Max's Last Day of School

The end of the school year is here already.  I haven't ever posted any pictures of Max at school so here are a few taken the last day.  He has been attending an international pre-school two mornings a week since April.  Max has three other children in his class and two teachers and Max really loves it.  I have to tear him away when I pick him up.

....So I signed him up for a full week of summer school starting tomorrow.  

Max and Georgi 
Mieko and Max

The View

We have two small balconies that look to the northwest. On a clear day (rare) we can see Mount Fuji.  On most days, we see Tokyo sprawling out as far as the eye can see.  Max is especiallyfond of watching the traffic 10 floors below us.  Rich is especially fond of the "three ladies", a larger than life billboard of three blondes in pink tights.

Looming outside we also see the 43 storey Mori Tower.  Blue lights travel up and down the side of the tower at night which entertains Max. 

 

Bali

We had a great trip to Bali, flying out of Tokyo on June 7th direct to Denpasar.  Max was very excited to be going on a "jet" and repeated the word over and over throughout the preparation and duration of our trip.  We stayed at the Westin Resort in Nusa Dua for five nights and then took a car up to Ubud, where I had visited Carrie 11 years ago.  God, that made me feel old.  The Balinese are so nice of course that they tell you you look 20 when you're 40.

As expected, the resort was, well, a resort - a contained world insulated from the outside. With a small child, this was ideal as we could easily wander from our room to the pool to the beach to the restaurants to the playground to the spa and loungy areas. 

The pool was a big hit and Max enjoyed the beach, too. He was particularly taken with what he called the "bells". This was the metal gamelon music, of which we heard a lot of. Every evening there was a traditional procession with music and traditional dress. We also saw lots of dancing. We also took a half-day trip to a safari/zoo where we had our photos taken with an orangutan and baby tiger.

The drive up to Ubud took us to two towns known for their crafts - Celuk for its silver crafts and Mas for wood carvings and masks.  Here's Max in the town of Mas trying out the bamboo gamelon, his new favorite instrument.

Our hotel in Ubud was an oasis from the busy streets, crowded shops and noisy motorcycles. I think we finally mastered the art of relaxing there.

From Ubud, we also took a drive out to see the rice fields and some great views of the surrounding valley.  

Of course traveling with a two-year old isn't a piece of cake but despite a couple of nights of lousy sleep, early morning wake-ups, nervous car rides with him sitting on our laps, mealtime antics, and a very challenging plane ride back, it was definitely worth it. 

Max is 2!

Well, the big two year milestone has come and gone. We had a great time celebrating Max's second birthday here in Tokyo with our new friends. While we missed our friends and family from the States, we felt close to them since many called and sent gifts and cards.  

Official birthday celebrations began at school on the 29th.  I made, decorated and brought in cupcakes, recalling that my own Mom had done this for me.  Max's birthday was Friday, the 30th which was spent relatively quietly. We had a music class friends Tamano, Naia and Dylan over in the morning.  Rich came home a little early so we could eat dinner together and have cake.

I cannot recollect what I made for dinner but I prepared a chocolate cake (7 bucks for a box of Duncan Hines mix) and we sang Happy Birthday.  Max enjoyed the cake and then opened up some presents sent from family overseas and from us.  Lastly, he opened the train set and was extremely excited.  Rich and I promptly put it together in his bedroom and he has been playing with it ever since.  He does rip it apart on a daily basis when he gets frustrated so I am getting good at putting it back to together in new and ever-changing track patterns. 

We had a big party for our friends on Sunday morning at the local Gymboree so the kids could tear around on the play equipment with abandon.  It was a good choice.  We brought cheese and crackers and fruit for the adults and had some elaborate cupcakes catered. An excellent event, I

think. It was also such a treat to look around the room and see all the people we had become friends with.  Internationally, we had guests from Australia, Britain, France, Hungary, Ireland, and Japan.  

I have a few pictures of the event and am hoping that some of our friends will share theirs as well.  

Hakuhinkan Toy Park

Toy stores.  Max and I went to one of the bigger ones here in Tokyo on Tuesday.  I was shopping for a train set for him and lucked out because lo and behold, the 4th floor of Hakuhinkan had a huge Brio display and set-up.  Brio is one of theolder companies (Swedish) that makes the wooden train tracks that you piece together like a puzzle.  The small trains attach together like magnets.  

I opted to spend more money on the Brio set after reading about lead paint findings in certain Thomas trains.  

Max was in heaven and played for a good 45 minutes (it seemed like more) while I picked out a set for him and checked out some other toys in the vicinity.  

We also had a good time with the stuffed animals and at the "arcade" area.  Does anyone remember those weird Monchici monkeys from the 80s?  Well, they had a ton of them.  

Creepy.

The Office

When:     Saturday, May 24, 11:45 AM

Where:   PwC Tokyo office

Why:       Family Day

Work.  It is one of the words that Max says and uses.  As Rich walks out the door in the morning, Max will sometimes say "work".   So it is fitting that we finally got to visit the mysterious destination that draws Daddy away the cozy confines of home.  

So we did the commute together on Saturday morning, taking the Hibiya line two stops, switching to the Maranouchi line and going two stops to Tokyo Station.  Rich proudly pointed out the Starbucks where he gets his coffee every morning and explained that he can make it from Roppongi Hills to his office entirely underground.  

There was a nice spread of food and we set out feeding ourselves and trying to keep Max from launching himself off of a very groovy red sofa in the "lounge" area.  Sadly, the Japanese staff all but ignored us. I introduced myself a couple of times and offered a family near us some potato chips but that was the extent of the mingling with Japanese.  I met some of Rich's other ex-pat colleagues but really spent most of the time either attempting to eat or chasing Max around. 

Rich finally took us to his office and Max settled down at the desk and made himself at home.   We attach a couple of pictures and a short video documenting Max's first day at The Office. 

The home stretch

Max has been sick since last weekend and was diagnosed with strep throat on Tuesday.  It's Friday afternoon as I write and I am hoping that the both of us have turned a corner and are on our way to feeling good again.   It's been seven straight nights of painfully interrupted sleep for all of us.  Rich has been on the sofa bed since Sunday as Max has ended up in bed with me.  Thus I have been tortured by coughing spells, perpendicular sleeping, and inconsolable cries in the night for Elmo.  Poor Max has not eaten much since Saturday (except milk) and I am going nuts worrying about his weight and nutrition.

Max has an English speaking pediatrician who went to school in the US. (I believe he is Korean.) When we went to see Dr. Che, he took a look at my throat too but said it didn't look like strep. 

I suppose like many kids Max hates taking any medicine.  Giving him any sort of medication requires a vice grip and then I have to essentially lock his head in my armpit.  (I am doing this solo as Rich has been out for the past three nights.)  ((This is not a criticism, just a fact.))

Last night he only woke up once.  The fever has abated and he has started eating again, or should I say nibbling.  Six more days of antibiotics left.  I'm hoping he will be able to go to school next week and that he'll be better by next Friday - - - his BIRTHDAY  - - - knock on wood.  Being healthy again will definitely be something to celebrate.  So will being able to see our friends and have a social life once more.