Mason Shoma

I like rice a lot, but today I had some furikake on top which made it taste even better! Yum!

Mommy was in the middle of changing me out of my pajamas when I felt the need to start to play. Playtime can’t wait for clothes.

It is too cold to go to the beach, but I still can play in some waves from the comfort of my own home. Daddy made some blanket waves for me to play in. It was a lot of fun and I assume a lot less wet then real waves!

I tried macaroni today. It was pretty good. It had a little more texture than udon, which was nice. I think I like it. But I like everything. Still, it was good!

Mommy accidentally left her purse on the couch and the first thing I did was try to get to it. I have a habit of looking through new things that aren’t mine. Daddy tried to move it out of my reach, but I just took that as a challenge.

I had a rough night last night. Can you tell? The night started off okay, I went to sleep as usual and slept for several hours until my midnight bottle. But then after my bottle I just couldn’t get back to sleep. I cried for a really long time and just couldn’t seem to put myself to sleep. I eventually got to sleep, but it was rough.

Udon in shiitake dashi with bits of shiitake mushrooms. Very tasty! I like the umami flavor!

Mommy made it bouncy and wobbly! It made it hard to climb but it was a lot of fun! It was like I was jumping without jumping!

Yeah, I’m a bit sleepy. But look how pretty my double eyelids make my eyes when I’m sleepy.

I eat lunch before Mommy and Daddy, so when it is their turn to eat I don’t have anyone to play with. I usually play on my own, but sometimes I want to be closer to them so I visit them at the dining table. Sometimes I stand up next to Daddy’s chair begging for food, but I don’t get any. If he’s done eating, he’ll let me sit on his lap. But recently I’ve been exploring the underside of the dining table. The woodwork is amazing! Look at the grain of this wood. Beautiful!

In the blue corner, we have the challenger, weighing in at 10kg, fighting to stay awake, Mason “Showdown” Shoma! Within all four corners, we have the reigning champion, with a perfect record of knockouts, the “Sweet Dreams Sandman” the CRIB!

When I wake up in the middle of the night I really wake up. I toss, I turn, I sit up, I stand up, I move around, and I call out. That can be tiring, so I rest a bit in the corner of my crib before I go back to sleep or increase the volume of my cries to get my midnight bottle.

The couch has become a central part of my life. With all my climbing, a lot of what I do during the day takes place on or around the couch.

When I’m on my own, I climb and explore. There are a bunch of things on the shelf behind the couch that I’m not supposed to touch so Mommy and Daddy use the cushions as a barrier. It doesn’t really work. They don’t know me very well.

The couch can be a place of a lot fun and excitement, usually caused by Daddy tickling me or bouncing me around. It is a ton of fun, but very exhausting.

The couch can also be a place of calm. I can sit and just have some quiet time. It is so comfortable and peaceful.

Look at how big I’ve gotten! I can barely fit in Daddy’s arms anymore. Daddy has promised me that he will always hold me and carry me when I need it. I hope that is true, but I think Daddy is going to have to keep growing to be able to keep that promise. When I was one month old I could believe he could carry me forever!

But now…I’m not so sure.

I’m a big boy now and don’t have to be carried everywhere we go. I sometimes will sit in the strollers or shopping card seas that are at the store where we are shopping. I like it more than the carrier because I have more freedom of movement and can see a lot more. The only thing is that when I’m sleepy and need a nap, like I did today, Mommy or Daddy has to carry me. So I made it to the frozen food section of Costco before I was put in the carrier. Then I had my usual 25-30 minute nap and then it was lunch time.

No, unfortunately I did not get to eat the Costco hot dogs that I keep hearing so much about, but Mommy and Daddy did as they always do. One day, Costco hot dog, you’ll be mine. I ate the lunch that Mommy packed for me. I had mushrooms for the first time. They were pretty tasty.

While eating, I kept staring at the group of shoppers sitting to my left. This often happens when we go out. I see new people and just stare at them. If they notice me, they usually smile or wave, and I still just stare at them, probably making them feel uncomfortable.

Now that it is so easy for me to get up on the couch all on my own, I sometimes lounge and relax there. But only for a minute. Then I’m up and about again, exploring and climbing.

I have a new stepping stool. It helps me get to things that are just out of my reach. But it is not as stable as I’d like. It is rounded at the edges, soft in certain parts, and cries out in pain sometimes. Oh, did I forget to mention that my step stool is Daddy?

Look who is 9 months old! That is 3/4 years old! Wow! Time is really flying by.

This past month has been a month of improvement instead of breakthroughs. I’m crawling faster, standing easier, climbing higher, and just doing everything better. I’m very active during the day exploring the house and climbing everything in sight. Sometimes that activity leads to a good night’s sleep where I fall asleep easier and faster and sleep longer. Some nights I’ve slept about 7 hours straight. Other times, my activity actually makes it harder for me to fall asleep and causes me to wake up earlier after only about 4 hours. But overall, my sleep has been better.

I’m very chatty these days. My vocabulary is limited to variations of “mama” and “uma”. Sometimes “mama” means Mommy, but since it is one of the two words I can say, it often means other things as well. I like to tell Mommy and Daddy things, and they try to understand as best as they can and usually get it right. I also like to insert myself into their conversations, chiming in with my own two cents, usually in the form of “mama” or “uma”. I not only talk, but I’m also a good listener, often responding with “un”, the Japanese form of “uh huh / go on / I see / hmmm”. So there is more communication around the house which is a good thing. Mommy and Daddy are even adding sign language into the mix of English and Japanese spoken at home. I’m not able to sign back yet, but I’m getting the general idea of messages when spoken words and sign language are mixed together. I’m quite familiar with questions about hunger or sleepiness. I answer one question with excitement and the other with cries, you can probably guess which is which.

My appetite has never been a worry for me and I’m doing good eating all my meals. Mommy and Daddy don’t know for sure if I have ever been full because I have never refused food. I eat what I’m served and never overindulge in food or eat until I’m ill. It is no secret that I’m a good eater but I’m not obese or overweight. I’m still a very healthy baby boy!

As I approach my first birthday, I wonder what other things I’ll accomplish before the big 1.