My dear darling Ronan

My little darling Ronan is a sweetheart. He is very naughty but yet very sweet. He has this cute little smile which he flashes whenever he is upto some mischief. ;)

If he gets angry, he beats the person. But when we pretend to cry, he comes and does "nice" with his cute little hands.

He likes to play with his brother Richie and other cousins, but tries to get things done his way.
He plays cricket, football, catching ball etc. He does good bowling and aims at the wickets. He also does running races with his brother.

Nowadays he rides his cycle by standing on it. I wonder where he learnt it!! Is it the influence of watching too many sports on TV?

Easter time is coming - Ronan is excited.

Easter is approaching and Ronan is all excited. He is looking forward to Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. :) I was searching for some good gifts for my kids. Amazon has a lot of trendy stuff. If you also are on a lookout to gift your near and dear ones, please check out these exciting stuff.

Wearing his socks and shoes

Wondering whether Richie is already wearing his socks and shoes!! Yes, he does try and I help him a little. He calls shoes "shees". If dada or I are wearing shoes, he will run to get his too. He knows that it is time for an outing when we wear it.

Today being a Saturday, we decided to go to the park. Richie was very excited and dressed up in no time. He does not like to waste any more time at home. "Straight to the park mama", he says. And after reaching the park, you know what kids do. They hardly remember that their parents are around. They are happy playing around.

Playing at the fountain

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.

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.

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.

Richie and Dada's Day

It was Richie and dada's day. It was a Sunday. I had a project release, hence I had to be office. Richie hasn't stayed much without me at home for a long interval of time. I had come back home in 2 hours or so even when I used to run errands. Hence I was a bit concerned how the things will be.

But to tell you the truth, both the guys had a gala time. Dad told me that they had a man-to-man talk, with Richie sitting on the table and dad on his chair with their eyes meeting each other. They also played a lot with flash-cards with dada hiding them and Richie retrieving them when dada called out the name.

When I cam back from office, Richie came running to the door and gave me a big warm hug and lots of kisses. Then we had a nice chat and played together. Actually he was not ready to leave me and sat hugging me. Definitely he missed me, but he did not trouble dada by crying and asking for me. Dada said he behaved well and was a happy boy. He listened to whatever dad was telling him. I am so proud of my little boy.
I love you my boy!!

Chasing Birdie

For Richie, weekends means park-time. Since we are both working now and Richie is in nursery, we make it a point to go to the park over weekends. He eagerly waits to go out with us. Specially, if dada starts dressing up, he gets excited and tries to put his shoes on. He will also keep an eye on dada to see whether he is still there or left without him. One day, while he was watching TV after dressing up (to go to the park),he suddenly realised dada is not around. He went searching for dada and when he found him, he heaved a sigh of relief haaaaaaaa.. literally he did that.. and we could not help laughing.

Now that he has started walking, he is having more fun running around. His favorite past-time is chasing birdies around, specially the pigeons who search for food on the ground and fly away when someone approaches them.

He also loves to sit on the Panda and go on the slide in the form of an elephant. Slide is exciting as the elephant takes him in and lets him out through his long nose. These days he sits on the swing too independently and tries to swing on his own by moving forward and backward.

Shopping at 7-Eleven for obento.

It was a weekend. We had taken Richie for his HIB vaccination to the clinic. On our way back, we thought of dropping at the 7-eleven convenience store. In Japan you will find a lot of convenience stores like Am-pm, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Sankus, 3F etc at every nook and corner of the place. They are really convenient when you need to fetch yourself a sandwich or an ice-cream and you don't have much time at hand. In short the convenience stores are really convenient.

At the store, Richie noticed me shopping and thought of giving me a helping hand. Maybe he wanted to buy something for himself. ;) He picked up a big box of Obento(lunch box, a lil heavy for him). I told him to put it in the basket and he did so. Then he went on a lookout for more. He found something nice and at his arms reach. We checked out and it was noodles which he likes a lot,so we got it for him. Yes, he is already showing his preference for things. Then he also took cup of instant Miso soup(his favorite) and dropped it in his shopping basket. As he had observed us doing, you got to take the basket to the counter to bill the items. He lifted the basket with all his might and was trotting to the counter balancing himself.. At one point he lost balance and fell head over heels. The basket was on top of him. But luckily no harm was done and he was back to his normal self after expressing himself with sobs. Yes, actually children need to be distracted and they forget all about the bad incident which had happened. What happened next was interesting. He didn't stop at that. He ushered us to help him and then paid the bill too by taking money from dada.

Trip to Aqua City - Odaiba, Japan

It was a while since we last went out for a short trip. Last one was for Richie's birthday. So without thinking twice, we all set out to aqua city in Odaiba-Tokyo. Aqua City is a gourment and shopping mall. There are also some lovely attractions close to it. The main attractions are:
- Odaiba Kaihin Koen (Odaiba Seaside Park)- a small, but beautiful man-made beach.
- the miniature version of the Statue of Liberty.
- the Rainbow Bridge.
They specially look beautiful in the evening when it is lighted up.


In aqua city, there is also a kid's shopping place called ToysRus. They keep various toys for kids to try out. Richie was excited seeing the new place and all the toys. He could not stop himself from having a feel of them. Richie noticed some kids pushing the push-cars and walking. As Richie is practicing walking himself, he also wanted one for himself. The moment he got one, there was no stopping him. He dashed along the walls, but soon learnt to take the reverse. He was happily cruising around with me or his dada keeping a check on him.

It was already 3pm in the afternoon, and Richie was well past his sleeping time, so we thought we should leave. But Richie was not ready to listen. He wanted more of it. We literally had to drag him out by distracting him.

You can view more information about aqua city here.

Dancing his heart out

Richie loves music and he shows liking for pop,jazz,country and Japanese songs too. I have also seen his taste varying over the months gone by. The songs which he did not like some months back becomes dear to him. So there is no hard and fast rule. The more we expose him to music the more choice he has.
Richie also loves to dance his heart out. Earlier (when Richie was 9 months old), he used to sit and bounce up and down while listening to music. Nowadays he has changed his style. He sways sideways and also moves his feet. He also waves his hands and takes them above his head and down. The best part is, he dances to the rhythm and only for certain parts of the song which he likes. Current favorites are "Backyardigans music, Disney's 'hot dog, hot dog diggety dog',Que sera, Kenny Rogers songs to name a few.

A loud round of applause by small hands

I am very fond of singing and dancing. I often put on music and dance my heart out. It helps me to exercise and also keeps Richie entertained. He usually smiles and bounces while sitting.
The other day he did something different. As soon as my dance was over, he started clapping. O wow, my heart skipped a beat. Happily, I phoned my hubby and told,"You know what,I actually got a loud round of applause from small hands for my dance today".

Nogeyama Zoo - Trip to the land of animals and birds

Richie watches a lot of videos featuring animals. He has started liking them a lot. His favourite one is the animal sound video, "The dog says bow-bow, the sheep says baa-baa" and also "Mom is taking us to the zoo tomorrow". He gets happy and claps when the videos are played.


Now that Richie has started liking animals, we decided to take him to the Nogeyama zoo.We make half-day trips so that he doesn't get too tired. Richie was very excited as it was his first trip to the zoo. After entering the zoo, the first thing that attracts you is the red Panda. Children scream in delight to see the little one trotting around in his little forest. The Panda is always seen thinking and moving around as if there is some huge responsibility on his shoulder and he needs to find a solution to it.

Then we went to see Richie's favourite Monkeys. I have seen many children loving monkeys. I wonder why..is it because they have a close resemblance to us?

Next was a visit to the gracious Tiger and Lion. This beautiful and ferocious animals were a treat to the eyes... and maybe they thought the same about us too ;)It was Richie's first encounter with the Tiger and the Lion face-to-face. No worries, of course they were in the cage. Their loud sounds didn't scare Richie, as Richie thinks he is a tiger himself, always making roaring sounds and trying to scare us at home.


Then we went to see the gigantic Giraffes. They come so close to you,that you feel you can almost touch them. By the time we finished clicking photos, Richie got tired and fell asleep. Nevertheless, we kept going.

After sometime we reached a pond having lots of Ducks and a Swan. The ducks were in a merry mood and quacking loudly. Richie might have heard it because he woke up and started smiling. It might have sounded familiar. He kept staring at them and enjoyed watching them waddle in the pond.

Last was penguin time. We missed the domestic animals as we reached the spot a little late. They close it 20 minutes before the actual closing time of the zoo.

Richie came home happy, having seen the animals live, rather than just pictures,videos. But before leaving the zoo, we didn't forget to buy souvenirs for him to remember in the years to come, the Red Panda and the Tiger.

How to get to Nogeyama Zoo:
1)From Yokohama Station, take the JR Negishi Line to Sakuragicho Station and then walk for about 15 minutes.
2)A 10 min. walk from Hinodecho Station by the Keikyu line.

Address:63-10 Oimatsu-cho, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi,Japan 220-0032
Phone: 045 231 1307
Fax: 045 231 3842

Baby has started standing - 9.5 months old

I am wonder-struck at how babies starting from nothing reach such great milestones. I will surely attribute it to their constant practice and determination. They observe, study and do it themselves. Wish, we as adults also could learn something from them. When we reach a certain age, we tend to stop learning. We feel we know everything or if we do not know, sometimes we tell ourselves, "it is too late to learn now".. and the mind does what we think. It does not know whether it is right or wrong. It stops being receptive and shuts itself,closing all doors to new information.
But kids till a certain age (0-12)years try to learn as much as possible. They make their knowledge bank richer and richer day-by day. We should support and guide them towards a bright future.
Having said that I am happy to say Richie is making steady progress and achieving new mobility skills. Richie has started standing, holding the railings of the bed. He first tried kneeling down and trying to put pressure on one leg and stand. After some practice, he could stand easily from a sitting position holding to something. Now he even holds our fingers and stand. He can pick objects with one hand while standing holding onto support. And what more.. He dances to his favourite music on his feet now. You should see the happiness on his face when dancing. He loves this "hello kitty" tune and the song.

Playing the keyboard

Richie has got a fancy for his keyboard (meant for children)these days. He has his own unique style of playing the keyboard. He uses his legs more than his hands to play the keyboard. He is our Mr.DJ. Sometimes he will put on auto song mode and go to play with other toys. If the song gets over he will come over from wherever he is and play another one.
As I said earlier, he has a great liking for music. He is thrilled to have an instrument of his own. He likes to create a fusion.Along with the keyboard, he also plays the drums and the rattles creating a band of his own.

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? ;)

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.

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. ;)

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.