He was up at 7:42. Sat for a short bit, but up pretty quickly. We read The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog a few times. When Carly’s email came back, saying good morning, August read it all himself. We just ate an apple for breakfast. We skyped with my parents, and when talking about what we were going to do today, he said “Take 100 to art museum.” He was close: we ended up taking the 172, but the 100 would have been close. Also, he was showing my parents a couple stickers he had previously put on the back of the computer. They asked what one was, and he said “Tiger holding a sandcastle.” It was actually hiding behind tall grass, but it kind of did look like a sandcastle.
We were out a little after 10. We took the bus down to the big Buddhist temple downtown, Jogyesa. On the bus we wrote in his Hangeul workbook, and he managed to get marker on his face. There are little ponds with fountains in them as you enter, and August really liked them. He saw coins in them, so I got out several 100 won coins and let him throw them in. From there, we walked to the other side of the temple and sat on the edge where we had at with Chuck and Cherie. This time it was covered with white lanterns, so we were sort of in a tunnel of lanterns. We ate lunch. August got peanut butter on his face to add to the marker. We then went back to the fountains and threw in the rest of the 100 won coins I had.
We then went to the little park behind the temple. August walked around in the bushes a little, and I changed him. He spotted water faucets down on the lower level of the park, but that was where the smoking area was, and there were tons of people standing around smoking. I explained that, and he said “Where? Want to see it.” I pointed out the guys smoking, then he said “Want to do it…want to smoke.” This is after wanting a tattoo yesterday.
We got in the backpack and started walking. He fell asleep as we passed the MMCA, and I went to the Junsin Book Cafe that had been closed on a Monday. He slept from 12:57 to 2:13. He woke up and had energy, so we got up and left. We walked to the MMCA and went behind it to the grass area and sat in the shade and had a snack. He then got into taking photos, wanting to hold it on his own. He was starting to figure out how to hold it without having his fingers all over the screen, and would point it at something and say “Ooh!” and try to take a photo. Unfortunately, shifting his finger to the button would cause him to lower the phone, cutting off his subject most of the time. He did have a few good shots for things he was looking down on, like the grass or my shirt or hand. He liked taking photos of my shirt, saying “Ooh! S” and “Ooh! Texture!”
He was then ready to go in and see some art. We had discussed it, and he wanted to be in the backpack for seeing art. Unfortunately, after we paid a guy came over and suggested we use a stroller. It was a typical Korean request, phrased as a “You should…” I asked why, and he said something about installations. Anyway, didn’t push it. August and I worked it out that I would carry him – he wasn’t getting in a stroller. So we checked the backpack and went in. He wasn’t into the first couple of galleries much – they were mainly photography, and a lot of black and white. At one point a woman who worked there asked if we wanted a stroller, then suggested we go to Gallery 6, and that August would like it. She was right, although it was a brave suggestion, as they were dark installations with odd noises – could have just as easily scared him.
We walked around the first one, with August holding up his arm to see the changing colors of the lights on it, and imitating the “Bong” sound that we heard. We went down stairs and through the darkest, with ribbons hanging from the ceiling, making paths you walked through. Here he kept saying “Go outside” but managed fine. We got through that and got to the huge rotating bird covered in glass, with videos and light being reflected off of it. Impressive. We made our way out, and I realized there was one more piece past the bird that we had missed. I read the description, which mentioned water, and August wanted to go find it. So we went back through all that, enjoying it again, and finding the last room, which had cushions on the floor and a video of clouds and music. No water, as the description mentioned, but still impressive. He looked around for a couple minutes, then was ready to go.
From there we walked to the Gilles Barbier exhibit, where he had gotten upset last time because he couldn’t touch the art. We saw more of it this time, but he got sad by the picnic mat on the floor with all the food on it.
We headed out and sat on a bench and drew in his notebook. He chose “Green for ilban sulagi” – referring, I think, to the fact that the signs for the garbage in the train stations have a light green background. He talked about the picnic mat: “Sad about the food on the picnic mat. Want to sit on it.”
Past time to leave, so we made our way out. Before we left, I said “Let’s go in the gift shop. Maybe we’ll find something…” And he said “For mama!” And in the second room he spotted a yellow book called Smile that had smiley faces on the cover and he wanted that for mama: “Give it to Mama!” So we bought that and headed out. Took the subway, then bus, home, getting here about 6.
He hadn’t eaten a ton during the day, but also didn’t eat much dinner. He’s been very focused on decorating the cookies with Elmo on the letter/words app, and he and Carly did this together for awhile. Carly gave him a bath. He was trying to bang the door, which Carly said made her nervous. He then liked saying “Making mama nervous!” And while I was in there he said “Make mama sad…pretend sad.”
Carly took a shower. He and I read on the bed. We read Suddenly! The first time I’ve read it with him since he can read much of it. Then playing with Bluie and Green Monster. He was kissing them and taking them to Carly to kiss once she was out of the shower. I noticed a sticker on my watch and asked who did it. He blamed it on “Gramma” before saying “Zinnie!” We then came out to the couch and did some coloring and writing of ABCs on the paper, and ate some sagwa. He dumped the markers and wanted to clean up, but then decided he didn’t like the high pitched sound of the dryer (we almost never use the drying mode). Once he got used to that he was singing the clean up song and one of the Lulu songs from class by himself, then let me help clean up the markers. He and Carly went in to nurse and read about 8:30 and he was asleep around 9.
New words/phrases: pretend sad, smoke
“Pigeon”:
Temple:
The park behind the temple:
Behind the art museum:
One of his photos:
Art museum:
The gift for mama:
Making mama nervous: