2005-11-14 - 2005-11-18

Monday - I went to work while Eriko waited for her parents to arrive. When I returned for lunch, her parents were there and we went out to an Italian restaurant nearby. It was a bit awkward (for me, anyway) but I had a good time. For dinner we went to my favorite Indian restaurant in Ballard (Eriko’s idea) and had another good time. I even got to pay for dinner. The food was a little spicy for mom and I think that dad might not have enjoyed it as much as I did but we all had a good time anyway.
Tuesday - I went to work and Eriko awoke. I met Eriko and her parents at Shiki for lunch and had a nice meal. We even got special treatment - slices of homemade pudding made by the owner. For dinner we went to another Japanese restaurant, Ototo and another nice meal. I got to pay for that one too (Eriko and I used our Isilon gift card). I was able to have more and more conversation with her parents and it was fun.
Wednesday - I took off work and about 11 we picked up mom & dad at the hotel. We headed over to the Eastside first, to Nadeshiko clinic, the Japanese birthing center. Mom was very relieved to see the clinic and meet the mid-wife who would be helping Eriko. Dad was more interested in looking at the Jetta. We headed up north to Tsubaki Grand Shrine, the only Shinto shrine in North America. It was a pretty unique experience. We asked for a blessing for Eriko and our child as well as the Jetta. The priest put on a good show, although it was a bit long. The shrine was authentic and had lots of neat stuff. We stopped off at Burger King on our way home and snacked on some good ole fashioned American food. Mom & dad fell asleep in the car on the way back, which was a little quicker (since we took I-5). Back at our house, I showed dad the MG and he had some tips for getting it started. Then it turned out he was interested in the Jetta’s 800-watt amp (extra) which I was interested in giving away. We hurried to the car and soon he had a nice souvenir. Back at the hotel, Eriko and I relaxed in the spa for a while and then hung out in the parents room. Eriko was tired and rested while I talked to mom and dad. Conversation was challenging but not impossible. We talked about their nephew’s tonsillitis, health care systems, and cars. I suggested steak but Eriko suggested Italian, so we headed off to this little restaurant I went to once with Yuki. It turned out be fantastic and everyone was quite happy. Mom and dad split a bottle of wine (I had a bit) and mom was very talkative by the end of the evening. I focused primarily on my food. ;) I said my goodbyes as we dropped them off at the hotel and back home we went. Eriko was sad that evening and I could understand why. She really loves them quite a bit.
Thursday - I went to work and Eriko went to say goodbye to her parents who would be picked up by a shuttle for the airport. For lunch, my team went out with the CEO of the company, which was a rare and exciting event. In the evening it was just Eriko and I, and the mood was a little mellow at first. Then she became focused on the large cache of baby supplies that mom and dad brought over and seemed very excited to think about our baby.
Friday - I came home for lunch. Eriko wasn’t feeling so hot but felt a little better towards the end of the lunch hour. She had brought out her knitting stuff and was working away on some things for the baby. It is impressive to watch her, she is very focused. After work and dinner, she continued to knit and I worked on the computer. I switched to using the laptop so that I could look up and see her rather than have to turn around. It makes me feel much closer and she knows that I’m not “busy” and asks me to do stuff, which I like. Susie sent us a cool gift that Eriko thought was really cute and we spent some time playing with it. Now, it is shower time and soon… bed time.