I can`t believe it is Thursday already. This week seems to be going by really fast…
Things I am loving this week… (some make my weeks a couple of times in a row!)
- Skype chats with my mum and dad. My dad is completely computer illiterate but he was at mum`s the other day and we had a good chat. He likes to look at Noah and make funny faces in the hope that Noah will respond.
- Making baby food- we tried banana on Monday and pumpkin last night. Banana, he hated. Pumpkin he didn`t mind. So far only purees but I am definitely keeping the BLW ideas in the back of my mind.
- Baby sign class yesterday- I have been doing milk and more signs for awhile but I am doing about 10 signs at the moment (milk, water, yummy, fun, play, giraffe (for Sophie the giraffe toy), bath, more, all finished/done, one more time, ball, drink, eat and more…….okay so maybe more than 10) I am looking forward to the time when Noah starts signing back. Sometimes I forget to sign things to him when I am talking but I am definitely doing it more often now. I am already looking forward to next class and also having some time this weekend or tomorrow to read through all the information we got at the class yesterday. It takes me a bit longer than most to read through the Japanese.
- Long naps. It sounds horrible maybe but I love it when Noah naps well- it means I can get some stuff done around the house and still have some time to myself before he wakes up. If we are home for the day then he will usually take two long naps- both 1.5-2 hours. If we are out and about they are not as long so I have found it is best to try and be home at least for one of his naps where possible. If he has at least one good nap then he is a happy little boy. I love the schedule we have now.
- Scrapbooking day becoming a monthly thing with two friends in Chiba (Thanks Dar and Sherry!)- will be heading to Darlene`s for pot luck and scrapping later this month.
- Watching Shun feed Noah, like he did this morning. Noah loves it when “daddy” feeds him. I guess it is better than boring “mama”…
- Receiving a package from the delightful Medea send me a package of baby food that she no longer needed. THANK YOU!
- Having no plans this weekend really. I think we will be spending the entire time together as a family and Shun has said that if I feed Noah early one morning then he will take him and let me have a sleep in (Fingers crossed this actually happens!). I have been really tired lately and seem to have a constant sore throat or headache. I think it is all from tiredness and taking care of Noah but I have been feeling pretty fun down.
- Discovering a semi-authentic Italian place near my house- it is not so close to the station but I tried it the other day on a lunch date with Noah (the lunch sets were a great price!) and it was great. I am looking forward to going there with friends sometime soon.
- 10 mummies (and 10 babies) signed up so far for the June Chiba Peanuts Multicultural Playgroup event. Am excited already. If anyone is interested please let me know and I can send further details. Even if you only think you can make it once or twice that is fine- the more the merrier.
Well the Koala munchkin has woken up from his nap so my list is getting cut short. ALthough it was a pretty long list anyway.
Happy Thursday everyone! Please share what you are loving this week.
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
We do some of the same ones but I think you are doing more than we are at the moment.
We are doing: mommy, daddy, grandma (for video chats with my mom), poop, change, diaper (been able to do change your poopy diaper, need to find the word for wet), giraffe, milk, bath, wash, eat, and sleep.
Need to get a few more in there. I`ve been trying to add 2 or 3 new words a week and build up the vocab. No signing back quite yet.
Mel- Maybe we can get Misora and Noah to communicate with signs when they start signing.
I have to learn mama and daddy. I have seen mama but I forget. I know some other signs (like Mickey, Minnie and Disneyland. Plus ocha, dog, cat, dinosaur, fish, tanuki and others- can you tell it is a Japanese sign class? HAHA!) Some of the signs are different to the signs in America though but the teacher is great because she will often say “this is the same as America. Or this is the Japanese version of the sign”.
I should start introducing more each week. I try to focus on the same ones like milk, water, bath, dako etc but sometimes I forget.
Hahahaha…..I was about to say why you would choose all the disney related words before mama and daddy.
Mama and daddy are both really easy. For both you start with and open hand and just place the thumb on your chin, for daddy your thumb goes on your forehead (though it reminds me more of a rooster). For grandma, it starts the same and mama but you just sort of make a wave type movement away from your face as you say it.
I think that makes sense.
Oh that does make sense. THanks. I think mama is the same in Japanese sign class- it sounds famililar. Shun was asking me about Daddy this morning so I will be able to show him tonight. Thanks!
Being happy for naptime does not sound horrible! I think every mother on the planet breathes a huge sigh of relief when naptime rolls around and the kids are sleeping peacefully. I love my kids to bits but naptime is awesome.
I live for naptime! And now it’s the moment I walk downstairs of an evening and their asleep. It’s not horrible it’s about patting yourself on the back for a job well done!
A little boy who comes to my English classes (18 months) signs away like crazy. It’s wild. Can’t wait to see Noah doing it too!
Don’t forget I love you! That was the first sign I taught Boo. Melted my heart seeing him sign it while at the supermarket or in the back seat through the rear view mirror. And to his dinner!