It is summer time in Japan and the temperatures are soaring. I guess many parts in the world are experiencing hot summer this year. The heat is unbearable, though sometimes, the rain gods do shower their praise.
Richie has started pool in his nursery and we heard from the teacher that he enjoys playing in the water. Now in a nearby park, we have a fountain where children have fun. Richie used to love seeing the fountain when he was small.
Last Saturday we thought of taking Richie to play out there. So decked up in his swimwear, Richie was all set to play. He got his cups and was filling water and bathing himself. He had fun and was not ready to come back, even when we threatened to live him and go. ;)We had a hard time convincing him. Even when we were changing his wet clothes, he ran towards the fountain again, half naked and dada had to chase him. he he he.. kids are like that.
Baking my first cake
Richie makes a lot of fuss when it comes to eating food. So I am always on the lookout for new recipes or learning to prepare some new food stuff. Recently, I have started making Japanese style miso soup and vegetables.
My latest experiment was to bake a homemade cake. The cakes which we buy are sometimes too sweet and Richie tastes little and says a BIG NO. It was Sunday and a good day for starting new stuff. I had all the ingredients ready and off I went to the internet to search for a recipe for a sponge cake. Having found one, which suits my needs I got the mixture ready. Richie was eager to see what Mama was doing and I explained to him just like the TV shows. :) He was waiting for the cake to be done.
In the evening, I took some heart shape cutters and cut off lovely heart shaped cake pieces for him which he ate with relish.
My latest experiment was to bake a homemade cake. The cakes which we buy are sometimes too sweet and Richie tastes little and says a BIG NO. It was Sunday and a good day for starting new stuff. I had all the ingredients ready and off I went to the internet to search for a recipe for a sponge cake. Having found one, which suits my needs I got the mixture ready. Richie was eager to see what Mama was doing and I explained to him just like the TV shows. :) He was waiting for the cake to be done.
In the evening, I took some heart shape cutters and cut off lovely heart shaped cake pieces for him which he ate with relish.
Lazying in bed
Today is a Sunday. And what do we usually do on a Sunday? Get up late? or go for mass? or just do nothing.
For the past one and half year, the moment I was awake in the morning, I used to get out of bed quickly and used to start my daily chores. The first thing being getting the milk ready for baby (as he would cry/scream loudly) as he would wake my husband up who loves to enjoy his lovely weekend sleep after having late nights. In all, for a mom, no weekends, no Sundays.
But today was different. I woke up and saw my little boy was awake too. My hubby was up too... hubby wakes up before me these days. Richie was in a good mood, thrilled that mom was around. I hugged him and we played in bed, with me feeling lazy to move even an inch. Richie too did not scream to have his morning milk. He was happy just having mom for company. I certainly felt relaxed and rejuvenated after a good relaxing time.
For the past one and half year, the moment I was awake in the morning, I used to get out of bed quickly and used to start my daily chores. The first thing being getting the milk ready for baby (as he would cry/scream loudly) as he would wake my husband up who loves to enjoy his lovely weekend sleep after having late nights. In all, for a mom, no weekends, no Sundays.
But today was different. I woke up and saw my little boy was awake too. My hubby was up too... hubby wakes up before me these days. Richie was in a good mood, thrilled that mom was around. I hugged him and we played in bed, with me feeling lazy to move even an inch. Richie too did not scream to have his morning milk. He was happy just having mom for company. I certainly felt relaxed and rejuvenated after a good relaxing time.
Moon moon shine away
Yesterday when we were coming back home from the nursery, Richie noticed the moon. It was shining brightly and we could see it all along the way. I jokingly said to Richie, "Richie, look, the moon is following us". He was happy having the moon for company.
We reached home and I was cooking. Richie came to me to see what was cooking. He inspects my cooking many a times to know what is in store for him.;) Now the balcony is adjacent to the kitchen door and you can see the highway below. Richie loves to stand at the door and see the vehicles passing by and the traffic signal changing. When he looked out he said "Moon". When I saw in his direction, yes indeed, the moon was smiling back at him. Richie indicated with his hand that he wants to go out. We went in the balcony and Richie was thrilled to see that the moon visits our home too. Seeing the moon, I was inspired too and I made my own song to make the day memorable for Richie. Here is the song,
Moon moon shine away,
in the sky so dark and grey.
We are children of today(new generation),
Moon moon shine away.
We reached home and I was cooking. Richie came to me to see what was cooking. He inspects my cooking many a times to know what is in store for him.;) Now the balcony is adjacent to the kitchen door and you can see the highway below. Richie loves to stand at the door and see the vehicles passing by and the traffic signal changing. When he looked out he said "Moon". When I saw in his direction, yes indeed, the moon was smiling back at him. Richie indicated with his hand that he wants to go out. We went in the balcony and Richie was thrilled to see that the moon visits our home too. Seeing the moon, I was inspired too and I made my own song to make the day memorable for Richie. Here is the song,
Moon moon shine away,
in the sky so dark and grey.
We are children of today(new generation),
Moon moon shine away.
Interaction with teachers - Richie at the Nursery
Richie has adapted to the nursery well and has loads of fun. He also loves his teacher which we can see when he interacts with them.
There is this incident which happened some days back and is still fresh in my mind.I picked up Richie from the nursery and was putting him in his stroller. He was not ready to sit in the stroller and was crying loudly. Usually he is well behaved and has no problems whatsoever. Just then his class teacher was also leaving for home. We said hello and she asked me any problems. When she understood, she said to Richie in Japanese, "Richie-kun suwatte.." meaning, "Richie sit down". Without another thought Richie sat in the stroller. Her words were like magic.
The teacher was also going in the same direction so we walked together. When it was time to bid bye-bye, Richie started crying again. I literally had to drag him home that day. He came home, ate and slept. I realised Richie was too tired that day. He could throw tantrums with mom but not when his teachers were around. He did not want to spoil his reputation. :)
There is this incident which happened some days back and is still fresh in my mind.I picked up Richie from the nursery and was putting him in his stroller. He was not ready to sit in the stroller and was crying loudly. Usually he is well behaved and has no problems whatsoever. Just then his class teacher was also leaving for home. We said hello and she asked me any problems. When she understood, she said to Richie in Japanese, "Richie-kun suwatte.." meaning, "Richie sit down". Without another thought Richie sat in the stroller. Her words were like magic.
The teacher was also going in the same direction so we walked together. When it was time to bid bye-bye, Richie started crying again. I literally had to drag him home that day. He came home, ate and slept. I realised Richie was too tired that day. He could throw tantrums with mom but not when his teachers were around. He did not want to spoil his reputation. :)
New friends - Richie at the Nursery
When Richie reaches his classroom, all his friends gather round him and they shout "yeh,yeh" loudly, moving their hands in the air. All his classmates are Japanese, with the exception of him, but where does it bother the kids? They are happy to have a friend. He adores them and they too in turn do the same.
Sensei (means teacher in Japanese) says that they play together, but it seems sometimes Richie shouts at them if he likes some toys and someone tries to take it away. Possessive, isn't he?
Sensei (means teacher in Japanese) says that they play together, but it seems sometimes Richie shouts at them if he likes some toys and someone tries to take it away. Possessive, isn't he?
First Day First Show - Richie at the nursery
I am creating a category called "Richie's nursery adventures". Here we will be posting what all Richie does at the nursery. I guess, one day when he grows up, he will read these posts and feel good that he had been doing so many things when he was small.
Richie's first day at nursery started on the 1st February 2010 when I joined back work. It was a small private nursery, but we paying more than double the fees and that too without food. We could not get the regular government nurseries as they were all full to the capacity. The government nurseries in Japan have good facilities, but new admissions start only in April. It meant that we had to wait for 2 more months. It seemed like a long time.
Richie was very tired on the first day of his nursery. Away from mama, among new people, he cried bitterly. He didn't have his food properly. And being my first day away from him, I couldn't bear to see him separated from me.
But all is well that ends well. When I came back, Richie came to me crying expressing "Mama, where were you for such a long time?". We hugged and came home and had a lot of loving time together.
Richie's first day at nursery started on the 1st February 2010 when I joined back work. It was a small private nursery, but we paying more than double the fees and that too without food. We could not get the regular government nurseries as they were all full to the capacity. The government nurseries in Japan have good facilities, but new admissions start only in April. It meant that we had to wait for 2 more months. It seemed like a long time.
Richie was very tired on the first day of his nursery. Away from mama, among new people, he cried bitterly. He didn't have his food properly. And being my first day away from him, I couldn't bear to see him separated from me.
But all is well that ends well. When I came back, Richie came to me crying expressing "Mama, where were you for such a long time?". We hugged and came home and had a lot of loving time together.
I love painting
We have bought Richie some "magic" coloring books. They are special in a way that when you use a paintbrush dipped in water, the color shows automatically i.e it already has built-in colors. Some days back, we thought it is time that we can introduce Richie to new ways of drawing/painting. He already scribbles using his crayons. We first demonstrated how to dip the brush in water and paint on the book. Seeing the colors, Richie got excited and wanted to do it himself. We gave him the paintbrush and he set out to show his creativity. In no time, he was painting the horse, cow, dog, cat and trying to imitate their sounds.
Saying prayers before meal
We usually have our dinner together with Richie sitting in his high chair. Sometimes, Richie feels too hungry so we feed earlier. We have cultivated a habit of saying our prayers before and after meals. Richie has observed us and he too folds his hands when we start the prayers (mind you, without we telling him).
The other day, he had finished his food and was watching TV. We started our prayers and guess what Richie did. He left the TV and came to us and folded his hands and went back after the prayers were over.
The other day, he had finished his food and was watching TV. We started our prayers and guess what Richie did. He left the TV and came to us and folded his hands and went back after the prayers were over.
Celebrating Richie's 1st Birthday
We celebrated Richie's 1st birthday with pomp. We had a lot of activities for him:
-Party Celebration at home
-Photo session at Alice studio
-Shinagawa Aquarium trip
- Richie enjoyed the dolphin and seal show. Also the walk under the ocean floor with big fishes going above you.
-bought a special gold plated coin marking the date of his first birthday.
-Party Celebration at home
-Photo session at Alice studio
-Shinagawa Aquarium trip
- Richie enjoyed the dolphin and seal show. Also the walk under the ocean floor with big fishes going above you.
-bought a special gold plated coin marking the date of his first birthday.
Using the tissue with style
Some days back, we had gone shopping in the mall and got a bit late. It was dinner time so we thought of eating at one of the restaurants in the food court. We ordered "unagi no kaba-yaki" (steaming rice with grilled eel+sweet sauce on top of it). Unagi(eel) is a delicacy eaten in Japan specially in summers to survive the hot and humid summers. It is said to be highly nutritious with vitamin A, B1, B2, D and E. Japanese people have special foods based for different seasons. Like Sanma fish (Pacific saury) represents autumn in Japanese cuisine. Sanma is most commonly served salted and grilled. Will give some more information about Japan in the next post.
Now our dear Richie eats Japanese food at the nursery everyday. He has started liking it, so we all enjoy eating out together whenever we can. When the food was brought, Richie was already sitting on his baby chair ready to eat. We started feeding him with the chopsticks. While eating, Richie realized his lips were feeling a bit sticky. What should he do.... He dexterously took the tissue from the table and put it to his lips and wiped in style and kept it back on the table without crumpling it. Hmmm.. Isn't that a bit too much for a 16 month year old?
Now our dear Richie eats Japanese food at the nursery everyday. He has started liking it, so we all enjoy eating out together whenever we can. When the food was brought, Richie was already sitting on his baby chair ready to eat. We started feeding him with the chopsticks. While eating, Richie realized his lips were feeling a bit sticky. What should he do.... He dexterously took the tissue from the table and put it to his lips and wiped in style and kept it back on the table without crumpling it. Hmmm.. Isn't that a bit too much for a 16 month year old?
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