We broke down and did it. We went for a haircut! What a difference losing a few locks can make! Poor D was starting to look a bit shaggy...
I don't remember getting to sit in a cool car when I was a kid getting a haircut. Do you?
And just because they're so darn cute (and because they gave me a clever rhyme for this post), here are a few pics of D in his new Crocs - which he absolutely loves.
This may be the craziest thing I've ever done. Are you ready for it? I'm going to Istanbul for the weekend! Not this weekend but a weekend. A weekend in June - the second weekend in June, to be exact. Haven't you always wanted to fly away to some exotic place for the weekend? Well, I have. And now I'm doing it! For. The. Weekend. Crazy, right?
Let me tell you why, in my mind, it isn't so crazy:
1. I've always wanted to see Istanbul.
2. I've got good friends who are living there in an apartment overlooking the Bosphorus Strait. They've promised me G&Ts on the balcony! These are friends I've been dying to see for 8 years, since I left Lithuania.
3. I'm using frequent flyer miles and partner airlines to get there. (When does that ever happen - that you can use your miles on the exact dates you wish to fly?) All I'm paying for my flight is $91 in taxes. And my concert ticket (I'm getting to that!) was only 94 Turkish Lira, about $58. Bargain prices!
4. Loreena McKennitt will be in concert on the Saturday night of that weekend. If ever there was a concert I wanted to see, a concert I would fly thousands of miles to go to, this is it. Her music is wonderful when listened to digitally, and I can already tell you that it will be a million times better when heard live. Her music has been described as Celtic, World, Folk... But she herself describes her work as "musical travel writing". Whatever it is, it's the best I've ever heard. Listen for yourself:
I don't know about you, but listening to this is like traveling to another world. An exotic world! Her voice is ethereal. The number of musicians and instruments is simply staggering. And how about the Alhambra as a venue? I hope the Cemil Topuzlu Harbiye Amphitheatre in Istanbul will measure up!
Now, let me concede that this trip might be a bit crazy for these reasons:
1. Jet lag. I won't be completely over my jet lag before I'll be turing around and heading back to Japan. This might not be so bad if we weren't flying to Hawaii 4 days after I get back. And then 5 days later, we'll be flying to Nebraska. I'm not sure which time zone my body will feel like it's in by then... At least I'll have the summer to recuperate!
2. Denis. I'm not sure how Denis will react to me being gone for a few days. Let me say that if we were having any attachment issues I wouldn't be going on this trip. Jon and I both feel that Denis is attaching to us very well and knows we are his Mama and Papa. That's not to say that my absence will be easy for him, but we plan to Skype (what would we do without Skype?!) while I'm gone so that D can 'see' me every day. No, it's not the same, but we'll survive.
A couple of beautiful objets d'art have come into my possession recently. The first is this lovely Japanese ceramic hibachi. It's about 70-80 years old, according to Fuji-san, my favorite antique dealer from Nishinomiya. I'd been hoping to procure one of these for a while now, so the other day I jumped on the train and went hibachi hunting. This one was hiding under a table, covered in dirt and grime. But something about it jumped out at me (the crane, perhaps?). So, Fuji-san and I dumped out all the ashes and gave it a quick scrub, to reveal this underneath! Isn't it a beauty? I think it'll make a great wine chiller.
The second is this gorgeous bracelet made by my friend Gail. If ever I get a compliment on a piece of jewelry I'm wearing, this is almost always my reply: "Thank you. My friend Gail made it for me." She has given me some lovely pieces in the past, but nothing quite as sentimental as this one. In case you can't see the beads in the middle, they say DENIS. Thanks, g, I love it!
I'm not sure who's to blame for the wanderlust that courses through my veins. But I'm itchin' to travel! Jon and I stayed home over our last big breaks from school - fall break, Christmas break, spring break (woe is me, I know!) - and it's catching up to me. I feel antsy. Of course, we did make two trips to Russia recently, and I certainly haven't forgotten those. They were special trips, to be sure. Experiences of a lifetime. But still...
Nor have I forgotten that we're stopping in Hawaii for a few days on our way back to the States/Canada for our summer vacation. But the main reason for that trip is to get Denis his passport and certificate of citizenship - a business trip, if you will - so we'll be busy at different immigration offices. However, don't feel too badly for me! There's bound to be some down time spent on the beach and at the pool, and maybe I'll even be able to sip a tropical cocktail or two as I watch the Hawaiian sun go down. But still...
And then there are our trips home to see friends and family over the summer. I can't tell you how important those trips are to us. The familiarity, the sense of rootedness, the sights and sounds and smells from childhood - these things sustain us in a way that's hard to describe. These trips allow us to keep living so far away. But still...
What I'm missing is a real holiday. Some of that ever elusive R&R. A few carefree days to do whatever I please. Some Celia Time, if you will. I've got something up my sleeve, but I'll wait until the last few pieces fall into place before I say any more. Intrigued, aren't you?
Wondering what Denis is like as a two-year-old? Read on!
Knows how to:
Blow kisses
Give real kisses
Hug
Wave bye-bye
Give a high-five
Splash in puddles
Take off his socks
Put on his shoes... and sometimes his socks
Brush his teeth (not thoroughly, but he can do it!)
Unpeel a tangerine
Use a spoon
Clink glasses together for “cheers!”
Brush himself off after he's taken a spill
Cough into his arm (still working on this for the sneezing!)
Look for airplanes in the sky
Point to himself when you ask "Where's Denis?"
Get his bib and put it on
Buckle himself into his booster seat
Point to different body parts (nose, eyes, ears, mouth)
Match pictures in a lotto game
Make a butterfly out of his hands
Tidy up his toys (sometimes!)
Can say:
I love you (“I lo lyu”)
Bye-bye
Up
Down
Mama
Papa
Open
Help please (“hep pzzz”)
Socks and shoes (“cos” and “choos”)
Hello
Hi
Juice
Banana (“manana”)
Choo-choo
Poo-poo (when he pats his butt as he says this you know you’re in for a doozie of a diaper!)
Coo-coo (at a pigeon)
Caw-caw (at a crow)
Yeah (when he does something well!)
Uh-oh and Oh no!
Ooopsie
Nooooo! (complete with shaking of head)
Likes to:
Make connections (between books and toys; my shoes and his; photos and people...)
Do the motions for Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes; The Wheels on the Bus; and Itsy Bitsy Spider as you sing the song
Clean the bathtub
Wipe up spills
Vacuum
Use up all our Kleenexes
Scold the cats (especially Pisco!)
Pet the cats
Talk on the cell phone
Listen to music
Blow bubbles
Look at books
Skype!
Open and close doors (he’d do this all day if we let him!)
Point out all the dogs and birds on our walks
Watch Baby Einstein videos
Put his teddy bear and Knuffle Bunny to bed under blankets
Dance
Wear my red slip-on shoes around the apartment
Eats:
Just about anything! Maybe we should make a list of food he won’t eat as it would be a much shorter list. Green beans and bell peppers would be on that list. Kiwi and egg salad might be on that list. The jury's still out on those.
Favorite toys:
Motorized shinkansen/bullet train (he runs this all over the apartment, and NOT on its tracks, oddly enough)
Musical instruments
Any toy that makes music... or noise
Puzzles
Play-Doh
Blocks
Stacking cups
Pull-along dog that barks
Ball that lights up
Stuffed animals
Puppets
Magnetic sketch pad
Leap Frog Word Whammer (although he doesn't get the word part!)
Today is D's birthday. He's two! We celebrated with some friends yesterday with a combined birthday/Easter party here at our place. A brunch, an egg hunt, and some beautiful weather made for a great morning. Denis isn't quite sure what it means to be two, but if it means spending the day outside with friends and then getting a Radio Flyer trike, he'd gladly turn two every day!
Denis was the Russian contingent in the Parade of Nations at CA's Food & Fun Fair on Saturday. The FFF is an annual event hosted by our school, and hundreds of people turn out for it each year. It's a great way to celebrate the many cultures that make up our school community...and a delicious way to eat lunch! Of course, D had no idea what the parade - or the fair - was all about, but he loved waving his flag around for all to see.
Jon's parents left yesterday after spending a couple of weeks in Japan - a week with us and a week on their own. We had a great visit with them, and Denis loved meeting and getting to know Granny and Grandpa Tom. They played in the park, went for walks, blew bubbles, made shadows on the ceiling, and sang countless songs. He turned on the charm and hammed it up for most of their visit, and threw in some typical two-year-old tantrum behavior for good measure! Thanks, G&G, for making the long trip here and for putting up with our cramped quarters. Thanks, too, for all the babysitting and the early birthday party for D. We'll see you in Ottawa in July and on Skype long before that!
Here are some photos of our visit. Enjoy!
Here's a great series of photos Grandpa Tom took of Denis at the park one afternoon.
And here's a clip from Denis's early birthday party. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the cake, the candles... But he loves watching this video clip - he laughs and claps at himself and wants to see it over and over again!
For those of you who've met Denis and have been around him at snack time, dinner time, anytime really, you know what I mean when I say this kid will eat anything. And here's proof for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting our little garbage disposal.
Denis eating at our favorite Indian restaurant - Indo Mura - on Rokko Island. He loves chicken tikka, palak paneer, dal makhani, and nan. Believe it or not, plain rice is the thing we had to convince him to eat!
Denis devouring a plate Granny Mar's plate of okonomiyaki- one of my favorite Japanese meals - at a tiny restaurant in Arashiyama. I think Granny may have gotten a couple of bites of her own lunch, if she was lucky!
Had we taken him to Ko-chan's, our favorite place for Kobe beef, I know Denis would have eaten his fair share. But really, we have to draw the line somewhere. And apparently, the line between Japanese Yen/gram of Kobe beef is where we draw ours!
Terie! She's the only one who guessed that our little guy's first name would be Denis (except for Linda, who guessed after the fact!), and I decided that that should trump all other answers in Round Two. I realize I'm a bit late on this, but I've finally gotten some "prizes" in the mail (one for you, too, Danielle!). Better late than never, right?
Granny and Grandpa Tom arrived from Canada via New Zealand on Wednesday evening, and Denis 'took' to them immediately. We've been exploring Rokko Island and Arashiyama since their arrival and have been having a good time together. I'll put together a slideshow once I get some of Grandpa Tom's photos - he's taken some great pictures.
Last Friday, the school hosted a shower for the newest members of the Canadian Academy community - the recently-born Ali and the newly-arrived Denis. Plenty of food and drink for the adults and a playroom for the kids, it was a well planned party, indeed! It was great to see so many people drop by and meet the new additions, and we feel fortunate to belong to such a supportive community. Below are a few pictures from the party and of Denis opening some of his gifts. He loved each and every one of them!
The spring-like weather we've been having on the weekends has allowed for some great excursions. A couple of weeks ago, we visited a bird and flower ark on Port Island; and this past weekend, we drove up the mountain to the Mount Rokko pasture. Animals were fed, pet, and "oooohed" over on both trips. D has little fear of animals - which is both a good thing and a bad thing, I'm learning. I'm glad he's interested, but there will come a day when some creature decides to stand its ground. I just hope no fingers will be lost!
Anyone else have a cat that watches TV? Pisco has recently discovered Baby Einstein and he can't get enough! How does a cat develop an addiction to television, you might wonder. It was innocent enough. In the beginning. He happened to be sitting on the Apple TV one day (the warmest spot in the apartment) when we started one of the videos. We could see him glancing over from time to time - ears pricked up and head cocked to one side - and within minutes, he was hooked. Now he comes running and takes his post whenever he hears the squeaky little voices of the Baby Einstein puppets.
The boys think it's sort of cute and endearing if Pisco keeps his post on the Apple TV and watches from the sidelines. But the moment he steps off and stands directly in front of the TV to get a better look, all hell breaks loose. Denis hollers at him in his best English-Russian baby babble to get out of the way and stop blocking his view. And Jon swears at him (Pisco, not Denis) to get down and not touch the TV - usually just in time. One of these days, Pisco will pounce on one of those poor unsuspecting puppets.
Me, I think it's cute and endearing all of the time.
Somebody - besides me - loves to be in the kitchen. Is there anything better than getting to lick the bowl after mom has made something yummy? I think not! In an effort to 'feed' D's interest in all things culinary - and to keep my own utensils from disappearing - I stopped by the 100 Yen Shop (think dollar store) the other day and bought him some of his very own kitchen gadgets. As expected, they were a hit. And then they were hit. And beat. And pounded. Yes, they became musical instruments. If there's anything D loves more than food and being in the kitchen it's music and making lots of it! Unfortunately (or fortunately if you haven't had your morning coffee yet), I stopped filming before the jam session really got underway... All I got was this exciting footage of Denis pretending to be a chef.
Speaking of musical instruments, here's Denis trying his hand, er...mouth, at the harmonica. Thanks for the great gift, E! He loves it!
Have you noticed I don't have much time to blog these days? I have! How easy it is was to take free time for granted. Hopefully, I'll find some of that elusive free time soon to sit down and write about our days with Denis a little more descriptively. In the meantime, here are some random shots of Little D around the house and around Rokko Island. Enjoy!
We visited the Osaka Aquarium last weekend with a few friends and their kids. Denis loved all the animals - the fish, the dolphins, the penguins, the sea lions, the whale sharks... He was a man (a little man!) on a mission that day - running from one window to the next, making his funny fish sounds all the while.
Here are a few photos. Most are blurry or blue-tinged, and you can rarely see what D is looking at, but you get the idea!
I think I've mentioned before how much Denis loves music. Well, his Aunt ReBecca and Uncle Mike sent him a couple of CDs with his name in the songs - songs that they're singing! How cool is that? Here's a clip of D moving and grooving to the tunes. Thanks, R&M!
We visited the infamous BorneLund today with our friends TKR&T. Denis loved it! It's an indoor playground with all sorts of fun things to do - a ball pit, a "construction" site, a play kitchen and more. It was a great way to spend a winter afternoon. I'm sure we'll be going back soon!
We've been home a week! Feels much longer than that. Denis is making huge progress. He can point to a couple of things in a book (banana, apple) and will go get a few things that you ask him to (his slippers, his shoes). His English vocabulary includes up, down, all done, quack!quack!, and owl. He repeated the words yellow and blue today, but I don't think he knows what they mean yet. He is CRAZY about bath time now. He throws a fit when it's time to get out and he asks me to open the bathroom door all day. I think that's what you call a 180°! He's still eating well - tuna casserole and blueberry yogurt for lunch today and tonight he ate some pieces of pork tenderloin, sweet potatoes, and applesauce. We went to our first play group this morning. D knew how to sit in the circle and listen to the songs, and he did a nice job sharing toys with the other kids. But when it came time to make musical shakers out of popcorn and paper plates, he thought it was snack time and wanted to eat the kernels of popcorn!
Below are a few pictures of Little D discovering all kinds of new things - cars, horses, the telephone, and Play-Doh. Ahh, to be a toddler!
Here are a few pictures of D's first days in Kobe. Enjoy! You'll see we finally had a breakthrough with bath time. After a few tears tonight (and screaming bloody murder last night), Denis decided he LOVED the bath and didn't want to get out. Go figure.
We're home! We arrived Thursday afternoon and are trying to get our feet back on the ground. We're all a bit jet-lagged, but hopefully we'll be on Kobe time in a couple more days. Denis is adjusting well. He seems to like his new home (including his very own room!) and he can hardly believe that there are real live "meow-meows" in his house. I must say that both parties - kitties and kiddo - are handling the changes well. They seem to have a healthy curiosity/wariness of each other. But I'm sure there will be battle scars...just not sure who will wear them!
I took Denis up to school at the end of the day on Friday to see his Papa and his huge fan club. Everyone was excited to meet our little Russian, and D handled all the attention quite well. He loved the school and was fascinated by all the kids. He met several new friends and even had his first pizza party with Riley, Tess, and Suzy. He loved playing with all the girls! We had spring-like weather today, so we took advantage of the warm temps by playing in the courtyard, having lunch down at the River Mall, and taking D for his first bike ride.
I'll try to post some more pictures soon. My laptop's experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment (grrrrr!). Stay tuned...
Word on the street is that Denis's Japanese visa will be ready by 2:30 tomorrow afternoon (his US visa came through at 2:30 on Monday). If this rumor proves to be true, we'll head straight to the airport to catch our 6:30PM flight to Beijing and then continue on to Kobe. Are we really at the end of this 13-month journey?! Here's hoping for a no-more-hoops-to-jump-through kind of day tomorrow!
Below are a few random pictures of Denis. Enjoy!
Here he's sporting his new hat (which he needs to grow into!) and his new backpack.
And here he's trying out the book-as-a-step-stool trick again, only he stepped off at the last minute!
