Juukagetsu

We had a special Jaybird day last Sunday in celebration of J's 10 month birthday. We decided that we'd do only things he'd enjoy for the day (rather than drag him to another temple or shrine, which he tolerates but may not enjoy as much as we do). Since it was Sunday, we started the day with a "diner" breakfast out (just like home)--french toast and salad at the German bakery down the street. I'm pretty sure Germans don't eat salad with their french toast for breakfast, but I rather like the combination. J likes it when we eat at the German bakery because we visit the department store Kiddyland play area after. He enjoys sliding down the little slides and playing with the large soft blocks, but mostly he likes to scoot after the other little kids who go there to play. Kiddyland has a gym-mat floor and soft benches all around it, so it's perfect for J to practice his crawling, standing, walking (with help), and sliding. We go several times a week.

Recently at Kiddyland, we met a one-year-old American girl and her family. Both parents are academics and are in Kyoto doing research, and they live right in our apartment complex. We're enjoying getting to know this family, and we invited them to join us for the second part of our Jaybird juukagetsu (10 months) day: another trip to the Takaragaike park and its wading pool. We enjoyed a lot of splashing around and then ice cream in the weird artificial turf picnic area. J is fearless in the water--he got right down on his stomach to crawl around with the other kids, and enjoyed positioning himself over the bubbling fountains in the wading pool.

I think J enjoyed his day, and it was a good opportunity to reflect on how we can help him to enjoy his remaining time in Kyoto as much as we hope to. I realized recently that gone are the days when we can just take J with us wherever we go and expect him to sleep, zone out, and be otherwise indifferent to what we do. Now, we have to think about whether he's getting something out of what we do, as well. It's interesting to move from an ethical relationship with our son of helping him simply to grow and stay healthy to one that also respects a developing sense of identity and intentionality. Here are some pictures of J actualizing his intentions at the park.