Nursery basics

Left: M's hoikuen futon sheet and cover that we had to make.

Right: Hoikuen attendance book and parent-teacher communication (renraku) notebook.

Birthday girl

She started the day off in a pretty dress at hoikuen (nursery). She enjoys hoikuen too much that depriving her of going would NOT be a birthday treat. Upon her return, she squealed with delight at the simple little decoration on one side of the wall that included her infant photos... she just kept pointing at them and blabbering in her own language... not sure whether she recognized it was her.

Of course there were also her birthday pressies... straw hat from daddy which she had already initiated the day before, a patchwok skirt that I made for her (took me ages and a lot of trial and error... another story altogether), and of course the magnetic drawing board from Por Por.

We had a cosy family celebration with a few of M's favorite plush friends (pooh, eeyore, patrick the spineless red dog, rody and the MAS buddies). We waited until 7:49pm, the time she came into the world, to cut her birthday cake.

She was so exhausted from the excitement that she fell asleep in the shower in daddy's arms.

And with that, M turns one.

One year old!

Minori's birthday celebration begins on the day before.

The bright sun shiny day was warmly welcomed after a week long of rain. The timing couldn't be more perfect too. We went to Mother Farm (Mazaa Bokujo), probably one of M's favorite places in the world, where she talked to lambs and dogs and had the liberty to run in the big wide open spaces. Daddy got M a straw hat as a birthday present too. And it'll be a trend I think... whatever he gets for mommy on mommy's birthday, he gets the miniature version for M ("that way, I don't have to think so hard!").

Counting down

... to M's first birthday, that is! She turns one in less than a week! I can hardly believe a year has gone by. The initial plan was to throw her a mini birthday party but when I read somewhere last week that parties could be overwhelming for one-year-olds, I figured we should just have a smallish (but fun!) family celebration.

Right now I'm just trying to get her birthday present together. I really should take a photo and post it up here. Maybe tomorrow if time permits.

Pride and prejudice

I am currently engaged in this classic... at least whenever I have some time away from changing diapers and entertaining a hyperactive baby. My reading this story is long overdue and I ought to be ashamed for picking up the paperback, motion picture version, but hey, better late than never.

This morning, after M's dad chauffered her off to nursery, I spent over two hours in Mister Donuts with him, taking bites off a miserable cream version of a donut, filling and refilling on cafe au lait, and completely drifted into a world where vocabulary and phrases like "chuses," "though you have but a short lease," "Merryton," "I am no means of opinion," "Hertfordshire," aladida, aladida... exists. M's dad was, of course, not into the same kind of reading although I cannot understand how the history of Japanese economics could be more interesting.

Since having Minori, who is a delight by the way, like many mothers I have come to appreciate doing things that I have always meant to do but procrastinated. And what better time to do it all now than now... a phase where M has started loving going to nursery albeit full-time and I don't go back to work until a few weeks later. YES!!!

Golden Week Day 4

Feeling very inspired, especially by the camel, M does her very own impression of the animal. It didn't matter that she was in the midst of lunch and having a paper cup in her hands.

This is Higashi Koen in Okazaki, Aichi, where animals and flowers abound. We packed some onigiri (rice balls) and, together with baaba and obachan, had lunch here on yet another beautiful spring afternoon.

And so this pretty much sums up our nice and unrushed GW. The wonderful weather was a bonus. I look forward to our next holiday. Something tells me it will once again involve animals.

Golden Week Day 3

On that warm summer-like day during the GW, jiiji thought it'd be a good idea to have lunch outdoors, even if it's just in the garden.
1. Daddy "plants" temporary bamboo branches to shade us from the intense sun.
2. Lazing around after we've had our fill.
3. M in jiiji's "songkok", a souvenior from Xian, China.

Golden Week Day 2

Watching all those Yugata Quintet episodes have inspired M to try the piano ("Oh no," says daddy, "too low ROI! She should continue to perfect her ina bauer or go play some other kind of sport.")

And here's a win-win situation: Jiiji and baaba get clean carpets, M gets a lot of fun from rolling this dust-sticking roller.

Golden Week Day 1

For the GW, we went back to Minori's dad's hometown to visit jiiji and baaba. We took a break here at the Makinohara "saabis eria" ("service area" or R&R) along the Tomei Expressway to have lunch. This photo depicts M's first signs on independence :(

M had such a great time picking up (and chewing on!) pebbles and running around the park at the R&R that she was so exhausted, she fell asleep. And our journey continued...

It's my birthday!

We spent it driving over four hours from my in-law's place back to Tokyo. In our family birthdays are never big celebrations. For me, it's a time of quiet reflection: what have a I achieved so far? is my life now what I've always wanted? Minori's daddy thinks I would be more productive thinking about what I want my life to be when I'm 60 and work towards that.

My in-laws got me a strawberry cake a couple of days ago, so that we could cut the cake together just before my brother-in-law made an early departure for Tokyo. How thoughtful of them. More later on our golden week holidays!

(Picture of birthday present from Minori's daddy... a supercute straw hat in preparation for summer... yay!)