Clara's "Boat"

Clara will dump out the contents of our little ottoman and then sit in it and tell me it's a boat. She' thinks it's hilarious. As do I, acutally.

But today's nautical adventure was, apparenlty, terribly relaxing for her. I'm not sure what was on the TV that she's looking at, but that's a pen cap in her mouth, her foot on the side and her elbow resting on the edge.

(since this post--it's now mid-January--she's pretended many things are boats. Laundry baskets, the 'bucket' (which is what I call the green covered crate), even while sitting between Tyler's legs she'll say "boa! boa!" and do the sign with a huge grin.)

The sqaudron had their Christmas party last night (yes, before Thanksgiving) at a spa/hotel thing in town called the Grand Komaki. The food was ok. Japanese and a lot of fish that was potentially uncooked so I couldn't try a lot of it--hence the 'ok'. Also, I'm not sure about anyone else, but when I'm served a piece of cake, I expect it to be, oh I don't know, sweet? At least hinting at sweetness? A mild, subtle sweetness perhaps? Apparently the Japanese and I must agree to disagree on this becuase the 'cake' they served look very pretty however it tasted like flour and water. It was even called MELON cake. Put some fruit juice in it for crying out loud!

Fortunately someone had a bunch of toblerones and other candies at the coffee table. So that hit the spot.

I didn't have anything to wear becuase I'm pregnant, so I had to wear my green old navy t-shirt and my red high high heels (notice how tall I am next to tyler). But I didn't want to look shabby and as I was looking for something 'festive' for Tyler to wear I laughed as I pulled out the Panther Jersey and said "You should wear THIS!".

To my surprise he ageed! So he put on his ugly Christmas plaid tie and the jersey over his button down and off we went!

Hoser got a kick out of it, even though Tyler said he walked up to him to shake his hand and said "I hate you". HAHahahahahaha : ) The jerseys have a background story involving Korea, Tyler and other punks being in charge of getting them and no one wanting to buy them but Hoser really wanting them).

They had a raffle for ab unch of things. A money tree, a gift basket the wives put together a few 'door prizes' and a grand prize of an ITouch--WHICH WE WON!!!!

It was the LAST prize to be given away and Jenn Steffens was pulling the ticket and as she's rummaging for one I yell "C'mon Jenn! BE THERE for me!!" and they called our number!! I was super excited. I didn't know it was an I touch, and then when I opened it I thought "oh crap, I won't know how to use it!" I've turned into one of those 'fogies' who gets annoyed with kids and their new fangled techie gadetry crap.

But Tyler's showed me how to work it a little better so I can listen to NPRs wait wait don't tell me on podcast to my heart's content--woo hoo!

It's Snowing

And it's November 20th. Last year the first snow was November 19th. While it technically snowed on the 18th (to potentially break last year's date), it didn't stick, so it doesn't really count as snow--just a really really cold day.

THIS stuff, however, looks like it might stick.

I need to order some more Stephens Hot Cocoa ASAP.

"MaMa!" = "I'm Naked!"

Lately I've been walking into Clara's room in the morning or after her nap to find her completely naked. If she's in a two piece jammie set, usually her top is off too. Completely nude.

The first time it happened I asked here where her diaper was and proceeded to search high and low and everywhere in between for it to no avail. The next time it happened I couldn't find the diaper again and thought "maybe she threw it in the garbage?"

Then when Tyler got her one morning, he asked her where her diaper was and she walked over to the edge of the crib and stuck her hand through the slat and hit the garbage lid to make it swing and said her version of 'dirty'.

It's quite convenient except when she throws a poopy one in there. . . or if she tries to pull the diaper off before she pees then pees on the bed. . . or when she takes a nap in undies and then throws the undies away. . . and it's also sort of annoying to have to collect her top, bottom, blanket and any socks off the floor. So I guess maybe it's not convenient. But it is a little bit funny.

I just know now that babbling is fine, but when she starts calling for me she requires assistance to either turn up the heat in her room or finish her business on the toilet.

Clara and Wii Resort

Clara LOVES it when peop

le play the swordfighting game on Wii Resort. She couldn't get enough of it when Brittnie and Tyler would play when she was here in October. Its a little out of sequence, but I'm still not cuaght up on October (or numerous other months).

(Ok, alignment is going crazy sorry).

When people start playing the swordfighting game she shakes her arms like crazy and kicks her feet (if she's sitting) and then when someone falls into the water she puts her arms up and yells "ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!" then just laughs and claps and signs 'water! water! water!" She acutally has started saying "wa wa! wa wa! ha! ha! Wa! Wa!" while clapping and signing. It's pretty hilarious so I'm glad I caught it on video.

(the video is really dark I don't know why and it won't let me reload the pictures in a bigger size. I don't know why.)

Daiichi Youchein--Day 1

Daiichi Youchien (dye-ee-chee yo-u-chee-en . . . . ish. . . sorta) technically means "first school for the youngest kids" (loosely) but it's essentially a day care.

But it's a Japanese day care which means it's really more like an American pre-school. They teach them manners and when to bow and to say please and thank you and lots of other stuff I'm sure but other parents don't know because their kids come home speaking random bits of Japanese.

HA! Yesss! I'm super excited for that because I don't really understand her most of the time anyway unless she accompanies her verbal attempts with a sign. (Unless it's cow, i"m pretty good at understanding "MOOOOoo!!!")

They also sing songs and have playtime and stuff (inside and out when weather permits). But there are lots of rules! She needed a smock and 'inside slippers' and a hat in case they go outside and no jeans allowed, only elastic waists (no overalls or onsies either), and everything has to be labeled with her name--in Japanese!

I'm still practicing before I bust out the sharpie.

She's only there for an hour today, and I found myself incredibly sad when I got back in the car to drive home. But then i got home and realized how much I had to do and I was a little bit ok. But then I started chatting online with my sister and then blogging and now I have to go pick her up again!

Next week she starts once a week from 8:30-11:30 so maybe I"ll get more done and actually start swimming (which was the original goal).

Halloween

Vista be darned. I guess I"ll take up blogging again from the front room computer. . . >Sigh<.
Halloween was SUPER fun! TYler and I went to a halloween party on Saturday. I was the sun/solar system (get it? becuase I'm pregnant? ha ha. Tyler wanted me to be the solar system when I was pregnant with clara but it dind't pan out). Tyler was SPutnik (ou can't see his USSR flag but we put one on there just in case people dind't know exactly what he was).

We ended up winning the prize for best costume (I'm not sure whose was best, becuase there was a 'couple costume' category, but I think we both got equal laughs at the large awkwardness of the costumes). By the end of the night tyler's whip antennas had started drooping pretty bad, but I kept saying that Sputnik dind't last very long in space either. BUt his costume was definitely worse for wear by the time we went home.

Then on Halloween night we took clara (who was a little green 'alien', and by that i mean I bought her some super cute green plaid pants and put her in a green shirt and bought a green swim cap and stuck green glittery pipe cleaners through it for crazy antenna-like alien hair) to base for some trick-or-treating.

I also brought two japanese sisters that I teach english to and one of them has a four year-old daughter who came dressed as spiderman. She got scared by a boy in a ghoul outfit at the beginning, then all the people made hre nervous, but she loosened up towards the end and had a good time : )

Clara seemed to understand the concept fairly well for a 19-month old. She walked by herself for almost 2 solid hours! Which I was terribly impressed by, but she seemed to be into it with all the other people and kids walking around. It surpriesed me becuase she normally hates crowds, but maybe becuase htere were kids wandering around too she wasn't as skittish? Or maybe the costumes? She probably jsut had no idea what was going on. The same ghoul that scared Wakana tried to scare clara and she just sort of looked up at him with this blank face that said "I don't get it."

It was also a weird trick-or-treat experience for me. It was like the fourth of july at night! People were camped out on their front lawns with bowls of candy and fire pits and tables of pot luck food and buckets and bins of beer and sodas. Everyone was just hanging out and talking and kids would come up and say trick or treat and get some candy then go to the next camped out group. . . it was weird, but fun and interesting too. We knew a lot of people on the street from TYler's work too, so that made it fun.

Of course, I forgot clara's alien hat at home, so I sent tyler home to get it while we started without him and it was so cold that I had to put clara in her big coat, so when we got to Dirty's place he said "Hey! What a cute little eskimo!" Hahahaha! yeah, I explained and he just laughed and said stick with eskimo until tyler gets back : )

I'd walk clara up to a 'house' (read group of people sitting in lawn chairs) and say "say trick or treat" and she's say "TREEeeeeeeee!" (we give the dog treats so she knows how to say that word). They'd put the candy in her bucket and I'd say "waht do you say?" and she'd nod her head two or three times for 'thank you'.

Affter about ten minutes she'd say thank you then just head straight for hte next group of people (if she could tell where they were). She also started lowering her bucket after she said "TREEEeeee!" so people could put candy in it easier. I don't think she understood that it was candy or food in her bucket, which I"m fine with, but she seemed to enjoy herself which was fun.

She walked up to one house and dind't notice the witch and warewolf sitting on the bench by the guy holding the candy bowl. When she did she turned around and started running back to me and the wtich (green face and everything) and I said its ok! Its ok! Hahahaha, she called the warewolf a dog. "He's a nice dog!" (as she pets his gnarled, furry, fanged face). I said "Yeah! Its a doggy!" and clara sort of looked at me confused and said "gaga?" (slapping her leg for dog at the same time) I said "yeah, doggie! So go get some candy!"

HAHAHAHAHA!!! what a great mother I am! teaching my child to ignore every gut instinct she's having of danger and fear and forcing her to accept treats from total strangers at the same time. . . . ahh halloween.

I only got one picture of hte night and it was taken by Kozue's camera, so I asked her ot email it to me. I'll upload it as soon as I get it.