Got up at 7:36. Pretty calm. But went to the front door and locked it, as Carly always leaves it unlocked when she leaves so he doesn’t hear it. From there, went in and wanted to do the Peter Rabbit puzzle. He started to destroy it once, we put it back together, and he kicked me out for the last piece. We made a Duplo wall for the zoo, ate banana bread, and I took a shower. Came out and he was playing Classify It! on the iPad. We sorted animals together for several minutes. Did piano keys, then he played with the Weather app on the iPad (not the forecasts one, but one that teaches him about weather) while we got ready. He peed on the toilet. I weighed us today, and him in the backpack weighs 51.3 pounds. The pack says the maximum load is 48 pounds, so we’re pushing it.
Left right at 10. Slight rain, so stopped in the park and put the cover up and put on my hat and made it to the subway. A lot of talking about the stops and transferring to line 2 going both directions. Made some robots in the Robot Factory app on the way down. Got to Samseong Station and made the long walk through the COEX Mall to the aquarium and bought a membership for 55000 won. Saves us money if we go 3 times this year. He was getting upset while waiting for the membership, and was a little slow getting into the aquarium. He liked the escalator at the beginning and kept wanting to go back out and find escalators. He started to get hooked at the funny aquariums. He laughed at the phone booth filled with fish, and really liked the refrigerator and the sink and pot on a stove with fish in them. Then, there is an aquarium where you can put your hand in and they nibble on the dead skin. He wouldn’t put his hand in, but liked me doing it. He spent some time playing with the stove – said there was tea in the tea pot – and ones with buttons. Oh, there is an aquarium in an old video game and he liked the buttons on that.
He really got hooked at the touching area. Touched the different kinds of shells with snails in them, then the sea stars and sea pineapples. There were a kind of sea worm that he was really interested in, but he wouldn’t put his arm deep enough to touch them. And of course later he kept asking what kind of worm they were, but I forgot the name. We washed our hands and he used the hand dryer a lot. Interesting because this was where he first used a hand dryer a long time ago. They are quiet ones and light up your hands red. After that, he became scared of them, because most are much louder. Anyway, after that he really liked the microscopes: you could watch baby jellyfish, and baby and adult artemia. Next thing to really catch his eye were the shrimp fish and garden eels. He and I were both getting hungry. We had entered around 11:30 and it was getting to be 1. Stopped a couple times so he could eat crackers. Felt like I was hurrying him through much of the rest. There was just more and more to see: fake waterfalls, beavers, a few other things caught his attention. For several he would say things like “How you doing beavers?” and I would answer as the animals. I mentioned getting to the seals, and he asked “can you hold them? Can you touch them?” He also liked the moving walkway that snakes through the big aquarium part.
Anyway, we finished up, went back in and got the big backpack (left it in a big locker – in the future might leave the backpack at home and rent a stroller). Tried for awhile to find a GS25 or something, as mall eating isn’t cheap. Eventually decided we had enough food with us. First tried to walk to a spot where there was a band playing (teenage band doing K-Popish stuff) but it was overwhelming for August. He wanted to go outside, so had to show him it was raining. So decided on the baby area. Then the task of finding the baby area. Knew the general vicinity but still hard to find. Kept trying to look at the big maps, but always a wait, and August wanted to touch them (they’re interactive). Finally made it, and we had a nice relaxing lunch. He was very interested in one other baby that was in there. After that family left, he heard something, and I said it was the woman that works there. He said “Want to ask her what she working on.” Then immediately got shy about it and didn’t want to go find her. When she came out though and sat at the computer he was still very interested in what she was doing.
Now around 2, and made a half-hearted attempt at a nap. But getting late for that, and it was way too crazy for him to fall asleep. Would have had to figure out how to find an empty floor upstairs around the conference rooms or something. He was also talking about heading home. First we went and made a pressed penny (well, piece of metal) at the machine we had seen in the aquarium gift shop. Fun for us, then a gift for one of Carly’s friends who collects them. Then as we were walking I saw a cell phone case store. Went in, and found a stick-on wallet for mine. Perfect. August had been carrying the coin thing and kind of rubbing it on my neck. As I was paying, August said he had dropped it. He wanted to get down and look. We didn’t find it, but he started looking at cases. I had noticed that several said ‘Ryan’ on them. Turns out there is a Kakao character named Ryan. August spent about 20 minutes looking at cases and reading the names. He walked by the stereo they had, and started dancing to the music too.
After that, I gave him the options of home, book store, or getting a new penny. He chose the latter. Started walking, but then realized I should look in the backpack. Sure enough, it had fallen down by where his feet go. Had him give me a high five for finding it. He then wanted to drop it, and spent a couple minutes walking around and dropping it on the floor.
Now past 3, we headed home. Easy enough. While getting in the backpack to transfer at Konkuk, he suddenly said “Dada high five“. I turned around to see that the woman sitting next to us was trying to give him a high five. He was being shy. So he high fived with my hand. He refused to talk to her, and turned away, and chanted “Konkuk University” as he knew where we were. The woman understood him and laughed. At Hagye it looked like it was raining really well, so we put on the full rain cover, which he wasn’t happy about. He quieted down as soon as we were outside – in part because he was falling asleep.
Got home at 4:20, and went straight to the piano keys. Carly was home at 5 and they nursed, then we ate dinner. He was falling asleep after that, but then they did counting with the Spanish cards again. She gave him a bath, and he was upset, so she had me come and be funny. I was holding my coffee mug, so had the cat on it meow from the doorway. We then we’re all in bed, and August had his first pillow fight, which he thought was hilarious. Loud screeching. Then, suddenly, he wanted me to make him a nest out of pillows. Did that, and added the blankets and sheet and he still wanted more. He said more pillows must be hiding. So he stole the two Carly was leaning against. Played in the nest for several minutes, wanting me to get him worms, then he would pretend to sleep. He went to sleep about 7:30, but a little before 8 he suddenly opened the door, and Carly had to go back in for a bit to get him back to sleep.
Morning:
Last piece. Telling me to go away:
COEX Mall. Touching there dog sculpture:
Aquarium:
Beavers:
Hand dryer:
Cellphone case store:
His nest:
