Junya turns 2 years 10 months today, and Sakura is 11 months old now.

This month we spent most of our time in Japan, so it is 3 whole weeks 24 hours altogether again.

Same nap same bed again.W12

Here’s the regular monthly update!

For Junya

Also read Junya’s  1st month , 2nd month , 3rd month , 4th month , 5th month , 6th month , 7th month 8th month, 9th month , 10th month , 11th month , 12th month , 13th month , 14th month 15th month , 16th month , 17th month , 18th months , 19th month , 20th month ,21st month , 22nd month , 23rd month 24th month , 25th month , 26th month , 27th month , 28th month , 29th month , 30th month , 31st month , 32nd month and 33rd month here.

He is talking sooooo much to the point he has become very noisy I have to shush him all the time lol. In the restaurant, on the train, while everyone is sleeping, etc etc etc.

 

Slogan

How do you know when you switch on the tv too often: When your toddler can recite every single TV commercial’s slogan and jingles.

We watch only Japanese channels so now he says/sings

“Calpis. Karada ni peace.”

“O nedan ijyou Nitori.”

“UQ Mobile. Dazo!”

“Levain party de kensaku.”

 

Mama Look At Me

This month he has learnt how to demand for my attention. Full, undivided attention.

In the beginning he was just calling “mama, mama.” every 5 seconds. While I’m at work, while I am talking, any time, anywhere. Sometimes when I’m having a serious conversation I couldn’t respond and he would be calling, “mama. mama. MAMA? MAAAMAAAAAA!” louder and louder until I respond. (I tried to tell him to wait for me to finish a conversation, he would say “hai.” and then call again 10 seconds later. He gives me 5 bonus seconds to talk lol.)

And then soon enough he has also learnt to differentiate between a genuine respond and a anyhow respond. When he tries to tell me something, I cannot just acknowledge his statement, I must show that I am REALLY listening. For example this happens when I am really, really busy either with work or deep in a conversation with other adults:

Junya: Mama, just now we go yellow train right?

Mama: *without looking* Yes we did.

Junya: Mama, look at me. Just now we go yellow train right?

Mama: *glance at him* Yes, we did. 

Junya: MAMA, look at me. Just now we go yellow train right?

Mama: *pauses conversation or whatever I’m doing* Yes, we took the yellow train for shopping, and we had udon, remember? Sooo yummy! Let’s go again!”

Junya: *big wide grin*

Yes. Not only you have to acknowledge whatever he is telling you, but to also show that you understand and preferably if you can elaborate on the related content as well.

 

Phone Ban

Most of the time it is the parents who ban screen time from their children. But it’s the opposite here. Yes I admit I am on the phone a lot (check Instagram la read gossip news la chat with friends etc etc etc), to the point that my son is now limit my screen time.

Junya recently loves to cook and wash/cut/style my hair. So he is always serving me imaginary curry/soup/cake and getting me a fancy hair cut. Today he said he wanted to “wash my hair” so he got me to lie down on the couch, and then started to fumble with my hair in a char-kuey-teow-uncle way. And I was editing a video to post on Instagram.

Junya: Mama, you put down the phone.

Mama: Oh. Hmmm… but usually customers can use their phone in the salon while getting a hair wash, right?

Junya: *grabs my phone away* No mama, you put down the phone, ok? I wash your hair.

Mama: But I need it!

Junya: No, it will get wet.

 

Baby Oniichan

Sakura has achieved many new milestones, like walking with support, doing funny faces, calling mama and papa in cute voices… etc. Every time she does something new I get very excited and would praise overzealously. “WOW Sakura, WELL! DONE!!”. And immeeeeediately her brother would barge in and mimic the exact same thing that his sister just did (a funny tongue-out face/walk awkwardly). Of course I have to be fair and say, “Wow baby Jun Jun, WELL! DONE!”.

 

Junya says

1. We were talking about our trip to Japan.

Junya: Mama we fly Air Asia or Japan Airline?

Mama: Japan Airlines.

Junya: Good choice, mama!

 

2. Junya dropped his spoon on the floor.

Mama: Please pick up your spoon.

Junya: Mama cry then I pick up.

(Same goes when I ask him to find something or even give a hug. “Mama cry then I find.” “Mama cry then I hug.”)

 

3. We were inside an apartment in Tokyo.

Junya: MAMA! Very cold! Can you off the aircon?

Mama: There’s no aircon here. It’s the weather.

Junya: Mama, can you off the weather? I don’t want weather.

 

4. Before sleep.

Junya: I love mama.

Mama: How much?

Junya: Twenty one dollars.

 

5. Junya points to the sky at the crescent moon.

Junya: Mama, BANANA MOON!

 

6. Sakura slaps mama in the face.

Mama: OUCH.

Junya: *giggles wildly* I also want ouch. *slaps mama in the face*.

 

7. At random times.

Junya: Mama, what is the light doing?

Junya: Mama, what is the kitchen doing?

 

8. Mama lulling Sakura to sleep and singing “Good night good night, my baby Sakura…”

Junya: *in a demanding singing tone* Good night good night, my baby oniichan!

Junya: (if in a good mood) Good night good night, my baby mama.

 

First hanami

Yeap. At two years old.

 

For Sakura

Read Sakura’s 1st month, 2nd month , 3rd month , 4th month , 5th month 6th month , 7th month , 8th month 9th month and 10th month here.

^^

She is getting more and more smiley every day, and sooooo gentle compared to Junya this age. They way she plays with people and toys. Even when she slaps me it’s soft and gentle one T__T. They say girls would be more easily managed physically, I sure hope so. Or else I’d be stuck with two destructive monsters T__T.

 

Second Child

 

They say that if your second child is a girl, she is usually stronger than her brother. In a way I think it is true. It probably has to do with how I parent both kids differently too. The first child is always most precious, we are super paranoid with every single thing. Remember how you sterilized every single thing religiously, every day and warm up your formula and baby food to the perfect temperature? Nope. Never gonna happen again lol.

Sakura is adapting to our family life instead of us revolving around her. So she is highly flexible with nap time, food, and environment. Junya was afraid of water and freaked out with sand the first time we went to beach. Sakura chilled in a pool like a pro. Junya had many likes and dislikes when it comes to baby food but Sakura eats eeeeeeeeverything. Cold food, warm food, slightly too hot food. All. Junya needs to be entertained all the time when he was a baby but you can just hand a remote control to Sakura and she can play for years as long as I remain nearby.

 

Walk with support

The biggest milestone this month is to walk with me holding her hands. She gets super excited and happy when she toddles forward step by step!

^^

Automatic Bye Bye

For the last couple of months she would wave bye bye on demand, but now as long as she hears the word bye bye she waves automatically. When oniichan says good bye to other people, when random stranger says bye bye… lol.

Communicating with oniichan

Sakura started talking to her brother. She goes, “ahhh.” and Junya would be very amused and reply “ahhh.” back to her. And then she goes “AH.” and her brother goes “AHHH.” And Sakura goes louder and Junya goes even louder and in the end it becomes a shrieking game. And this happens inside a public train. In Japan. T___T. I want to hide the whole family inside a hole.

Sometimes Junya will be talking to himself and then Sakura will respond to him by shaking her head vigorously. Secretly judging her brother since 10 months old. XD

 

 

😛

She can now mimic all sort of expressions and actions, like cheeky tongue out, clapping, and shake her head vigorously (no no no no no) and randomly. I would be carrying her crossing a junction in Tokyo and she would suddenly shake her head staring at me. 

As for clapping, I first taught her how to clap by holding her hands and putting them together. So now when I ask her to clap, she would first search for my hands with her little palms, and put my hands together to ask me clap lol. And then she would clap herself. XD

Sakura VS Sakura

Of course, this year she meets sakura for the first time ^^.

 

For Mama

This month was havoc (good kind of havoc!!) for mama because, well we are mostly in Japan so I’m mostly in a highly ecstatic good mood. And also I have been going out more for mamatomo dates with other fake Japanese mamas lol.

Carol and Momo. While we dumped our firstborn in school we went for taitai date :P. Momo was born a day after Sakura!

With Nikki and Keian to the play room.

<3

With Carolyn and Qiu for my “surprise birthday”. The cone hats look like they have been photoshopped on but it’s real effort from my real friends ok. 😀

Haha. Until now Junya is still singing the Kushinbo time service song (Dong dong dong! One Two Three! We! Are! Kushinbo!). -___-

My inverted ice cream cone baby!!

 

Of course our own family birthday celebration in Osaka, Japan.

It’s been a very, very happy month for mama. ^^

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