over the past week or so....

These are just fun pictures of Mikala....



Mika can drink out of bottles AND cups...with help, of course!



Bachan drying Mikala off from a bath.



First pool party!!! She had so much fun splashing in the water!





















Jiichan fed his grand daughter for the first time!



Auntie Briana.
















This is Auntie Lisa and Uncle Tommy...they have been dating for two years. In those two years, they have called us ONCE to have brunch (which was this past Sunday!). It was Auntie Lisa's first time meeting Mikala, and Uncle Tommy hasnt seen her since she was a new born.
Scott picked up the tab as a CONGRATULATIONS to them for their exciting new news....Theyre getting married!














Mikala wanted Uncles sunglasses...


















...so Auntie put on Mommy's glasses for her!





















We went to Formula Drift on Saturday. It was great to see everyone, but it was way TOO hot for Mikala. The heat was so bad, her skin started to break-out. She has never been in the sun before, and although we did our best to keep the sun off her, it was too much.
This is where we learned that she could drink out of a water bottle! We got desperate and pored some ice-cold water in her mouth (shes never had cold water and never drank from a bottle). She LOVED it! She liked the way it felt and she liked the new experiance of drinking from a water bottle. (BTW, Thank you Auntie Cindy for the water!) After that, we had a happier baby, but we needed to get her home ASAP.

Uncle "Other Scott" and Mr. Dai














Ms. Sally and Uncle Stan, Uncle Antonio, Auntie Alisia, and Uncle JT














Uncle Arnel



















Ms. Eri and Ms. Joyce




Can you see Auntie Kims CUTE 7 month belly?! Mikala is going to have another girlfriend to play with! Aww...CANT WAIT! Its going to be so much fun!










Tita Janice's belly is getting smaller and tighter....which means theres no baby in that tummy! (Darn! haha...)




Uncle Jason and Auntie Mayuko invited us to have dinner at their house. When we got there, they had everything set up SO nicely. It was like we were at a 5 star restaurant.






(Here, Uncle and Daddy are trying to put Mikalas PJ's on....)
"Ohhh, Boy!" says Mika.














They are expecting a baby girl too! Auntie Mayuko is 4 1/2 month pregnant. Were so excited for them. Gosh, Mikala is so lucky to have so many wonderful friends to grow-up with!



Scotts Trip(s):
Scott's trip to South Dikota was cold. Every time I talked to him, he was at a bar...Im not sure if he missed home very much! hummm.....(heehee).

This week, hes going to San Francisco for only two days. This will be a light week of travel.

3's A Charm

One thing Ive learned after having a baby is the true meaning of QUALITY FAMILY TIME.

You see, Scott is at the office/field M-F. He leaves the house no later than 7am and doesnt get home until 6pm, and Mikala goes to sleep at 8pm. Which means, he only gets to see her for about 2 hours tops each day....and thats on a Good week (sigh). On other weeks hes out of town and doesnt get to spend *any* time with her at all (or with ME for that matter!).

So, when I say "QUALITY FAMILY TIME"...I really mean it! We look forward to weekends. Every Saturday we get to spend time together as a family, and very Sunday (not only do we spend time with each other) we get to spend time with our parents, brothers and baby!

Scott had a wonderful idea to take me and Mikala to the Discovery Sight Center...






The three of us got to spend the day playing around in the museum.











There was a "Bubble" festival on the day we were there. Unfortunately, I wasnt allowed to take any pictures of it...bummer. Mikala was actually entertained for a long time watching the different colored lights beam off and through the bubbles.













I really think Mikala enjoyed the time out...I know I DID!















Its been THREE months since Mikala has seen her Uncle Kenta....Welcome Home Uncle Kenta! Kenta came back unannounced. He just bought a ticket and didnt tell anyone until about 20 hrs before he hopped on that plane. The funny thing is, is that just the DAY BEFORE, we sent him a We Miss You Card to Japan. Of course, now that hes here, he wont get the card until he returns back to Japan!
Can you imagine not seeing a fast-growing-baby for 3 months? Thats almost half of Mikala's life! Shes changed and grown SO much during the time he was gone.....wow.
(Doesnt she look like a little cartoon doll?!)

Auntie Joy-Joy and Uncle Cory finally got to hang out with us too! They're almost 100% done with their new house. We got to go over and dig our toes into their BRAND NEW thick Ralph Lauren carpet! Thats one clean place (where I wouldnt mind Mikala crawling all over the floors)! No shoes, No dirt, No outside-scum-tracking-onto-the-floors, No mess....nice! =)

We ate dinner with them and Uncle Kenta.

Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eileen came over to spend the day with my mom...FORTUNATELY, we were home and Mikala got to see them too!


Well, as I said earlier, Scott will either be at work or away....next week hes away again. SIGHHHH......but, he bought a web cam! So, he will get to see Mikala....but more importantly, Mikala will get to see him.

Oh, and Mika can kind-of hold her own bottle!

7 Months

7 months and growing. Mikala was fussy for about 3 days, but she had every reason to be. Her first TWO teeth have come through!
I tried to get a good close up photo of her teeth and she was happy to share them with the camera. On my the first photo shot, she gave me a nice big smile showing off her beautiful teeth!

If you take a look at her shirt, you can see all the wonderful drool we get to deal with....ahhh, nice.
















One thing Mika doesnt like to do is eat "real" food. Weve been struggling with the feeding situation since she turned 6 months old. So, one day, I decided to allow her to "explore" with her food. She touch it, squished it, put some in her mouth, some in her hair, some up her nose, some on the floor, and somehow...some on my face! A few days later (right when she turned 7 months) shes been eating great! She has now eaten peas and sweet potato (from the spoon and with a clean face!).



We spent some time with Scott's cousins. Lisa and Steve made Korean BBQ, Wendy and Derrek made a salad (one of the best salads weve ever had), and we brought carrot cake for dessert.


































For Jo's Birthday, we had lunch at Dominic's in Arcadia....

























Following the lunch we went indoor rock climbing!!!

Yes, thats Jo doing it upside-down! Are you really surprised?! You shouldnt be.

...and, heres Janice upside-down!
Of course I have to end this update with Mikala's FIRST Easter!


















(...see, she does eat from the spoon! ...and from my lap! ...while feeding her backwards, too!)














We had Sunday brunch with the Ige's at the Almansor Court.

Uncle Z is now 100% comfortable holding Mikala...I think he figured out that he cant break her!














Auntie JC














Kalani


















After brunch, I had time to take some photos of Mikala on our front lawn.














For Easter dinner, we went to Scott's Grandma Toshima's house. Mikala finally got to spend time with more family.

Auntie Sonia. Auntie Katie. Uncle Sean.














Uncle Damian


















Auntie Sonia














Mikala with cute little pigtails! Her hair is now so long that it makes "fountains" when up.

Stitches?!

Yes....STITCHES! But, NOT Mikala's...Thank Goodness! My dear-hard-working husband got 4 stitches by breaking his hand through glass (AKA - doing dishes, a real mans job). The stitches were done at home with no numbing meds. Thank Goodness for our friend/neighbor (an ER Dr. to the rescue)! I did my part by holding light above the ouchie and by cutting each stitch, and if you know me, Im extremely squeamish around blood and needles...ugh...ewww!








































Whats going on with Reiko? Well, I started to learn how to knit! Im starting off by doing a scarf. Eventually Ill move on to a blanket for Mikala. Its much harder and time consuming than I thought. But, Im happy and excited about my new hobby. Hum, my NEW hobby just took over my OLD hobby....Im comparing KNITTING to DRIFTING CARS?!?! Dang!!!! How life changes from one phone call from the doctor announcing a pregnancy - wow. And I wouldnt take back any minute of the last 6 1/2 months plus the additional 40 weeks of pregnancy. Lifes great.

We took Mikala to DISNEYLAND for the first time! Yes, the place where Scott and I have had annual passes for about 5 years. Yes, the place where he proposed to me! We went after the sun went down, which meant she had a great time checking out all the lights Disneyland had to offer. She was amazed at all the lights on the carousel, she was intrigued by watching Dumbo go in circles/up/down, and she could have stared at the Tea Cups go round and round for days.















Mikala is now using her HIGHCHAIR (thank you Auntie Linda and Uncle Philip)! Shes still unsure of it. But, shes just going to have to get use to it! I like it a lot. It straps her in nice and snug and has a play toy thing to keep her occupied while either waiting for her food to get prepared or while waiting for her parents to finish up dinner.





Scott put Mikala on his shoulders for the first time. I guess shes not afraid of heights because she really enjoyed being up there!

We saw my grandparents (Mikalas "BaBa" and "JiiJii").