Reflecting on 2018

Tokyo Disneyland // 17 July 2018

A dear friend and fellow mommy, Rachel, once wisely commented, “The days are long, but the years are short.”  Just yesterday, Cedro posed for a photo with Tita Ging and I noticed that he’s almost the same height as her!  (OK. She’s 4’10” but still…). Time really flies.

Sendai, Japan // 24 June 2018

 

Cedro (8 years old):

• He continues to be sweet and sensitive.  He cries pretty easily (just like Mama), but is also able to articulate his thoughts and feelings very clearly.  Whenever he sees me upset or stressed out, he knows that a hug or a reminder to “just breathe” will take care of it.
• It’s pretty common for strangers to come up to me to comment on his politeness.  He is quick to hold open the doors for people while we’re out and about.
• He is still obsessed with Minecraft and Legos.  He also has become very good at his Nintendo Switch games, but he has also become a pro at Perler bead creations and rubber band loom bracelets.
• We have a nightly ritual of reading Harry Potter together.  We are almost done with Book 3.
• Cedro has picked up piano and proven that he is a natural.  He is learning music theory on top of just learning how to play and has already surpassed my music knowledge.

 

 

Sendai, Japan // 24 June 2018

Draelen (4 years old):

• Drae is the Boss of the family.
• She is quite vocal and chatty. Some signature expressions:
  • “Samamat po” (instead of “Salamat po” or “Thank you, Sir/Ma’am” in Tagalog)
  • “Temepono” (instead of “Telepono”)
  • “Boku” (She refers to herself with the male pronoun in Japanese.  She only hears her brother and Papa speak Japanese at home so…)
  • “So long, SUCKAS!” (Yes, it’s true. Something I think she picked up listening to Cedro and his friends playing video games, but it’s also a line I’ve heard in animated movies.)
• She loves to dance and will spontaneously break out in her own choreography.
• Her favorite song right now is “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. She raps and sings along at every moment.  In fact, she loves to sing in general.  Maybe she can be a guest on “Carpool Karaoke” one day.
• She is obsessed with horses and can actually simulate horse sounds quite convincingly.  The surefire way I can get her to brush her teeth or do anything around the house is pretend that I’m a horse and let her ride my back to the bathroom or other intended destination.  I’m a sucker.  #momlife #whateverittakes

Every day still feels like a fire drill and we are in constant survival mode is we struggle to get the kids out the door and to bed on time.  But when I think about the problems, they’re First World problems.  We are all healthy and happy.  Phew!

Fundraiser for My Amazing Public School

It’s that time of year again!  Please help me raise money for my amazing public school — El Marino Language School.  I am now in 2nd grade in the Japanese Immersion Program.

No purchase is too small. Get your holiday shopping done early! Proceeds from your order go towards funding field trips, school assemblies and other resources for the school.

To order, please click on this unique link below:  http://charlestonwrapstore.com/studentaffiliate.php?code=561043

Thanks in advance for your support!

xoxo Cedro

Kendo – Bogu Test

I have been taking Kendo (Japanese sword fighting) for a year now thanks to a great after-school program at El Marino.  Tito Danny got me my first two shinai (bamboo sword) and carrying case even before he knew they offered classes at my school.  He told me that the light sabers in Star Wars were inspired by Kendo.  It’s true!

I recently passed a test to advance to a level where I could start training with bogu (protective gear).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP1TKg3l6nx/?taken-by=ardiddy

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP1Sbd0lABX/?taken-by=ardiddy

Hugs

I love it when Drae agrees to hug me.  I’m always BEGGING for hugs and she usually pushes me away or runs away.  It really hurts my feelings.  Doesn’t she know that I’ve been hugging her ever since she was in Mama’s belly?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPIQ1hFl6KL/?taken-by=ardiddy

First Broken Bones

I knew this day was bound to come. Cedro’s first major accident.

At approximately 3:55 today, while running around the school yard, Cedro tripped and as he went to brace himself against the fence, the force was too much and he broke both his radius and ulna bones in his left arm.

After quickly being admitted into the ER and getting Xrays, we waited for about an hour for the orthopedic doctor to be called in, and it was determined to put him under sedation to go through the bone setting process, which took all but 5 minutes.

Cedro woke up from sedation safely albeit a bit groggly. As he slowly was getting used to the cast, we negotiated his bursts of annoyance and fear with vanilla pudding and M&Ms. (He was convinced that the staff person was trying to cut him instead of the mole skin strips used to soften the sharp edges of the cast.)

He’s actually being quite the trooper and, of course, YouTube is helping as a much needed distraction.

The next 6-8 weeks are going to be rough. No running. No jumping. No swimming. No sports. No sandbox. No beach. But he will no doubt have a successful recovery.

On the drive home, I told Cedro how proud I was of how strong he was. He seemed confused, “But Mama, my arm is broken.” One day, I’ll show him the picture of him smiling despite his deformed arm while waiting in the ER.  (Will spare you, his fan club, the site of that specific photo.)

  

Thank You, Lola + Lolo!

Sunday, 20 July 2014 // Early celebration for both Lola and Lolo’s birthdays with all the grandkids — Cedro (3 yrs), Quincy (1 yr) and Draelen (1 wk) [Photo by Arlene Yoo]

Dear Lola + Lolo,

Thanks for flying down to help us with the daily cooking, cleaning, dish washing, laundry, sewing, mending, diaper changes, lullabies, burping and baths for the past 2 weeks! I know it was a HUGE help to Mama and Papa to have such deluxe 24-7 child care service. And thanks for being patient with me even though I was acting up and being so territorial with Baby Drae. You know I love you very much and that you’ll always be on my best friend list!

Love Always,
Cedro

I Am Officially a Kuya (aka Big Brother)

ABCD Nishii is complete! Here I am with Draelen-Harue Ibañez Nishii — born Sunday, 7/13/14 at 12:24pm (8lbs 2oz, 20.5in long).

Mama and Papa wanted my little sister’s name to be inspired by their own little sisters’ names:

Draelen = [DRAY-len] = the letter D + letters of “Arlene” = Tita Ging’s name
Harue = [HA-roo-eh] = smart + sensitive, derived from Tita Lisa’s Japanese name

I wonder if Mama and Papa will start a new blog about Baby D?  There are already a lot of interesting stories about her and her birth.  I love her so much!  Stay tuned!…

 

Why Mama Hasn’t Blogged in a While

12 June 2014 — Me posing with Mama, preggers with Baby D

Mama feels bad that she hasn’t really documented her pregnancy with Baby D and now we are only one day away from Baby D’s due date! I’m not going to complain. I’ve had a lot of quality time with Mama all to myself! But I’m ready to be a kuya (big brother).

Mama was sure that my new sis was coming on Sunday, so she had Lola fly down early. In the end, Baby D was giving us all time to be ready FOR REAL. Mama was able to finish a project at work and Papa finally ordered our new fridge today. (The freezer died.) And Lolo just arrived this afternoon.

We’ll see if she comes a little early today on Lola and Lolo’s 43rd wedding anniversary (and Tita Cori’s bday!) or if she comes on time tomorrow or if she arrives late as the rest of us Ibanez-Nishiis are prone to do! Stay tuned!

3.5 Years Old Today

Super Bowl Sunday? Not interested since the Niners didn’t make it.

My mama and I have been very behind on updating my blog! One of these days, we’ll get around to posting about our great Christmas vacation with Lola and Lolo in Sacramento and with Ate Nuna, Kuya Issei, Tita Lisa, Tito Ray, O-Papa and Obaachama in Ithaca…

For now, I just wanted to share a quick post about being 3 and a half years old! You can check out my post from a year ago and much of the same things are true. I am still a train fanatic and loving SMAP Childcare.  But there are some new big and exciting things that I’d like to add.

INTERESTING NEW THINGS ABOUT ME:

• I am approximately 3 ft. 5 in.  (I have grown 4.5 in. in a year!)
• I weigh 38 lbs.  (I have gained a little over 5 pounds in a year.)
• I am a chatterbox in Japanese.  My Japanese language skills have far surpassed Mama’s and she has no idea what Papa and I are talking about most of the time, but it’s safe to assume that we’re talking about the same topics — trains, food or negotiating more time before bedtime.
• Mama still speaks to me in Tagalog, but I tend to respond in English.
• For some reason, even though I am most fluent in Japanese, when I speak English I have a very thick Filipino accent.
• My favorite catch phrase is, “Hey!  What’s the big idea?!” or “What the fox says?”
• Favorite movies: Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Cars, Cars 2, Planes
• Favorite shows: Extreme Trains hosted by Matt Brown (History Channel), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Caillou (in Spanish), Pocoyo, Shimajiro and anything train-related on YouTube
• If Mama calls out the letters, I can type “plarail” in the search field of YouTube.  I am obsessed with watching these types of Japanese toy trains in action!
• I hate commercials and slow wi-fi.
• I have been sick on and off a lot since my 3rd birthday.  My doctor says it’s completely normal because of being in daycare/pre-school.  I have had several colds.  I have a tendency to break out in rashes as part of the cold.  Or, every so often, I will cough so much at night that I vomit.  That’s why my parents have been letting me sleep in their room for the past 6 months.  They’re stressed about re-sleeptraining me, but I know that at the same time they’re loving snuggle time with me.
• Exactly a year ago today, I was getting ready to be a kuya (big brother) to my new cousin, Quincy.  And now, I am getting ready to be a kuya to my baby sister!  Baby D is coming ~7/11.  At first, when people asked me if I wanted a baby brother or a baby sister, I would say, “I want Quincy!”  It’s hard to tell if I meant that I didn’t want a sibling at all or that I wanted a sister.  Either way, Mama and Papa aren’t worried about me being a good kuya.  When I sleep and snuggle with Mama, I automatically reach for her belly and when I wake up, I call out, “Baby!  Where’s Baby?!” and hug and kiss Mama’s tummy.  Quincy will always have a special place in my heart.  Grown-ups are always trying to get me to stop kissing her, but I can’t help it!
• Mama is 18 weeks pregnant but still very nauseous.  I’ll hear her heaving in another room and will call out to her, “You OK, Mama?  Suka? (vomit?)”
• Early in Mama’s pregnancy, I had no problem commenting on Mama’s pregnancy farts.  “AGAINNNNN?!” or “Oh, Mama!  Stinky!”  Thank goodness it’s not really an issue anymore!
• Tita Ging and Tito Danny taught me how to respond to the question, “When is your birthday?”

Hopefully, Mama will get over her nausea and I will get over these colds so we can blog more regularly.  In the meantime, we’re enjoying the new year and looking forward to Quincy’s first birthday which is around the corner!

 

Cedro’s 1st Shave

Enjoying a Lightning McQueen shave kit from Lola and Lolo! Thank you!!! It’s so much fun!