3Y4M 1Y7M アラくん、ノー！ Arakun, nooooo!

最近アラタに対して厳しい。タカラが・・・。

晩御飯の最中に、アラタが席をはずして、おもちゃで遊ぼうとしていると、タカラが椅子から下りて、アラタに合流かと思ったら、人差し指をアラタに向けて、「アラくん、ノー、できた」と言って今度はテーブルを指さした。（食事の用意が出来るとタカラは「できた！」と言って椅子に座るので、食事があるという意味。）その後少し意味不明後をペラっとしゃべってテーブルに戻ってきた。真面目な表情をしているので、アラタに真剣に注意しているようだ。

そして、夜の寝かしつけの最中に、アラタがベッドに横にならずにはしゃいでいると、タカラはやはりアラタに人差し指を指して「アラくん、ノー、ねんね、ここ！」

Takara has tried to discipline Arata recently.

When Arata left the table during dinner to play with toys, Takara also got out of his seat and joined Arata.... that's what I thought. Takara actually walked to Arata and pointed his index finger at Arata's nose saying, "Ara-kun, No! Dekita!" then pointed at the table. "Dekita" means something is done in Japanese and it's one of Takara's first words. He uses it when dinner is ready and I guess he wanted to tell Arata "we are having dinner."

He then kept saying something we couldn't make out, and came back to table. Surely, Takara was telling off Arata.

When I was putting them to bed today, Arata was still up and there was no sign of him going to sleep. Suddenly, Takara, who'd been lying but not asleep in bed, got up and went up to Arata. He said, "Ara-kun, No! Nenne ( = sleep), Koko ( = here)!", pointing his finger to Arata.

3Y4M 1Y7M マイペース At his own pace

アラタはやっと、自転車をこげるようになった。ついこの前まではペダルを回すことができず、ギコギコ前後にこぐだけだった。ふと見ると、今日は出来ていた。トーマやマッツは2才になる前からできていたからアラタは遅い方。

いきなりスピードが出るようになったので、早速ヘルメットを買った。スパイダーマンとか、かっこいいキャラクター物のヘルメットもあるのに、アラタはなぜか「目があるでしょ！」と言って、嬉しそうに、カエルのヘルメットを選んだ。

月曜日はアラタの発育についてのフォローアップでJasonが病院へ連れて行った。体重は13キロ弱で、同年齢の中では最低のラインだけれど、増加しているので通院は終了。ただし、身長が平均から平均以下に下がっているので、こちらが要注意とされた。半年後にチャイルドクリニックで測定して、ヘルスビジターと話し合うようにとのこと。

自転車のペダルこぎや、ヘルメットの趣味と同じで、成長も「マイペース」なんだろうけど・・・。

Arata can now pedal a bike properly. He couldn't do it in the round motion and he was just pushing the pedals backwards and forwards, till only a few days ago. Today, I just saw him cycling properly in our balcony and I of course congratulated him! Well, Thoma or Mats started to do it before they turned 2, and Arata is not at all one of the athletic kids.

Anyway, as Arata can now go fast, Jason bought a helmet for him. There were lots of helmets with characters like Spiderman, but Arata chose a froggy one. He showed me the helmet when he came home and said proudly, "Look!, it has eyes!"

On Monday, Jason took Arata to St Peter's for the follow-up of his poor weight gain problem. He weighed nearly 13Kg then and as he's been gaining gradually, he was discharged. But the doctor is now concerned about his height. Arata was at around the average but now he is much below. The doctor told Jason that we should take him to child clinic in 6 months time and get him weighed and talk to a health visitor.

The same as his physical development like peddling, or his taste of helmet, his growth is also taking his own pace and we don't worry too much at the moment, though.

3Y4M 1Y7M ドンタッチ Don't touch

日曜日、お風呂に入っていると突然タカラが吐いた。その後もじゅうたんの上やベッドの上で吐き、月曜日はバスの中でJasonに向かって吐いたらしい。（外出の途中で着替えもなく、戻れず、Jasonは大変だった。）火曜日は下痢で、ナーサリーは休み。嘔吐と下痢以外は元気だったから、なんだったのかしら。10日の土曜日の朝、目が赤くはれていたのでStPeter'sのA&Eへ連れて行き、抗生物質をもらったがそれと関連ある？

タカラは、じゅうたんの上の吐しゃ物を洗剤で洗っている間に「触っちゃだめよ！」と言うと、「ドンタッチ　（Don't touch ＝　英語で同じ意味）」と言った。タカラは同時期のアラタと比べても英語が強い。

そうそう、タカラが滑り台の上でぶら下がっていたので、アラタもやってたなあと調べてみると、

「ママは寿命が縮まるよ」なんてコメントしているが、アラタは既に2歳3ヶ月。

タカラは現在1歳7ヶ月だけれども、今では驚きもしないのは、そんなことをいちいち気にしていたら寿命、なくなっちゃうからね。

On Sunday, Takara vomited when he was in the bath! He then threw up on carpet or in bed. And on Monday, he threw up to Jason when they were on a bus.... As they were on their way out, Jason had no changes of clothes... Takara stopped vomiting after that but started diarrhoea and had a day off from nursery on Tuesday. It wasn't serious because he was fine otherwise but it must have been a hard work for Jason who also stayed home and looked after Takara on Tuesday. We wonder if his vomit and diarrhoea is something to do with antibiotics he was taking since 10th, when we took him to A&E for his swollen red left eye.

When we were cleaning carpet after Takara vomited, I said to him in JAPANESE, "Sawaccha dame yo (= don't touch)", then he repeated in ENGLISH, "Don't touch!" His English is stronger than Arata at the same age, I think.

By the way, Takara swung himself on the bar before sliding down the slide. It reminded me of Arata doing it before and I checked my weblog. I found it and when I read my own comment

"I am going to have a heart attack!",

I had to laugh at myself. Well, Arata was already 2 year and 3 months. Takara is still just over 1.5 years old but I felt nothing when I saw Takara swinging. If I had to have a heart attack so easy, I wouldn't survive a minute!

3Y4M 1Y7M はだかで遊ぶのって気持ちいいね Nice to be naked

ここ数日25度ぐらいまで気温が上がって夏のよう。子供はバルコニーでたくさん遊ぶし、高い家賃を払っている甲斐がある。

今日は庭にプールを出したというアディバの家に遊びに行った。初めは冷たくていやだと言っていたアラタも、タカラが裸になって遊びだすと、全裸になってはしゃぎだした。人のうちに行って、自分の子供だけ素っ裸になって走り回っているのはちょっと恥ずかしかったのだけれども、最後には、（恥ずかしいからとアラタカラの目に付かないところで水着に着替えたりしていた）ジャマールも裸に。

裸で遊ぶということは、アラタもタカラも初めてのことだったが、自然で、とても素晴らしい事だと思った。庭があるといいけれども、バルコニーでやらせてあげてもいいと思った。興味深かったのは、教えなくてもアラタは生まれて初めての立ちションをしていたし、タカラもふと立ち止まってはおしっこしていた。

あ、アディバのうちの庭だっけ。ごめんねーと言うと、「隣のネコが来ておしっこしているし、ジャマールはもうあちこちにしているから気にしないで」とアディバ。1才半ぐらいの時に庭で裸で遊びまわっていたジャマールは、アラタの友達の中でも飛びぬけて早く、2歳になるとすぐオムツが取れた。タカラを見ていても、おしっこを感覚と視覚で感じる機会になるわけだから、トイレトレーニングにはもってこいだろう。が、やはり、気になるので、もちろんおしっこの後には水をかけて流してきました・・・。

It's been hot. About 25C every day. Aratakara makes most of it and they play on our balcony. I feel it's worth paying our expensive rent!

We went to Adiba's today. They set up a small puddling pool in their garden. Arata at first said the water was too cold but after Takara took off his clothes and started to play, Arata followed him. Seeing our children playing around naked in friend's garden, while friend's child was not naked, was a bit embarrassing. But in the end, Jamal, who was shy enough at the beginning and went to hide to get changed, also took off his clothes and joined Aratakara.

I learnt letting children naked outside is a great idea. They really enjoyed it and it was so natural. Of course, if we have a garden, it will be better, but they can probably do the same in our balcony. Without being taught, Arata did pee standing for the first time in his life, and Takara had wee squatting.

Oh, yes, it was Adiba's garden! I said, "Sorry for my kids peeing in your garden." Adiba said, "Don't worry, Jamal has done a lot already and the cat next door comes and pee & poo." No wonder Jamal finished his potty training just after he turned 2. He was the youngest who ditched nappies among Arata's friends. I can remember Jamal was running around in the garden when he was just 1 and a half years old. Even looking at Takara today, it's a good chance to feel and see what he was doing, peeing, and I'm sure it's good for potty training. Well, of course, I put some water after my children's wee....

3Y3M 1Y7M やっぱりキスが好き Takara still likes kissing

教えたわけでもないのにタカラはキス（口と口です！）が好き。既に10ヶ月の時にルーシーに迫っている

証拠写真

もあるし、気が向くとキスしに来る。寝る前にはみんなに必ずキスをして、朝は先に目覚めたタカラの「マンマ！」の声に目を開けると、ベッドの上に座ってニコ～っと笑顔、そしてキスで起きざるを得ない。

ついこの間、Jasonがナーサリーにタカラを迎えに行くと、保母さんが「アクシデントフォームにサインしてください。」アクシデントフォームは、子供の怪我などの記録で、保護者が説明を受けてサインする。何のことかと思ったら、「女の子にキスしようとしたら唇を噛まれた」ということだった。ちょっと唇が腫れていました。

ナーサリーに迎えに行くと、女の子とカドル（抱っこ）していることもたまにあるらしいので、どうやらタカラは外でも堂々と気に入った子に、キスして抱き付いているようなのだ。

We didn't teach him but Takara likes kissing, of course, mouth to mouth!

(I captured the moment he kissed Lucy when he was only 10 months old.)

Whenever he feels like, he comes to us to kiss. He wakes up first in the morning, he then sits on bed and says, "Mammaaaa." When I open my eyes, he smiles back and comes to kiss me. I have to get up!

A couple of days ago, when Jason went to nursery to pick him up, he was asked to sign "accident form." It's a record of any accidents and after carer explains us what happend, we give them acknowledgement. The carer said to Jason, "When Oliver tried to kiss a girl, he was bitten his lips!" Surely, his lips were a bit red and swollen.

Jason has witnessed Takara cuddling a girl at nursery as well. We are now sure that Takara openly cuddles and kisses girls in public!

3Y4M 1Y7M おててつないで Walking holding hands

最近タカラはバギーに乗りたくないと抵抗する。勝手な方へ行かずに、手をつないで一緒に歩く事が出来るようになったから。

Takara often refuses to get on his buggy. He's started to enjoy walking with us like this.

3Y4M 1Y7M 友達が必要 Friends are important

ちょっと前までは「女の子は好きじゃない」と言っていたのに、最近はまなちゃんと遊ぶのが大好き。そして、トマのことは相変わらず愛しているし、慣れていなくて敬遠気味だったマッツとも楽しく遊ぶ。ここ数日はジャマールと久しぶりに会ったが、それは楽しそうに遊んでいる。

1人で遊んでいると、ママのアディバに、「弟がほしい」とジャマールが言ったそうだ。この年になると遊び友達が必要なんだろう。

ジャマールは、アラタと同じ年だけど、学校に行き始めたので、おしゃべりも運動能力もしばらくの間にかなり上達していてびっくりした。そんな彼とも実はアラタも問題なく話せて遊べるんだという事を目の当たりにして、ちょっと安心。英語がわかるようになってきて、自信がついたかな。いいことだと思う反面、日本語があやふやになってきているのも事実。

Arata has been not so shy recently. He now likes playing with Mana. He used to say he didn't like girls. He of course still 'loves' Thoma, and he plays very well with Mats as well. In the last few days, we saw Adiba and Jamal twice and in both occasions, Arata happily played with Jamal.

Adiba told me that Jamal said, "I want to have a brother" when he was playing alone in the park. We think children of this age need friends at last. Jamal is the same age as Arata but he's already started school and his vocabulary and physical abilities have been improved very much while we didn't see each other for a while. Still Arata can play and talk with him without any problems. It was amazing for me. I didn't even know he was so good at speaking in English.

Probably Arata has now more confidence because he understands and speaks English comfortably. It's really a good progress, although apparently his Japanese is getting weaker....

3Y4M 1Y7M あれから5年 5 years

Jasonと初めて会ったのは2003年の5月2日だから今日でちょうど5年！5年の間に私の生活、すっかり変わりました。

やめられないタカラへの授乳についてこの間、赤ちゃんミアのボトルの乳首をつまんでいた事を書いたけど、今日もまたショッキングなタカラの行動を見てしまった。これは、動物の形をした風船で、ちょうど耳の所が、乳首の形に似ているでしょ。この部分を口にくわえていました。この写真は、Jasonにもどう？って感じで差し出しているところ・・・。

It's been just 5 years since I first met Jason. It was exactly on the 2nd of May in 2003. In 5 years, lots of things happened!

I've recently written about my still breastfeeding Takara concern. Last time he was pinching the tip of the teat of a bottle. Today I've witnessed more shocking scene. This is an animal shaped balloon which has 2 pointing ears. Yes, they look like teats. Takara was sucking one of them happily for a while and in this photo, he was offering them to Jason.....