Airi talks

One day Airi told me that Pooh is saying that he wants a glass of milk. I gave it to her for him. Then I heard that she was saying "Oishi (this is good)." I wondered if it was for him or her.


I wash sheets and hang out our Futons outside because they are wet every morning. I can't tell if it's her sweat or pee. Fortunately it's been nice weather for a while, so we can sleep on cleaned Futons everyday.

Anyway, that's why I try not to give many bottles of water to Airi at night. The other night, I ignored that she said that she needs water. Then she woke up and said, "Wait a moment. Please wait. I will get it for you." It really sounded like me. She was going to the kitchen. But it was dark there, so she gave up and came back to sleep. She learns my words very well.

While I was cooking in the kitchen, Airi came and pulled my pants off. Then she put her face to my butt. I was surprised! Why can she smile there? How can she learn it? I guess that children can learn something from the other parent,too.


Airi and I had dinner. Then she said, "Time to clean." She brought a broom and cleaned under her table and chair. She said, "Let me clean under yours, too." She follows me with this part:D

The next day, I let her dry her butt after I cleaned. She was not wearing diaper. I heard "Huh!" quietly. I found a small puddle and brown thing on the floor.


I like her talk though she is quiet to strangers. It seems she doesn't realize that she speaks two languages. Both are just one language for her.


Airi cuts bananas for snack by herself. Then I was counting cherries for her. She counted with me from one to six in English.


She knows many English words, but conversations in Japanese.


She likes to do many things by herself such as putting on a shirt, a pair of pants, and so on. She enjoys practicing them everyday.


Airi also likes to do same things with her parents. She brings each of us our hats for a walk. She wears sandals just like us. When she takes off her pants, she helps her father to do it,too. I call them "a naked tribe."


Finally she calls me "oka-san." Before she didn't have any words for mother. Now I hear "oka-san" from far away to look for me. I like it very much:)


I sometimes give raisin bread to Airi. She is a miner like me. She gives me back a raisin bread without raisins.


The other day, she found an ant was carrying one raisin which she dropped off. She cheered him up with saying "Oy vey, oy vey."

Now Avram is in Australia. I enjoy my Japanese breakfast. Airi usually has Avram's breakfast, homemade granola. But she knew that J-breakfast is also good. Even fermented soybeans and sour plums. She finished mine all. I had just white rice.


After the breakfast, I had to give her a shower because of the slimy body from the soybeans. It looked like she was in a cobweb.


She made some friends at school. She likes to go there. I like that she learns many words there,too.


Every teacher says Airi talks well and enjoys music and dances.


It's very interesting to watch her growing up everyday. I will let you know more later.

19 months

Airi enjoys her school three times a week. She doesn't cry when I drop her off anymore. She smiles and says "see you" to me.

She plays with her pooh bear and Avram at home for a long time now. It gives me some time for house work and rest.

She is curious for many things. Especially words. The school helps to improve her speaking.

She has more motivation to talk and learns a lot of words in her life. Her teachers are surprised that Airi knows and says many words in English and Japanese.

We don't teach anything at home. We see many things with her or watch what she's interested in now. We enjoy talking with her and taking her out to show the world. When we say words, she follows them and learns very quickly. It's fun to see that she enjoys words and the world.

Airi wakes up at 6:30 with some farts (sometimes). She says hello to family pics and her pooh.

She eats her homemade granola with yogurt and lots of fruits. She is getting better with using a spoon these days. Then I chase with her to make her brush her teeth and to change her diaper. She enjoys running away from me. Every time she goes out, she chooses her shoes to wear. I leave her at the school around 9:00. She puts things away where they are supposed to be and washes and dries her hands by herself. She says "see you" to me and joins her friends.

She likes working such as cleaning or getting something that someone mentions better than playing with toys. It seems like that she enjoys the conversations. She enjoys understanding what people say. She likes to talk to people and makes more friends now.

She doesn't like that her hands get dirty. She cries when they play with glue or paint colors even though she can eat sticky things by hand. It doesn't make sense to me, but seems like that she thinks it's painful when her hands get those colors. She gets shocked from them.

She likes slides, seesaws, and rocking animals, but doesn't like swings in parks. She likes finding ants, riding Avram's bike, and wearing a rain coat and boots in a rainy day.

When we come home, she sometimes cuts bananas and has it for her snack. She helps me to wash dishes and get stuff from the fridge for cooking.

While I am cooking, she takes care of her pooh bear like her little brother, sister, or friend. She talks to him and shares things with him. I like it. We try to let her meet many people, especially children her age. She is happy with them.

After meals, she calls Appa Avram because she knows who lets her wash her hands, plays with her, gives a bath to her, reads books for her. The pooh joins them, too.

I am very happy that she enjoys being with other people. Now I don't have to carry her all the time everyday.

Airi and her Appa went to bed at 8:30. Time to rest for me. Party time!

Sento = Japanese Bathhouse

Last week was a little chilly and rainy. I came home from work and after an early dinner, I suggested we take Airi for her first trip to a local public bathhouse. We went to hot spring resorts last year, but have never had a chance to check out our local offerings.

We went down the hill and visited a little place on the side of the road. In typical local bathhouse style, the women went in one door and I went in the other. Once inside, we were separated by about 3 feet. Between us was the woman who worked there and who keeps an eye on everything. I paid for us and then found a locker. The woman working there has a great view of both sides of the sento and the wall separating the men and women was only about 7 feet tall. The roof of the place was high and allowed for lots of echos.

I found a locker and put my clothes in there, all the while answering "yes" as Airi shouted "Appa" from the other side. I went into the bath and washing area on the men's side and Airi and Rie went into the women's side. Airi kept calling me and I kept answering her, but it was hard to make out words because of all the tile that made the sounds bounce around.

I washed up and had a good soak, but the water was hot and I could hear Airi being cautious from the other side. After a nice soak, Rie and I shouted back and forth and agreed to head out.

I dried off and changed back into my clothes before meeting Rie and Airi outside for the short drive home in the rain.

We had a good time and I am looking forward to checking out the two other local Sentos in the area.

Grandpa Al

When I met Grandpa Al for the first time about five years ago, I was surprised that he was tall and big because many Japanese Grand parents are shorter or smaller than their children and Grand children. I was almost saying "Wow!" to him.
I heard that Grandpa corrected people's English, so I tried not to say "yeah" and tried to say "yes." He sometimes asked us to make sure what we meant "correct?" I like it. I would use it to Avram and Airi.
Avram and I skypped with Grandpa and Grandma Lillian on weekends, especially after his favorite teams' football games. We could imagine how he was like in front of the TV.
Grandpa sometimes read our blogs. His favorite one is this one. It's about that I farted in front of Avram and a bird got crushed by the gas. Avram liked that Grandpa picked the story.

Airi met Grandpa on January 24th, Monday. First she was nervous with him. But Grandpa talked to her and came down from a chair to Airi and sat on the floor with her. He showed sharing food with other people to Airi. Airi didn't get it at first, but after a while she gave her favorite fruits to Grandpa. I can imagine that he was a good teacher.

Avram, Airi, and I visited Lake Worth. We all wanted to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma as much as we can in this trip. It was for Avram and me, but more for Airi.
Airi was getting used to Fox family. She talked to Grandpa. Grandpa sometimes missed her communications to him, but Grandma said, "Al, Airi is talking to you" to Grandpa. Then Airi got his smiles.

At our last visit to Lake Worth for this winter, Airi was very comfortable with Grandpa and Grandma. She went to sleeping Grandpa and talked to him even though he didn't answer.
Airi liked Grandpa's toes. She touched his toes when she walked by him and tried to put his slippers on his feet, but always failed it. Then she made me do it.

On February 16th, Tuesday, Airi and Grandpa were talking and smiling to each other even though they didn't understand each other. They were sitting on rocking chairs next to each other and enjoying the time.

Next morning, Grandpa Al was very sick. Airi knew that Grandpa is not right. She was standing and watching him. I kept calling him "Grandpa, Grandpa!" Airi learned the word then. She also called him "Grandpa" a few times very clearly. It was her first time to say the word. Airi looked scared to see what's going on. She couldn't walk to him on the day.
Even if Airi is a 15 month old baby, she has sense with people's feeling. After a few days, she looked for Grandpa at their house when we visited Lake Worth. She went to Grandpa and Grandma's room, but couldn't find him.

We got nice pictures and videos from this winter. They were very good memories for us.
In Japan, we have pictures of our families on the wall. Airi has looked at them and waved her hand to them every morning since she is one year old.
The pictures and videos will remind us of Grandpa very well. Then Airi will never forget that she had a great time with him.

We Japanese say the person who passed away is alive in our minds. I am sure that he is in Airi's.
I will remember him everyday when Airi eats a lot of food. She follows him with that part very well.

Airi says ... ,

Airi says some English and Japanese words.

English : open, milk, pooh, apple,banana, shoe, and bird.

She learned some things for the U.S. such as blowing a kiss, high five, and sometimes hugging.

Japanese : まんま、じいじ、きれい、もう１回、行こう、靴下（くっ）

Bowing for before and after eating, bowing for greetings, bowing for please and thank you, opening her palms to ask open, showing her pointer finger to say one more time, cuddling to show she likes it, and so on.

Baby in a bathroom

Avram and I were talking while we were making Airi sleep for her nap. Then we heard water from somewhere. When we went to the bathroom, Airi was playing with water in the toilet.

She looked happy. We knew that it would happen sometime because her face was saying so, but so sooooooon.

When I go out with Airi without Avram or my friends, I sometimes take her to a bathroom with me. So she knows what people do there.

These days, she knows that I need toilet paper when I sit on the toilet. She is ready to give it to me when we go into the bathroom.

I always laugh because she sometimes sigh after I used the toilet. Sounds like she has done a hard work and is satisfied with it even though I worked then or she expresses my feelings after the work.

Anyway, she is used to washing her hands with soap because of that work, so she takes the soap first when I take her to a sink for washing her hands. She is good at it and likes it. I just hope that she is light to pick up so often.

Here at her great-grand parents' house, she goes to her great grandma, grandpa, uncle, and Avram to be held, so I sometimes rest. I like it and prefer she is used to other people and knows them.

Great Grand Parents

Airi is visiting her great grand parents.

She loves eating like her great grand father, Al. Great grandpa Al showed sharing food to Airi the other day though she is not good at it especially with her favorite food such as bananas.

This morning, Al was eating breakfast with bananas. Airi saw it and blew a kiss to him for the banana. Sweet great grandpa Al gave some of it to her. She danced for it.

Airi enjoys spending time with great grand mother, Lilian. Great grandma Lilian showed her a music box and matroishka doll. Airi enjoys dancing with the tune of the music box and opening the matroishka many times. They go for a walk together, too.
Airi is happy with them here everyday.

We're having a very precious time with them. Airi will feel their loves evertime she remembers them.

Airi at school

Airi went to a preschool in my home island Amamioshima.

Parents get notes about their children at school everyday. We hear how Airi was, such as how much and what she ate, how many times she pooped and how they were.

Airi's first day, Dec. 25th,

We left her there when she was playing with other kids. She cried a little bit when she realized that her parents are not there, but she was happy when she saw her food for their snack time.

In the note : Airi was happy until older boys started to run around her. Then she was surprised and cried. After that she was happy to listen to Christmas songs and played well. We went to see that people were making rice cake. She looked curious to see it.

The second day, Dec. 27th,

Airi loves to eat. She knows which room is for eating or playing. When she wants to be happy, she took her teacher to the eating room even if it was not a snack or lunch time.

In the note : After she ate snack, she started to play in the next room. But she missed the eating room, so she cried when I took her to the play room.

She loved a toy which we made with a plastic bottle. She was having fun, but she cried when boys ran around her.

The third day, Dec. 28th,

Airi usually likes people, so she goes to them by herself. But at the school, she needs to get used to especially older wild boys. It was a good opportunity for her. Other kids are sweet to Airi. They are also friendly to Avram and me, too.

In the note :

We were happy that it was a nice day for the last school day in this year. We played outside. Airi was interested in herself in a mirror or glass doors. She waved her hands to herself in the doors and took a walk by herself in the play ground. When she saw babies same as her age from other class, she bowed to them well.

The fourth day, Jan. 7th,

Airi caught a cold, but she was ready for going outside. I took her to the school late. They already finished the snack time. I knew it was not going to be good for Airi. She had not been at school for a while, so she didn't want to leave me in the morning.

In the note : She cried a lot today. Some babies were sick today, so they stayed and played with toys in the room even though older went to play outside. Airi had running nose and often coughed. We kept the room warm.

When I went to pick her up, the teacher told me that Airi brought her bag and jacket to the door and got ready for going home by herself after lunch time. She is smart. She knows what to do next and does it by herself.

The last day, Jan. 8th,

Avram and I wanted to send Airi to the school more, but couldn't because we had to go back to Yokohama. My mother came to take and pick her to the school on the day. She enjoyed watching Airi with other kids.

In the note : She cired a little bit when she realized that her mother is not there, but she stopped crying when she saw her snack. She clapped her hands when she saw it and ate. After she ate enough, she did "Gochisosama (Thank you for the food) by herself." She is always ready for going home after lunch. Today she brought her favorite soft Lego and put it into her bag and was waiting for her mother. She enjoyed especially music with fast rhythm.

Spending time with other people was very good for Airi. Now she talks more and says some words. We can tell she understands meaning of words and what is going on.

Everyday Airi makes Avram and me happy.