How to talk

I'm almost done with what some book critics call the "parenting bible." I'm usually a little skeptical with books that claim to be a bible of some sort but this one came so highly recommended by "real" people that I just had to give it a shot.

It's a thumbs up.

I particularly like the authors' style of asking the reader (presumably a parent, or nanny which brings me to another review later on the book I'm currently attempting to read called The Nanny Diaries) to put him/herself in the child's shoes to understand what the child could potentially feel if spoken to in a certain way.

Also, apparently there is a correct way to praise, and it is not "good boy/girl" or "that was brilliant" etc...

Another surprise: Saying "I'm proud of you!" doesn't necessarily make the child feel good about him/herself!

Imitating everything she sees

If you are a Disney fan, you'll probably know Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from Disney's animation of Alice in Wonderland.

These are the Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in our family.

Mary Poppins and robin singing "Just a Spoonful of Sugar."

Our own "Mary Poppins" and little sister's plush chicken singing "Just a Spoonful of Sugar."

Playing the big sister

The older sister acts like one.
The little sister is thrilled!


(video taken on 30 June 2008)

10 months old

In a blink of an eye, Marisa turns 10 months old. She started to stand for a few seconds at a time today, without support.

Marisa is fast becoming a little chatterbox like her older sister ("papa," "mama," "ayee" @that's how she addresses her older sister, "bye bye," "paipai" @oppai in japanese meaning she wants to be breastfed, etc), and already knows how to play passing games and to make gestures (waving, clapping, tapping on her head, etc). A favorite past time is opening the kitchen cabinets to pull out the sieve or dance to her reflection on the oven window.

Daddy's dancer girl!

A dress and a bouquet (who cares if it's just parsley!).

Daddy was to complete the picture. Maybe she's been watching too much of that Anastasia animation on DVD where Anastasia dances with her father, the Tsar, in a scene.

As you can see far from being Tsar-like, daddy, still a bit dazed in pajamas, had no idea what hit him when Minori grabbed his hand and said, "daddy, let's dance like this!"

Apartment tour: Girls' room

Thanks to our lovely landlady Hanna, Minori and Marisa have a room in our rented apartment decorated just for them! It looks quite bare because the girls play out in the living room usually.



After bringing home a parsley plant from the supermarket, Minori took it, changed into a dress, and started dancing with it like it were a bouquet of flowers! Girls will be girls!

Has it been 9 months???

It's amazing how quickly time flies! Marisa has already spent more time outside the womb than inside. And from the way she observes her older sister, we can tell that she can't wait to grow up.

Daddy's soccer girl!

There are many places in the little town of Rostock where we can just sit out and enjoy the sun (and a kebab!). This video was shot in May in one of these nice parks.

Minori making daddy very proud!

Apartment tour: bathroom

It's huge and we do everything in it - shower, bathe, toilet, laundry and hang our clothes out to dry. Yes, I was also surprised to learn that in Rostock people don't use a dryer, considering that it's usually rainy. They love hanging their clothes out in the garden in spring, summer and whenever they can, according to my landlady, because the clothes smell very nice this way.

We live on the 3rd floor and there's no way I'm able to lug our laundry up and down three flights of stairs with the two little ones several times a week so we have a little portable hanger for our clothes in our bathroom. We live in the "penthouse" (hahaha!) so there's a huge window in our bathroom ceiling that brings in a lot of fresh air and sunlight. I absolutely love this bathroom!





We used to have to try all sorts of tactics to get Minori to take her bath every evening. Since moving here, she jumps at the opportunity to dip in the long bath with her little sister.

Nothing much has changed for Marisa in this regard. She has always loved her baths, and she still does!

View from our window

Timmy and Linda, our landlord's children playing in the garden.



A couple of times a week, hot-air balloons carrying advertisement fly over the apartment.


I think this photo was taken slightly before 10pm (yes, these days we're still wearing our sunglasses after 8pm!). The sky at sunset looks different every day from our apartment. Sometimes it's very blue and purple, yesterday we had streaks of pink. A favorite past-time now is to just sit on our couch and watch the sky.