2Y11M 1Y1M ナーサリーでチャリティイベント Charity event at nursery

BBCによる

『Children In Need（＝困っている子供達のために・・・って訳でいいかしら？）』

というチャリティイベントがアラタカラの通うTeddies Nursery であった。

この日はパジャマを着て行き、フェイスペイントなどを楽しんで、チャリティなので、少しの募金をした。このイベントが「Woking New and Mail」のという地元誌の11月22日号に紹介された。（英語文の後にJason作成の拡大写真を載せてあります。）

There was a charity event at Teddies nursery, which Aratakara attend. It's

"Children in need"

, a famous charity run by BBC.

On this particular day, children went to nursery in pyjamas and enjoyed face-painting etc. This event at their nursery was reported in a local paper, the 22 November issue of 'Woking News and Mail'.

2Y10M 1Y1M 寝ぼけるタカラ Sleep walking

二つの寝室の二つのダブルベッドと、床に敷いた布団。ここに毎晩早い者勝ちで寝ていく。私もJasonも一人で寝て溜まった疲れを解消したいから、できれば一人で寝たいので、『早い者勝ち』。タカラがコットに寝なくなって半年以上経つが、添い乳が楽だからついやめられない。

夜中に目が覚めたタカラが、ママが隣に寝ていないのに気がつくと、ベッドから下りて、真っ暗な中寝ぼけたまま隣の寝室へ行ってしまう。（下の布団にアラタが寝ている場合は、踏み付けて下りることになるが、アラタは絶対に起きない。）私は、慌てて起きて、タカラを抱き上げて自分の寝ているベッドに入れて寝かす。

この、暗闇の中で、私も寝ぼけたままタカラを抱き上げた瞬間に、「あれ、これアラタ？」と思う事が何回かあった。だって、タカラはもっと軽いはず。

二ヶ月ぶりに体重を量りに行くと、タカラは9.96Kg。1才を過ぎたので全裸で量らないから多少大目だとしても、記録上では2ヵ月で1キロ近く増えた事になる。アラタと2Kgの差。タカラはとにかくよく食べるから、食の細いアラタよりよく食べる事もしばしば。だから体重が増えるわけだ。お腹はいつもぽっこりしていて、ビール腹のおじさんのように、お腹の上でシャツが浮いて、素肌が見えている。

We have 2 bedrooms and in each room, there is a double bed. There is also a futon mattress on the floor of one of the rooms. We don't have any 'assigned' bed to sleep. We take whatever space we like or available on daily bases. We started to do this when Jason and I wanted to sleep alone in a bed to recover from endless tiredness caused by looking after kids. I find it easy because I still breastfeed Takara and I don't have to get up to pick him up during night.

When I'm not sleeping in the same bed as Takara, and he wakes up, he gets up and walks to other bedroom to look for me. It's really dark in our flat and I'm sure he is half asleep. But he gets out of the bed, lands on Arata who is usually sleeping on the futon (amazingly he never wakes up!), then walks to the other bedroom crying. He sometimes even opens the bedroom door. I get up and pick him up, then put him in my bed to sleep.

Recently I've often got confused, thinking it was Arata not Takara when I picked him up. Of course, I'm also half asleep and it's very dark. But what I think is Takara must be lighter.

We went to have Takara weighed. He was 9.96Kg. Once children turn one year old, they are weighed with clothes on but still, he's roughly gained one kilo in 2 months. There's now only 2 kilos difference between Takara and Arata.

Takara eats well. He sometimes eats more than Arata. Takara's tummy is popping out!

2Y10M 1Y1M Happy birthday

15日は私の誕生日。アラタは私が3歳になって、アラタももうすぐママと同じ3歳になると思っている。いつまでごまかせるのかしら？今日、ナオミのレシピでシフォンケーキを作ってみたので、2日遅れで、ケーキを食べた。

夜は、近所に住む日本人が7人集まり、「ガールズナイト」。昼間に子供と一緒に会うことはしばしばだけれども、大人だけで集まるのは初めて。Wokingのタウンセンターで食べて飲んで、楽しかった。地元で遊べるのは本当に便利。

私は大抵どこへ行っても、一番年長ママ。Wokingでも例外ではなく、年齢に関しては私はもう開き直っている。しのぶさんなんて14歳も年下だから、彼女が私の年齢になった時には、おうたろうくんはもう大学生！と思うとちょっとうらやましい。

It was my birthday on the 15th. Arata believes I've turned 3and he will be the same 3 years old next month. I wonder how long he will believe this? I managed to bake a cake today and we all enjoyed it.

In the evening, I went out with 6 other Japanese friends who live nearby. We often meet up during day with our children but it was our first time to go out in the evening together. We really had a good time! It's really nice to have friends locally.

I'm usually the oldest mum in whatever group I'm with. There is no exception here in Woking and I've already given up hiding my age. Shinobu, one of the mums we went out together today, is 14 years younger than me. When I thought her 3 year old son will be a University student when she becomes my age, I felt a bit shocked!

2Y10M 1Y1M やめられません・・・ I can't stop...

大方の予想に反して、タカラは水疱瘡にならなかった。GPには「ほぼ確実に移ります」と言われていたし、アラタカラの生活は、スプーンもストローも食べかけのビスケットも、全てがごちゃ混ぜになっているから、移らないわけがない。潜伏期間を経て、発病しそうな時期にタカラのMMR（3種混合予防接種）が予定されていたので、不安で延期したほど。

胎児の時に母体からもらった免疫が効いて病気になりにくいのは、生後6ヶ月まで。ところが、母乳にも母体の免疫が含まれているから、母乳育児の赤ちゃんは半年を過ぎても病気をしにくい。そうです。タカラはまだおっぱいを飲んでいるのよ。医者の友達もこの説が当たりだろうと言っていた。母乳の質は赤ちゃんの成長に伴い変わっていくというが、1才過ぎて、どれ程の免疫力が含まれているものなのか、科学的な根拠がほしい気もする。

とにかく、母乳ってすごいんだと実感した。本当は、アラタの時と同様に1才でやめようと思っていたのに、止められず困っていた。アラタは真冬に卒乳して、直後にナーサリーに行きだして、風邪や感染炎ばかりもらっていた。母乳を止めていなければ少しは違ったのかしら。試しにタカラの断乳は春まで延期することにしよう。

アラタの水疱瘡を診察したGPは、タカラがまだ母乳を飲んでいるなんて思いもしなかっただろう。英国は最低半年間の母乳のみ育児を奨励しているが、実際に母乳を続ける人は、生後6週間までに半分弱、6ヶ月までには1/4に減るそうだ。対照的に、日本人の中には3歳過ぎても上げている人がいたりする。

日本社会では、根強い偏見のある帝王切開（自然分娩が「正しい」みたいな）と同じぐらい、母乳育児が「正解」だからなのだろうか。日本のサイトを見ると「1歳ぐらいまでは水疱瘡に罹りにくい」とあるが、母乳育児が多いことの反映かもしれない。ちなみに、WHOは2歳までの母乳育児を推奨。

（写真）出張でオーストラリアへ行く途中のオタワの郁子さんが会いに来てくれた。

Against all odds, Takara didn't get chickenpox. The GP who saw Arata told Jason that Takara will most likely get it. The life of Aratakara is so mixed up. They use each other's spoons or straws, and eat the biscuit other one left half eaten. I also expected Takara to get it and I even canceled his scheduled MMR 2 weeks ago, as I wasn't sure if it's ok to have MMR even when he was about to break out chickenpox.

Antibodies from mother last for 6 months from birth. But breast-fed babies keep getting antibodies from mother's milk and they tend to get less sickness even after the first 6 months. Probably that's the key. Yes, I'm still breastfeeding Takara. My friend Detlef, who is a doctor, also thinks this is the reason. I wonder if it is proved scientifically? I remember that the quality of breast milk changes as baby grows. I wonder what sort of goodies are still contained in the breast milk after 1 year?

Anyway, I'm so impressed by the natural human milk! To be honest, I've been thinking about stopping it, as I stopped for Arata at around his first birthday, but I just haven't been able to. Arata stopped taking breastmilk in the middle of winter. Soon after he started going to nursery and he had so much colds and infections. I wonder if I hadn't stopped breastfeeding, it might have been different? I think I will not stop breastfeeding Takara till next spring. (Unless he weans by himself.) Let's see...

I'm sure that the GP who saw Arata's chickenpox didn't expect Takara still have breastmilk. NHS recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. But in fact, less than the half mothers still breastfeed when babies are 6 weeks, and till 6 months, the number drops 1/4. On the contrary, I have a couple of Japanese friends who were still breastfeeding when their children were over 2 or even 3 years old.

Probably it's due to different social expectations. In Japan having babies by c-section is still regarded as 'not proper birth'. (They believe women must suffer great pain during child birth!) In the same way, breastfeeding is the 'right' answer and lots of them think there is no other option. In a couple of Japanese sites say 'Children under 1 year old don't usually get chickenpox.' This must be based on the fact there are a quite number of 12 months old still breastfed in Japan? WHO recommend breastfeeding for the first 2 years.

In this photo, Takara is with Ikuko from Ottawa, who was on her way to Australia on business.

2Y10M 1Y1M 秋 Autumn

近所の公園で、紅葉した落葉に大はしゃぎ。At the park nearby our flat. Arata is enjoying fallen leaves.

2Y10M 1Y1M ひどい風邪 Bad cold

1ヶ月以上風邪が治らないアラタカラと私。特にタカラの風邪は悪化。（と言っても元気に遊んでいる。）鼻詰まりと痰で息苦しいから眠りが浅く、夜中に何度も起きるし、昼寝もできなくなっていた。ここ数日は声も枯れて泣き声が痛々しい。友達に、GPへ連れて行ったら？と言われて、ああ、そうだったと、Jasonが連れて行った。Upper respiratory tract infection　（喉から気管支までも含む炎症の総称）と、左の肺に痰が溜まっているという。咳があまりでない風邪が長引くと溜まってしまうらしい。

GPに行っても、日本のように症状緩和薬をくれるわけでもなく、風邪が長引いている場合（2週間以上）に限って抗生物質を出されるだけ。アラタの時は神経質に連れて行って、結果的には1歳から2歳までの間に大量の抗生物質を飲む羽目になった。必要以上に飲んでいたのは間違いない。そして、去年の冬になった寒冷じんましんは、ペニシリンへのアレルギー反応ではないかとまだ疑っている。（それ以来飲ませていないのではっきりした事は不明だが。）

だから、耳から膿でも出していて中耳炎が明らかだとか、下痢や嘔吐が続いたり、高熱が続く以外に、GPに子供を連れて行くということが私の選択肢から一年近く抜けていた。

タカラは初の抗生物質(Amoxicillin syrup 125mg)を出されたが、ウイルス性である風邪に効くわけではない。免疫力が弱まっている所に細菌による二次感染を防ぐための予防。まあ、普通に体力のある大人なら自分の免疫力で撃退できるが、子供だとこじらせてしまう可能性は高いから、やはり気をつけて上げなければいけない。深く反省。ところで、気管支拡張剤がシールになっている日本の薬、「ホクナリンテープ」（ツロブテロール0.5mg HC780）がよく効いた。これをタカラの背中に貼ったら、朝までぐっすり寝てくれた。

Aratakara and I have had a persistent cold for a month now. Especially, Takara's condition was getting worse, although he plays happily otherwise. He couldn't sleep well because his stuffy& runny nose and mucusy coughs wake him up during night or nap. He's lost his voice as well and you can't hear him crying very well... One of my friends suggested we should take him to see a GP. Oh, yes, of course, I have actually forgotten to do it.

Takara was diagnosed of upper respiratory tract infection and creps in his left lung, mucus has been deposited in lung, which is caused by long lasting cold with not much cough.

If we take our children to GP, unlike in Japan, doctors don't prescribe medicine to ease the conditions. They give us antibiotics when cold lasts more than 2 weeks. When Arata was 1 year old, I was more naive and sensitive and I took him to GP so often. He ended up taking too much antibiotics for a year. I'm sure some of the courses weren't necessary. I still feel that the 'coldness allegy' he suffered last winter was resulted from the reaction to penicillin. (I'm not sure about this as he hasn't had any since.)

This, my disbelief in doctors, is the reason I've forgotten about 'taking children to see a doctor' is one of the options, for almost a year, unless obvious cases.

Takara has been given his first ever antibiotics (Amoxicillin syrup 125mg). Of course antibiotics doesn't work on general cold but to prevent secondary infections. Unlike grown-ups, who can fight off persistent cold with our anti body, children are of course weaker. I have to be more careful..... We tried Japanese medicine, adhesive patch contains 'Tulobuterol' 0.5mg. It worked very well and Takara could sleep through. I hope we can get this medicine here as well.

2Y10M 1Y1M 1ヶ月 One month has passed

仕事を再開して1ヶ月。前回の産休開け同様、担当する仕事に納得いかずに戦ったりと、ストレスフルな長い1ヶ月だった。手取り額よりナーサリー代の方が高いから、将来性のある仕事が出来なければ会社に行く意味は全くない。開発の仕事がもう存在しないなら、せめてSAPのサポートでもさせてほしい。あるいは、仕事がなくなったということで正式に解雇してほしいという選択だ。一応、SAPの習得後、サポートの仕事も回してもらえる事になったので、「ナーサリー代を出してもらい勉強している」と割り切ることにした。果たして会社は約束を守れるのか、あと二ヶ月ぐらい様子をみて今後の身の振り方を決めるつもり。

困難なスタートを切った私とは対照的に、タカラはあっとう間にナーサリーに馴染んでしまった。セトルインセッションではいつも泣いていたし、甘えんぼうのタカラをナーサリーに預けるのはあまりに厳しい試練だからと、1対1でみてくれるようなナニーさんを探そうと思っていた。が、杞憂だった。朝、ナーサリーに連れて行き、親が離れる時に子供が泣き叫ばなくなるまで1ヶ月ぐらいかかると言われている。アラタもそのぐらい必要だった。タカラは2週間で泣かなくなり、3週間目にはランチをお代わりして、デザートのメロンも8切れ食べて、4週目には、迎えに行っても帰りたくないって、遊び続けるようになった。さすが次男…。

水曜日はハローインの仮装をして（しなくても可）ナーサリーに行く日だったので二人でパンプキン！この日ばかりは、いつもトイレに行き損なって何度もパンツを履き替えさせられるアラタに失敗がなかった。朝、「今日パンツにおしっこしちゃったらパンプキンのズボンが濡れちゃうからね」と言って置いたのだが、保母さんもびっくりしたらしく、「これからはいつも仮装してくる？」だって。

It's been one month since I went back to work. Like the time after my first maternity leave, I had to 'fight' to get work what is acceptable. I'm loosing out financially, the nursery fee is more than my income and if I can not do satisfying proper work, there is no point going to work. If there is no more developing jobs, they should at least give me SAP support position, or they should make me redundant, rather than giving me unimportant job. I managed to get a promise that they will train me with SAP and will move me back to user support job. I've decided to think that 'I'm taking a training course with nursery fee and class fee are paid'... I hope my company will keep their words. Let's see. I think I will give it another 2 months before I make up my mind.

Contrary to my situation at work, Takara has settled in at nursery, much quicker than we expected. He cried a lot at the settle in sessions and I was a bit worried about it. I felt guilty that I had to give him such hard time at so young age. I even started to seriously think about finding a child-minder because they usually build more one-to-one and close relationship with children. But Takara proved to be an easy going boy. Within 2 weeks of his first full day at nursery, he stopped crying when Jason dropped him off. It's always said children need for about a month to get used it and surely it took a month for Arata to stop crying. Takara also must be really enjoying himself at nursery. He's already brave enough to ask for extra portion of lunch or demand more pieces of melon when he find meal is nice. And he already sometimes shows that he doesn't want to go home when Jason goes to pick him up.

On Wednesday, Aratakara were in pumpkin costume for nursery's Halloween dressing up. To everybody's surprise, Arata didn't have any 'accidents' on this particular day. He can go to toilet when he is at home but when he is at nursery, he usually needs to get changed at least twice a day because he doesn't ask to take him to toilet. In the morning, I told him to go to toilet because otherwise his pumpkin costume would be ruined. I think it was the last thing Arata wanted and he could go to toilet alright. One of his carer apparently told Jason that Arata should wear the pumpkin every day!