of babies...and birthday wishes (late and early!!)

Once upon a time, there were three American women who met in Japan.
They each came with different missions and goals in mind...led slightly different lives...and yet, found themselves in one particularly similiar situation.
They were all pregnant at the same time.  (There were actually two others but today's story is just about the three.)
While one was due in January, the other two actually had the same due-date...really...they did...in March.  (There was some speculation that the Hale-Bop comet might have contributed to this strange phenomenon.) 
The Christmas before all these blessed babies were born,  many friends joined the Kuroiwa's in their annual Christmas blow-out (in a house that they had literally just moved into...even 7 months pregnant, Debbie had more energy than most).  It was a great time, despite that whole "no drinking when pregnant" rule.

                                                  Debbie             Lauren             Jan

The first week of January, Kayla was born....then, even though he was not due until March, Issei was born in February.  Which leaves us with Aida....who, despite Lauren following pretty much all the advice given to her to get that baby to be born, did not join the party until the middle of March...more than just a few days after her due date. 

*We do believe that Issei had a hand in encouraging Aida to be born....Lauren came to watch him for just a bit while I went grocery shopping and as he was in the beginning stages of colic and crying all the time, we do believe that she was born just so she could tell him to "shut the hell up"!!  But...that's just a theory, ya know. *

Lauren and her hub packed up and left Japan about a month after Aida was born....and they haven't been back since.  Well...Eduardo ('dad') came for a visit ("Hola. How are you? I gotta go to a soccer game.") about 8 years ago when the World Cup was here (and I was very pregnant with Koji!) and he came to watch Mexico play...but other than that, no...they haven't been back.  I've seen them a few times in the States...but we missed Aida this year as she was busy doing soccer....or swimming...or whatever it is that Southern California girls do!

Jan and Kayla (and the rest of their family) are still here in Nagasaki.  We don't see them as much as we used to...school, schedules and what-not...but we do meet up ocassionally.

 

Issei and Kayla....just a few of my favorite pictures.....

(For the life of me, I canNOT find the pictures from when Issei and I met our friend Kim in California and we drove to San Diego for a couple of days to visit....hmmm....I wonder which box those pictures are in...I know I have some good ones of Issei and Aida. I'll keep looking.....)

I hope that someday, these three kids...along with their parents...can all get together again.  Issei and Kayla will both be graduating from elementary school on the 18th of March.....about the same time Aida will be celebrating her 12th birthday in California...milestones all over the place! 

I'd like to take this time to wish Kayla....and Aida....and of course Issei...a very happy birthday!!

The "year of the tiger" was made extra special by all three of you being born and our lives were forever changed for the better.  You were born to parents that have adventure in their blood...may you have many wonderful adventures of your own in YOUR lives!!!