Keila's 39 Month Update

  Well, I've just about given up on blogging other than Keila's montly updates. Now that she's in nursery, I do have more time but it's spent swimming or cleaning! We did find a new product at Whole Foods the other week that I may post about...maybe. How do people with more than one child find time to blog??
 Anyway, here's what Keila has been up to the past month*


1. Language is of course progressing day by day, although her Japanese hasn't made any noticeable improvements since last month. We really need to stop speaking English so much in the house!
2. Sleep has finally gotten somewhat back on track....it was at an all-time low when she was sick with a cold AND we were stupid enough to take her paci away at the same time. Apparently I like to torture myself. Now that we're doing relatively better (she still gets up at night if she needs the toilet), go figure she's caught another cold and has been up a lot tonight already.
3. Keila is doing great full-time at nursery! The transition to eating lunch there and staying until 3 pm has gone really well! By Thursday afternoon she's pretty worn out from 3 straight days of playing and having fun, but she loves it. It's been great for her social skills, too--we aren't quite as shy around other people now, and I often catch her singing songs from school when before she never sang along to much of anything. However, sometimes she's a bit overly confident and I have to chase her through the store when she runs from me!
 4. Story of the month....literally a story! Keila was eating dinner and decided to tell me a fairy tale: 'Once upon a time, there was a little mango who thought the sky was falling. He lived in the woods with his mama and hurt his knee.'  I asked if he fell and hurt his knee, to which she responded (as if it were obvious): 'NO, he hurt his knee because the sky fell!!'
 5. Keila is almost 16 kilos now, so she really has been going through a growth spurt. Not sure how tall she is?


Preparing for Valentine's Day...

Keila is 38 Months!!!

Keila is 38 months today! We've been up to a lot in the past month, too. Here's what's new:

1. Keila's improved her Japanese quite a bit just by being back for a few weeks. She still doesn't speak a ton, but her understanding has made a lot of progress. We are of course speaking more and more in English too.
 2. Well, Keila slept GREAT in Japan, once we got over jet lag. Likely due to the fact that she got to share a bed with Mommy and Daddy. Sleep now that we've returned isn't going so great....what else is new, right? I actually had to pause just now to go put her back to bed...the third time she's been up in as many hours!
 3. Keila is really, really excited to start full days at nursery this term! She'll go 6 hours, 3 days a week. She's most excited about taking her lunch and eating with the other children.
 We had a great time in Japan playing with Grandpa, and Keila keeps asking when she will see him next. She also told me that we're going on another airplane soon, this time to visit Grandma in America. The kid really likes to travel!
 Today, Keila earned her first swimming badge! She had to blow bubbles in the water, swim by herself (with floats of course) and get her head wet (but not submerged). She's come a long way from the shrieking 'I-don't-want-to-get-in' child of August!
 4. Memorable quotes from the past month.....Wasabi (the cat) puked and Keila commented on how she must not have gotten her flu shot.  Another one was confusion regarding 'Wii' the game center and 'wee' as in pee. She thought that Daddy must've strained his back going pee, after I asked if maybe he pulled something while playing Wii. Hah!
 5. Keila seems to be holding steady at around 15 kilos and 98/99 cm. Maybe she'll hit another growth spurt soon?
 

Slurp!

  On a big-kid swing

Keila's 37 Month (And One Day) Update

　　I haven't forgotten about the blog...but I have been rather busy lately. Christmas is fast approaching, meaning lots of shopping, packing, and just preparing in general. Don't even remind me about all the Christmas cards I still have to write. Plus we did a full-on Thanksgiving dinner this year, even though it ended up just being the 3 of us thanks to illness. Speaking of illness, Keila has been sick for the past 5 days and is only finally coming out of it thanks to some much-needed antibiotics. It's been a long week, and our house looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years. Does anyone else with toddlers have that problem? No matter how much you clean, it's imposible to keep the mess at bay!
 But enough rambling. Here is Keila's monthly update, before I get back to frantically working on her annual photo album!

 1. Keila talks. A lot. I've probably said that before, but not it's even more so. I can't remember how much more from last month, but I'm sure it's a lot. Daddy has been working on her colors with her in Japanese, so she's got a lot of those down now. Keila also understands that not everyone can speak Japanese, although she tells me that her nursery school teachers can speak 'a little' since they know some of the words she has taught them.
 2. Keila has set a new record for number of wake-ups in one night!! I think it was somewhere around 15, although I lost count after 10. To be fair, the poor girl had a terribly stuffed up nose and cough along with a fever, so she was just miserable. And we all know that misery loves company! Fingers crossed she sleeps better this week...
 3. Keila will be in a nativity play at her nursery school this coming week. She's been practicing singing songs for it and is quite excited. She also tells me what all the other children are going to be, too. Not quite sure of the valdity of all of these costumes, as I was told that Issac was going to a shark. A navitiy shark, hmmm....
 Keila is REALLY into counting money now! She received a bank for her birthday, and she's somehow managed to weasel 20 coins out of me for said bank. Lately, she will repeatedly take the coins out of her bank, line them up, and count them. She can count to 20 pretty well all by herself, although the 'teen' and 'ty' parts confuse her a bit.
 We also love making up rhymes and songs about objects, although Keila will usually only sing these in front of Mommy. The latest song was 'Cheese and Chive went to town, to buy some beer for Daddy!' Did I mention that she likes food??
 4. One of Keila's best quotes of the month was from when I asked her which of her kumas (teddy bears) she wanted to take to Grandpa's. She said she was only taking her big bunny rabbit, as Grandpa was going to have lots of kumas at his house! There is lots more, but I'm too tired to think of anything right now! Will post them if they come to mind...
 5. Still no idea how tall or heavy she is. People keep telling me that she's tall, though?? Will try to check and post it next month. Until 2014......



        Oh, and she's been practicing with her chopsticks lately, too....

A Few More Keila Quotes

 I forgot to add these to her monthly update, but I don't want to forget them!

 (While smelling her favorite blanket) 'This smells like a Japanese doctor!'  Upon questioning, she couldn't really explain what exactly that smelled like, but she's said it of the blanket a few more times since. Hmmm?

 'Why do women sometimes have moustaches???'

and yesterday, 'Where does the sun sleep?'

Also, Keila has been learning her letters and will often point out 'K', 'M' etc when we are at the store or anywhere there is writing. I'm fully expecting her to start reading some time soon!

Keila is 3 Years Old Today!!!

Wow, the last month has pretty much flown by. And now my little girl is 3 years old!!! I swear that she's getting visibly bigger and more grown up by the day--much too fast for my liking!
 Here's her update from the past month:

1. Keila's vocabulary is still exponentially expanding, and she is often asking me what a word or phrase means. While she still tends to only speak in English, it's not for lack of understanding a lot of Japanese. I was quizzing her today on her fruits and vegetables, and she easily answered with the English word for every Japanese one I gave her. Smart girl!
2. Keila is now in a 'big girl' bed as of last Saturday night! We did opt for a gradual transition by putting a baby gate across her bedroom door, however. So now when (note I saw 'when' and not 'if') she wakes at night, she still can't come crawling into Mommy and Daddy's bed. Still hoping she will start consistently sleeping through the night at some point! Gro Clock is now being utterly disregarded unless it happens to work in her favor.
 3. Nursery school is still looked forward to with excitement every morning that Keila attends. She is also still asking when she can bring her lunch and stay longer, although she understands that it will happen after we return from visiting Grandpa for Christmas.
 Keila now has lots of imaginary friends, although Pho-Phen is the most consistent one and is always around. He is a 'big boy' and can do lots of things on his own, plus his mother is very talented and can make him a Dokin-chan birthday cake. (Look up Dokin-chan of the Anpanman characters if you are curious). I was informed of this fact after I told Keila I could probably only do well enough to make her an Anpanman birthday cake. Thanks a lot, Pho-Phen's mom! Putting me to shame!
 Keila is also still cooking up a storm and was thrilled with the chef's hat and new apron I found her last weekend. Play dough and clay are also favorite mediums, and Keila uses them to make all sorts of 'food'.
 4. A few quotes from this month: 'What happens if I go pee pee in the pool?? Will they have to go under water and get it out?' and also 'That's not right! That's not the way Mommy does it!' (this said to Yuki as he was trying to wash her hair). Finally 'What is nobody comes to my party? I will be saaad!' Luckily lots of kids showed up, so we didn't have to worry about that problem. =)
 5. I have no idea how tall Keila is this month or how much she weighs. More than 15 kilos by now, I'd guess!
 Happy Birthday, Keila!!!

Keila is 35 Months Old!!!

  Once again I've been awful about blogging. Maybe one day I'll get back on track and actually start writing some posts again. Until then, I'll at least be sure to keep Keila's monthly updates going. Still can't believe that she's going to be 3 next month!! I feel like I'm going to turn around and she'll be off to college soon. Guess at least I'll have these updates to look back on when that time comes!

 1. Keila is still really interested in learning Japanese, and she continues to ask what words mean in both languages. She also recognizes Japanese characters on books, or she will at least recognize that they're not the English alphabet. Her English vocabulary of course is also rapidly expanding, and I'm not even sure where she's heard some of the words she knows!
2. The Gro-clock has been somewhat of a miracle! Keila fully understands that she's not supposed to call for use until the sunshine appears on it in the morning. That doesn't really mean she follows it all the time (she will often call for me and state that since there's only one star left in the countdown, can she please get up now?) but her sleep is way better than before we bought it! I can't remember if I mentioned in the last post how Keila had dropped her naps, too. That may have been within the past month; I honestly can't remember when it was, but it was a Thursday. She just stopped them cold-turkey. Meaning that bedtime is now 7 pm and I have a bit of the night back. But no break during the day!
 3. Nursery school is going amazingly well! Keila adjusted to it quickly and loves going so much that she's already asking to take her lunch and stay with the other kids. She adjusted so well, in fact, that she let her stubbornness show on the 4th day and earned herself a red card for 1. Refusing to hold a boy's hand during prayer, 2. then refusing to say sorry, and 3. finally, refusing to help tidy up! Poor girl was sufficiently traumatized by not getting a sticker at the end of the morning that she's been on good behavior since, thankfully!
 Keila has been quite interested in cooking and toy animals lately (more so than usual). She's asking for a barking, moving toy dog for her birthday, since she saw one at a friend's house. We got her some new toy food yesterday too, since she loves to 'cook' and serve me various dishes while I'm preparing our real meals.
 Pho-Phen is still alive and well, although Keila got mad at me a few weeks ago because I 'forgot' him at the swimming pool and then refused to literally get in the car and drive back to get him once we got home and she reminded me. A major tantrum ensued that time, although Pho-Phen did somehow make his way home in time to join us at the coffee shop later that afternoon. At least he's a resourceful imaginary friend!
 Another development: as of today, Keila has started mimicking me, word for word and action for action. She finds it hilarious, and I do too....for now!
 4. No real story of the month, just a few quotes/incidents. Apparently we have a music critic on our hands, as she heard a Maroon Five song and said 'This shouldn't be a song! It's terrible!' (I disagreed and she told me I was wrong). Also, last weekend when a friend was moving his car and Keila was getting into ours, she smelled the diesel and said 'I smell something....it smells like appetizers!' No idea where she got the word appetizers from, or why she thinks diesel smells like them!
 5. Keila is 96 cm and just over 15 kilos.
 That's it until her 3rd birthday!!!

Recipe Post: Secret Ingredient Mini Mushroom Tarragon Frittatas

  Well, finally I'm getting time to post something. It's been....how long??? since I wrote anything other than Keila's monthly updates. And yet, I'm still not going to post anything about Istanbul or Greece just yet. For once, there hasn't been time to sort through all of our photos yet. And two, I REALLY loved what I concocted for dinner tonight and don't want to forget how to make it. Hopefully more posts about our travels will follow shortly. Seeing as how Keila has suddenly dropped her naps though, don't hold me to that!
 For now....some amazing mini frittatas that I baked in muffin tins tonight. I got the inspriation from some Pinterest recipes (particularly this one: http://www.dailygarnish.com/2012/09/mini-mushroom-onion-frittata-muffins.html), plus the fact that we only had 4 eggs when I wanted 8. That, and I'm on a really big bean kick lately, but my husband actually begged me last week for a few less bean dishes. I figure he won't even know they're in this recipe, unless he happens to read my blog (Sorry, honey!).  So...here you go! Added fiber, with all the goodness and taste of a fritatta. I wonder if I can somehow make these things vegan for next time, though....

 Secret Ingredient Mini Mushroom Tarragon Frittatas
Makes 12-14 mini frittatas in muffin cups
   Ingredients:

  1 large onion, diced
  1 8 oz package of mushrooms, cleaned and diced
  EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  dried tarragon, about 1 Tablespoon
  garlic powder (about 1-2 teaspoons)
  salt (maybe a half teaspoon)

  4 eggs
  about 3/4-1 cup chickpeas, drained
  3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  2 TB nutritional yeast
 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Preheat your oven to 180C/375F if using the oven. If using silicone muffin tins, you may also just microwave these little buggers.
First, heat the onion and mushrooms in EVOO in a frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes, then throw in the dried tarragon and garlic powder, plus a pinch of salt. Continue cooking until everything is soft and golden/brown, adding a bit of water if necessary to prevent sticking. Set aside and let cool a bit.

 In a food processor or blender, combine the rest of the ingredients (from eggs to sea salt), blending well. Then take maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the mushroom mixture and puree that in with the egg mixture, too. (You probably don't have to puree any of the mushroom mixture if you don't want to, but it increased the overall consistency of flavor, plus Keila never knew she was enjoying mushrooms, the one food she seriously dislikes).
Finally, stir in the remaining mushroom mixture and spoon into muffin tins greased with EVOO. (If using silicone tins, you won't need to grease them, of course). Fill maybe 3/4 to almost full, but not quite. Bake for about 20 minutes, until set and slightly browned. Allow to cool a bit before eating. Or if you're impatient like me, pop a few out with a spoon right away and burn your tongue scarfing them down. May also be eaten cold. In fact, I may go chomp on another one right now....

    Delicious and healthy!!!