Thursday: Children’s Grand Park

He was up at 7:23. We read Biscuit’s Picnic a couple times and then the email from Carly. At some point he said “Want to whee. By the water. Like the art does it.” He was referring to a photo we saw at the art museum that showed a child being held by the hands and swung over the edge of some water. I went to change him and he said “Poop in there…yeah, yeah” But when I took his diaper off he smiled and said “No poop!” Totally into trying to “Fool dada” every time I change him. We watched Korean videos together and translated several words. As I got him ready to go in the backpack, I got distracted and only put one shoe on. He started waving his foot without a shoe on it and said “Left shoe!”

We headed to Children’s Grand Park. There, he wanted to look at the big map. He decided he wanted to go see the zebras and kangaroos. So we headed that way, but there were a lot of big kids playing in the new playground, and August decided he wanted to eat there. He was pointing at the platforms and said he wanted to eat “On the ‘bye fuzzy’ one” – referring to losing the bit of fuzz between the cracks of the wooden platform by the youth center by the stream. So we sat there and ate. We had stopped and gotten kimbap and I set down the black bag with it inside: “What you have in there?” We ate (including the mango jello thing a guy had given us before we got on the subway), and also drank the black bean soy milk, which he had wanted to get. We used the straw from his water bottle. I put the straw back in his water bottle, but he could see the soy milk get in the water. So I told him he could dump out the water and we would refill it. So he did, then went over and started scooping sand with it as well.

He helped throw away our garbage, then we walked to the other side of the playground, to the faucets. As we did, he pointed to a bench and said “Sad right here…B A L L O O N…green one.” remembering the green dinosaur balloon that had made him sad. He played with the water bottle in the faucets. He was also clapping, and a woman clapped with him. August said

“Woman doing jak jak jak” (clap clap clap). A little girl came up and looked at him. August said hi and she didn’t say anything. He then said “She’s quiet” Another girl came a bit later and handed August a green thing to play with, and she used a bucket in the other faucet. August watched her a bit, then she left and was playing in the sand.

He’s been much more open to taking naps and not fighting them. Today, he needed to be changed, so I simply asked if we should go change him, not yet mentioning a nap, since it was only about 11:30. He said “Yeah. Then go to sleep.” or something very close to that. So we got our stuff together, as well as the toys the little girl had left by the faucet. August then carried the bucket over to the little girl, and stood there until she took it from him. He then said “Bye” and waved.

By the time we returned the toys and packed up and walked up to change him (standing up on the platform near the bathrooms; he remembered being sad there that one time, when I had to set him down:“Screaming…stand up Dr. Seuss diaper.”) some time had passed, so then I asked a few times “Are you sleepy? Do you want to take a nap?” And he said “Yeah” to each question. And then he wanted to get Smokey as a pillow before I had put him in the backpack.

We started walking, and he was talking about going to the coffee shop. I told him he had to nap first. He then said “Go to sleep first”, then put his head down and promptly fell asleep. He slept from 12:18 to 1:34. He woke up and immediately said “More cookies! More cookies with Cookie Monster and Elmo!” We stayed there a bit, he did some art on the iPad, then we headed to the faucets by the foot path. As we left he said “Ants like to play with…the shapes…in the photo. In the grass…art museum.” And I figured out he was talking about the ants we saw eating a bit of food in the grass behind the art museum yesterday – he had taken a photo of them.

Played there for a good while, with the usual splashing. He also ate my ice, and drank “yummy cold wawa” from my cup with the straw. And he played in the sand for a few minutes near another girl. Saw her climb the little climbing wall, so he did it as well, with my help, but then stood up at the top and bumped his head. So we sat and played on a bench and read a little. He was hitting a tree and called it a “maple…with green” as it wasn’t entirely red. He took some photos, of the path, some garbage on it, a stick he set on the garbage and bench, and then some bird poop on the maple tree. He was taking more photos by himself, holding the camera. We listened to and sand the Basho song “Cada Semilla” (Every Seed) several times. Getting ready to go, we walked over and recycled the cup. While he was wandering around there was a big group of girls that wanted their photo taken with him. Finally, as we packed up and left, he was dripping water out of his water bottle on my arm and back.

As we passed the big fountain, he described its sounds as “makes Sh and J”. He then wanted to see the pond: “The frozen one” – although it has been a few months. We walked across it, and saw 3 turtles this time.

We walked around the other side towards the subway. As soon as we were in the shade he took off his hat. I said “Hey!” and before I could say anything else he said “We’re in the shade!” We came out at the area with all the boards painted by kids: “want to see art…ooh! Photo of it!” “Right here, right here. The woman’s sad.” “Which one do you like? Get closer.” That was all with him in the backpack. He then wanted down, and wanted to take photos. So we did that for a few minutes. Really needed to get going though, so eventually had to drag him away, and he wasn’t happy with stopping.

On the train he’s been listening to what the announcer says. He said “what she say?” and I said “Please watch your step…something.” He finished with the part I hadn’t remembered: “As you leave the train!”

At some point he also said “they’re all gone!” and turned his head up and opened his mouth and gave a big grin – although now I don’t remember if he was referring to something he wasting, or people leaving the train.

As we walked out of the station, he was making up double letters that don’t exist in Korean: “Dada work on the double I. The quiet I.”

We saw Meg, and Torrey and a couple other people from APIS before we entered the building, then we were home for a little bit, then we went over to Cellan above the art museum for the APIS dinner. I stayed down with him in the play area for a few minutes while Carly got us seats. We then went up. He got sad twice: the first time was when Bruce finished his little speech and everyone clapped – August was shocked by that and Carly took him out. She then had to take him out while I was talking to Jeff. Neither time he asked to nurse. We sat with the couple that just had a baby, and who are moving to Morocco in the fall. August did fine eating, and at one point I took him outside for awhile. We walked down the stairs. At one point he slipped off a step and landed on his bottom. He got up and kept walking, saying “Just the hand.” and rubbing it a bit. He kept walking, all the way to the street across from Home Plus. I told him we had to get mama. We went back up, and he lasted a little longer, then insisted he wanted to go to Home Plus.

So we all went. Carly went down and did the shopping (diapers, etc.) and we explored the first basement. He was happy: “Walk backwards…Where’s the orange ones? (looking for orange clothes)…Hats!…Shoes! Where’s the blue ones?…Where’s the animals go?” Then, randomly at some point “Vivian calls mama (Ata). That’s what she says.”

We finished up and all came home. Carly gave him a sponge bath. She had the fan set up for bedroom
, and he went up to it and started making noise into it — not something we’ve done with him this summer – could he remember that from last summer?

Carly had him in and nursing to go to sleep, when he popped up because he had seen the dreamcatcher my dad had made blowing in the wind from the fan. He stood on the bed, watching it and moving both his arms around. After a minute he was able to lay back down and we turned off the light and he went to sleep about 9:30.

Morning: