Merry Mary-land

Taka's first visit to his cousins' house in Maryland! He loved watching the boys play and meeting Buster the dog. We think he has a crush on his cousin Maggie, since he tried to hit her the first time he met her. We explained to her that it's because he likes her, but she still spent the entire weekend running away from him! Ah well, he has some time to learn proper social pleasantries...

Here are just a few pics from the trip. Looks like GrandmaMac didn't make it into any of the pictures (well, except her legs) - a major oversight!

we heart bear mountain

Took a trip up the Palisades Parkway to Bear Mountain today - our second time there. This time we tried out the merry-go-round -- as you'll see from the pictures, Taka was a little stunned. I think he enjoyed watching it more than being on it! Not that he didn't like it, he just didn't exactly "get it." But Hisa & I sure had fun! :-) We also had a little picnic lunch in the park. What a fantastic place. Next time: hiking, maybe some boating?


Here are a few additional pics from the last time we were there - I wasn't able to upload them earlier...

bye-bye, mini

April 27, 2009 - It was time, it was time. The Mini was now 5 years old, and besides, it was getting harder and harder to squeeze Taka in the back! We traded in for a VW GTI, and took some pictures to commemorate our very first "baby"!

birthday brunch

April 18, 2009 - Obviously posting this a bit late. We invited a few friends over for brunch on the weekend following Taka's birthday. The most people we've had at our apartment since Taka moved in. :-) It went very smoothly, and the guests were a huge help, since I found it difficult to be both mommy and hostess! I baked a carrot cake from scratch, and Taka had 3 bites. Sigh of relief -- I was worried he'd instantly become a sugar junkie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAKA!

1 year old today! Taka got a few presents and can't wait to play more with them later. The actual party will have to wait until the weekend, since of course Mommy and Daddy have to work. Children's birthdays should be holidays, shouldn't they? :-)

Sunday in the park with Taka

Gorgeous weather in Brooklyn as we head into April! Enjoyed a nice picnic in Fort Greene Park today, giving Taka a chance to practice his walking on some natural ground. We all had a lovely time -- unfortunately the camera ran out of batteries after just 2 pictures!

...and here's the video to prove it!

Finally got a decent video of Taka trying out his new skill. (It's all he wants to do these days!)

Taka is walking!

He took his first steps last night. No pics to accompany this story, unfortunately: Mama was too busy catching Taka in her arms, hugging him and twirling him around and squealing with delight!

February update

I'm under the gun to get this post in while it's still February. I haven't posted lately mainly because we've kind of just been going about our lives, and there's nothing out of the ordinary to report. Well, except that Taka is now crawling (fast!), standing, babbling, and practicing walking (holding Mommy or Daddy's hands) as often as possible! Here's a pictorial summary of the past couple of months:

Taka was so successful at the piano that he decided to take up the guitar.


He got his first real haircut...


...and went to the 1st birthday party of his day care buddy Galen! (Yes, he took over the exersaucer for a while.)


He did a little rocking out in his walker...



...and enjoyed another visit from his friend Judah, here all the way from Hong Kong. (No fighting this time!)


Of course we had our normal Saturdays at the diner...


...often followed by a romp on the swings (weather permitting).


Finally, we had a visit from Grandma, who brought a nice new knit sweater. (Thanks, Grandma Mac!)


And so, life in Taka times goes on. Sushi, anyone?

9 months, moving forward

The results are in: Taka is no longer 99th percentile! Can't brag about that anymore, but on the other hand, it'll be a little easier on everyone's backs. Taka is now coming in at the 80th percentile mark, at a hefty 22 pounds and 29 inches in stature. Not too shabby. And of course, his head is still off the charts. :-)

And finally, the day before his 9-month checkup, Taka figured out how to crawl forward. After weeks of frustratingly backing away from the toys he wanted, he finally got a leg up and moved towards the goal (it took a little while to actually get there, of course). He was so proud of himself!

So very, very tired.

Short blog today, since we're all so exhausted we can hardly move! We've been back from Japan for a few days now but have discovered that re-adjusting to this time zone is a little more difficult when a baby is involved. He just has no idea what's going on - awake at 2 a.m., restless nights, 4-hour naps during the day... And on top of that, the poor guy got an ear infection just before coming home, so if he could have gotten any sleep at all, that was the end of that.

We had a wonderful time in Japan, though. Highlights: Taka experiencing Japanese onsen (hot springs) for the first time (he couldn't stop staring at everyone!), and also the Japanese bath at home (he giggled the whole way through). He gained 4 new teeth and 3 new consonants during his stay there, and he also gained a lot of leg strength and balance -- i.e., he's practically standing on his own now! Will create/post a new slideshow shortly. In the meantime, my bed is looking pretty good...