Taka is too young!

As Taka`s language develops his personality is shining. I am probably biased, but I find him to be super funny.
A couple of weeks ago he had the mumps. The Dr. said that he could not go to school. When I took him to his daycare on the first day he could go back he was finding every excuse in the book not to go. He wanted to stay home with mom. When I was picking him up after daycare, I asked him which school he wanted to go to next year (the daycare he was going to now, or the daycare by his dad`s school). He said "mama, the big man (the Dr.) said "da me" (no, forbidden) Taka can`t go to school "da me" (and he added the crossing of the hands sign for effect).

Yesterday in the car he comes up with "Taka is too young" when I give him a warm can of corn soup. (I think he borrowed that from when I say "your too young" when he tries to drink his dad`s beer.) He has stolen sips before, but he really likes the stuff and tries to keep drinking....almost chugging it sometimes. With the corn soup, when he said he did not want it...I drank it...then when he figured it out he bawled. I guess he was joking with me, but I just did not get it. What do you do when your almost to be 3 year old is smarter than you?

Last night before falling asleep, Taka wanted me to read the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". I had already shut off the lights, so I just told the story. For some reason he loves the word coccoon. Last night he said, mama....coccoon is a name. ka kun (kun is usually attached to boys names, chan is for girls) Then he said "ka kun is going to go to sleep too".

We have been reading the book "I like to take a bath" (a Japanese book translated into English) which has a sea turtle, 2 penguins, a hippo, whale, a rubber duck friend and a boy named Mike as characters. Yesterday, Taka noticed Mike`s pee pee. When we take a bath Taka is so much fun with his imagination and discovering different animals in the bathtub....his favorite is the whale (because the whale ate "seaweed salad" on the wonderpets).

Today I am starting work (for a couple of months). We will see how Taka adjusts. He really wants to improve his Japanese skills. He is always asking me to teach him Japanese words and wants me to teach him to read in Japanese. He feels super special when he gets to watch a DVD in Japanese. (I so far have kept his DVD watching in English.) Now he is getting older and makes a lot of requests so relunctantly I have to adopt to that.....He also has a great interest in learning to read in English and can recognize some sight words, so it seems he still has the motivation. Hopefully that will stay and he will become a biliterate.

Tricycle Success

Yesterday Takafumi sat on his tricycle and went.....all the way to the neighboring farm. He was so proud and happy. I was surprised, toddler skill acquisition is amazing. One day they do not have the ability to do something and the next day they obtain that ability. Now if I only had that for my Japanese language ability!

At every red, yellow, and green light Taka asks/tells me "red means stop, green means go and yellow means slow down, be careful". If his dad is in the car, he asks it all in Japanese too...and he loves when daddy says "kiroi--ki o tsukete".

Recently Taka has been having toilet accidents often...stress? needs more attention? I finally figured out how to watch my favorite American TV shows online, maybe I have been ignoring him too much. His dad was home over the holidays, so I wanted him to spend time with his dad. He loves when he makes connections with his dad!

He is up!