Oct. 20, 2006: The Beginning of our New Life

Before this blog turns completely Canadian, I just wanted to show one final memory of a life that has, like this picture, already begun to fade into the background of my mind. But no matter what I remember, or don't, I will always know that these two years of my life brought me ever-lasting happiness. Arigato.

Almost there...

I can't believe it! I actually changed a poopy diaper in a 2.5 x 2.5 foot airplane toilet! That HAS to be the defining moment of my fatherhood thusfar. The Family Pike did a great job in close quarters on this flight. Max slept through take off and some of the landing, and managed to charm almost every flight attendant on board. Atta boy :-)

Max and Dad at Narita

Grateful to finally board the plane, but still a little reluctant to leave their previous home, Max andDad pose for a final shot in Japan.

Killing Time

We were exhausted after our three days in Tokyo, but we still found time to goof around.

Forgetting Something?

Right... Got my keys, wallet, cell phone.... what am I missing?

Tokyo Max

Note to Self: Travelling through Tokyo by yourself and travelling through Tokyo with a baby are TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS.

Goodbye Tokyo

I have never been a true fan of any Big City, yet I must admit that in our 2.5 years together, Tokyo won our hearts. This is from our hotel in Ryogoku (Sumo Mecca).

Let's go to Canada!!!

Kotomi is super-genki to go. Max thinks its lunchtime.

Thank You Mikiko...

When she isn't trying to run a household or keep wild bears from eating her crops, I hope Maxwell's Grandma Mikiko can find time to check out this blog. Thank you for everything, Mikiko. I promise to bring your Grandson back to you someday, and I promise your reunion will be in Japanese.

Everybody was Kung Fu Fightin'

Wow! That was a wild first half of October!! Kotomi and I busted our humps trying to get everything bought, booked and packed for our big trip home. We had a few hurdles along the way, but we eventually made it all the way to Tokyo, then Canada. This pic was take after I mistakenly tried to pack my son into the suitcase. Enjoy the next batch of pictures chronicling "The Immigration"!

Coming Home

Just a few quick things... First, I felt compelled to change the title of Blog... as my many entries would attest to, the extraordinary amount of good fortune I have recieved over the last few years leaves me feeling anything but "Lost". "Life in Translation" also serves well as a title for our transition from life in Japan to life in Canada. By the way, we have an exact day of that transition for you. October 20th. Now if you will excuse me, Max is begging me to take him for a stroll...

Momotaro the Peach Boy

This is the second best picture you will see on this blog. Just in case the Sumo career doesn't work out, I am thinking Max will grow up to have a small gang consisting of a parrot, a monkey, and a dog. Once he has his gang assembled, Max will take them to Demon Island, where they will conquer the Demon King and his subjects. Victorious Max will then return home, bringing with him the confiscated treasure of the Demon King for his loving parents. How is that for a retirement plan?

My Little Yokozuna

By far, this is the BEST picture you will ever see on this blog. I have waited six years for the outside chance that I would be lucky enough to marry a beautiful Japanese woman and have a strong, chubby baby boy who would do this portrait justice. There is nothing more for him to do now except eat, grow big, and claim his rightful spot as one of Sumo's all-time great champions. I can already feel the tears of pride streaking down my face...

Print Club goes Digital

Not only can you get half a dozen colorful snapshots for under 5 bucks, but you can also get the photo booth to e-mail you the pictures to your mobile for an additional $2.50! The Japanese definitely have the rest of the world beat when it comes to devising clever little ways to seperate you from your money.

Dual Citizen Pike

This is an older picture, but an important one. I don't know why I was so excited when we got his passports. Maybe it was having Max officially recognized as a member of The Planet Earth Club: Japan and Canada Divisions. I was itching to get a hold of this Japanese passport since Japan started including microchips embedded in one of the passport pages. The chip contains all the information shown on this page. Compare that to the Canadian passport we got. With all of their rules and fussing over taking a simple passport photograph, they still managed to make this same picture of Max turn out 5 shades darker.

Aomori Nebuta Festival

I couldn't boast my love for Aomori Prefecture without at least showing a picture of one of the famous Nebuta Festival floats. Massive, colorful scenes from Japanese (and sometimes Chinese) folklore, constructed with wire, paper, lights and paint. This one was used in our little town festival, but the most famous version of the Nebuta festival takes place in Aomori City the beginning of each August. There, don't ever say this blog doesn't teach you anything. RaSe Ra!!!

Pike Family Update

Hi Gang,

Well, here it is.... September. Yes, we are still in Japan. No, we do not have the green light to go to Canada. In fact, the Canadian Embassy in Manila has decided to draw out the procedure (with Kotomi's passport in their possession) to the very limits of endurance and common sense. Why would they need paperwork regarding Max, this was a Visa for Kotomi we were applying for? And why are they waiting over two months to ask us for it? Anyways, I believe this is one of those moments where you just gotta suck it up and BLB...... Be Like Buddha. I believe if he were in my shoes, his mind would effortlessly slip through the Cosmos, find its way to the telephone line of the reception desk at the Canadian Embassy in Manila (a place unreachable by mere mortals), and after ringing up the secretary, with all the Compassionate Loving Kindness that his eternal being possesses, plainly tell them to get their ass in gear.

The bad news is I don't know when we are coming home. I won't speculate, I will merely post as soon as we have the tickets in our hot little hands. The good news is my son is loving the Northern Japanese Festival season. Look at him! He is so cute!! And fat!! He is so fat!!! That hasn't stopped him from practicing to roll over. We love him sooooo!!!!

Maxwell: Week Two - Beware of This Face

Hi Everyone!! Thank you so much for all of your e-mails, calls, and postings. Kotomi and I have been giving it our best in the Parenting Department, and so far the results have been spectacularly cute. Of report-worthy news, Max is now 4070 grams, and is getting ready to meet his Canadian Grandma and Grandad next week. But by far the most significant finding my wife / colleague and I have made is the isolation and identification of this face to the left. It is the chief indicator that the person who is changing the diaper at the time this face is made will be peed on. We are currently in the process of publishing our findings, but consider yourselves all forewarned.

Maxwell: Week One - Homecoming

After 7 days in the hospital, we are all ready to go home (the Japanese home, that is). It has been 3 days since this picture was taken, but honestly it feels like 3 months. I guess being on-call 24 hours a day will have that effect on you.

Maxwell: Week One - Dad and Max

Sleeping on a old plastic couch in a hospital room for a week isn't as glamorous as the brochure would have you believe. Yet somehow it was all worthwhile. :-)