They were up at 5:40. Silently, as I didn’t hear them. When I got up a little later, August was sitting by himself writing down math problems. He did 8-8 and 1-1 on his own, figuring out the answer was 0. He then moved to the piano where he made up a little repeating rhythm that was unique. He was tracing words as mama left, then did some art on the iPad. He was hungry so we made scrambled eggs with olives and mushrooms. He wanted to have his own bowl this morning. We next went into the bed and played with the friends. Had them making food, then was being hyper. I think I was suggesting something else, and he said “I have a few things on my list.” Eventually, he wanted to move to the reading area, and took some of the stuffed animals: “I want to read books with the friends.” We read the 0 to 10 Bob Book. He next wanted to watch an orchestra. We watched the Auckland Symphony Orchestra play Pirates of the Caribbean. Then Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. We agreed that one wasn’t as good, so we switched to Beethoven’s Ninth. Did some exercise, then he watched math and word videos and I showered.
As I was finishing up, he came in and said he needed to go to the bathroom. Wanted mama’s bathroom though. He waited until I was out of the shower. He wanted a snack and I gave him a few crackers. He asked “Can you eat crackers in the parlor?” I said no. He asked “Are You sure about that?” We then read Creepy Carrots – he’s reading more and more of it himself, then back on the toilet. Often when he eats or drinks now he talks about the food or water going down to his stomach. Today he asked what happens if it goes up. That had us joking about poop coming out his head.
We brushed our teeth and he chose the spit out kind today, then were getting ready to go. He had voiced a lack of excitement about going out today because “It’s cold outside.” But once we got out he ended up playing in playgrounds a lot. Getting him there was a bit of a struggle, and he was showing first signs of getting tired when he suddenly started crying when I tried to brush his hair. He then wanted in the backamapack and we were out the door just past 11.
Didn’t have him go to the bathroom right before we left, and that was a mistake. I had been hoping he could make it to Children’s Grand Park. On the train he sat between two women on the train that fawned over him. One let him watch part of the video she was watching. Then, while he was playing on his iPad, he said “I’m peeing…I need to go on the toilet.” We jumped off at the next stop, Meokgol, and went up to the bathroom. His underwear and long underwear were a bit wet, so we changed those, but his grey pants were fine. Got back on a train and made it to Children’s Grand Park. When we got off the train he started walking shapes on the ground: “I’m making a J…I’m making a U on the ground.” He passed on getting kimbap, eggs, etc., saying peanut butter sandoo and strawberries were enough.
We walked to the Botanical Garden building. It was open today. We went upstairs and ate lunch in our usual spot. He was good with the plants today, but I had to issue some warnings about being rough with the leaves and plants. He asked what would happen if he broke off leaves and I said they make us leave. Then he asked what would happen if they told us to leave but we didn’t. I talked about the police coming. He then asked “What happen if they kick us out and we don’t leave and we hide in a tree?” I have no idea where this hiding in a tree idea came from. Or evading the cops, for that matter.
Back outside the botanical garden we spent several minutes breaking up the snow/ice on the ground. Then over to the playground where he did hopscotch and went on the swing. It was getting to be time for a nap. He did hopscotch again, then worked on getting in the big round swing. He wanted me to put him in, but I said after his nap. We went up to the bathroom, then went to put him in the backpack. He wanted me to pick him up, and started to run to me and tripped on a hole in the ground and fell right on his hands and stomach. He wanted in the backpack, and we were off. Took 10 minutes to fall asleep, and was asleep at 1:34. Went to the upstairs coffee shop and slept until just after 3 when I woke him up.
He was still sleepy. He woke up a bit and wanted a drink, so we went up and he chose an apple juice. Drank that and played a couple minutes on the iPad, but then went and sat on the floor, looking out the window for a few minutes. After that, he wanted to go back to the playground. We went back and went in the big round swing. Did that for several minutes, then he wanted to check out the blue seat swing. In that he instantly looked sleepy and I thought he might fall back to sleep. I asked him and he agreed he felt sleepy. He wanted his sunglasses on, then I really couldn’t tell. Close to 15 minutes in that swing, and at about 4 we headed home. He called that swing the “Relaxing swing”. And we made up a new Are You Sleeping? verse: “Are you sleeping…Little Zinnie…Your sunglasses are on…Bee, buzz, bzzz”. The last being the noises he makes to pretend to be a bee and wake us up.
We were home at 4:45. Watched some iPad videos, then was hungry. I had just offered some rice pilaf and he had requested “Something else” when Carly got home at 5:45. They nursed, then Carly was going to go downstairs and get more rice. August said “I’m tired of rice”. But he wanted to go down to GS25 with her. Last time she had had an issue with him running off while she was trying to pay, so she talked through the rules this time. He asked what ‘aisle’ meant, so she drew a map of GS25 and talked through it. It worked, as he did fine.
Back up, he watched some math videos and ate with Carly. I then suggested we go in on the bed to play with the friends. He agreed, but first ate much of my dinner as well (he wasn’t tired of rice pilaf after all). He had the friends eat dinner, then that turned into the throwing up game after he stepped in the food. I had the pillows throw up on him. He then said there was poop everywhere, including the pillows. He then laughed hysterically as he went and told mama he put poop on her pillow after I suggested he shouldn’t go tell her.
He calmed down a bit and then went and nursed, then played piano. Carly gave him a bath, and I heard him joking around about whether it was a hair washing day: “Is it a spine washing day?” When she got him dressed he wanted a lot of socks, and came out wearing 4 on one foot and 3 on the other. He was quite happy with his 7 socks, and wore them to sleep. He saw a vein on Carly’s wrist and asked what bone it was. She pointed out it was a vein. He pressed it and said it was “squishy”. She took a shower and he and I played with the friends one more time. This time they had desert. He kept saying he was ready to sleep. We didn’t believe him at first, but he kept asking, and looked tired. Carly had some more getting ready to do, so he watched her iron, a bit impatiently, then was asleep by 8:40.
Breaking ice:
Hopscotch:
Apple juice:
Sitting on the floor:
New swings:
7 socks:
