R-kun

I had mentioned before about writing about each of my kids at the daycare.  I had some free time one day between shifts at my other job so typed up a draft about my favourite kiddo, R-kun.  There was Baby R-kun as well, but he moved away back in April, and while Baby R-kun was my favourite of the babies (under 1 year), R-kun was my favourite of all.  My baby.  He was there Monday through Friday, from about 8:30am to about 6:30pm, just about every single day the daycare was open (I only remember him being absent 3 or 4 days when he had the chickenpox), since shortly after the daycare opened for business in April 2011.  I started working there July 2011, so we were together just about every single day from the beginning. 

But shortly after I wrote up this draft, I got the news I knew I would dread hearing.  R-kun was leaving.  The reason for him leaving was especially upsetting, but as I don't feel it is right to post publicly about his family situation I'll spare you that rant.  In the end he was leaving, and that honestly was a bit hard to take.  I never saw myself getting so attached to these kids, but it's hard not to.  You end up being their parent for a good part of their day, and when you're with them that much for pretty much half of their 1- or 2-year life, it's kind of inevitable.  You're part of their life and vice-versa.

I had to say my goodbyes last Tuesday, the 31st.  He went home at the end of the day, just like every other day, but not knowing he would not be coming back like he had every day for nearly the past year-and-a-half.  Not having him greet me with his huge grin and a big hug when I showed up for work this past week was rough.  Granted I got smiles and hugs from my other babies (and some head-nuzzles too from Yama-chan), and I do love them to bits as well, it's just not the same without R-kun.

I figure I'll just post what I had wrote about him initially since I wrote a lot about his English ability, which has really amazed me.  I hope wherever he goes he still gets that exposure.. English is required here from elementary school now, and he'll be so far ahead of the others if he keeps it up.  Regardless, I hope he has plenty of opportunities in life, and grows up strong and happy like he deserves to be.

Now on to the part where I gush about how awesome he is..

Decided I'd start writing about my kids at the daycare, starting with my first (and favourite!) R-kun.  I've mentioned him before, he's always been my favourite of the older kids back when the babies and toddlers were separate.  Now they're all together in the same room.  R-kun technically was my second, and Baby R-kun was my first and my favourite of the babies, but he had to move back in April as i might have mentioned. :(

Anyway, my first day ever working at the daycare i went down to do "English Time" with the toddlers, and R-kun was the first one to come up to me and start playing cars with me.  The other kids shyed away from me at first but R-kun is not really shy with new people.  He was about a year and 1/2, so now he's 2 and 1/2.  Wow... i've already been with him for a year! 
He loves loves loves cars.  His first word i'm pretty sure was "ブッブー/boo-booo", which is baby-talk for "car" (it's the sound of the car horn).  But now he'll say, "boo-boo car".  I think he thinks it's all one word, lol.  As far as the rest of his English, he can say different colors when prompted, and while he does tend to confuse what color is what he can almost always identify green and yellow, and can also say "red" and "blue".  He can also count to ten with help, since i always count to ten 2 or 3 times when i sit him on the toilet to try and get him to pee.  I'll just make a list of all the words he knows and can say in the right context:

happy
angry  *(once I was getting after him for sitting on the table.. I told him no and gave him a stern look.  He continued sitting on the table, grinning cheekily and laughing.  When I continued glaring at him, he then furrowed his brow and said, "Angwy!!"  I lost that stand-off right there.)
no
oh no!
stand up
sit down (He's quite good at telling me to stand up or sit down when he wants me to do so, haha)
back!
hello
bye bye see you!
clean up
help please!
more please!
tea
bear
apple
spin spin! (when he wants me to spin a ball, or when he starts spinning in circles himself)
sorry
thank you
again
good night
wake up
curtains open!
open (please!)
close

And i think he might know how to say "here you go", but the equivalent in Japanese is "hai douzo" and with his pronunciation it's hard to tell which he's saying, lol.  He understands a lot more that he can say for sure too.

He likes to do songs such as "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes", "Ring Around the Rosies", "Hokey Pokey", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and a song i used to sing many many years ago at church "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree".

Also, when i come in to work in the mornings, or in the afternoons when they're just waking up from their naps, he always greets me with a "Morniiiiiiing!" and a huge smile and runs up to give my legs a big hug.  During playtime he always brings books for me to read to him, or will just come to sit on my lap or cuddle.  He loves when I cover my face with my hands, then open them with a different silly face each time.  He laughs and laughs at that!  He gets jealous when he sees one of the other kids sitting on my lap, and will run over and say "りっくんも! (R-kun too!)"and I have to make room for him on my lap.  He'll also cuddle or make faces/be silly with me when he's being put down for a nap.  

Jeez, i love that kid.  Seriously.  I still can't ever imagine pushing out kids of my own but if he had no guardians I'd snatch him up in a heartbeat. 

R-kun really brightens my day and makes me look forward to going in to work, despite being tired or physically exhausted.  It's also so cool to think that all the English he knows is because of me!  Makes me so proud.  :)  I'm sad to think that he'll probably be starting yochien (kindergarten) next year.  I don't know when he will for sure though, but i know whenever it happens I will most likely shed a tear.  Or many.  :p

Here is where I'd like to include a picture of my adorable little boy.  Even if I had one I couldn't post it here though, so you'll just have to imagine an adorable little Japanese kid with a really cheeky grin, and that'll about do it.  x)