Grandma and Grandpa morning

Grandma and Grandpa took care of me this morning. They heard me crying and came in to check on me. I was happy to see them and let them take me out, feed me, and get me ready for the morning. They came in to check on me in the morning yesterday as well, and I was ready to go with them but then I spotted Mommy who had also gotten up and went to her instead. But today, it was all Grandma and Grandpa! This gave Mommy and Daddy a chance to sleep in a bit.

I guess that shows that I have completely gotten used to Grandma and Grandpa and to being here in Hawaii! I surprised everyone by interacting with Grandma and Grandpa early on, to some extent from my first day here. I think that our weekly FaceTime sessions since I have been born helped me grow up with them in my life. Even though their faces were 2D in FaceTime, their voices are unchanged and it helped me feel comfortable around them!

So we had a tearless morning! They did a good job of taking care of me! Mason approved!

Poi

I had poi for the first time today! (Poi is a traditional Hawaiian staple made from mashing up taro and mixing it with some water). I was a bit suspicious at first because the color is not very appetizing and I heard that Mommy was not a big fan of it. But after trying it, I thought it wasn’t half bad. Maybe I’ll have some more some other time. Today was good for a taste.

Big pool

Grandma and Grandpa got a new pool just for me! Well, apparently the old one had sprung a leak, so it was time to get a new one anyway. I actually helped pick it out when we went shopping. It was SO big! At least four times bigger than the pool I have at home. Still, I didn’t know what to do with all that space so I pretty much just sat in one spot and splashed the water like I do at home.

It took me some time to get used to the new pool. For one, the water was a bit cold. (Later on Daddy added some hot water to warm it up.) It was also very intimidating since it was so big!

But after some coaxing and some splashing, I started to get used to it. Also, Grandpa had got me these awesome turtle bath toys that came to the pool to play with me. I was really happy about that and eventually had a ball in the pool!

Grandma and Grandpa’s Chairs

Grandma and Grandpa have these really comfy chairs that I quickly claimed as my own. I even pushed Daddy off a couple of times when he tried to sit there. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa are allowed to sit there.

One of the first games I played with Grandma and Grandpa was on these chairs. We played peekaboo a lot! It was kind of a continuation of the peekaboo that I was playing with Grandma when shopping yesterday. I was sitting in the shopping cart and Daddy was pushing me, and all the while Grandma was behind him playing peekaboo with me. Since it is only my second day with them in real life, I’m more comfortable playing with a little distance between us. Peekaboo is perfect and so much fun!

These chairs are also good for spinning!

But they can also be a bit dangerous. I took a spill when Grandma was spinning me one time. I was fine and did not even cry. I was a bit surprised but bounce back right away. Luckily I know how to tuck and roll when I take a spill.

New surface

Most of Grandma and Grandpa’s house is covered with carpet, which is a new thing for me, but I quite like it. It is soft, cushiony, has good traction, and not sticky on my feet like hard floors can be. It’s pretty good for a baby like me trying to learn how to walk. It is very forgiving when I take spills.

However, there are some areas that are hard floors and although the floor at home in Japan is all hardwood flooring, I was quite suspicious of it. While I was plopped down on the carpet from the very beginning, I was given the option to tread the hard floors at my own pace. I was hesitant at first, but once I got the courage to cross it once, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It had a different feel to it than the floors at home and even a different sound. So far I have limited myself to the family room and a little bit of the living room, but I have a feeling I’ll be exploring the entire house soon enough.

New car and truck

Grandma and Grandpa got me a new car and truck! They gave me the firetruck yesterday at the airport and the police car today. They are so cool! Not only do the roll really smoothly and of cool people sitting in them, but they both have very realistic sirens. I immediately loved playing with them! It was a challenge trying to push the button to operate the siren, but I eventually was able to push the button on my own. I learned that I had to hold the car and truck steady to push the button. I’m sure the grownups are eventually going to regret teaching me how to turn on a very loud siren.

Piano prodigy(?)

I really like Grandma and Grandpa’s piano! I had so much fun playing with it yesterday that I found it again and decided that I should practice some more. I haven’t quite figured it all out, but I know that it is better to plunk the keys with my fingers and not pound on it with my hands like most babies do. Grandma and Grandpa were very impressed by my nimble fingers dancing on the keys, even though it was not a real song.

While playing on the piano Grandpa thought I might like his toy drone so he flew it into the room. Surprisingly, I did not like it. It was just too new! It floated in the air and I wasn’t used to it. Maybe after some time I’ll learn to love it. But today it was not for me.

Dollhouse

After lunch I was in a really good mood and started exploring the house a little more. I found a dollhouse next to the piano and immediately started playing with it. Even though I never played with a dollhouse before I knew exactly what to do. It was a lot of fun putting the people in all the different rooms, and even on the roof!

Priority Number One: Food

Today will be my first full day on Kauai, so it is the first time Grandma and Grandpa will see my full day routine first hand. So priority number one is food. If I’m fed, I’m happy. I ate all my breakfast today: Hawaiian sweet bread, apple banana, and yogurt. It looks like we are off to a good start.

I also like one of my new chairs. (Well, not new. Borrowed. But new for me). I conducted my safety inspection of the buckles. It passed my test.

Long day and long night

Good morning! Boy, what a long night. This jet lag thing is pretty tough. But I surprised everyone by having considerably good sleep. It was a totally different room and crib, yet I went to sleep fairly quickly, less than 15 minutes. But after about an hour I woke up. My clock was all messed up. It took me about an hour to get to sleep again. I was awake but not quite awake. I stood up, sat down, lied down, stood up again, and toss and turned a lot! It was not easy, but I got myself to sleep again all by myself. I woke up a few more times during the night but was always able to get myself back to sleep. I guess the sleep training really paid off. A lot of people were worried about how I would handle the jet lag, but I think I handled it quite well. I had a 13 hour sleep (minus the times I woke up) and that might be my record for longest night’s sleep. I usually average only about 10 hours. Sure, I might be sleepy or a little cranky today, but I think I have adjusted to the new time zone. Okay, now I’m ready to have some fun!

Second Airplane Ride

I was very excited about my second airplane ride. I loved the first one so I thought that second one would be just as good if not better. I was staring outside the window for a very long time, enjoying the new view and experience.

After all the excitement of taking off, we moved seats so that we could have more space. Soon after the food service began and dinner was delivered. I was given a full adult meal and was very happy. I ate a lot and enjoyed it!

The meal recharged me, or more like overcharged me and I became very hyper! It seemed like I would never get to sleep.

And then somehow, a few minutes after my hyper activity I crashed on Mommy and ended up like this.

I woke up a few times during the night. I had a hard time getting comfortable. Daddy tried to carry me and put me back to sleep, but it didn’t work. But when I went back to Mommy I fell asleep easily. Eventually, I found a comfortable spot on Mommy and off to the side of her and had a longer stretch of sleep. I slept much better than I expected I would.

I woke up when breakfast was being served and so I went from sleep to eating right away. So I was in a pretty good mood. I ate a couple packs of yogurt and the fruit and I was good!

After breakfast all I had to do was wait for the airplane to land. I think I had a pretty good flight, even though it was nearly 8 hours long. I didn’t cry very much, and I didn’t even fuss. I ate when it was time to eat and I slept when it was time to sleep. The rest of the time Mommy and Daddy played with me and entertained me. Overall, no problem. Dare I say that I’m a good flyer?

Meeting up with Ojichan and dealing with airline ticketing

We had a bit of a layover in Tokyo and Ojichan came all the way to the airport just to see us (mainly me). It was nice to see him and I didn’t cry this time!

Because of some ticketing mixup, we spent our whole layover in line and at the check-in counter and didn’t have much time with Ojichan, but it was good that he was there. He helped out and tried to keep me entertain while we worked out the ticketing problem.

We were hoping to relax either at a restaurant or at the gate, but because we didn’t have that time I ended up eating my dinner in the line to the check-in counter. Daddy held me in my carrier, Mommy spooned my baby food to me, and they push our luggage along. It was the only choice they had since it was past my dinner time and I was starting to get fussy out of hunger. I was much better after I had some food in me.

After we (kind of) worked out the ticketing problem we were rushed off to the gate. We had a very brief goodbye with Ojichan as the airline staff whisked us through the security check and then escorted us all the way to the gate. We were pretty much the last passengers on the airplane, but the main thing is that we boarded safely.

I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was a very good boy and considerably patient. I think I’m going to be a very good traveler.

Grandpa carry (Hawaii)

I kind of surprised everyone and let Grandpa carry me only a few hours after meeting him. I finished my snack and was in a pretty good mood when Grandpa took a chance and came over to me holding his hands out. When I saw this, I held my hands out as well and he picked me up. Maybe it is because he reminds me of Daddy or because Grandma and Grandpa let me take some time to get used to everything, but I went to him happily!

He then took me on a mini tour of the house, showing me the living room and piano. I took to the piano right away. Grandpa expected me to pound on the keys with open palms like most babies do, but I surprised him by plunking individual keys with my tiny fingers. I feel that this is the first of many surprised that I have in store for everyone.