Miss Airi

Airi goes to a swimming class. There are only two people and a teacher there. Yes, only Airi and me:( It's a private lesson for two weeks.

Airi likes water, so I didn't worry about the class at all.

Life guards call Airi "Miss Airi."

At the beginning of the class, Miss Inna introduced three life guards and herself to Miss Airi and me. Then they showed some dances for fun and told us ten rules at the pool such as "Walk like turtles by the pool." They were smiling and nice to Miss Airi, but she was sometimes looking up at strings on a parasol.

They do this every class. I feel sorry for them, so I make Miss Airi dance with them. She pays more attention to them now. Sigh.

Airi is funny. When Inna says "kick your legs," then she just floats like a dead frog. When Inna says "float," then she kicks her legs. So Inna got Airi's signs.

Airi is getting used to Inna. Now she touches Inna's face and sometimes swims with Inna without me, though I am only one meter away.

Airi used to wipe her face when her face got wet, but now she doesn't do it so much. She can think what is next.

Now I can dip her into water. She doesn't scream and cry at all.

After swimming, Airi is full of water. I guess that's why she doesn't take milk much these days.

She eats food more than milk now.

Airi crawls, walks, and swims, so she's lighter and skinnier even though other people don't realize it.

The swim lesson makes her tired and take a nap well, so I got some time to write this.

I guess she's dreaming that she's swimming because she's kicking her legs with smiles.

What Airi likes is... .

Airi's favorite things are ... ,

1 People She likes to talk to people.

2 Play room She likes to play with other babies.

3 Swimming Even if she drinks some pool water, she still smiles and enjoys staying in the water.

4 Being outside She likes to look at everything.

5 Couches and walls She likes to hold them to walk.

6 Books She listens to us when we read books well and she knows some stories.

7. Songs She thinks that people are talking to her when we read or sing for her.

8 Staying in a carrier She likes to feel us in the carrier.

9 Toys She doesn't play with toys much. She eats every tag on toys.

10 Strollers She stays there for a while, but not a long time.

I am happy that she enjoys contacting with people. She is very happy then.

She is like Avram. She can't stop exploring the world. She always moves like a monkey.

Avram speaks and reads in English. I speak and read in Japanese. Airi says "appa (it means father in Korean where she was born,)" and "up" in English. No Japanese yet:(

She likes real things and real world, so always likes being outside to see or likes to touch real things. We like it!

Someday we will show many animals and insects to her. I hope Avram will show how to touch them, but not me. Especially reptiles.

Airi went to a play room.

Airi is usually happy with everyone. She smiles to people and makes them happy. She gives her pretty smile even to an orangutan doll at the library and talks to him. The orangutan and she both looked happy.

Airi is happy everywhere if Avram or I are in a same room. Then she is comfortable to play by herself or with other people. But she doesn't like when other people hold her except us. I sometimes take her to my midwife office. While talking to the midwife, a woman holds Airi. Airi is a happy baby, but she suddenly cries loud when the woman holds her. She cries and cries to call me and finally other babies there cry. It sounds like frog harmonies, but it's louder than that. Airi is usually calm and happy, so this is the hardest Airi you can see.

Anyway, Avram and I think we should let her play with other babies more, so I took her to a play room the other day.

There are two women staff there. Every parent can take their children and let them play. You can meet other babies and their parents. It costs $2.50 for a day. You can come and go anytime all day.

Airi looked curious when we got there except while I was writing the registration paper. When one of the staff held her, she started to cry and everyone in the room looked at us. After that I got her and left her in the room. Airi was happy:D

Airi likes other babies. She is interested in them. She always tries to touch them and other babies get nervous and cry. Airi doesn't care it at all, still likes to touch. She was happy there.

When she played by herself, she liked to stand by herself. She used a small jungle gym and stood up by herself and looked around. She loved it.

When she plays with a toy, she usually throws the toy and crawls to get it. She does it again and again. At the play room, she did it.

I didn't feed her there because it should be hard for me. Airi likes to eat food. She is a good eater, but milk... , she likes to sit, stand, and crawl while eating. She uses the whole room to eat milk. Avram and I were talking we should hide everything and put her in an empty room. Otherwise she wouldn't finish milk forever.

The parents in the play room were surprised at Airi because she gave beautiful smiles to them and enjoyed standing and sitting a lot.

Everyday we see Airi grows well. It's very nice for her parents.

She is a big girl, so she will go to get a shot today.

We're a good team.

Airi works for Avram and me well this morning.

Airi pooped while I was cooking. Avram was happy to work for it. He looked very proud of himself. I was proud that he changed himself so fast:D

If you have a right partner, you can be happy forever. Even though the man and his daughter pass gas when they wake up or turn over. They're like harmony.

Time to cook good food for my daughter.

Team Work?

Avram and I have worked fine until yesterday.

I was pretty sure that Avram always puts Airi's legs up while I am changing her poop diaper. I asked if it's on purpose to him. He said it's a team work. Then why doesn't he take my part which you can see and smell it?

I told Avram that I heard some parents who changed their babies' poop diapers and others who didn't do it have different relationship when their children turns teenagers. He said he's in the middle. OK... .

I see that Airi is more comfortable with me it's because I am her mother and also I watch and understand her better than other people. Avram tries to spend more time with her now, so I see Airi is comfortable with him and trusts him.

We took Airi to swim last Saturday. Avram always waits and see what Airi wants to do and lets her do it. He respects what she does. I usually show what she can do and make her try. Avram and I are different type of teachers, but I like it. Both ways are important for Airi. We just want Airi to enjoy herself and have confidence whatever she does.

Anyway, I hope that Avram and I can trust and support each other AGAIN when we change her poop diapers. I hope that Airi work for him tonight and we'll work well as a team again.

"She is gorgeous!"

Airi is eight months old. She is a sweet and happy baby.

Everywhere we went in Australia, everyone who saw Airi said "She's gorgeous!"

Everywhere we go in Japan, people say she's cute and they come to poke Airi's cheeks.

Airi smiles to everyone. Her smiles attract more people.

Airi has four teeth and we see her third top and bottom teeth now. She likes to grind her teeth. The noise makes Avram and me uncomfortable.

Finally she crawls forward to eat her books and toys. She prefers standing and walking to crawling. She enjoys the higher view.

She has many expressions. You can see what she wants now. It's easy to tell when she's sleepy and hungry. She also shows she wants to play with you or she misses you. When she says "please," her eyes are more shiny.

She pulls cups or dishes when she wants more food. When she doesn't want it, she pushes it away. She makes raspberry noise for food she doesn't like to push it away from her mouth. She eats everything, but she makes raspberry for rice these days. It makes me unhappy :(

She is very curious. Even while walking outside, eating, and falling asleep. She is very busy to look around at everything, so it takes time to finish food and to make her sleep. But it's fun to see her expression and to hear her talk then.

One problem is that she doesn't blink at all when she's looking at someone or something. It scares people.

She can pronounce "p" sounds now. She says "appa" or "up." That's good because we call Avram "appa." Appa is father in Korean where Airi was born.

When Airi hears noise, she looks for Avram and me. When she see us, she gives us a big smile:D It always makes us happy.

Now we can't keep anything around her. She can reach everything now. It's good to see that she grows up, but I have to be more careful to watch her.

She is sleeping now. It's time to work for us.