• I am loving that this morning I woke up not feeling as tired as I usually do- perhaps going to bed before midnight is the key? hehe
• I am loving that I feel better today than I did yesterday.
• I am loving watching Noah`s speech development- he is getting better at saying things like “ta” and “down” – he just tends to say taa taa taa taa over and over again when I ask him to say “ta” before I give him something though so hard to know. The down is for when he climbs into his own cot but can`t always get back out. He yells “daaaawwwwwwnnn” which I think he learnt from me saying “Noah, get down” 100 times a day.
• I am loving my new phone- it takes great pictures and videos on the run, I can check email and Facebook while out and about for free (well we pay a monthly internet fee but there is no cut off) as well as do a lot of other cool stuff.
• I am loving that Shun has tomorrow off work even though we have appointments everyday over the weekend including tomorrow- all house related! Plus I have work Saturday morning but I enjoy working and getting out of the house so that is another thing I love I guess. My student M is a mum of a 2 year old and I always have fun chatting with her.
• I am loving the sunny weather – it makes going to the park so much more lovely for us all and if we go to the park noah is of course happy.
• I am loving outings with friends- have seen a couple of friends this week and had a lunch at an actual restaurant with one of them and Noah didn`t scream the place down too much (he just threw food everywhere. Oh well!)
• I am loving blank Moleskines- the possibilities are endless. If only I could tear myself away from the computer long enough to write in them.
• I am loving (again!) that Shion does not seem to require night feeding anymore and that he is getting easier to settle at night. He will go into his cot awake now and settle himself as long as he has burped a ton!
• Lastly, I am loving the gorgeous little blog award I received from a new reader, Grace! Grace used to live in Japan and is now back in Australia and mum to gorgeous twins (I wrote two gorgeous twins at first- but duh, of course there is two of them!)- Grace is currently trying to get back into shape after having the boys and will be running in the City to Surf later this year so jump on over and support her in this massive feat!

So upon acceptance I need to write seven things about myself but since I have done that before I have decided to write seven things about Noah and seven things about Shion.

- Noah won`t eat any plain veggies except moyasi (bean sprouts)- he will eat any vegetables cut up in his food though but if I try to give him a plain veggie whether it is some carrot, corn, mini tomatoes or brocolli he just picks it up and throws it over the side of his highchair.

-Noah seems to like all fruit. Except bananas (he has never liked them, not even as a six month old) and watermelon.

-Noah`s first ever word was ball.

- Noah has a lot of small birthmarks. He has a red mark on his shoulder, a small brown coloured birthmark on the underside of his arm, a pale birthmark under one ear and also the typical Mongolian spot at the base of his spine. The only one present at birth was the Mongolian spot and the others all appeared by 3 months. They are ALL on the upper half of his body!

- Noah now has 13 teeth- one eye tooth broke through over night.

- Noah takes every opportunity he can to run through open doors- so if our bedroom door is open he runs towards it and throws himself onto our bed. This is apparently the best game in the world.

- Noah`s eyes were grey when he was born and they have gradually gone to brown. They are now much more like Shun`s colour (a dark brown)

And seven things about Shion

- Shion was without a name for the first 4-5 days of his life.

- Shion has a funny shaped head- I think it was from arriving so early but the back part of it is much more pronounced but it is slowly morphing into a more regular shape.

- Shun`s family think Shion looks like my dad. My family think he looks more like Shun as a baby (just more western looking)

- Shun`s family always call Noah, Noah-chan but call Shion, Shion-kun. I do not know why.

- Apart from a mongolian spot at the base of his spine Shion does not appear to have any other birthmarks.

- I used to teach a boy called Shion and always liked the name. It was one of the reasons we named him that.

- Shion is now at the stage where he doesn`t like it when I leave the room but will happily lay/sit in his bouncer near me and be happy. As long as he can see me.

I won`t be passing this on today because I love too many of you to choose just five! Plus I have passed on similar awards before- but know that I am also loving ALL OF YOU this Thursday. You, who read this blog, all rock!

What are you loving this Thursday?

Linked up to Gala Darling`s site.

• I am loving*meeting* new people – most of the *new* people I have met recently are online friends through blogs. I love connecting with others and I am definitely going through a bit of a blogging streak at the moment when I can`t seem to blog enough, have tons of things I want to write about and heaps of blogs I want to read. If only some of this enthusiasm would cross over into other parts of my life. I have received so much support in the past from people I met originally through online
• I am also loving baking. This week I made wholemeal blueberry and yogurt muffins (Monday) and brownies (today). It is nice having freshly baked goods to eat and Noah is adoring the muffins which I have been giving him as an afternoon snack. I break it in half and let him go at it- he ends up a big blueberry mess but it sure makes him happy.
• I am loving reading with Shion- It is become a bit of a ritual that once Noah goes down for a nap Shion and I read for a little bit. He is often close by when I am reading to Noah (several times a day!) and sometimes even on my lap as I read to Noah but I like that Shion is getting some individual reading time just like Noah did at that age.
• I am loving discovering some great new blogs.
• I am loving that postcards and such have started arriving from the 2011 International Postcard Swap over at Playing By the Book. There is nothing as nice as getting PROPER mail in the post.
• I am loving having my cooking turn out the way I want this week- the shougayaki I made the other day was the best yet and I managed to do Japanese type sides that actually tasted how they are supposed to. Even my husband was impressed. The pasta I made last night from picklebums was also so yummy!
• I am loving that I wrote a to-do list for today (with the intention of staying off the computer as much as possible until later on tonight when both boys are asleep- writing this post was on the list though!) and am actually crossing a lot of things off. Yay for productivity!
• I am loving watching Noah try to do things for himself like putting his books back on his shelves (he gets frustrated easily though when they don`t slide in properly- I think once we move I will be less anal and give him a basket for the books I keep in the living room), eat his snack in the living room and then put the container back on his high chair (he can`t reach the sink) once he is done and he can now feed himself with a fork/spoon completely by himself (although it is a bit messy!) – even his yogurt (he holds the yogurt in his hand). Sometimes we end up with stuff on the walls though!

Will like up over at Gala Darling`s site later on when her TILT is up too.

So without further ado here is my list for this week:

• I am loving that I have two boys that are good sleepers-  Noah goes to bed by 7:30pm and wakes up between 6-7am most days- sometimes even later. He usually naps for 2 hours or more each day as well. Shion wakes up once overnight for a feed usually around 3-4am and he still naps quite a bit during the day without much fuss. They are exhausting but at least they sleep well!!!! Also- I have gotten Shion into a routine that he has a longer nap in his cot during Noah`s nap so it give me at least an hour or more of “free” time which is nice as it helps break up the day a bit and let me rejuvenate.
• Loving my MIL (!) who comes around once a week to take Noah to the park for 1.5-2 hours so  I can get some stuff done around the house or like today, pack some boxes for moving.
• Loving that our house plans coming along okay- we still have not made a decision about which house maker to go with and we might still add another one or two into the mix but some of the plans they are coming up with are great and it is so exciting that within the year we will be in a brand new house.
• Loving that Noah`s talking is taking off- he has about 12 different words now and I ask him where something is he almost always understands and can point to it (and if I ask him things like “Noah where is your water” because I can`t find it he usually knows where he has left it and goes to get it for me!)
• Loving Shion`s giggles!
• Loving American Idol- I don`t watch much reality TV but it is nice to have this on in the background at night once the boys are asleep- I am usually doing something else at the same time (packing, reading blogs, scrapbooking, menu planning, writing shopping lists, lesson planning etc) but now that it is almost at the end I think I might miss it. There is just two episodes left- grand finale and results which I am yet to watch.
• Loving doing proper menu planning and sharing on my blog and reading others menu plans
• Loving Twitter and Pinterest (great for house ideas!)
• Loving saving money- okay, not a lot of saving has happened so far but the fact I am writing down our spendings and moving to Grandma`s open apartment I know we will be able to save more each month than we are currently. My aim is to try and reduce our food bill a lot as well- will wait til after we move but then I will be trying to make more family friendly budget meals which will mean more Japanese cooking on my part (and probably having to eat tofu….yuck!)
• Loving Chiba Peanuts Multicultural Playgroup- we met up yesterday. Kind of a small group (and it has been this way recently, since the earthquake- not many people want to travel far from their homes. Totally understandable-some members are still in their home countries too!) but it was a year since we have been meeting up and it is great to see how much some of the regular “goers” have grown!!! The lady I run the playgroup with has just announced she is pregnant again too with a bub due in December (her older son, T, is 6 days older than Noah)- so there will be 2 years almost to the day between her two baby`s)- very exciting for her and her family!!

I also noticed on Kate`s blog (and others) that they do a blog meme called Thankful Thursday. I am thankful for the things I love above as well! I am also thankful for my husband who lately has hardly done anything that pisses me off-  definitely thankful for that! It is also his birthday today- Shun turns 30! I am thankful that I am not yet THAT old! Haha!

What are you loving this Thursday? Or perhaps you are thankful for something in particular?

Things I loved this week

• Home made ricotta cheese for the lasange for dinner.
• Sunny weather yesterday, despite the fact rainy season is DEFINITELY upon us.
• Baby napping so I can blog.
• Sleepovers with friends- was great having Cassie over (and I can`t link to her today because her blog is down- hope it gets fixed soon hun as it looks like her account was hacked!) and having extra hands to help with Noah and I always have fun spending time with her and her daughter. She is such a lovely house guest too – not only did she watch Noah while i had a shower this morning but she also did the dishes at the same time while simultaneously making sure her daughter ate breakfast. Yeah, she rocks!
• 2 year old speak from Cassie`s daughter Nana- “dope” for soap (Like, “where`s the dope?”, “mukit” for music oh and when she talks about Noah she always calls him “A Noah” or “Its a baby Noah”- so cute.  Can`t wait til Noah starts talking!
• Chiba Peanuts playgroup 2nd meeting success- had lots of fun at the oyako cafe the other day and some new members join too. English playgroup rocks!
• Seeing Nay, Naoki and Leilah for a bit yesterday- Leilah has changed already and getting so big! So cute in her little black and white outfit.
• Been all prepared for father`s day this Sunday. I am prepared because I thought it was 2 weeks ago but still!! Shun`s first father`s day!
• Recent videos of Noah- I will eventually get around to uploading them!
• Aircon- it has been so hot but I am glad we have aircon. I can`t leave it on all the time though but it is nice to flick it on and cool down the room for an hour.
• Looking at houses/apartments online- not that we can afford to buy one right now but looking is fun too!!!
• My mum getting time off work to come to Melbourne while I am there later in the year for  a wedding.
• Parcel from Australia with some stuff for Noah.
• Baby sign
• Bonus day (not sure if it is Bonus Day for others in Japan but Shun`s work bonus came in today- most salary men in Japan get two bonus`s a year!)
• six month birthday for Noah tomorrow- yep, my little koala munchkin will be six months old! Hard to believe that this time six months ago I was sitting on the sofa, probably watching re-runs of ER, without a baby but that I had had him by 11am the next day…(he came FAST!)
• Cooled teething rings and frozen wet face washers- Noah is grumpy a lot because of teeth coming in (yet we still have no teeth) but If I give him one of them he will happily sit and chew for awhile which is a bit of a lifesaver.

Oh and onto rants because, well, what week would be complete without some?

I went to go do Noah`s Polio immunization today. For those not in Japan, Polio, at least in most cities, is only administered 3 times a year to all the babies in the area. You don`t make an appointment- you just go, get a number, line up, take bubs temperature and go in. They still do the oral version too (same in Australia, right?). Anyway I went today for it but turns out If I want to do Noah`s 3rd DPT shot on time (10 days away) then I can`t do Polio. Shun rang the clinic previously to make the DPT appointment- usually I would just ring and make the appointment but it was going to be our first time there (although then I got sick and went anyway, oh and then Noah got constipated so we went again!) so Shun rang to make the appointment etc etc. He asked and said we wanted to do Polio today at the cattle call but that the 3rd DPT shot has to be done within 8 weeks of the 2nd (or you have to start over again) and they said the appointment he took etc would be fine, blah blah blah.

I go to get Polio, want to double check first (AGAIN!) and they say, no no, if you want to do DPT in 10 days you can`t do Polio today. And then I said well maybe I would do Polio and reschedule 3rd DPT shot and they look at Noah`s baby health book and say “no no, then it will be more than 8 weeks” and so yeah. a wasted trip to the community centre to line up with all the other mums to get the Polio.

DPT seems to be more important so I am glad we will finish those shots up first but I had been hoping to have his 2nd Polio in October (another cattle call) before we went to Australia but now he will have his 1st in October and his 2nd next February when we come back from Australia. Good thing Australia doesn`t have a Polio problem I guess.

I wish that we could do all the immunzations at the same place and they would just put a schedule in place when the baby is born- would make it a whole lot easier. I would rather do Polio at a clinic instead of a cattle call too but there is no choice for that unfortunately…

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Anyway visiting from FYBF- HI and welcome!

It is Flog  Yo Blog Friday over at Mummy-Time so go join in!

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.

Apple cake fresh out of the oven!

What are you loving this Thursday?

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Recent scrapbooking layouts- from March and early April! I am now moving on to the rest of the time my brother and his girlfriend were here and then onto his sitting! So about 6 weeks behind but not bad!

]]> http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/20/things-i-love-thursday-28/feed/ 10 http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/13/things-i-love-thursday-27/ http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/13/things-i-love-thursday-27/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 12:27:32 +0000 Lulu http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/?p=1006 Continue reading →]]> Started at Gala Darling…

Quick list this week- want to go to bed early for once.

First meeting of Chiba Peanuts Multicultural Playgroup next Tuesday. SQEEEL! YAY!

What are you loving this week?

]]> http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/13/things-i-love-thursday-27/feed/ 1 http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/06/things-i-love-thursday-26/ http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/06/things-i-love-thursday-26/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 12:17:47 +0000 Lulu http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/?p=994 Continue reading →]]> Head to Gala Darling`s site to check out the original TILT!

She was so cute (Leilah!) and I do not remember Noah ever been that small but he was smaller than that when he was born. It was enough to make me clucky and want my own “new” newborn.

Lastly, I love that the weekend is just the day after tomorrow. LOVE it when holidays fall in the middle of the week.

And so many more things but if I keep writing the list will just go on and on forever so that is enough for this week.

What are you loving this Thursday?

Photo of Noah & Leilah: Their first shot together!

Photo of all of us: Noah looks like a GIANT in comparison!

]]> http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/05/06/things-i-love-thursday-26/feed/ 7 http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/04/29/things-i-love-thursday-25/ http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/04/29/things-i-love-thursday-25/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:56:50 +0000 Lulu http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/?p=983 Continue reading →]]> Go check out the original TILT at Gala Darling`s site

Watching Noah entertain himself for 20 minutes with a plastic water bottle. The cheapest toys really are the best (he liked my 2L one that is on the sofa but kept hitting himself in the head with it so I gave him a smaller one to *play* with…

And the hair- (dodgy webcam pics but you get the drift! I love having a fringe again even though I spent a year growing it out!)

BEFORE HAIRCUT

AFTER HAIRCUT

The code on my blog is screwed up at the moment. Not sure what the problem is but I should probably upload to the newer wordpress because working in html sucks since I really am not at all proficient in it. So yeah, if it looks all out of whack to you, that is why.

I am also sick AGAIN! I had the stomach bug earlier in the week and now I have a cold. I have to teach on Saturday AND then we are going away from Sunday so it is a CRAP time to get sick. I have a stuffy nose, sore throat and head and an achy body. All I need now is for Noah to get it then I really will be in trouble! ARGH!

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