SURPRISE!!!!!!

Let me tell you, no one was more surprised than me that our first ocean shipment (and thus the computer) arrived only FOUR days after Addy and me. We've got all the boxes unpacked, but still need to tidy up and organize before I send any pictures.

That said, let me give you some highlights of what's been happening with the Haggertys.

The pictures in the last post aren't of the house we're living in. It was the one that we were supposed to get, but the deal fell through. However, the apartment that we are living in is beautiful! Ian says it's actually better than the one we were supposed to get. And the number of cabinets and storage in every room is crazy. The kitchen has storage in the floor via a type of trap door for canned goods and the like. By Japanese standards, we have a large yard and patio off the living area. Most homes don't have yards at all. We are adjusting to our apartment. I'm still trying to figure out the best way (read fastest and cheapest) to dry a load of laundry. And I have to continue to remind myself to turn off the hot water heater when I'm done using the hot water.

Addison is making adjustments as well. She's our little alarm clock - waking us each morning around 5:30. She's completely on table food now. It's somewhat challenging to figure out what she'll eat from day to day or even meal to meal. I suppose every mom goes through this. Addy's a proficient walker now. She started walking on April 1 just prior to turning 11 months.

Ian started his first official week in the office on Monday. He has an hour subway ride one way and finds himself reading a lot on the train. Addy and I try to be ready in the morning in time to walk Ian to the station at 7:30. Ian is keeping short hours (by Japan standards) at the office for right now. Most nights he's home by 6:30. We know that will change soon, but right now we're enjoying it.

As for me, I've been to the supa (sue-pah; grocery store) every day. It's a truly strange phenomena. And perhaps, not a standard one. When I mentioned this to my Japanese language tutor she asked "Don't you have a refrigerator?" Um, yes, but there's only so much you can carry and the largest container of milk we can buy is a quart. There are two supas near our house. Both are about a ten minute walk. The subway station is there also. One of the supas is a small, neighborhood grocery. The other is more of a discount store similar to Wal-Mart. They have groceries on the basement level, clothing on the main level, and housewares on the upper level. Oh, and they have McDonald's too.

Today Addison and I are planning on meeting up with Rodelyn and Markus in Ikebukuro (E-keh-boo-koo-roh) and then coming here. We haven't seen them since our flight from San Francisco. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that we've been here less than a week.