We went to a tonkatsu restaurant today where you grind your own sesame seeds to add to the sauce. I helped with the grinding so I felt obligated to do a taste quality check. I wanted to be very thorough so I had a lot of tastes.
Don’t worry, it didn’t fill me up. I was still able to finish my meal. I had a cute doggy shaped curry plate.
I was sleep trained a long time ago and have been sleeping on my own for more than a year and a half, but recently I don’t like going to bed. These days I am put down to bed without incident, but once the door closes I feel very lonely and start crying. At first, I would cry and it would take me a longer time to get to sleep, but eventually I would fall asleep. Recently, my crying got worse and I would work myself up to a near panic. Then there was the night when I first climbed out of the crib.
After Mommy and Daddy said goodnight and closed the door, I started crying immediately. The next thing they know, they heard a sound and then I was opening the door to the bedroom. They don’t know how I got out, but were very surprised that I did. After calming me down, they eventually got me back in the crib and back to sleep.
But I learned that there was a way to escape the crib, so I did it another night. And then another night. One time Daddy saw me climbing out on the baby monitor and rushed into the room to catch me before I fell. Because of my escape ability, we have decided to let me sleep in the bed. It is safer than me climbing out and possibly falling and hurting something. We only have a few days until we leave for Hawaii, so we’ll have to figure out a permanent sleeping arrangement at some point. But for now, I need to get to sleep safely and the best way is in bed with Mommy and Daddy lying down with me. I have a feeling we’re going to have to go through sleep training again.
Mommy and Daddy have always helped me eat and drink things so sometimes I try to return the favor. Mommy was drinking from a bottle (beer bottle) today so I decided to give her a hand and help drink. But I don’t have all day so I pretty much tried to pour the entire bottle down her throat in one go.
Daddy and I find a lot of fun ways to play. A lot of it involves roughhousing and imagination. And that often involves a lot of copying.
But sometimes we play by practicing practical skills. Today Daddy taught me how to do dogeza (traditional Japanese kneeling bow). It is usually used when apologizing or asking for something. It might come in handy.
I’m growing up very fast (but not as fast as it appears). Of course, I am growing a lot. I’ve grown about 7 cm (2 3/4 in.) in half a year. But I think Mommy and Daddy think I’ve sprouted a lot more than I really have. Mommy and Daddy keep saying that I’ve grown in the last week or so and when they check they see that I’m about the same. Maybe I’m not getting taller, but just slimmer.
Recently my chopsticks have become my utensil of choice. If it is not soup or something, I often prefer to eat with chopsticks (with some assistance from my fingers). When Mommy and Daddy ask if I want chopsticks or a fork I will say “chopsstix”.
It was another hot (37°C or 98.6°F) and humid day so we played inside instead of going for our daily walk. But even indoors we get a lot of exercise and have a lot of fun. Today our teachers made mountains out of gym mats and we had fun climbing them!
For some reason I felt like marching on the couch while saying “baboo” which is the sound a baby makes in Japan, something like “goo goo gaa gaa”. Why? I can’t say. But I can say that I had fun!
No, I did not take a shower yet. That is just sweat. It was a hot day and I got all sweaty on our walk home from school. And then I played around a bit. And I eat with such gusto that I end up in a sweat. So even though I haven’t taken a bath yet and the AC is on and cooling the room, I’m a sweaty boy when eating dinner sometimes.
It has been so hot this summer that there are many days when we don’t go for our walk. It is just too hot even in the morning. Some days we all ride in strollers and buggies to go outside but don’t walk in order to not get heatstroke or anything. These strollers are really looking to small for us these days.
Have you ever noticed that things sometimes taste better in a different cup? If you haven’t, you should try it. I was thirsty this morning and my other cups were either being washed or had something else in it, so I got some water in a Zaq cup. Boy did that water taste good! Maybe only this time because it was the first time I used the cup, but I was a good way to start the day off hydrated.
Mommy and Daddy are starting to get ready for our trip to Kauai and in the process they are packing my airplane bag with toys and activities for me. Once I saw the sticker book go into the carry-on bag I just had to play with it.
I like all fruits, and grapes have been my recent favorite. But they might be unseated as champion by the case of peaches that we got at the buffet last weekend. I’m really loving these peaches!
We had pool day at school today! It is supposed to be a lot of fun, but not so much for a stubborn boy like me. We are supposed to wear swimming caps to play in the pool and I refused to wear mine. Even though my teachers patiently and gently explained that I wouldn’t be able to go in the pool unless I wear it, I was fine with playing outside the pool. I’m that stubborn. They managed to get it on my head for a second but I quickly removed it. It is okay. I already play in the pool a lot at home. And Daddy is not here to splash in the water with me so it is not the same.
It was another scorching day where it was too hot to go outside. So we played inside today. We played with rice noodles today. I know we are not supposed to play with food, but today it was okay because we were exploring and experiencing the texture of the rice noodles. They were very soft and slimy. Even though I know it is food, I made sure not to eat any of them.
I like piggy back rides, but I’m still a bit small for them. My legs aren’t long enough for Daddy to hold me by them in the front and I’m not quite tall enough to get my arms up around his neck. So I’m always riding kind of low, which can limit my view and makes it harder for Daddy to carry me.
I like all books. Even my first baby books. Sure, I’m really into story books and pictorial books with a lot of cars and trains, but every so often I return to my baby books and flip through them.
Fascinating. No matter how many times I see the capsule sponges expand, it never gets old.
I had one of the peaches that we won at bingo last night and it was oh so good! Even after eating dinner and a peach for dessert I went in search of more peaches.
There was a summer festival near our house so I got changed into my jimbei again and we went to check it out. It was more like a traditional festival with a lot of food and game stalls. There was so much to see. It was right before dinner so we didn’t wan’t to eat too much so I got a snow cone again and Mommy got a candy apple. I had a taste or two of her candy apple. It was very sweet and delicious!
While walking around I noticed that a lot of kids had these pull-along inflatable dogs. I wanted one and asked Mommy and Daddy. They said okay, but only if we could find the place that sold them. We looked and looked and couldn’t find a stall that was selling them. Then near the very end of the row of stalls there was a one that was not only selling inflatable animals but also inflatable cars. They even had an ambulance! I had to have it. I asked nicely and Mommy and Daddy got it for me. I absolutely love it!
(Note: I ended up bringing the ambulance to the bath with me)