Belgium Waffle Maker and Angry Baby

This weekend we went and got a restaurant style Belgium Waffle Maker. I was missing the Waffle House and their "all you can eat waffles". They're the best. The waffles made by this machine creates the most perfectly toasted waffles. They're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yummy!


Some Faces of Annoyance
I want teeth!
It hurts to burp. Make it stop.
My Arms! Where's my arms???

California Pizza Kitchen Night

Being in Japan, we were missing something. Hmm... What could it be? Oh yeah, really good pizza! Anywhere you go around here, the pizza is too greasy, too plain, too boring, too pretty, etc... This country is missing some really great pizza! What this place needs is the worlds greatest pizza chain, The California Pizza Kitchen(C.P.K.)! Luckily, Soco had bought a C.P.K. cookbook and a couple of pizza stones before departing to the land of the rising sun.

Last week, I was trying to make the honey-wheat dough for the first time. It took me three tries before I got it right. After each try, I had to throw out the ruined dough. It made me kinda frustrated at first. But in the end, it was all worth it. Nothing beats a wonderful, chewy and flavorful dough and a hearty crust!

Pizzas Soco and I have created in June:

Thai Chicken Pizza
Hawaiian Pizza
Santa Fe Chicken Pizza
Chicken Tostada Pizza

Santa Fe and Chicken Tostada with Salsa


Future Pizza projects:
BBQ Chicken
Chicken Dijon
Southwestern Burrito
Tandoori Chicken
Chicken Teriyaki
Moo Shu
Peking Duck
Smoked Salmon
Grilled Eggplant

The Word of the Day is Poop

More Humid than Ever

Japanese Ramen


The weather here in Japan is warming up and it is more humid than ever. I have spent the last day troubleshooting my laptop as it had been affected with a computer virus. I tried to download a free program and it screwed it up pretty bad. For now on, I just might have to pay for what I want or just use a computer that I don't really care too much about.

Lately, we have been trying to teach Nayeli how to sleep in her own crib. She falls asleep in the baby swing, the baby stroller and in our arms, but the crib is much more difficult for her. Soco has been reading a book called, "The Baby Whisperer" and it says that teaching independence is not the same as neglecting your baby. We haven't been able to keep Nayeli awake long enough to have her collapse from exhaustion or cry herself to sleep. She is a "spirited" baby and does things on her own.


Nayeli Loves Boppy

Okinawa's International Airport in Naha

Hawaiian Shirts are worn by Airport Staff

I was told that it was recent that Okinawa has opened itself up internationally. So now you may fly directly from the states to Okinawa. As soon as you step, off the plane, you'll notice the humidity and warmth from the tropical climate. The airport is filled with tropical flowers and trees and airport staff are wearing loud shirts. This place is a major resort place for anyone wanting to visit Okuma. Much different from big city Tokyo.



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Pimple Face

American Embassy Tokyo

Flower Photo taken in Okinawa

Due to the high security and current threat level, I wasn't able to snap photos of the American Embassy in Tokyo. Getting there with Nayeli was a big pain in the butt as we were taking her there to get a passport and report of birth abroad. This "Report of Birth Abroad" is required in order for her to be an "official" U.S. citizen. We didn't know the hours of operation and we arrived during lunch. So we spent a couple hours at Starbucks sipping on cold mocha. We also took the break to change out the diaper and give her a feeding. Once we actually got inside the Embassy, we were expecting a long line kinda like California's DMV (department of motor vehicles). But no, it ran smoothly and what could've taken hours, took less than 20 minutes. We were shocked.



Nayeli loves the IPOD Nano

I want to ride the Pokemon Airplane!

Soco's Japanese co-workers got Nayeli a Hello Kitty outfit. She looks like an Anime cartoon! Thanks Reiko, Keiko, Harumi and Matsumaga!

Bambohe - Korean BBQ

In Okinawa, about a mile away from Camp Foster, there is a place called, Bambohe. It is an all you can eat Korean BBQ, Chinese and Japanese food. It was really delicious. You are allowed to eat as much as you want for 90 minutes. What is special about Korean BBQ, is that you can load up on all the raw meat you want and cook it on your table. Real good stuff.

Back Surgery - Microdiscectomy

In order to perform my MRI, the doctor decided to put me to sleep because no matter what pain medication he was giving me, was not working. I was scheduled to undergo surgery the next day.

The next morning, I woke up and I was wheeled into the preoperative room. There, I was given some white milky injection. After that they moved me to the MRI room. I was told to lie down. Once again, my back wouldn't let me lie straight. I was in so much pain. The anesthesiologist handed me a mask and told me to inhale.

I breathed in 3 or 4 times and remember waking up to the sound of: "Mr. X, your surgery is finished."

I was thinking, that you gotta be joking me. I looked down and saw that I was lying straight. I could wiggle my toes and saw that my feet were both perfectly spaced apart.

I looked up at the clock and saw that 4 hours had gone by without any recollection of being operated on. Amazing!

Site of Surgery

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Being Pumped full of Morphine and Toradal

When I first got to the hospital, the neurosurgeon reviewed my record and history. He read my old MRI and saw that I was in a lot of pain when I took it, hence the images were a bit blurry. I couldn't keep still during the procedure so the neurosurgeon decided to take matters into his own hands.

He asked me, "Can I give you another MRI?"

I said, "If you drug me. Gotta give me Morphine or something to kill off the pain."

He looked at me and said, "I'll see what I can do, but I'll have to admit you to the hospital. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Doc. I just wanna be cured."

Within an hour, I was admitted to the ward. I was instructed to change my clothes into a patient gown and remain in bed while they pump me full of morphine.

After the morpine treatment, the hospital corpsman put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me down to radiology for my MRI. I tried to lay down on the MRI table and for some reason, I physically couldn't do it. My left leg wouldn't lower flat or bend low enough for the procedure. The pain was unbearable.

The morphine didn't phase me.

Okay, so I was brought back to my bed. The nurse called the neurosurgeon, "The patient couldn't lie down on the MRI table he was in so much pain." The doctor then wanted to give me morphine and toradal (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for severe pain that carries many risks) via intravenious injections (super potient).

IV line

Five hours later, and with my body full of Morphine and Toradal, I was wheeled back into the MRI room. Once again, the drugs didn't phase me. The table was stiff as a board and my back couldn't handle it. I was in so much pain still.

The doc then said, "We're going to have to put you to sleep."

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My All Expense Paid Vacation to Okinawa

USNH Okinawa

Standing at the Quarterdeck at US Naval Hospital Okinawa

So you may ask, where is Okinawa? Well, if you watched a movie called, "Kill Bill" or if you are in the US Marine Corps or a Navy Hospital Corpsman than you would know that already. It is the last little island south of Japan. About 65 miles long. (You can google it) It is geographically in the middle between Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. To the west, is the East China Sea (very close to China) and to the east, is the Pacific Ocean.

This island is still amazingly, very Japan'ish. I would've figured that since it was so close to it's neighboring countries, it would have more diversity in it's people. Nope. The buildings all look the same as mainland Japan. The only difference is that there is more space to spread out and there is no train system. Just a monorail in Naha.

A ridiculously modified mini-van

More pictures and posts to continue!

Medievac to Okinawa

Nayeli in Kanji

Tomorrow I will take off to see the neurosurgeon. I have high hopes that he'll cure me under the knife. It sucks that everywhere I go, people feel sorry for me. It hurts everyone to see me all bent over. I can't wait to get better.

Eyes right!

Here is a photo with Nayeli with her eyes open. Her eyes are closed about 80% of the time. Her skin is starting to peel off all over her body. People say it is normal. That baby smell that I was talking about earlier on my blog turned out to be the laundry smell of Soco's parent's. They have washed all their onesies before shipping them to us. Now she smells like... I dunno. Sometimes like poop.



IncrediblyX kissing a Mexican Baby

Energy 92.7

Nayeli Zzzzz.....

I've been dying to hear some upbeat music and in Japan, you just can't get any good radio stations. This radio station reminds me of my younger clubbin days in SoCal and Tijuana, MX. Good streaming pop dance.

http://www.energy927fm.com/

Baby Smell

Hello Kittys

As the days go by, I am learning more and more about Nayeli. Babies have a distinct smell. I assume that with sufficient diaper changes and good grooming habits, they keep that smell until they grow older. Her umbilical cord is shriveling up and I'm not too sure how long it takes before it falls off.

Umbilical Cord

Obtaining U.S. Citizenship in Japan

Soco holding Nayeli

Living in Japan and having a baby requires a lot of paperwork. I have to go to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to obtain U.S. Citizenship for my new daughter. What a pain. We all have to show up and right now, I'm not in the mood to be riding a train or standing up for a long period of time and neither is Soco. Lately, she has been suffering from swollen feet and she has been elevating it and icing it.

Let me Sleep!

Next week I go to Okinawa for a surgery consult. Hopefully they can fit me in their busy schedule. I've been walking crooked for almost 4 months now. I'm going to have to detox from all the narcotic pain medication I've been taking so far. I hate having to take drugs to control my constant level of pain. It pains me that I can't even lift my new baby. Soco has been taking care of both of us.

Where's Nayeli?

Annoying the Baby 101:
Since having a new baby, I've been getting to have fun in all kinds of ways that I haven't ever been able to do before.
1. Try to keep the baby awake as long as possible until she starts to make an angry face. Nayeli's angry face is so adorable! I think she is getting really annoyed with me.
2. Sing bad songs. I've been singing songs such as "The Addition Song" which annoys her a lot. It goes like this: One plus one is two! One plus two is three! and so on and so forth. When I get to ten, she makes an angry face.
I'm still trying to find new and fun ways to annoy her. She doesn't cry much. Only when she absolutely has to.

Nayeli's Birthday

Nayeli Isabela
The morning of May 24th, Soco went into the hospital with contractions. The doctor checked and found that the cervix was only 2 cm and was told to come back when the contractions get worse and are 3 minutes apart. That didn't happen until 2000 at night. We came to the hospital and Soco was suffering from some "monsterous" contractions. She got on all fours and screamed for 8 hours. When she couldn't handle it anymore, she asked the doctor for an epidural to numb the pain. After that, no more screaming. She was asked, "What is your pain?" Soco replied, "I have no pain, only pressure." At 0408 on May 25th, Nayeli was born. I got to cut the cord and blood splattered everyone without a face shield. She was a beautiful baby girl.

Celebration Meal - Lobster Tail and Fried Shrimp

Now, with both of us being hospital staff, I would automatically think that I would have absolutely no privacy what-so-ever. It is true. As soon as Soco's blood was drawn, the news spread like wildfire. People tried to visit us while Soco was giving birth and an hour after. We requested no visitors until Soco rested up and she only allowed her closest friends. They then took pictures with their camera phones and showed them to everybody in the hospital, which stirred more emotion.
It wasn't long before Soco's room was full of balloons, flowers, greeting cards, baby clothes and visitors. It looked like it was a party. My team of Biomeds came in uninvited all ghetto style with a huge piece of equipment rolling in. They said, "We need to test the ultrasound machine on the baby." It was funny. Everyone congradulated me on my first baby. The Commanding Officer also spent some time out of his busy day to congradulate me.

Baby Girl

Nayeli's Baby Shower

Soco

Recently, we just had a baby shower for Nayeli. Since I've never been to one before, I really didn't know what to expect. It took place at Goban Tower, Yokosuka Japan. Kinda interesting that this isn't taking place in the states huh? The baby got all kinds of gifts. Two baby carrier backpack things, baby bottles, onesies, Baby Gap stuff, outfits, gift certificates, Daddy toolbelt, stuffed animals, balloons and a baby monitor. It was fun, there were all kinds of games and prizes. Thanks to all the guys in the USNH Lab Department and Maldonado for setting it up.

Blue Street

Armed Forces Network

Park in front of Yokosuka City Hall

After moving on base, we've been watching television a lot lately. We have our tv hooked up to the cable in the wall and we get several different channels. Unlike the shows we see in the states, the commercials are all educational such as, "how to save money" or "WW2 heros" etc. I gotta admit, they are very interesting and sometimes they play too much of the same commercial so they become annoying after a while. The best nights are Wednesday nights and Sunday nights. They show stuff like American Idol, Extreme Home Makeover, Grey's Anatomy, etc. The good stuff.

Cost of Free Medical Care

L5-S1 Bulging Disc MRI (not mine, but what it looks like)

It has been almost 2 weeks since my MRI on my back. The MRI was conclusive that I did indeed have a bulging disc in my lower back which is squeezing off my left sciatic nerve. It is driving me crazy as the pain can only be compared to having your leg being sawed off every time I try to walk upright. 8/10 on the pain scale? Right now, I'm on all kinds of pain killers such as Neurotin and Percocet and an anti-inflamatory called Naprosyn. I'm glad that I'm covered by Tri-Care and I realize that if I wasn't covered, I'd be paying a hefty sum for all the physical therapy, medication, X-rays and the MRI procedure I have already taken. The price of having free medical care is that I'm unable to choose where I get seen and am literally told where I can receive care. Because of being in Japan, the only option is to fly to Okinawa for neurosurgery. With my horrible luck, there is only one neurosurgeon in the entire pacific theatre and because of this, my schedule to see him is 4 weeks away. Damn... Since I'm not having trouble breathing or bleeding to death, I'm not a very high priority in this. So right now, the only option is to suffer.

Exion walking around with bad back and wearing a "desert face mask".

Worst Pain in my Life

I have finally taken my MRI on my back. Since the hospital doesn't have an MRI machine, they outsource the work to a local Japanese hospital, the Kyosai Hospital of Yokosuka. The trip included a translator/liaison. I didn't realize that I was going to have to lie on my back straight for 20 minutes. In my current condition, I'm bent over either to my left or right side. I'm physically unable to stand up straight without pinching my spinal cord. Well anyway, the MRI tech strapped me down on the table and forced my body into a straight position. I was experiencing the most pain I have ever felt 9/10. A 10/10 would constitute a near death experience by being lit on fire or something. It hurt. 20 minutes felt like an hour. I don't usually sweat much, but after the procedure, I was drenched in my own sweat and I was shaking out of control. I took off the kimono patient gown and put my clothes back on, sat down and recovered from the horrible pain. The next day, I went to the doctor. It was conclusive that I had a L5-S1 bulging disc which was compressing on my spinal cord which involved my left sciatic nerve. No wonder why all the physical therapy and stretching exercises weren't working. The only logical alternative is neurosurgery. Doc said that I was going to be medevaced to Okinawa for a neurosurgeon consult. Soco went with me to the doctors appointment and she is happy to see resolution to this ongoing problem.