Relieved

Dear mischievous boy,


What a terrible week it was! Last week, you caught a cold. You had a high fever. You must have been in a lot of pain. You were crying and crying throughout the day. So, I held you from morning to midnight. I couldn’t do house chores at all. I couldn’t even take a bath.

I went the pediatrician to see you. The pediatrician said. " I prescribed him antibiotics. It might make him better in 3 days” However, things got worse and worse. On Thursday, You suffered from exanthem subitum. However, the next day, you seemed to be getting better. You stopped screaming and played. You had runny nose but you ate more food than the previous day. Did you recover?

Today, one of my neighbors, Eguchi-san asked me. “Did you call me?” “No. Why?” Eguchi-san smiled and said. ”OK. Don’t worry. My cell phone showed a record of missed call from you. So, I checked the answering machine and then listened to your baby’s voice. A-A-A… ♪ ”
Oh! I remembered that you spent the whole day playing with my cell phone.　Tap, it must have been your mischief. Did you recover enough to do mischief? What on earth? How did you select Eguchi-san’s telephone number? All right, all right. I felt relieved.


Good Night.

Imohori

Hi Tap!

For a while, your afternoon snack is speet potato snacks. Yesterday, we went sweet potato digging in Sagamihara, Tokyo.

One day, Matsumoto-san, a neighbour with two daughters, asked me "Why don't you go digging sweet potatoes? My parents-in- law are farmers. They have large fields and plant rice , vegetables and fruits." I said "Oh! I want to." She smiled "OK! I will ask other moms. Maybe , boy's mothers are out of hand with their son. I think digging potatoes might be a good opportunity for them to blow off their stress " Indeed... I accepted her kind offer.

I drove about one hour. Fellow passengers were Taduku-san and her 3-year-old mischievous boy, A-kun. We talked and talked. A-kun was singing songs for you. My car was filled with the fun voices of us. Matsumoto-san's parents -in-law gave us a warm welcome. Wow! Their house was so big with a large garden. Children were wondering around all parts of the house.


And then, we went to their field. We started digging potatoes. What big potatoes! Thick and fat like your legs. Parents enjoyed digging potatoes while children...They dug hole with shovels, scuffled and were covered with mud. And then, they were running and running in the field. Furthermore, her parents -in- law gave us many vegetables and fruits: carrots with leaves, green onions, ginger and persimmons. They were sooo fresh and juicy.


On our way home, Tap and A-kun fell asleep. You must have been so tired. I thought while driving. What will I cook? Sweet potatoes, potato breads, kanro-ni, potato pancakes? Steaming potatoes is simple and delicious. My mouth was watering for sweet potato cuisines.

Thank you Matsumoto-Family!

President Tap?

Hello, Tap!

The U.S. presidential election is looming. Obama VS McCain. Who do you think will win ? Many Americans might predict the result based on their policy. However, I take another approach.

What do Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Gerald Ford have in common? Would you believe it? They are all the eldest child in their family.
According to a CNN report, in the past 70 years, more than half of U.S. presidents have been first- borns . Some people say that birth order staff is unreliable science; however, I believe it significantly affect the development of personality, temperament and behavior.

First-borns have naturally leadership. Born leaders. They tend to dominate. They tend to control. They tend to be opinionated. They tend to rise to positions of leadership more often than others. And they tend to be subject to stress more often than later-borns. Hmm...

I am a first-born. I have an eldery brother, your uncle. I don't think leadership comes naturally to first-borns. After all, they have to take care of younger siblings, therefore they become
leaders .

Tap. You are a first-born. Oh boy! You are eligible enough to become the U.S. president. How about John MaCain? It might be difficult for him . Why? Because he is older than Obama? Because he stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end the Iraq war? Because he follows George Bush? No. Because he is a middle child.

soon after your birth

October 10th

Hi! Tap. A question first: what’s special about October 10th?

There are two answers. One is it’s your birthday. You arrived one year ago. Time flies!

Your dad hardly knows about your growth because he lives apart from you. He is living and working in Aomori as a nuclear engineer. However, he took time off and came back on Oct 10th. As soon as he saw you he said "Tap, you've grown since I saw you last time. Last time I was home you could walk a little bit but now you can walk longer. You can eat many kinds of food".

The next day, Grandpa and Grandma came to meet you. We did the isshou-mochi ceremony. Isshou means about 2kg, mochi is rice cake, and isshou-mochi represents happiness and health for those who are turning one year old. The baby carries the isshou-mochi and walks. This tradition differs from place to place. 2kg rice cake is too heavy for a baby to carry, but parents make their babies carry the isshou-mochi. They pray for their babies to carry happiness and health throughout their lives. You carried the isshou-mochi and fell backward, then cried. Grandpa and Grandma held you.

I said to your dad "We didn't get him a birthday present. I had no time to buy one" He said "The present is us, grandma and grandma. That's enough. Anyway, Tap is too young to understand what a birthday present is".

The last day, your dad went back to Aomori by airplane. We went to Haneda airport to see him off. When will he come home next? Until then you will grow more and your dad will be surprised to see you.

Oh! I forget to tell you the other answer. October 10th is our anniversary. What a coincidence! Your dad says "You are so forgetful. Sometimes you even forget my birthday. Luckily Tap's birthday is our anniversary. It is no doubt that Tap was a gift from God. All you need to remember is one day." Thanks, God.

A Lovely Present

One day, Yutaro, a 6 year old neighborhood boy, asked me “Do you need a tricycle that I used to ride? I’m too old for it so I will give it to you.” I said “Really? We are very happy to get it.” Tap, You got a tricycle from Yutaro! Yay! After we got the tricycle, you rode on it while Yutaro pushed. You are like brothers.

Yutaro lives in the next apartment building. The fist time I saw him was about half a year ago. I was taking a walk while holding you. He was on his way home from school. He looked at us then asked me “Are you a newcomer? Wow, what a small baby, small hands and small feet. I want to carry him. Can I? ” Hmm… I thought that the boy was tall for his age but holding a baby might be difficult. So I suggested “How about holding the baby with me because he is heaver than he looks.” “OK” he smiled. And we carried you. Since then we’ve been friends with him.

For me, the best part of my neighborhood is that it’s a great place to raise children. It’s a quiet residential area. Our apartment is a company dormitory. Everybody knows everybody and we look out for each other. The people are quite friendly. There is a wonderful sense of community. At dusk, children are playing, riding bicycles, and running all around. Although sometimes there are problems among residents, when we are in need we help each other. When I moved here, I didn’t know anyone, a hospital for you, where I could buy diapers. My kind neighbors told me about a good pediatrician. They gave you used clothes, toys, etc. They gave me useful information. Thanks to their support, I can raise you. I like this neighborhood feel.

I took pictures of you and Yutaro. Tomorrow I will put them in his mail box with a letter:
“Dear Yutaro-kun, Thank you very much for lovely present. I will treasure it.”

Reaching your Potential

Today, I took an online English lesson on the Internet. I entered a site and chatted with an English teacher through a microphone. WOW!! It was soooo exiting!

This system is as follows: You enter the online English school site. There are many participants. All the members introduce themselves. And then, the lesson starts. Today's lesson topic was on how to achieve your goal. How was my lesson? Not good… I have not been speaking English for a year, therefore I was very nervous. Furthermore, the topic was about your goal. Hmm…
This topic was very difficult for me to speak about because I have been so busy with child-cearing that I forgot my goal, my dream and my future.

I quit my job after being pregnant a year and a half ago. And after having you, I didn’t start a job.Some friends asked me, "Why didn't you get a job" or "How long do you plan to be a stay-at- home mom?" In a case like these, I always say," I like where I am now. For a while, I am focusing on child rearing. "

Since having you, I can't have time for my own. My whole day has been occupied with child caring such as changing diapers, breast-feeding, taking you to the hospital, making baby food and bathing, etc. I, especially, can't think about myself physically and mentally. So, does that mean that I am not happy? The answer is clear, NO! I enjoy what I have. I love the sound of your laugh.

To tell you the truth, my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. So, at that time I said to myself that if there were anyway that I am lucky to have another baby and be able to afford it, I wouldn't work while raising him or her. I think this is the best thing I ever did, and the best choice I ever made.

What is my dream?I'd like to do some translation work while at home in the near future. That's ambitious! Sure, but you have to aim high. I don't know whether I can get a job a translator or not. However, life without dreams and goals would be like running a race that has no finish line.

Good night!

The First Summer

Hi, Tap. I will tell you about your first summer trip. Your Dad has been in Aomorif or half a year on business. So, I gave up taking holidays this summer. However, happy news came unexpectedly. He came home and took four days off. Hooray!

The first day, we went to Hakone. I booked a traditional Japanese style high-class ryokan as a reward for our hardworking. However, it was a mistake. I forgot you were very mischievous. Tap, you were soooooo exciting. You couldn’t stay calm. We had to chase you. We protected Fusuma, Shoji, and flower vases from your vandalization. We couldn’t have a relaxing time. Ah!

The next day, we went to Fujiya Hotel in Hakone to eat very famous beef curry in a restaurant. This Hotel has been renowned globally as one of the most classical resort hotels in Japan. http://www.fujiyahotel.jp/english/index.htmlHowever, unfortunately, the restaurant was fully booked. So, we reluctantly bought retort-pouch curry at the hotel souvenir shop. We came home and ate the curry. How was the taste? Hmm… It was not delicious considering the price.

The last day, we went to Haneda Airport to see Dad off. In the morning, he said “I am going back to Aomori by train. If so, I can stay with Tap as long as possible. Last train leaves Tokyo Station at 7 p.m.” I said to him, “It seems a good idea but you must be very tired. We will see you off at Haneda Airport. How about going to Haneda by car?” He rounded his eyes. “By car? YOU drive? NO! My car would be ruined.” How did it end? Finally, he drove to Haneda and I drove back. Before getting on board, he seemed to be anxious and said to me weakly, “Good luck with my car…”Hummmm.
Next year, I hope to be able to stay longer with you and Dad. By the way, how is the car? Of course it still remains safe.

Childhood Friend

Dear Tap,

Let me introduce my friend. One of my oldest and best friends, Asako-chan, came to our house to see you. She said to you, "Wow! What an adorable boy! Your eyes take after mom." I was very happy to hear it from her.

I have known her for about 29 years since we went to kindergarten together in Ibaraki pref. She was a very smart, cheerful, and responsible girl. We attended the same elementary school, junior and senior high. We spent 14 years together. We belonged to the tennis club. She was a captain of the club. She was VERY good at playing tennis;on the other hand, I wasn’t. She studied hard and always had good grades. She graduated from Tsukuba University. And now, she has been working as a successful businessperson. Furthermore, she is pregnant. Congratulations!

She brought two presents for us. One was a very cute book with a music box. She said to you" I hope you'll like it. It is for you, Tap." Another was her hand made coasters. I admired them and said, " What pretty coasters, aren’t they!" and then I asked her, "Did you make them?" She replied, "Yes, I like sewing. In elementary school, I belonged to the sewing club. Don’t you remember?" NO, NOT AT ALL.

In my memory, she has been always active and outgoing. I've never imagined that she does needle work at home. However, today, I found another aspect of her. Not only is she a very smart and active woman, but she is also clever with her hands! In addition, she said, "My baby will be a son, so I don’t enjoy making clothes for him. If my baby were a girl… " I said to her, "No way! Your baby is due in November. While you take a maternity leave, enjoy making clothes for your son."

Thank you for your wonderful presents, Asako-chan! You will be an affectionate mom! I’m looking forward to seeing you and your newborn baby in autumn.