05.01.08
That time of year again…
When we drag out big things that are a pain to set up and maintain.
This year, however, we aren`t going to battle with the horrific winds in the back yard and have decided to just do the indoor display.
04.21.08
Speech - progress. Serious progress.
After no more than a week attending full day kindergarten… Motoki is actually showing real and major progress in the speech department.
He will now nod or shake his head in reply. He can tell the difference between big and small. (It sounds like something minor, but one of the diagnoses actually hinged on the fact that he couldn`t identify big or small.) Not only can he tell the difference now, but he actually says ちっちゃ - something along the lines of “tiny” - in reference to small things. He now says train, and joyfully points them out. A new one just last night was ねんね, which is a sort of childish way of saying sleep. He didn`t just say it, he said it and imitated sleeping… And also used it when it was actually time for bed. There are quite a few more… And doubtless others that I`m forgetting at the moment.
And all over the course of this single week.
He is trying to say countless other words, and is attempting to imitate me when I tell him the names of things. I really hope that things continue on at this sort of pace!
Really, kindergarten is amazing.
お弁当
At Motoki`s kindergarten, Monday through Wednesday a hot lunch box is delivered by a local nutrition company. On Thursday, they make a big lunch - think soup, curry, spaghetti, etc - at the school.
And on Friday, everyone brings a lunch from home.
Last Friday was the first time I`d actually made Motoki a lunch and sent it elsewhere with him. We`ve done practice at home, and taken one to the park, but it was never this… serious.
I think that having to spend a lot of time on making a beautiful little lunch everyday would drive me crazy. But on the other hand, never making one would be a bit depressing. It`s sort of one of those things that feel like a motherhood rite of passage.
Once a week manages to almost feel fun!
It looks much larger than it really is. That egg is a quail egg. The box itself is 13×9cm (5×3.5in).
He ate everything but the little clam patty… Which was a shock as he had eaten 4 of them at dinner 2 nights before.
04.16.08
Motoki`s Smock
I realized that I had yet to get around to posting this.
This is the smock which I spent an unhealthy amount of time making. Well, not making - decorating. The blue smock itself was ready-made, part of the uniform. Anything not blue is added by me. The back didn`t consume nearly as much time as the front… Decorating pockets that are already sewn on to something is not fun.
Waiting for the Bus.
Ready to head out the door, in full uniform with bag and water bottle.
So far, things are going well at kindergarten. Motoki will get ready without much protest in the morning, and will happily leap on to the kindergarten bus. The very sight of it apparently fills him with joy.
04.11.08
Just a random tidbit…
That I am very happy about.
When asked “Who is this?” with pictures of himself, Motoki will answer with “Ki”.
Sakura 2008
Because I get a kick out of dressing Motoki in the same clothes about a year apart, here he is viewing the sakura… In the same outfit as last year. It gives me a direct image of how much he has (or hasn`t) grown over the year. He is 89cm now - last year he was 83cm. He`s grown a whole 6cm (a bit less than 2 and a half inches)!
The Zoo and Botanical Gardens - part 1
As I now have a clump of free morning time - too short to really do anything significant, but too long to do nothing - expect somewhat more frequent updates.
So today I will work through a bit of a backlog.
The Zoo! On the 26th, as part of our “Make the best use of our last free weekdays!” plan, we took Motoki to the zoo / botanical gardens. I have to be honest and say that I`m not really a fan of our city`s zoo. Having been raised with the “local” zoo being a VERY nice one, it seems even worse. The city zoo is 71 years old, and although it was supposedly one of the best zoos in East Asia when first opened, it feels as if they really haven`t changed things much since then. They are in the process of renovating and renewing the entire zoo (scheduled for completion in 2017), but it feels like too little, too late to me. Particularly as the city aquarium is absolutely wonderful.
I would go into more detail, but don`t want to waste more space on my personal opinion in regard to the zoo design - Let`s just say that if they have a display with animals that “Live in trees most of their lives.”……. AT THE VERY LEAST PUT A TREE IN THERE. I can understand small animal spaces due to space constraints, but not that.
Needless to say, I don`t really enjoy the zoo too much so avoid going. However, Motoki has taken an interest in animals recently so we took the trip. We spent most of the time in the botanical gardens though. As there are quite a few pictures, I`m splitting this up.