I had been in a few relationships before meetine Janine, but they weren't long-term, as I wasn't hoping for a long-term relationship. I learned English in school, knowing that I would one day need it as a skill. I look exactly like the actor who played my famous namesake in Air Crash Investigation, though I sound more like John Denver, but that's down to my newly acquired Nebraskan accent, which is still getting to me.

In 2005, I left Japan, and moved to Nebraska, USA, which was where I met Janine. I had learnt a lot of English phrases, and, when I met Janine 3 days after my arrival, I knew that it was love at first sight, as we met at the bus stop. It was raining terribly, and she had nothing on but a tank top and a pair of jeans. I went over, and, being the man that I was, gave her my coat, and drove her to her desired destination. She thanked me for being her saviour, cause the bus was going to be at least half an hour late, and she was unprepared for the rain. I gave her my phone number, and told her to give me a call if she ever needed my aid.

3 weeks later, I started storm chasing. I knew all the roads to go down, having been to the US a few times before for storm chasing tours. I had formed a small group of close friends, and was surprised when David, who was the operator for the DOW, introduced me to Janine, telling me that she was going to be on the team. She was going to be in with me. I told her about what had happened 3 weeks earlier, and she remembered. Half an hour later, we were into our first tornado as a group, and that was when Janine asked about my life, so I told her everything. The fact that I was 22 years older than her didn't matter to her whatsoever, as she was interested in me. After a long day of chasing, we decided to hit the town, and I took her to a Japanese restaurant, which was where she told me about herself, and that she was originally from Montana, but had been living in Nebraska for 3 years.

As the months progressed, Janine and I became close friends. A year into our friendship, she moved in with me, and we became more than just friends. I felt as if I had found my soulmate, and knew that we would be an item despite the 22-year age gap. A few times during our relationship, I took her over to Japan, getting her intertwined with the community, since we'd be coming here whenever we had a break from chasing. Janine also told me about her pregnancy traumas, and that she was desperate for a child with me, so I kept that in mind.

In December 2009, the impossible happened, when I discovered that I was pregnant. Janine and I were both in Japan when it happened. I was heading on 50, and Janine had turned 27 a few months earlier. We'd done that, so I knew that it was her child that I was carrying. I was also carrying an engagement ring, cause I was going to ask her to marry me. That night, I took her out to dinner at a restaurant situated in a beautiful rock garden. The sun was setting, and it looked beautiful, cause of the snow, the trees covered in icicles, etc. Neither of us drank alcohol, so we didn't have to worry about that. Janine decided that she was going to pay the bill. When she turned around, she saw me down on one knee, with the open case in hand, showing the ring, and immediately said yes. I then stood up, and told her that there was something else that I wanted to tell her. When I whispered the words "I'm pregnant" into her ear, she was speechless. She placed her hand on my stomach, unable to believe that there was a life growing in there.

2 weeks later, we were back in Nebraska, and were straight back into chasing, cause tornadoes were happening. It was then that Janine introduced me to her sister, Anne, who was really nice, and told her that we were engaged, and that she was to become an auntie for the first time. Anne put us in touch with Dr Neil Chapman, who was highly trained in mobile medical aid. He did all of my scans in the portable office that he drove.

When I was 5 months gone, my parents, Tataki and Yoko, both died. Janine and I had to go to Japan to see them, cause they had heard so much about us and our unborn baby. Dad, who was in his late 80s, had severe dementia, and mom, who was in her early 70s, was on life support. Dad was able to recognise us, though he couldn't recognise Atami and Mikako (my 2 younger sisters). I let him place his ear on my bump, for it was beginning to show, and that was when he died. An hour later, mom died too. I was a broken man, and, though I didn't want the woman that I loved to see me in such a state, it was hard to keep it back. She'd never met my folks beforehand, and had never talked to my folks due to the fact that my folks spoke no English.

A week later, mom and dad were both buried. I was 22 weeks gone, and, after the funeral had ended, Janine and I decided to stay. My sisters - who were both excellent English speakers - had to leave for the funeral of the daughter of one of their female friends, who had been in a car accident a few days earlier. Janine placed a red rose on top of my parents' shared coffin. I was unable to believe that my parents were not around anymore, and that they would never get to know their first grandchild. It was then that I felt the baby move for the first time. Janine, fresh from kneeling down to put the rose on top of the coffin, saw the movement, and placed her hand on the top of my bump, becoming emotional as she felt our baby moving under her hand.

That night, we headed back to the house. I put on a shirt and some jeans, deliberately leaving the bottom buttons undone. Atami was with us, and she took a nice photo of us cuddled up on the futon, with me caressing my bump with my right hand, and Janine right beside me, looking lovingly into my eyes, her left hand on top of my right hand. It was a beautiful shot.

The next day, Atami and Mikako took me and Janine out to a few secluded spots. Dr Chapman was at the house, having volunteered to stay behind, getting everything ready for when we returned (he'd lived in Japan for a few years before moving back to the USA). Janine, who was the youngest in the group, didn't mind being taken to places, some of which brought memories back. We visited Mount Osutaka, where the plane crashed, killing all but 4 people. Janine saw the upset in my eyes, which made her realise that I lost a friend that night. I managed to keep my tears back, and, when the baby kicked, I actually giggled. I told Janine, and she placed her hand on my bump, and gawped upon contact, cause that was where the baby then kicked. We then headed to the river, where we lay down on the grass, loving every moment. Atami took a picture of us looking at each other lovingly. It was amazing, and to think that I was engaged to a beautiful woman who was the mother of the baby that I was carrying, was something really special.

When we got back to the house, we did so to Dr Chapman making a lovely dinner for us. It was beautiful, and I said a traditional Japanese prayer. Mikako then suggested that we go to the local temple, for there were always people there who liked to converse with us, and they all knew good English, so I didn't need to translate anything for Janine and Dr Chapman. I was able to tell them about what I was doing since I moved out of Japan, and that I was engaged to the beautiful brunette that was standing beside me. One of the guys then inquired about my stomach, to which I told him - in Japanese - that it was actually a baby bump, and that my fiance and I were expecting our first baby. They didn't believe me, so I told one of them to place his hand on the top of my bump, and that was when the baby decided to move. He stood back, speechless, saying "you really are pregnant", to which I replied "yes I am". It was amazing.

A week later, we were back in the USA, and it was straight back into storm chasing. Anne took Atami's role, and took loads of photos of us. Janine was now driving the truck, cause the space between the seat and the wheel was too small to accommodate my growing bump. She adjusted the passenger seat so that it was comfortably suited to what I was going through. After that, she gave me a kiss on the cheek, promising that we'd get married as soon as the baby was born.

The final months of my pregnancy came with their usual obstacles, including morning sickness. We had no idea what we were having, so Janine had to buy neutral stuff which would be right for both males and females. This one day, we had no tornadoes whatsoever, so we decided to head to the maternity store to buy some last-minute stuff, including a moses basket and a pram. I had to have my hand on my back the whole time, as the weight of the baby was dragging me down. The till operator thought that I was Janine's dad, cause of how old I looked, so I had to correct her by saying that we were engaged. It was then that I got a contraction. Fortunately, it was a fake one, so there was no need to worry. My sisters were doing the baby's nursery at our place in Japan, so that was that.

2 weeks before the birth, Janine, Anne, and I, headed over to Japan. We were going to have the baby there, and I wanted to show Anne a few places. Dr Chapman was unable to go with us due to personal issues (a close relative of his was dying), but we didn't mind, because Mikako had experience in helping others - all women - give birth.

Atami drove us to the restaurant/rock garden where Janine and I got engaged. She loved the scenery, and when I told her that this was also the place where I told Janine that I was having her baby, she gawped with speechlessness. She was so excited at the prospect of becoming an auntie, that, almost immediately, she knealt down, undid a button on my shirt, and kissed my bump.

At 7pm on August 11th 2009, I had my first actual contraction. It wasn't painful, though it was enough to surprise me. I told Janine, and she told me to stay calm. They were every 40 minutes, so they weren't that bad. At 9pm, we all went to sleep. Janine helped me get down onto the futon, which was in good condition.

The next morning, we woke up early. My contractions were now every 10 minutes, so Janine and Anne both took great care in hauling me up from the futon. I immediately placed my hand on my back cause of the pain. My bellybutton had popped out, though that wasn't any huge bother.

By 5pm, my contractions were right on top of each other. My waters hadn't yet broken, so we had to play the waiting game. Atami had set the futon back up, so we were able to sit down. Anne could not stop touching my bump, even as it was contracting. Atami got a picture of us like that, which proved to be rather hilarious.

At 9pm, my waters broke. Janine and I were in the bathroom, checking out the huge bathtub, when it happened. Janine called for Anne, who immediately came, and placed a towel on the floor. She then placed her hand on the small of my back, and felt my stomach, realising that it wouldn't be long before she became an auntie. She and Janine then helped me get back into the living room, where Atami and Mikako were sitting - talking in Japanese - and they rushed over to me, seeing that I was now in active labour.

At 11pm, I got into the bathtub. It was big enough for more than one, so Janine got in aswell. Having her in with me took my focus off the pain. Atami was kneeling down beside the bathtub, taking sweet photos of us. At 11:30pm, I felt the urge to push, and, thanks to Atami, have that sweet moment captured on photo. Mikako told me to push as hard as I could, so I did. Janine was right behind me, and Anne was aiding Mikako. It then dawned on me that aswell as being the oldest there, I was the only male there, but neither of those things bothered me.

At 11:40pm, the head became visible. The water was offering a little relief, but that was all. It took 4 pushes for me to get the head fully out. When it was out, I did what anyone in that part of labour would do, so I put one of my hands under the water, and gawped with speechlessness when I felt the baby's head between my legs. Janine did the same, and it made us both cry tears of happiness knowing that our baby was minutes away from being born. As if on cue, I got another contraction, and I pushed as hard as I can, using my replenished strength.

At 12am, Amari Fukuda was born. It was the happiest day of my life. When she was placed into my arms, I did nothing but look at her. Atami was taking photos, so I have the whole thing to look back on. Janine came out from behind me, unable to believe that Amari was finally here. We were both crying tears of happiness, as were Anne, Atami, and Mikako, who had just become aunties. It was also a bittersweet moment, as my parents would never get to know their first grandchild. I then latched Amari on, and, as if on cue, felt another contraction. It wasn't as painful as the others, though I did bear down whilst breastfeeding Amari. It was the afterbirth, and, fortunately, there were no other babies in my stomach. Mikako then clamped and cut Amari's cord, and told Anne to prepare the futon, which she did immediately.

Half an hour later, we were all out of the bathroom. Mikako held Amari whilst Janine, Atami, and Anne, helped me get rested, and then she placed Amari back into my arms. The futon had been placed so that it resembled a hospital bed but on the floor, and that was where Atami took a beautiful pic of us, with Janine and I both sitting down on the futon, looking at our little bundle of joy, who was asleep in my arms. She then woke up, and looked around.

After everyone else had gone to bed, Anne, Janine, and I, stayed up, and cooed over Amari. Anne had her laptop on her, so she turned it on. She also had her webcam, which she also turned on. Her folks, John and Maria, were online, hoping to hear any news, so she got them on, and when they saw Amari for the first time, they just about started crying, cause they had longed for the moment that their first grandchild would come along, and here she was, in my arms. 10 minutes later, we turned off, though we didn't settle down just yet, as I latched Amari on for the second time. After that, we examined her all over, and saw that she had my ears, chin, and hair colour, and her mommy's eyes, nose, mouth, long fingers, etc.

That actual night, Anne surprised us by telling us to get into wedding gear. As we did, she took Amari, and dolled her up in a pink blanket and hat, with a babygro on underneath the blanket. Atami then drove us to the local beach, where there were family and friends, including John and Maria, waiting for us. It then dawned on me that we were getting married. I kept my eyes away from Janine, so that it was a surprise when I saw her. Amari and I were the first up the aisle. Minutes later, Janine appeared, wearing the most beautiful dress I'd ever seen. 40 minutes later, we became man and wife. I then asked her if she was happy, to which she said "today's the best day of my life, as it's memorable for 2 reasons." I then jokingly asked what they were, to which she said "I became both a wife and a mom in the same day".

-- Edited by midi94 on Tuesday 8th of March 2011 02:47:51 PM