Missing my kicks

According to the BabyBump app on my iPhone, I should have felt some flutters by Day 126. The message showed up right around our Tokyo babymoon and I started to tear up. I managed to control the initial welling of emotions so I don’t think Wen realized how disturbed I was by the non-flutters until I felt teary again later that same day (and told him about it). He proceeded to do some quick research and reassured me that my high placenta position and this being our first baby makes it perfectly normal not to feel any kicks until even the 5th or 6th month.

Unfortunately, it certainly didn’t help that Day 135 said “By now, baby has started moving around in your tummy, and you’re probably wondering what on earth he/she is doing in there.” Yeah, thanks.  Now I’m wondering if my baby is truly healthy because I’m not sure I’ve felt any movement. So I console myself that the baby must be kicking my bladder and causing that need to pee every other hour. Or maybe the slight soreness and indigestion I feel is really the baby kicking around. But mainly, I think I’m just so clueless that I need to literally see a slight imprint of his foot on my tummy (from inside out) to really feel his kick.

Whatever the reason, I definitely cannot imagine or be sympathetic to any complaints from pregnant women about the kicks they feel from their baby. It must be one of the top ten best moments for a mother and I can’t wait to say “Yes! That’s definitely a kick!”

Potato Farm – Hokkaido @ Narita Airport!

One of the tastiest and hardest to find snacks has suddenly shown up in Narita Airport!

If you’re not familiar with Jaga Pokkuru from Potato Farm (a division of Calbee apparently), you’ve been missing out on one of the great snack finds in the past few years.  Until recently, they were only available in Hokkaido and often in limited quantity.  We’ve received the occasional box from our Japan-faring cousin and have always pined for more.  While similar to other fries-shaped snacks, there is a certain butteriness to the Potato Farm ones that is just other-worldly.

So if you happen to be transiting in Narita, do your tastebuds a favor and pick up a box of Jaga Pokkuru!

Ginza Tenkuni – Tempura Kaiseki

Sticking out like a brick thumb at the southern end of Ginza’s shopping district is the multi-floor shrine to tempura, Tenkuni.  From its humble beginnings in 1885 as a simple yatai stall, it is now a destination for tempura fans.  G and I decided to try Tenkuni based on the recommendation of our Japanophile and tempura-fanatic friend.  While neither of us are particularly crazy over tempura (too doughy and oily), the way Tenkuni served up deep fried cuisine has certainly has made me reconsider my stance on this battered tastiness.

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Sayonara Tokyo =(

It’s Monday morning, which means back to the real world for G and me.  Catching-up on a week of  work is tolerable, but the withdrawal pangs from the Japanese food tour is really painful.  Editing the photos from our trip certainly does not help.  Sigh.