12.12.12

December....Stellan Shosei will be turning 2 years old in 8 days! 

He is chatting a lot and remembering and learning more and more.  Besides giving you a cute smile after he achieves something, like peeling the skin off of an orange all by himself, he can also be QUITE a screamer and simply be a NO-MAN.  He says NO to all the things you might suggest him to do when he is bored, angry, or just plain frusturated!  He is not a YES-MAN at all.  He is very cautious, and likes to clean the floor and wipe the tables.  He doesn't like his fingernails or toenails for that matter, to be chipped or broken.  He wants them trimmed neatly at all times.  Nowadays, if he wants his nails trimmed, he will say, 'cut, cut'.  When he wants tea, he will say 'tea'.  When he pooped, he will let you know by the obvious stench and 'poo poo'.

He still has an appetite and eats a lot.  He loves juice.  He won't drink milk.  And still doesn't eat much green vegetables.....I cannot get him to clean up his plate full of veggies. 

Somtimes, he is quite a handful when I take him grocery shopping.  He is always touching and pulling things off the shelves and putting the items into the shopping basket.  He doesn't like sitting in the shopping cart anymore and only wants his way to push the shopping basket, which would only mean a crash disaster.  One thing I dislike doing is shopping with him.  I really want to go shopping by myself!!! 

The terrible two's, here we come!!!  The terrible, terrific two's!!! 

Hello, Shosei speaking. May I take a message?

Good bye, September. Hello, cool October

September whizzed by quick for Mommy and Shosei.  We enjoyed a leisurely summer vacation in Seattle at Shosei's grandparents' house.  Most of the days we spent there were sunny and warm.  Shosei loved playing in the garden and picking fresh tomatoes, green beans, strawberries, and ground cherries.  He enjoyed going on long walks with Grandpa and singing with Obachan who played on the ukulele.  Mommy was able to 'get away' from Shosei for a while because his grandparents were always there to pick him up and give him lots of attention. 

While in the U.S., Shosei met and played with his 2 cousins, and loved riding the tricycles.  After returning to Japan, Mommy is definitely going to get a tricycle for him. 

Shosei ate lots of new things, too, that he wouldn't normally eat in Japan.  He had hamburgers, Mexican tortillas/tacos, baked potatoes, bread with butter, turkey, ham, roast lamb, and lots of avocado!  Boy, does he love avocados!!! And he loved eating freshly picked plums from the yard.  His face lit up every time he saw the plums sitting on the kitchen counter.

Another experience Shosei had was running and walking through a huge grass field in his bare feet!!  That is definitely something you cannot get to 'feel' when you live in such an urban city like Tokyo.  At first, he was just rooted to the spot and couldn't quite decipher what that cool feeling he had in the soles of his feet, but after a little encouragement from Grandpa and Mommy, he was able to take a few steps on the grassy field with a knowing smile.

Garden buffet

Soft shell tacos!

Tricycle time!

Looking down from the top floor of his Grandparents' house in Canada.  Wow, cars look so small!

Mommy is hopeful that Shosei has grown more social.  He talks a lot more and can say 'dakko' which is 'pick me up' in Japanese.  He can say no, ok, no(nose), maa(mouth).  He understands more than he speaks.  Only a couple of months until he turns two years old.  2012 is going by so fast.   

August sun brings sunflowers and sweat

Is it August already?  Shosei will be 20 months old in a couple of weeks.  Family members are starting to question whether he can talk or not, but Shosei is no where close to that.  I repeat names of things, such as the fruit he eats, but of course, he is content now on just filling his mouth with the sweet juicy snack.  On one particular day though, our ears were playing tricks on us, and my husband thought Shosei said, 'cherry' after I said it to him. 

It must be true what people say:  You try so hard the first 3 years to get your child to speak, and then the next 10 years to get your child to shut up.  But obviously, this is a selfish parent's wishes, and is not allowing their child to grow at all. Being a parent, let alone, being human is quite the challenge in our own lives.   

Anyways, these days, Shosei still enjoys flipping through books, and sitting on one's lap and being read a book.  He talks in different syllables more often now instead of a boring 'dah, dah, dah'.
He can get extremely crabby and emotional when things don't go his way.  That, I must say, is so similar to how his mom can be.  Obviously, mom still needs to grow up in her own way.

Shosei likes music and shifts his weight from side to side and dances to the music in his own cute way.  Lately, he enjoys the reaction he gets out of his Daddy when Daddy says goodbye to go to work.  Daddy leaves the house, grinning ear to ear, with a wet, sloppy kiss mark on his cheek.

And of course, Shosei can't get enough of touching and playing with things that Mom doesn't want him to get into.  But trying on the bath tub shoes and saying, 'cheese!' was worth a shot on the camera for Mommy. 

More hot days to follow...and a haiku

Splash, splash goes the boy
giggles, shouts, squeals and silence
wet, chubby fingers

18 month doctor's check up is tomorrow

Happy 4th of July, belatedly!  Will be seeing our share of fireworks in a couple of weeks here in T. city.  I won't be teaching any English classes on that day, because we will have guests over and we will eat nigiri sushi and shredded ice with syrup for the enjoyment of the older kids.  And then after dinner, the firework display begins.  Summer is officially here.  Haven't heard the cicadas buzzing around quite yet.  It's in the upper 90s today with not a cloud in the sky.  Stellan Shosei has already been taking a nap for nearly 2 hours!  Is that normal??  Maybe it is for someone who woke up at 5:30 am and ate breakfast at 7am and then played for 2 hours inside and then got sweaty, so we went out on the balcony and he played in the recently purchased wading pool and then went shopping with his Mommy, who pedaled the new mommy bicycle with Shosei sitting in front, in a child seat, in between the handle bars.  And of course, it must be the heat. 

Last week, the 3 of us had a nice one night stay in the foothills of Mt. Fuji.  The surrounding green forest makes this place a wonderful and refreshing place to relax and inhale the fresh scent of nature.
I especially like the scent of pine needles in the forest.  Reminds me of my childhood, spending a lot of the summers in the mountains, hiking with my family.

We spent the night in a cute and spacious cottage, fit for a big family, and much too spacious for just ourselves.  In the afternoon after we got there, we had a nice Italian lunch which Shosei took the opportunity to bathe his face in tomato sauce while we ate.  In the late afternoon, after a quick cat nap, we hopped on our bikes and explored the roads around the resort which we stayed at.  It was raining lightly and a cool breeze swam between our legs as we sped downhill.  And then on the way back, the uphill grind was tough on our muscles, but the lush green of the trees was a welcoming refreshment for the eyes and mind.

The next day, we had a simple breakfast buffet with a nice morning view of Mt. Fuji.  The clouds were rolling in and out, but we were able to catch a few photos of Shosei with Fuji in the background.  We left the cottage to go peach picking.  After parking the car under a lime-green canopy of grape bunches, we sat down on the tatami floor and helped ourselves to an all-you-can eat peach fest.  I think I counted about 9 pits on the plate after we finished and patted our tummies filled with much peachy delight.

Blue chair, Green table

Shosei likes to play with the kindergarten students' English materials such as the ABC puzzle and coloring papers.  He likes to play with the crayons and color on papers.   Yesterday, he discovered he gets a nice reaction from Mom if he puts in a crayon in his mouth.

He likes to climb onto the blue chairs and practice sitting on the chair properly.  Recently, Mommy started sitting Shosei down in the blue chair and at the green IKEA table when eating his afternoon snack.   That way, Mommy thinks Shosei will eventually learn to always sit down when eating.  She used to be worried a bit whenever he walked around on his unstable, wobbly legs with a cracker in his hand.

Today, we have Mommy and Baby English class and kindergarten class.  Let's sing and play about the weather!  Eency Weency Spider and Rain Rain Go Away!

Almost 18 months!

Shosei falling asleep as he chews on his cracker

Hi, it's June already.  Didn't I just say it's May?  Time flies by so fast!  When Shosei's Mom is teaching English classes at home and preparing materials and making meals, shopping, and cleaning all in between classes, time sure does fly by!  Shosei will be 18 months on the 20th of June!  He is getting bigger and heavier!  He still likes to drink milk from his bottle.  Mom is trying to wean him off the bottle, but he just isn't satisfied with his meals if he can't get his mouth around that bottle! 

Last month for the English classes, we studied about transportation and sang Row row your boat for the baby classes.  Now he hums the beginning of tune on his own.  Aaah-mazing!  It's a wonder to see and hear what toddlers can do when they are still so tiny and vulnerable and when they have just started discovering things on their own.....

Today, we went to the hospital to get one of his vaccinations done.  He cried as soon as he saw the doctor with the stethescope around his neck.  He clamped his teeth down onto the tongue depressor and the doctor had a hard time peering down his throat.  He cried and whined and hollered all the way until the shot.  Fortunately, he always calms down only seconds after the crisis.  It's great that he doesn't keep on whining hours after the shot.

He had a nice hour and a half nap today and even let me have the time to take a cat nap and wash my hair afterward AND prepare his lunch. 

Shosei is generally shy around strangers still, but when he recognizes people, he smiles at them and loves to be given attention.  He likes milk, juice, baby crackers, bananas, noodles, rice, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, salmon, minced chicken/tofu hamburger, salted Korean seaweed, eggs, cheese, and just about any kinds of fruits.

Recently, he is sporting his newest attire: Thomas the tank engine, light blue shoes that his grandparents from Taiwan bought for him.

May

Hello, it's May already.  Shosei is almost 17 months old.  Shosei can do a lot of new things now again.  He is growing up steadily and quickly.  He may have not liked taking showers and getting his face wet when washing his hair, but after doing it everyday, he is getting used to it.  Last night, he pulled up his underwear by himself after Mommy pulled it up to his knees.  He is getting better at playing with puzzles and putting the pieces in the correct spaces.  He can find some of the things with 75 percent accuracy that Mommy asks him to get from the play room.  He can put his hands together when we begin to eat meals and when we finish meals(the Japanese way).  He can drink from a cup using a straw and is trying to get used to drinking straight from the cup.  Earlier this month, his Grandpa came over and spent lots of time reading English books to him.  Shosei now knows that he can sit on one's lap when he wants to be read a book.  But he turns the pages too quickly....He enjoys taking walks outside and likes to point to plants and trees and approach them and touch the leaves or flowers.  And he likes anything that moves...birds, dogs, cats....well, basically, animals.  But he quickly hides behind Mommy's legs when other people approach him.  Shy guy.

Grandpa

Shosei with his cousin, Flat Dexter

Last week, Grandpa came on the airplane from the other side of the ocean.  It was so nice to see him for the first time!  Stellan Shosei immediately recognized his voice because we hear it often through Skype.  In no time, Stellan Shosei was sitting happily on Grandpa's lap and listening to him read a book.  In the week he was staying here, we went to the famous fish market, and even walked along the river to see all the Ohanami picnic goers .  Grandpa was amazed at all the variety of food in the grocery store, and observed T. city as such a busy and large city!  He concluded that he likes the country side after all.  Stellan Shosei can't wait to see him again and sit on Grandpa's lap to listen to all the wonderful books that he brought.

Sick baby is finally getting better

Stellan Shosei got sick with stomach flu last weekend.  We're hopeful that his appetite has returned to normal and some warm milk might give him some comfort before his long naps.  Five days after he got sick, Mommy got some sort of stomach virus.  After one full day of queasiness, the prescribed meds from the doctor seemed to kick in, and she is also going back to normality somehow.  After only eating a liquid diet for a day, it took loads of muscle to pick up an almost 11 kilo baby, but somehow, just being able to hug and cuddle Stellan Shosei, even in the most down times, seem to give Mommy some sort of physical and mental strength. 

A box of storybooks

Some organizing today led me to put a box together to store Shosei's collection of storybooks that were all starting to spill out onto the floor.  Shosei likes to open a book, flip the pages, and look at the pictures, and listen to Mommy or Daddy read a story to him.  During story time for Mommy's English classes, his face always lights up when he sees Mommy bring out a book.  It's hopeful that Shosei will grow up enjoying reading books and learn lots of words from them.  Reading a book or two has become a sort of ritual for him before his bath time every night.  Glad to see Shosei showing an  interest in books at such an early age.

Things Stellan Shosei can do at 14 months

1.  Clap hands
2.  Pretend to talk on the phone
3.  Reach for the box of tissue from the table and tear them to pieces
4.  Eat by himself
5.  Wave bye (with the back of his hand facing the other person)
6.  Put away his plate onto the big adult table without dropping it on the floor.  (reaching from his high chair)
7.  Go to sleep on his own
8.  Climb up onto the couch and get down on his own
9.  Climb into his bumbo chair and sit down
10.  Walk on his own when encouraged or whenever he feels like it.

Yes, Mommy is bragging about what her son can do.

One year and 2 months today!

Hi, it's been a while since I posted in my blog lately.
No, I haven't been sick or anything serious.  I've been eating, sleeping, crying, and doing what most babies my age do by now.  In fact, I'm walking a few steps by myself now!  With the help of the toy that my grandparents in Taiwan gave me, I was able to learn quickly on how to put one foot in front of the other.  I really like that toy!  I go 'round and 'round in circles as I push the bar.

I have a good appetite at every meal.  I love eating udon noodles, bananas, strawberries, spaghetti, taro root, daikon, bread, cereal, baby crackers, salmon, tofu and tomatoes.  I know I should do better, but I don't like much of the green vegetables.  My mom is trying to cook all kinds of variations of vegetables or is trying to sneak in a few spinach pieces in my sandwiches.  But I KNOW when she does that.  How do I do it?  I just know it when something doesn't belong on my tongue!

My mom is teaching a lot of English classes lately and I get to meet a lot different kids.  Some are my age, some are younger, and some are a little older than me.  All in all, I'm getting used to being around other kids and I end up entertaining the adults with my cute smile and quiet nature.

I can clap my hands and pretend to talk on the phone.  I like to roll the color balls across the floor and play with the sliding doors.  More than once, I've gotten my fingers caught in the door when I got carried away playing with it.  I still like to sleep, sleep, sleep!  And I love to rub my face in blankets and towels.  And I love to smell things!  Sniff!  Mmm. Smells good!

Here are some pics from the last two months!  Enjoy!

Walking with the help of the toy!







Multi-tasking: phone and book






Walking by myself!

ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz.  Yes, I like my gray towel!

Yummmm!  I like to eat!

A New Year; An older Shosei

Happy New Year, belatedly.  We are already more than half way through the month of January in this cold part of 2012. 
For the festive highlights, Shosei has celebrated his one year birthday with a strawberry cake(for his parents to eat) and slept soundly through the New Years.  Oh, how he loves to sleep and he can fall asleep on his own without Mommy's help, and in any pretzel position he pleases.  He loves to rub his face in his favorite towel and smell the fresh laundry scent of his blankets.  He walks very well with the help of the couch and walls and furniture.  He can perform many squats, wail like a sea lion, clap his hands and wave his arms excitedly to the sound of music, and likes to turn the pages of his books. 

He eats a hearty meal each time and always rushes to drink his share of warm milk.  He seems healthy, happy, and content(most of the time) everyday.  We are so delighted to see him grow and watch him discover new things in his little world.