Halloween Party for Richie - 9.5 months old

One of the child-care center (jidokan)had organised a halloween party for kids. So I woke up Richie early in the morning to get ready for the party.
We reached on time for the party. They had made costumes for the kids. Lot of other Japanese women had come with their children. I guess I was the only foreigner. There were lots of games, songs, and dance. Richie enjoyed it because he loves music too.


Later they distributed sweets and stuff by the hands of different characters like the witch, ghost, pumpkin etc. Some children got scared of the ghost. And what do you think Richie did? He was sleeping away to glory as he got tired after his dancing. He missed it. Or should I say smart guy? ;)

Baby - 9 to 10th month checkup

In Japan, medical facilities are free for kids till they go to elementary school. Also many a times, for special checkups (i.e 6 month checkup, 9 month checkup), the city office gives coupons so that we can avail those checkups free of charge too. Even some of the regular vaccines like polio, BCG are given free of charge at health centers.
Last Saturday we took Richie for his 9th to 10th month checkup. It was overcrowded so we had to wait for a long time. Meanwhile we went for a stroll to the nearby park and came back.
The doctor checked for the following:
-overall health
-pincer grasp (thumb-pointer finger hold)
-has started crawling or not
-checked his reflex by trying to throw him down. Richie touched hands down to save himself from falling;)
-Whether holding on to support and standing.
-Mashing and eating solid food.

Richie is 9 months and 11 days old now and had started to do all the above just 1 or 2 weeks back. Doctor said he was progressing well and there was extremely no need to worry. He will master it slowly and steadily.

Amusement in the Park

Last weekend, Richie, me and my hubby went to our nearby park and played a lot. Richie was in a jolly good mood. He loves to see children playing and tries to imitate them. He sat on the panda, with the panda giving him a good ride moving forward and backwards. He was holding panda's ears and bouncing. He loved it.
Then we put him on the slide. Since he is just 9 months old, he needed us to give him little support. This was his first time on the slide and when he got a hang of it, he wanted more and more.
Next was swinging time. Seeing monkeys swinging on the trees,Richie wanted to give it a try.;) The moment we put him on the swing, his reflex was to hold the chains tight with his little hands. He observes other children doing it and does it himself too. That was good.
Later he also drove the boat wheel, standing on his own without our support.
He enjoyed a lot laughing and giggling with dada and me. And the best part was that he not ready to come home.

Biting and eating - 9 months old baby

Our baby has started to become more and more independent. He wants to eat with his hands and throws food all over the place.
All these days I used to mash the fruits and feed him. But today he bit an apple with his tiny-miny teeth, mashed it with his tongue and ate it. Another step towards enjoying new ways of eating food and feeling the textures. He also loves bananas and pears too.

Baby waving bye-bye - 9 months old

Usually, Richie finishes his dinner first and then sits on his high-chair to give us company. Actually he observes what we are eating and how we eat it. He also pulls our arms to give him a taste of what we are eating. Now that he is 9 months old and can mash food with his tongue we give him variety of food.

After food, we have fruits and Richie waits for that. He loves fruits. Today, after finishing dinner, we had fruits and I took Richie out from his high-chair to get him ready for bed. Casually my hubby waved bye-bye to him. Spontaneously, Richie started waving bye-bye to him. My hubby tried again and he repeated. His little hands looked so cute waving out high up in the air. As parents, we feel so good about every small achievement of our children right?

Exploring the world

Richie has become very active and wants to explore the world. He is very curious of his surroundings. He wants to touch and grab whatever comes in his vicinity. He throws down things to check how they land down. For e.g, balls goes bouncing, rattles make "zing-zing" sound, soft toys fall softly etc. He is learning cause and effect and how it is different for different things. He tries it several times and observes the different ways he can play with the toys. He bangs 2 toys together, then on the floor, on walls, and laughs out loud at the wonderful sounds.

I take him to the supermarket whenever I go shopping. Earlier he used to quietly sit in the stroller looking at things and people around him. Nowadays he has developed a new habit. As we stroll pass through the various stalls, he keeps touching all the things and even drops some. Yeah, he feels mom does not have much work... so he is happy to give mom some exercise. ;)

Baby is crawling - 9 months

Richie has added another feather to his cap.He decided to go on his 4s rather than pushing forward on his belly. Yes, he has started crawling. I was wondering whether he would prefer to walk directly rather than to crawl. But he has his own plans, which he doesn't disclose in advance. ;)

He realized that crawling takes him faster to his destination, than pushing on his belly. Initially, he would try putting just 1 leg in the crawling position and would sit down as soon as he felt he was going off-balance. Just to give him some boost, I would also crawl along with him singing songs. He would look at me,smile and start practicing again. This time there was no desperation. It went on so smoothly that for sometime I failed to realise he was indeed crawling properly on his 4s.

Now he has started crawling fast and follows me in every room in the house. If I am in different room, I hear some thud-thud-thud and next moment he is at the door. Another step towards mobility and he feels so proud of himself.

Two little hands go clap clap clap

Today, being a Saturday, we were all relaxing at home.My hubby was at his computer and I was doing my Japanese studies. Richie was very busy with the toys, playing and lost in his own world. I was glancing at him in between my studies just to check everything is in order.

He was singing "aaaa, iiii " and suddenly I saw him bringing his hands together and clapping. Was it real? I signed to my hubby and he gave me a broad smile acknowledging the fact that Richie had indeed reached another milestone. We joined him, clapping to the beats of the nursery rhyme "Two little hands go clap clap clap" which he loves. We had started the fun game last week, and here he was clapping independently, when the words "clap, clap, clap" were sung.

Health care programme for Mama and Baby

Richie loves to sleep till late in the morning. He plays till late in the night as his dada comes home late. Today we had a health care programme in one of the childcare center (jidokan in Japanese) close to our place. It was a tough task waking Richie up and getting him ready for the early morning session.

Nevertheless,we reached on time. It was a good session with other Japanese moms and their babies of less than 1 year. Richie was very happy as he got to play with other kids. He loves babies (I know, he is a baby too).He smiles when he sees them and tries to touch them. We had exercise, games and lots of talk session of how to take care of oneself, while catering to the needs of the baby. These days I was having backache and legs muscles were also paining very badly. The exercises during the session proved to be wonderful and I came home refreshed.

Richie - The Budding singer

Richie is very fond of music. When he was 7 weeks old, I played nursery rhymes and he was listening and watching it. He has a good ear for music. He likes pop,reggae and soft music. If he doesn't like a particular song, he indicates it by doing "huuum, huuu" and turning away his head. He eats well if his favourite music or song is played. So I have kept a list of his favourite songs ready, which needs to be refreshed every now and then.

Today my heart went out for Richie. You would ask me why? He was in full spirits today. He took hold of one of his toy (like a microphone) and started singing "aaaaaa,iiiiii, aaaaaa". He was not at all bothered of the world around. There was no stopping him. He was busy sitting down,singing and bouncing,as if dancing like the pop singers. It was cute to watch him sing and funny at the same time. One of his favourite song is "We are the world, we are the children" by Michael Jackson and his group consisting of well known singers. He watches them and sings with the chorus "aaaaaa,aaaaaa,aaaaaaaaaa". Here are the wordings of the song for you with the singer names.

***We are the World***

Lionel richie
There comes a time when we heed a certain call

Lionel richie & stevie wonder
When the world must come together as one

Stevie wonder
There are people dying

Paul simon
And its time to lend a hand to life

Paul simon & kenny rogers
The greatest gift of all

Kenny rogers
We cant go on pretending day by day

James ingram
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change

Tina turner
We are all part of gods great big family

Billy joel
And the truth, you know, love is all we need

Chorus:
Michael jackson
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Diana ross
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives

Michael & diana ross
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Dionne warwick
Send them your heart
So theyll know that someone cares

Dionne warwick & willie nelson
And their lives will be stronger and free

Willie nelson
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread

Al jarreau
So we all must lend a helping hand

Chorus:
Bruce Springsteen
We are the world, we are the children

Kenny Loggins
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Steve Perry
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives

Daryl Hall
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Michael jackson
When youre down and out, there seems no hope at all

Huey lewis
But if you just believe theres no way we can fall

Cindy lauper
Well, well, well, well let us realize that a change can only come

Kim carnes
When we stand together as one

Chorus:
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Bob Dylan
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Chorus
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives

Bob Dylan
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me


Ray Charles
Alright let me hear ya

Chorus
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Ray Charles
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a brighter day
Just you and me

Stevie Wonder / Bruce Springsteen
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Stevie Wonder
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Stevie Wonder / Bruce Springsteen
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Bruce Springsteen
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Chorus
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

James Ingram
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving

Ray Charles
Theres a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Trip to Pallete town in Odaiba

It was a long weekend in Japan as Monday is a holiday. We decided we will take Richie for an outing to Palette town in Odaiba. He loves the outdoors and gets excited when we tell him we are going on a trip. I told him that he can drive real cars and go "grrmmm, grmmmmm". Yes, he knows that because he does it with his toy cars and the wheel on his stroller.

Afternoon came and we all set out, packing Richie's foodstuff and other accessories.It is autumn now and the weather was very pleasant. We took Tokyo Teleport, the nearest station to the Pallete town.


Pallete town is a shopping and entertainment complex which consists of Venus Fort, Sun Walk, Mega Web, a Ferris Wheel and Zepp Tokyo, a large concert venue.


We sat in the giant Ferris wheel. I am scared of heights and get motion sickness in the fun-rides. When we reached the ticket counter, I pulled my hubby aside and asked "Do you think it is fine for Richie?" My hubby laughed. He knew exactly what was going in my mind.;) When I sat in, I started singing nursery rhymes and playing with Richie. Yeah, you guessed it right!! But later everything seemed great. You get a lovely view of Odaiba city from the top.



Then we went to Mega web. Mega Web is a Toyota showroom, where you can view and touch Toyota's newest models and car accessories. Richie got behind the wheels of a Toyota to take Dada and Mama for a ride. ;) Later, we had fun driving the motor sports simulator car in Mega web. Richie was fast asleep in his stroller when we were driving. We also visited the Mega web history garage where they have exhibited historic cars. Richie was curious and looking at the cars with great interest.



Venus Fort is a shopping mall, a kind of 18th century South European town. It features more than one hundred boutiques, shops, cafes and restaurants. It looks like a fairyland and has a false blue sky which makes you feel it is still daytime even if it is pitch dark outside.

We returned home with Richie enjoying the cool breeze in the night, with the hopes of another fun trip soon.

Rainy week in Tokyo

It was a rainy week. Richie and I were kind of stranded at home. One of these days there was a typhoon(cyclone) too.It was a strong one with everything being taken away by the wind for its collection.;)

We could not enjoy our trips outside nor could I go for Japanese classes due to the incessant rains. But our hopes were not dampened. We decided to have fun at home.

I took out my sketch book and started drawing for Richie's playroom. Richie was keenly watching me and trying to grab the pencil as if to say "I wanna draw too".

We played ring-a-ring roses. He was laughing with joy when we did "all-fall-down".

We　also played peekaboo, with me hiding Richie's favorite toys and Richie screaming with delight after finding them.

There was lot of floor time for Richie with him attempting to crawl and walk with my support.

We also sang "Royal duke of york" and other songs with actions with Richie bouncing on my lap.

All and all we kind of enjoyed our days at home.

Richie eating with his own hands

Richie is getting curious and smarter day-by-day. He wants to know all that is happening around him. He watches and listens to every small thing or sound and does "huuu,huuumm" asking "what is it mama?". Whether it is the sound of pressure cooker whistles, mixer, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, cutting vegetables, water splashing, washing utensils etc. I make it a point to explain to him and show him how it works.

He also studies me when I eat food and tries to imitate me. Recently we started giving him finger-foods. He mashes it with his tongue and then gulps it. Today I put some small round biscuits in his plate and picked up one and ate. Seeing me do it, he also caught one in his tiny hands and put it in his mouth. Then I did again. And he did the same. Yes, this was his first time. Now if I put something in his plate, he eats it on his own.

I want to see mama when I wake up

I am full time working mother and currently on childcare leave for 1 year. During the week, I am alone, taking care of Richie, rather we both have loads of fun together. Our daily routine is somewhat fixed. I wake up little bit early to make breakfast and to finish most of my daily chores. When my little one wakes up, I am around and take care of his needs.

On weekends, the schedule is different. Dada sleeps till late and hence Richie loves to be in bed till then. If Richie wakes up, dada takes care of him. Recently the pattern has changed. As soon as he wakes up, he searches for me and cries if I am not around, even if dada is there. Once I come in, he is happy and raises his arms so as to say "Mama, take me in your arms". Earlier, he used to wake up and give a nice smile. But now he just cries. I wonder why!! Definately, he loves his dada a lot and the two of them have lots of fun together. But when he wakes up, he wants his mom near him. Have you also come across such a change in behaviour? He changed after completing 7.5 months. I read that babies develop separation anxiety after the 6 month. Maybe that's what it is. Separation from mama who is the primary caretaker.

Richie's favourite toys

Richie is 8.5 months old now. He has started having his collection of favourite things. Can you guess what they are? You might say, stuffed toys, cars, ball? No, those are not the ones. He is fascinated by the labels attached to the toys, pillow cases, bedsheets etc. He will sit holding and feeling them with his hand for a long time. After a while, whatever is in his hand, then goes in his mouth. He says "Mom, I just want to taste and check whether it is good." He is also exploring and checking the textures of different materials whether it is papers, cloth, books, plastic toys, strings etc.

While I am writing this he is playing in his bed. Wait a minute, he seems very quiet and sitting with his back towards me. Let me check. There he goes.... He found the label of a new stuffed toy I had given him today and is happily chewing away to glory.