He was up at 6:30, nursed, and had a pleasant goodbye with Carly. He was still mellow after she left, and spent some time just lying on the floor. We then played with blocks, and then the piano keys. Switched to the iPad, where he played with Musyc more, and then tried a new music app, called Figure. He really got into that and played with it for quite awhile. We ate some toast, and played with some more blocks and the piano, then I took a shower. We then played with Duplos, making Hangeul characters and funny letters. He played more Musyc, and wanted it louder: “Want it too louder. Can you do it too louder, dada?” We got ready to go, but again he didn’t want to leave, having too much fun at home. He was also kind of stuck to the iPad this morning – the first time in quite awhile that I’ve felt like it was too much. Eventually got him out, and we left about 10:30.
On the subway down he pretended the train was a bus, then pretended to drive it, holding his hands up, as if on a steering wheel. He ate some crackers, and ended up with a hair in his mouth, which he didn’t like. He then used that as a ‘sad baby’ line: “baby sad because she has a hair in her mouth.”
At Children’s Grand Park he was excited to go to the children’s museum, and didn’t want to stop to eat. I was quite hungry, so insisted on sitting down outside the museum and eating half a peanut butter sandwich. He wasn’t happy about that, and stayed in the backpack and kept telling me I was done.
We went inside, and he first went downstairs. He did the Braille stamping, then wandered around a bit. By the luggage x-ray machine, we met an American woman with a Korean boy, about August’s age. She said she had adopted him, just got him yesterday, and they were going back to Minnesota on Tuesday. She also had a 13-year old daughter, who she said was a big help. I think she was Korean, too. But then August found a magnet and wanted to return it to the magnet wall, then wanted to go to the blue blocks. They left, and I didn’t get to talk to them again. In the blue blocks, he noted we were the only ones there. He then wanted something “Like the big kids made”. He meant a big structure, like a fort. So I built him one. He climbed on top once, but then found them too shaky, so was hesitant to get back on. Walked on the blocks, built a bit of a tower, then headed upstairs. On the first floor went to the nature area. Looked at the minerals (selenite, etc.) and then wore the bee and butterfly wings a bit, then went up in the nature house thing. Didn’t seemed bothered by the big crowds of kids. He found a ball from the ball area on the floor and wanted to return it. Did that, then went into the big ball area with a bunch of older kids around. Got into the spirit of throwing balls around like they were, although he seemed to be aiming a bit too much at the other kids. We watched the machine drop balls a couple times, then I got him out of there. He still didn’t want to leave, and we settled on the light area, which we haven’t been back to. He remembered the blocks though, and wanted to build with them. Played around there for a few minutes, then we headed out.
Got walking for a walk, but after a minute he wanted food. Set him down and got out the Larabar. He ate most of that and some water, then we kept walking. His brain was really working though. He started chanting “darkest and light” – a reference to the color sorting game we had been doing for a bit this morning in the colors app on the iPad. He was then singing Wheels on the Bus and sang: “The driver on the bus says please don’t go thataway, please don’t go thataway, please don’t go thataway…because we’re going sleepy sleeps…that’s the color pink and that’s the color blue…” That went on for a few minutes. Finally got quiet, and slept from 1:31 to 2:39, then fell back to sleep in my arms. We were in the upstairs cafe, and I put the iPad on one of the shelves by the window. It was a good height for reading, and I stood and read until he woke back up at 3:09.
A few minutes later, he started to leak. So we went outside and over by the piano and changed him. We were both hungry, so went down by the rectangle pond and ate. He was sitting on the table and accidentally knocked over the soy milk. We had fun using the spray bottle to spray the table clean. He saw the little library room and wanted to read books. Went over there, and it was locked. A woman saw us, talked to another woman who worked there, then they disappeared in search of a key. We looked at a couple books out on some small shelves, then he wanted to go back up to the piano, so left before they returned. Back at the piano he pretended to take the keys out and put them back in. A good teaching opportunity, as I would give him a letter, then he would ask which keys were D, etc. So teaching him the keyboard layout. Also played on it quite a bit.
Headed out a little after 4, but he saw the Tayo busses again, and noted that they were open. We went in the middle one, which is the shop, and he played with all the (disconnected) buttons and switches where the driver sits. Didn’t seem interested in actually sitting in the seat. Finally got him out of there, although he was very politely asking to go in the other ones (they cost money, just to watch Tayo – in Korean).
As we walked down to the station he was walking on the stairs, and needed to pee in his diaper. Then joked about peeing on the stairs, then “pretend potty”ed on the stair, complete with dumping the pee in the toilet, flushing, and pulling his pants back up. He stood/I held him on the way home. We got seats for the last 4 stops or so. But that went fine. He’s taken the warning signs about not touching and leaning on the doors to heart, and thought it was funny and daring to just barely touch the door. Then when I tried to touch the door he wouldn’t let me, grabbing my hand and saying “No”.
We saw a 15 bus as we headed around the park, so stopped across from Dunkin Donuts to see if Carly came across the bridge. Instead, she called, saying she was walking home, and a minute away. We walked over to meet her. As we neared the bakery, August said “Want to get bread for mama.” Indeed, once we met her, she had planned to get bread. Got bread, then picked up our iHerb package and headed up.
At home, he and I sat and played with Figure for a long time. I made him a quesadilla. He played Duplos with Carly, making Hangeul ㄷ and ㅁ on his own. Carly changed him, and they played in the changing room. Came out with a truck: “Dada, did you buy me this?” It was one I had purchased at Daiso. I went in, and he was working on the wooden backhoe puzzle from my parents. He was trying to figure out how to put the wheels on.
I gave him a bath. We got the bath letters out for the first time since we’ve been back. I had him sounding out words, then he was adding letters, making nonsense words, and sounding them out all on his own, then saying “that has spicy noodles in it”. Very cool. Now past 9. He wanted to play with blocks and I said we can build one more Safeway, then go read books in bed. He said “Deal”. We built that one more, then put all the blocks away (he had also put all the bath letters away) and headed to bed. We read Maisy, then he and Carly played in their nest. He fell asleep at 10 or a bit after.
Morning:
Children’s museum:
Walking to go to sleep:
Lunch:
Tayo bus:
Home:
