I’m continuing to have a hard time dealing with my emotions. If something happens that I don’t like or if something doesn’t turn out as I expect, I get very upset and then start to spiral into a tantrum. Once I start spiraling I usually can’t find my way out no matter how much Mommy and Daddy try to help me. When I have my tantrums I can be quite mean. I hit and sometimes spit. (I don’t know where I learned to do that.) And I am mean with my words too. Recently, when I’m mad at Daddy I tell him to go to work. I really don’t want him to go to work, but when I am angry and sad there is a part of me that wants other people to be sad too, so I use hurtful words.
I’m trying to be better, but it will take time for me to understand and control all these different emotions in me and accept the fact that I can’t always get my way.
It was a tough and long week. After being sick at the beginning to having to get used to a new school, I was really looking forward to the weekend so that I could relax and have fun.
When I’m not playing with my cars, I’m usually reading about them, or thinking about them. Here I’m perusing a Tomica catalog while singing an Anpanman song in a gravelly voice, just because.
I discovered some earbuds and pretended to be enjoying my music privately.
Then I had some iPad time.
I played outside with my Mercedes a d bit. I like to play delivery truck a lot and I had realized that the delivery trucks in Japan always tuck some wheel chocks under the wheels when they make deliveries. Daddy made me some wheel chocks out of the wood that kamaboko comes on. They worked quite well.
After dinner we went for a walk around the block. It was nice evening and we were all quite happy.
On our walk we passed by my new school. It looked different in the evening.
I’m getting more and more used to my new school everyday. Today I stayed until nap time and snack time. I think I’m about ready to stay for the full day soon.
One big difference between my old school and new school is that the new school doesn’t have as much communication with the parents. My old school wrote messages to Mommy and Daddy everyday about my school day including how much food I ate, what activities we did, and trouble I may have had. They also had a blog where Mommy and Daddy could read about and see pictures of our day. At me new school they have to rely on me for what happened during the day and I don’t have the best recollection about some things. I have been able to share the important things I did like what I played with and who I played with, but for the life of me I can’t remember what I had for lunch.
After I got home I got right to making my creations. I got a Lego tow truck for Christmas, but I added an upgrade to it. When Daddy and I were learning about to trucks we learned that there are these wheel dollies that can be slipped under the back tires of a car that is not in neutral or where the tires can’t be run on. So I made my own wheel dolly to add to my tow truck. Pretty neat, yeah?
I went to school school without problem or argument today. There was no mention of not wanting to go to school and no selfishness or mean comments. I was a very good boy. Maybe you could say that I was an overly good boy in order to make up for how I acted last night. I was nice, sweet, and all smiles today.
I got to school without problem and did my morning routine. I am already getting the hang of this. I gave Mommy and Daddy a big hug goodbye and I joined my classmates. Very smooth and easy, as if I’ve been doing this all along.
Obachan picked me up after lunch because when I was asked if I wanted to stay for nap time, I elected not to. When she picked me up I asked her to take me to YouMe Town. The thing is that yesterday I asked her to take me to YouMe Town, but she said maybe tomorrow. Well, today was yesterday’s tomorrow so we walked to YouMe Town. I charmed her into buying me some new Tomica and then we walked all the way back home.
Daddy was home when we got there. He has an option to work from home and wanted to make sure that Obachan and I were getting along. Daddy couldn’t be home yesterday because he had a meeting with a client.
Obachan and I had a fun time playing together. We ended up watching TV together and then I ended up falling asleep. It was a long busy day for me and I was quite tired from yesterday too. I slept all the way up until dinner time.
Tomorrow I’m going to try to stay for nap and snack. Obachan will pick me up after then. I’m getting used to my new school daily life very quickly. I’m sure that I’ll be staying for the full day very soon.
Today was my first day at my new preschool. Everything started out fine. I woke up, ate breakfast, got dressed and go ready without any issues. But then a few minutes before I started to feel anxious and started to say, “I’m not going to school.” Daddy took me aside and talked to me. He told me it was okay to be worried and okay to be a little scared. But he knew I was a brave strong boy who could do anything. He told me that new things can be scary at first but can end up being something we really enjoy. He reminded me that my first few days at Akarinoko nursery school were hard and that I cried almost every day. I was not even one, so I don’t remember that, but the point was that I ended up loving my time there. After expressing my feelings to Daddy and talking it out with him, I felt a little better and a little braver. I made it to school with a smile on my face.
There were some new things to get used to, like changing from my outdoor shoes to indoor shoes. (At my previous school I would just take off my shoes and socks and spend the day barefoot indoors.) My cubby hole was in my own classroom instead of at the entrance, so we had to go upstairs and put my stuff and bag away. I have to learn where everything goes. Then we gather in one of the classrooms while waiting for everyone to arrive at school.
Everything went smoothly and I gave Mommy and Daddy a goodbye hug and joined the other students. I had a slightly nervous smile on my face, but there were no tears.
I spent the morning at school and it went better than I expected. There was a moment where I was feeling lonely and started crying and asking for Mommy. But my teachers were there to comfort me and I ended up being okay.
Obachan came to pick me up and took me home and we had a fun rest of the day.
Mommy came home and we had dinner and I played a bit. So everything was going well.
Mommy and I were watching TV on the couch when Daddy came home. He had a long day and was still not fully recovered from the stomach bug that he had got from me. He wanted to watch TV with us while eating dinner so he sat in my chair at the dining table. I didn’t like that. I turned very bossy and selfish and would not let him sit in my chair. So Daddy moved my chair out of the way and sat in his chair at an angle where he could watch TV with us. I got more mad. Then I went into full out-of-control tantrum.
I wouldn’t listen to anything he or Mommy said. I wouldn’t do a timeout, I wouldn’t listen, and I would calm down. I was upset about one thing so I became upset about everything. Mommy and Daddy tried talking to me and tried to help me calm down, but I did not budge. I was asked if I wanted to talk, some space, or a hug and I responded with mean comments and crying.
Soon it was time for my bath and I refused and kept crying, yelling, being selfish and being mean. In the end Daddy literally dragged me to the bath. I wouldn’t take off my clothes and when Daddy tried to help me take it off I would pull it back on. It was late, Daddy was tired and still sick, and still hadn’t eaten dinner. So he was at the end of his rope. He just put me in the tub and bathed me with my clothes on. I was shocked but couldn’t do much about it. Eventually he got my clothes off and was able to bathe me, but I did not make it easy.
When we were done I refused to get out of the tub so once again Daddy had to physically remove me from the tub. But now I wouldn’t put my pajamas on. I was stuck in my tantrum and stubborn mode. I was mean. I said mean things. I told Daddy to go to work. I even hit him. I wouldn’t take a timeout so my toys were put on timeout. I wouldn’t listen and I was being violent so Daddy took me to the bedroom. I was still crying, yelling, and being mean, when Daddy started taking notes on his phone, explaining the situation. He wasn’t saying it to me, so that gave me a chance to thin about it and take an outside view. I realized how badly I was behaving and I calmed down immediately. I agreed to take a timeout and did so really well. I was back to my normal self.
I was able to get ready for bed and go to bed peacefully after apologizing and getting a lot of hugs from Mommy and Daddy. I’m not making excuses, but I think the pressure and anxiety of starting at a new school was a bit much for me to handle. Still, that is no reason to hit and be mean. I am a very good boy, but when I have my tantrums I sometimes just forget that. I know I will get better at regulating my temper and emotions, but it will just take time. Mommy and Daddy remind me that they will always be there to help me and they always love me no matter what. Despite what I might say when angry, I love them always too!
Today I start at my new preschool. I have been prepared for this so I was ready. I woke up and ate my breakfast and did my business. I even got dressed in my school clothes without problem. Today was just a Welcome Ceremony so it was only an hour or so. Nothing to be afraid of.
Mommy and I got to school without problem. Daddy saw us off, but because of limited seating, he did not join the ceremony. (Also, he caught my stomach bug and was not feeling too good.)
The ceremony went fine and I was quite well behaved. But then Mommy had to talk to the teachers and learn about the daily routine and all the things that we had to do. It took a while and I started getting impatient. I hope a real school day is not like this because it was not very fun. I just had to wait around.
All in all my first experience at my new school went okay. I could have been more patient, but I didn’t cause too much of a fuss. Mommy and I headed home.
Mommy took a half day off to take me to the ceremony but had to go to work after lunch. Daddy took the whole day off and stayed home to watch me in the afternoon. But because of the stomach bug he was pretty much out of commission. He played with me as much as he could, but had to run to the bathroom a lot. And even when playing with me, he was pretty much couch-bound. Still, I had a good time talking with him, playing with him, and watching TV with him. I was very understanding of Daddy’s condition and did not make a fuss when he said that he couldn’t take me to the park or outside.
So the new school year started off well and I think I can look forward to some good times at my new school. It is nice that it is closer to home and I don’t have to walk as far. I guess that means I won’t be asking to be carried as much. I’m sure there will be some tough times and maybe even some sad times, but I know I will be fine and I know that Mommy and Daddy will always be there to support and help me.
Tomorrow is my first school day at the new school, but it will only be a half day for us new students getting used to the school. I hope I do well!
2025/03/24: Daddy picked me up from school today and we had a nice long conversation that covered so many things. We talked about gummy bears, different cars, the moon, and other observations.
2025/03/31: Another nice long conversation with Daddy after he picked me up from school. It was my last day at my nursery school. I will start a new nursery school next month. The new school is much closer to home so I don’t think I will be able to have these nice long conversations with Daddy while walking home.
I made it to school today! No vomiting or any other problems. I was able to eat breakfast this morning, although not as much as I usually do. Still, it was enough to give me energy to go to school.
I had a nice day at school and enjoyed my final hours with my classmates and teachers. But after my nap I woke up with a slight fever and I had diarrhea. My teachers were concerned because last week Friday one of my classmates had a very contagious stomach bug. That explained my stomach bug over the weekend. I was still in a really good mood, but just to be safe they thought it would be best for me to go home early. Daddy came to pick me up.
What a difference three years makes!
Thank you Akarinoko and all the wonderful teachers for taking care of me these three years and helping nurture and raise me. You taught me a lot and helped me grow and develop and my own pace. You always excepted me for who I was and cared for me in a way that was fitting for who I was. I cannot count the things you taught me and the ways you helped me reach different milestones. You played a very important role in my growth and I will always be very grateful! I will miss you, but we all knew that I wouldn’t be here forever. Thanks to you I am ready to face the next chapter in schooling in my life!
Boy was last night rough. In the middle of the night I threw up in bed. It was surprising and I kind of woke myself up vomiting. I didn’t cry or anything. I was just very surprised and confused. Mommy and Daddy cleaned me up but I just kept throwing up. What a mess it made.
Update: At first we thought I ate too much or got a bit of food poisoning, but later we found out from the school that a classmate had a stomach bug last Friday and that was probably what I caught.
I cleared out my tummy enough to go back to sleep. Daddy and Mommy cleaned everything up and we slept with the bucket nearby just in case.
When I woke up today I was still not feeling good. Whenever I tried to eat some food or even drink some liquids it just came right back up. I was still not crying or anything. I was just confused and a little tired of not being able to keep anything down. I spent nearly the entire day sleeping because there was little else that I had the energy to do. I couldn’t even watch TV because my eyes were so fatigued.
In the late afternoon I stopped throwing up and was able to keep some food down. I mainly ate apples and bananas. I was weak and exhausted from the throwing up and not eating, but I was a very good boy. Mommy and Daddy felt so sorry for me.
At bedtime I was happy to see that we got new sheets! (Daddy just threw away the old ones instead of trying to wash the vomit out of it.) It was nice, new, clean and PINK! I think this will help me get a good night of rest. I will need it because tomorrow is my last day of school at Akarinoko Nursery School.
After waking up from dozing on the way home from the park, I wanted to play right away. So without even setting foot in the house I started to play with my Mercedes. Then I wanted to practice riding my Strider. Then I wanted to do both.
After playing for some time outside, we headed out to dinner. We caught the bus and went to eat yakitori. We had a great time, but I did not eat as much as I usually would. Maybe it was because I was still full from the three Spam musubi I had for lunch and ice cream I had for snack. Either way, it was still a lot of fun.
Even though it was a little bit far, we walked home.
It was a day full of fun and I was very tired. I need a good night’s rest.
We went to Umi no Nakamichi for our annual Hanami (cherry blossom viewing). We go every year. When Mommy and Daddy had a final staycation before I was born and took pictures among the cherry blossoms. Since then we have made a trip back every year to track my growth.
This year I once again rode in the wagon instead of walking or using a stroller. When you are going to have a picnic this is the best way to travel.
I was big enough to pull the wagon this year so I took the opportunity to haul it around when every I could (and when all the stuff was unloaded from it). It was a lot of fun driving the wagon.
Daddy packed a lunch for us and the main dish was of course Spam musubi. I had three whole Spam musubi along with other food. It was a very yummy picnic!
After I finished eating I went off to play with the wagon again while Mommy and Daddy kept eating.
We then of course had to take our obligatory cherry blossom pictures.
Then we headed off to the playground and I was more than happy to pull the wagon.
At the playground I was very excited to go down the big roller slide again.
And again.
And again.
I explored other parts of the playground too, but the big roller slide was my favorite.
After all that it was snack time! We stopped by the park cafe and I got a nemophila ice cream. Nemophila are these pretty baby blue flowers, often referred to as “baby blue eyes”, that grow in the park. It was a strange color ice cream but tasted very good! I couldn’t eat all of it, especially after my three Spam musubis at lunch, but I ate a good amount.
After that we headed home and I dozed off. It was quite an exciting day.
There always seems to be traffic jams in the living room. I don’t know if it is poor city design or lack of clear traffic signs, or simply because I like the chaos of traffic problems. The problem is ongoing.
We had our evacuation drill today and we all did a good job of evacuating the building and we were supposed to then go for our walk, but it was raining. Luckily, after a bit it lightend up so we were able to take a short walk to the prefectural office.
I made a train while waiting for Mommy to pick me up from school today. I like it at the end of the day because a lot of my classmates are picked up earlier than me so I have a lot of time to myself to play with the toys I want to play with without having to share.
Just a short break outside before we head to school.
At the park today we played cops and robbers and played in the sand.
We also visited the train station and checked out the green grocers.
Today’s New Block car creation.
I helped Mommy cook dinner tonight with my new kids’ kitchen knife. I am very good at cutting and made sure to protect my fingers. I made the salad!
I had to get a followup vaccination shot this morning so I didn’t go to school right away. I made sure to see Daddy off with a smile. When the hospital opened I got my vaccination without any problem. I was a very brave boy. Then I headed to school.
We had our final gymnastics class today. I started off to be very hesitant about participating in gymnastics but ended up enjoying it a lot. It just took me a long time to warm up to everything. Once I started participating I picked up everything fairly quickly despite being an observer most of the time. I don’t think my new school will have gymnastics class so I think I will miss it.
Today our teachers set up an obstacle course for us in school where we had tunnels to crawl through and mountains to climb. We sure worked up a sweat.
Today was not as warm as yesterday, but it still is starting to feel more like spring. We spent the morning playing indoors. I made a street sweeper with Lego.
I wanted sandwiches for lunch so Daddy offered to take us to a restaurant for lunch. But when we got there I threw a tantrum over a very small insignificant thing. I wanted to look at a map for the less than 5 minute drive and forgot to do so. I hadn’t realized it until we parked at the restaurant and then I wanted Daddy to turn around and start all over again just so that I could look at our movement on the map. I was so stubborn that we almost headed back home. But after talking to Mommy and Daddy I was able to calm down and then enjoy a nice lunch.
At home I was putting together some puzzles and wanted to record my accomplishments so I took a bunch of pictures of all the different puzzle shapes that I made.
In the afternoon we went back to the park. Knowing how much I like GPS maps, Daddy got his old phone and attached it to my Mercedes so that I could drive using a map like Daddy does. It was so cool! But sometimes I was too focused on the map and was not watching the road and nearly crashed. I have to remember to keep my eyes on the road.
Today was such a nice day that Daddy decided to wash the car. I offered to help. I did a really good job of shooting the car with the hose and washing certain parts of the car. Daddy washed the parts I missed. We ended up with a very clean car!
We also made some rainbows! I had been wanting to see rainbows like forever. The weather was never just right for rainbows. Luckily today was sunny enough to make some pretty rainbows with the water hose.
And of course, while we are washing cars, I decided to give my Mercedes a wash as well.
We also played indoors a bit.
But it was such a nice day that after some grocery shopping we hung out outside for our snack.
Then we headed to the park. I drove my Mercedes and made sure that it didn’t roll away when I parked it by using some rocks as wheel chocks.
We had some new babies join our school today. I welcomed them and made sure they felt safe in our nursery school. I know it can be a bit scary at first. But I was there to take care of them.
We had our last English lesson today. We have enjoyed this year of learning English and having so much fun with Oliver-sensei.
I showed Mommy and couple of my creations when she came to pick me up. I was trying to make my name, but I couldn’t find all the right letters. It ended up pretty close.
At home I played with another new set of Tomica cards that Daddy got me. It was similar to karuta but this time we had to match the halves together. I again was the winner! I just found all the matching parts so quickly! It was hard for Mommy because she couldn’t tell the difference between some of the cars. Sure, there are three different fire trucks, but they are all so different.
We went out to dinner with some of Daddy’s friends from Hawaii and I was very well behaved. I ate very well, but also very fast. Good thing I brought some cars to play with.
On the way home I checked out our route on the map. I love looking at maps these days!
When we got home I got to play with the new Tomica karuta set that Daddy got for me. I was super fast at finding the cards. I left Mommy and Daddy in the dust.
