New people, new stuff

What a big two weeks it's been! We have lots of new stuff. I got a new Thomas train set and a new seat for papa's bicycle at a flea market a couple weeks ago. Then last week, I got a new papa! Well, sort of. Daddy's friends Matt and Duke came to visit us for a few days. I was a little surprised when I first saw them, but it didn't take me long to like them. Lots and lots. I told the teachers at my daycare about my new papas. I even slept in their bed the last night they were here. And boy was I mad when mama and papa took me back into their room!
They left on Wednesday to continue their travels around Japan. I miss them. Since then I've been sleeping in the room they used. I'm not used to sleeping by myself - I've been sleeping with mommy and daddy since I was born - but so far it's not so bad. I think mommy and daddy want their own bed. I roll around a lot and sometimes I kick daddy in the face. And I have lots of dreams at night and talk in my sleep. That wakes them up. I can tell when they haven't slept well. So I'll try not to be too scared when I sleep by myself. I have some teddy bears and an elephant to sleep with. Mommy says they're scared of the dark and that I have to take care of them. I'll be strong.
Oh, and daddy got a new computer. It's big and pretty. Daddy's been saying something about "switching from Windows to Mac." I don't care, as long as I get to watch my favorite YouTube videos.
Thanksgiving is coming up soon! I'm thankful for all the fun people who come to visit us and for all the family and friends around the world who read my blog. I'll try to update a little more often. But it's getting chilly here and we like to stay in bed as much as possible.

Cotton candy!

I knew cotton was good for making clothes and towels, but I didn't know it was so sweet and yummy! I had my first cotton candy at a festival today. I was amazed! And Mt. Fuji looked amazing too. It was chilly today but the sky was beautiful.
And I got a very nice package from daddy's landlords in Tokyo, the Takashimas. Thank you for all the books and nice presents!

My new coat

The weather's getting a little chilly. And I've outgrown most of my clothes from last year. So time to go shopping!

My second haircut

Sorry it's been so long since I posted! We're all doing fine. We're avoiding the new flu - though some at my day care haven't been so lucky. I've had a bit of a cough lately but otherwise I'm super genki (happy & healthy). I'm getting a little pickier with my food and I don't always say "hi" and "bye" to people, but that's a part of growing up, isn't it?
Speaking of growing, my hair has been growing and growing since grandma's friend Lou gave me my first haircut last year. So mommy decided to give me a new look. Hope you like it! It dries a lot faster, which is nice because it's getting chilly in the evenings and I don't like to sit under the hair dryer for too long.

Back on the Farm

Last weekend my friend Mayu and her family came to visit! It was lots of fun. I hadn't seen her since we left Tokyo in March. She came with her mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, aunt, and her little brother who's only a few months old. Her grandma used to play with me and make us lots of nice food. We all went to Oratche, a farm that me, mommy and daddy visited back in June. They have yummy ice cream and cows, goats and bunnies. Before that we all went out for sushi! The shrimp was my favorite.

More things I can do

Did you know I could put on my pajamas all by myself? Pretty good, huh?
I can speak Japanese really well too! Here I'm asking about what daddy, grandma, and grandpa will say when they see me put on my pajamas. Daddy tries to get me to speak English at the end but I like to do that on my own terms...

Two thank-yous

Daddy's host family in Kanazawa sent me a very, very nice present last weekend! It's very soft and comfy and it has trains on it. I like it so much! おかあさん、ありがとう！

And I want to say thank-you to my grandpa Alfred again. He passed away two years ago today. I never got to meet him, but mommy and daddy show me his pictures and talk about him a lot. We love you, grandpa.

Summer isn't over yet!

September is here, but it's still sunny and warm outside! So today we took a trip to the beach. It's near Numazu and it only took us about 15 minutes to get there. There isn't much sand but the water is actually clean and pretty. And there weren't too many people. Mommy and daddy thought I'd be scared to get in the water, but I was ready to splash and play. I wanted to go further into the ocean and swim, but they said maybe next time. After I played I ate sembei crackers and onigiri (rice ball). Hope we can go again before winter comes!

Food, festivals and family

We just returned from a visit to Nagoya! That's where my grandpa and aunt and cousins live. From the moment I arrived and saw my cousin Noe waiting for me at the station, I was sooo happy! We played lots and ate lots. And I got to go to another festival on Sunday night! This one had all the foods I like - takoyaki, hot dogs, corn on the cob, French fries, shaved ice, and chocolate-covered bananas. I got to wear a pretty yukata to the festival, too. Noe was part of a dance performance, so we got to watch her twirl a long ribbon around. I hope I get to do that when I'm bigger. I was sad to leave today, but the obon holiday is over and everything's back to the usual from tomorrow. Thanks everyone! Can't wait to see you again!

Water, water everywhere

It's hot and humid in Shizuoka these days. So we're finding ways to stay cool. I love to play in the pool, but recently I got a little skin rash called impetigo, so until that clears up (it's almost gone), I can't bathe or swim with other people. But we have a little pool at home so I can have fun there.
Today, after playing in the pool, we went to one of our favorite places, Kakitagawa Park. We had some yummy soba for lunch and then had their famous tofu ice cream. I had strawberry. Daddy got some shaved ice too. It had a green tea syrup, which was sweet but not as sweet as the one I had at the festival.
One more big thing happened this week. I peed and pooed in the potty for the first time! And second, and third! Sometimes I don't make it in time and we have a little accident. And I'm still a little scared of the potty, since I've been using diapers since I was born. But I'm slowly getting the hang of it. And mommy and daddy are always so happy when I do it right. Even grandma's been clapping for me. Cheer me on, everyone!

The yummy, yummy festival

On Saturday daddy took me to the Shimizu-cho Wakimizu Matsuri (festival) at Kakitagawa Park. It was pretty much like any other festival in Japan - lots of food, games for kids, and big wooden things that people carry on their shoulders. But all I cared about was the food. First we had takoyaki, which I'd been asking about all morning. Then we had corn on the cob and I had a long hot dog on a stick. Daddy thought I was finished, but of course I had to have dessert! First it was a chocolate-dipped banana, and then we had shaved ice with strawberry-flavored syrup. Maybe we did a couple of other things there, but the food is all I remember. I can't wait till there's another festival nearby!

Growing me & growing food

Hi everyone!
Things have been pretty crazy since we came back from grandma's house. I had a bit of a cold for a while. It's gone now but I don't eat as much as I used to. I'm getting picky! Lately my favorite foods have been shrimp and grapes. (Not together, of course.) But I'm still getting taller and my vocabulary is expanding. I can say lots of words - even whole sentences - in Japanese. Daddy's helping with my English, but all the teachers at daycare speak Japanese so it's easier for me to communicate that way. And the other day, I peed in the potty for the first time. I didn't know what was going on, and I was a little scared. I'll try again sometime soon, but I hope mommy and daddy don't get mad if I put it off for a while.
Mommy and daddy are trying to grow vegetables behind our house. They have tomatoes, banana peppers and a bitter crunchy vegetable called goya. It's going OK but there's something called fertilizer that daddy's not too sure how to use. Our goya are still little but they're turning yellow. They're not like the long green ones we bought at the market. (The ones I'm holding in the picture.)
Last weekend we went to Tokyo. I don't remember it that much, but I did get to see some people I sort of remember, like my old daycare provider Ms. Tezuka, and the really nice boy I used to play with at her house. And we went to a party with daddy's friend Serge. He'd come to visit me before so I kind of remembered him. I was shy for the first few minutes, but soon I was showing everyone my belly. That's how I break the ice.
I'll post more later. We need to take some more pictures!

We're home!

We had a wonderful time seeing my grandma, my cousin Jacob, and everyone else in Wheeling. Thank you!! I had lots of fun playing with all the nice people. It was a little confusing with all the differences in time and food but I was happy. I wish we'd had more time to see more people! The flight back to Japan was long, but I didn't cry too much on the airplane. The kind man in the seat next to ours moved so we'd have more room. Now I have to get used to Japan time again. Hope it doesn't take long. Keep in touch everyone!

Fun with the family

I'm having lots of fun with my grandma, my cousin Jacob, and everyone in my family in West Virginia! And lots of friends too! There's lots of toys for me to play with here, so I don't even want to go to bed. I've been a little shy with all the new people, but I'm OK once I warm up to everyone.

A bigger me, and a lot to learn

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! June has been a really busy month for us. A couple weeks ago I must have caught a virus or something, because I wasn't feeling so well for a while. I had a little bit of a fever and I was tired most of the time. So we had to go to doctors and get medicine. I was scared of the doctors at first, but I found out that if I go and let them listen to my breathing and heart, they'll give me stickers and candy. I think that's fair. Mommy and daddy were sick some days too. But they didn't get any stickers or candy.
I'm feeling much better now, but now that I'm two years old, I can really feel a lot of changes inside of me. The weather's changing too, and it's really hot and humid here in Shizuoka sometimes. Lately I get upset a lot and want my mommy to hold me. I also wake up at night and I don't know what's going on, so I cry and want to go downstairs. Sometimes when I cry it's just because I'm hungry or tired, but I'm not always sure how to say it. That's funny, because I can say a lot of words now. I can make whole sentences in Japanese and I love to repeat what other kids say. I understand most of what daddy says in English too, though it's harder for me to say things in English. Anyway, I get frustrated easily these days, but I'll get over it soon.
We've also had a lot of things to celebrate this month. Two weeks ago it was mommy's birthday, and last week it was grandma's. And Sunday was Father's Day.
When we were feeling well, we went on lots of drives around the area. Last weekend we went to a little farm and saw some bunnies, and this past weekend we visited a museum that has a big room where children can play, change their clothes and draw pictures. And today I helped mommy make dinner. (A little.)
Getting bigger is hard sometimes, but I'm still having fun. Mommy and daddy are just going to have to be patient with me for a while!