We were all awake just before 6. August’s first words were “Go children’s museum.” I then heard him go into the bathroom with Carly and say “Hi Sophie.”
We did a lot of ABC songs and then playing with both his Duplo blocks (making letters) and cardboard blocks (making letters he could stand on) before turning on Teuni Teuni and brushing his teeth. While watching the video, he got into turning the volume up and down or, rather, having me do it: “More quiet…more on, more noises, more sounds.”
As we were getting ready to go, he was in my bathroom and wanted to stand on the scale. He picked it up and took several steps back from the sink. He pointed to the sink and said “No bump your head.” Then, back in the living room, he wanted to close the door to the parlor. He got it mostly closed before telling himself “No pinch your fingers” and then saying “Dada do it.”
We headed out in the 18 degree weather at 9:40. We rode put to Nowon, then took the 4 down to the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, only to find that literally the whole place closes on JUST the third Monday of each month. It was cold and windy, and it was the first time today he told me he was cold and let me hold his hands. I would then hold his hands on or next two walks as well. I consulted Google Maps and realized that the Folk Museum, where we had gone with Chuck and Cherie, was open on Mondays. About the only thing in this city that apparently is. Also, it is free. So we hopped back on the subway (but a different line) and took it two stops to Insadong. He fell asleep as we left the station, at 11:27. I quickly found a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Insadong and we hangout there. When he woke up at 12:22 he was wet. So we changed him in the less-than-perfect bathroom, then sat and played on the iPad (mainly Art Maker) for a half hour or so.
We then walked to the folk museum, holding his hands much of the way. At the folk museum we first found the lounge area and ate lunch. There were signs saying ‘No eating on museum grounds’ or something of the sort, but we got away with it (and really, where do they expect people to eat during the winter?). We then went into the children’s areas. There were two exhibits this time: the one on Korean folk tales that we went to with Chuck and Cherie, and one up a ramp on how trees are used: for building, food, paper, etc. We went to the tree one first, and it was really quite nice. August spent a good hour there, and I really had to push to get him to go to the other show. In the tree exhibit, he mainly:
– did the big stamp and then colored on the paper (this was by far the biggest thing, and the only thing he was doing at the end)
– did the hammering of the golf tees into foam, using small wooden hammers
– played with the wooden food/tea set in the hanbok house with an older girl who was really nice
– used the (real) saw to saw wood (the saw itself was under plexiglas, and you just moved the handle back and forth
– played with the little wood blocks
– wandered around and looked at all the things along the wall, particularly the ones with animals (and mainly the birds and squirrels)
We went downstairs, and at first he was, I think, scared of the entry room, which is rather dark. I basically dragged him (but I was carrying him anyway, but he was squirming to get away, so it felt like dragging) through it to the big room with the climbing area and everything else. He calmed down and went to the climbing area. Wouldn’t attempt the rope part, but did the rest. After that, there was:
– coloring with neon crayons, then taking the paper into the black light tunnel. This was big for him even before we realized there was the tunnel and the colors glowed, then it was huge and he took a crayon into the tunnel to color in there.
– ‘reading’ (it is in Korean) the book about frogs in the book tunnel. It was the same book he liked last time we were there, and we went through it 4 or 5 times.
– placing the plastic stars in the holes to be lit up
– looking through the cellophane plastic shape to see things in different colors
– weaving (or, rather, giving me the different colors and telling me to weave them in that order)
– looking at the things on the wall, mainly the big zodiac thing that had two turning disks and numbers up to 24 (He was year of the horse, I was year of the dragon).
– Walking through the hanging ropes. When he was doing this, he suddenly started talking about “Ducky songs.” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, and he said it several times. Then he said “Sad…mama.” At that point I figured out he was talking about the “Five Little Ducks” song that makes him sad. I think he was processing it, as he was in a good mood. We will see if he can watch it now.
On our way out, we changed him, then did a quick walk through of the special exhibit on the Year of the Monkey. He mainly wanted to touch each of the stuffed monkeys that were on the wall/fence in the exhibit. He really wanted to touch the ones that were too tall for us.
We headed out about 4:15. Just stood on the crowded train from Anguk, as it was one stop. As we got him out of the backpack at the second platform, he drew a crowd. He was really into Spanish at the moment, talking about something (I wish I remember…I think it was probably the alphabet, and Hangeul as well, as he was talking about “No Hangeul Q…No Hangeul Z” around that time), and he started telling one of the women watching him all about it. Very funny.
Then, the train was packed when we got on, and we stood for 3 or 4 stops. Kept him content by feeding him crackers. There was another man, right next to us, talking to him. August offered the guy his half-eaten cracker a couple times.
We then transferred to the bus at Seokgye. He got upset when we got on though, I think because he wanted to sit near the front of the bus. But there were no double seats up there. Anyway, the bus driver, as they do, basically took off like a madman, so I really had to force him in the seat against his will. But once I sat down and got the iPad out he was fine.
We made it home about 5:30, so Carly had a little rest time before us. A pretty quick evening of dinner, a lot of drawing and Spanish, and reading some books (In the Garden, Monser Party!, Alphabet, Feely Bugs, and Perro Grande…Perro Pequeno (Carly read it this evening, but he actually asked me to read it this morning – the first time he’s allowed me to read a Spanish book – my Spanish must be getting better).
Carly gave him a bath, which went smoothly except he really doesn’t like getting his hair washed, and he went to bed quite peacefully, falling sleep about 8:15.
New words/phrases: flamingo, fresa (strawberry), plateado (silver), want some orange
Morning:
After his nap. Some art and people watching out the window:
Folk museum. Lunch:
Tree exhibit:
Sawing:
Folk tales exhibit:
Weaving:
Looking through the color:
Drawing in blacklight:
Frog book:
Stars:
Zodiac:
Through the ropes:
Home. Playing on the door:
Making a video: