Author: Ryan/Dada

He was up for about a half hour at 4. He wanted water but Carly couldn’t find his water bottle. She used a straw from hers but he wasn’t happy that it wouldn’t reach the bottom and she had to hold it. He was then saying he wanted to leave the room, and I remember talking to him, but eventually she got him back to sleep.

He was then up at 9. Carly took a shower and I got him yogurt and berries for breakfast. But he was talking about big chunks of yogurt and was avoiding the berries. Carly and I took him on a walk at 10:20. We walked over to the Chelan Artisan Bakery. I reminded him to not put his fingers on the glass, and he identified hand prints where other people have. We got a strawberry tart thing and a mushroom cheese one. He was excited by them, and thought that the strawberries looked like blood, like on his toe wound, I think.

We walked back to Riverwalk Park. As we got there he said “I want gramma to go on a walk.” We sat on a bench in the shade and it was a little chilly. He said “I want my sweatshirt.” He saw a dog walking a ways away and said “Most doggies lick?” He stole my spot a couple times and said “Your spot is warmer.” He had his light coat on and it was because my spot was most in the sun, so we changed benches. Carly hadn’t gotten coffee at the bakery, just me, so August asked “When we get home you’re going to have coffee?” When he got down to the last bite, he excitedly said “Yum. Last bite.” As usual, he was worried about the bag blowing away. He gave me the last, last piece of bread. Carly said “Next time you need to say ‘Here you go, Scrap Boy’”. He replied “Oh, mama.”

We got home and he stayed outside with Carly while I got snacks together – crackers and cheese and strawberries. She helped him brush his teeth, then the rest of us got in the Jag at 12:30. Carly stayed in Chelan to work on stuff. August had chosen to use his vest in the car. He did pretty well with it through the day, but complained about it feeling tight a few times. My mom offered us Altoids. August has always just smelled mine in the past, but today he took one and started licking it. He had me break it in two, then ate the rest of it. He made little panting noises, but liked it. He wanted a little one once we got out of the car. Wanted his breath to be minty.

At Rocky Reach Dam we first went in and down to the fish ladder. Saw several fish. Then went across to the power station and he really liked the light bulb thing, where you turn the crank and try to light up all three light bulbs. We looked out at the generators and walked a bit further, to where you look out at the dam and fish pipe, etc. and talked about those. Then a guide, Bethany, came along and asked if we had any questions. I asked August if he had any, and he said yes. Then about the machine. We walked back to it, and he said something like “What the light bulbs do?” So she explained it again.

I had to carry him the whole way inside, as he was a bit afraid of the noise and the darkness down there. We walked through the history exhibits, him getting down to try turning the big ship wheel. We then saw Bethany again and confirmed that there used to be more exhibits, the electricity ones, beyond where the history ones end. We headed out, picking up our backpack that we’d had to leave at security.

We walked over towards the playground at 2:30. We played for a few minutes. He wanted a turn on the circle swing, and insisted there was room for two kids on it, but then when it was free he decided he didn’t want it. He wanted a snack, so we went up on the grass and he sat on my lap, eating crackers and cheese, and watched the other kids, and a few teenagers, playing on the playground.

We left at 3 and I took him to the bathroom. At the car there was a cat in the car next to us. We learned that the cat’s name is Leo. As we drove out, he told grampa “Don’t drive too fast.” It turns out that my mom and been telling August that when he was pretending to drive. He was also picking out the turn signal noises when grampa was going to turn. He then remembered wanting a mint later. He ate two, a small one and big one, and said “I wanted to make my breath minty STRONGER!”

We first went to the Chevy dealership. We looked around a bit, then talked to a dealer, but unfortunately they didn’t have any Sonics on lot. We then went to the tool store. Dad got a couple clamps for a table he’s working on. August wanted to ride in a cart, so I pushed him around a bit. Then got him out, and he found he could see himself in a CCTV over the entrance so he was dancing and spinning around. And my mom found one of those claw arm things for three bucks and he played with that.

From there we drove through Wenatchee and across the bridge to East Wenatchee and the mall, where we quickly went in to pick up my parents’ rings. Paul had gone off for a minute, so when we couldn’t see him August asked “What if it’s an optical illusion?”

We then headed over to Bob’s Restaurant and Distillery. We ordered teriyaki chicken with pineapple. He wanted to see them make his apple juice so we looked around a bit. When our drinks came his was in a paper drink cup. He wasn’t happy though when his coaster wouldn’t stick to the bottom of his cup like it did to our glasses. When the waitress came by to ask how our food was he said “tastes good”. Paul didn’t want his onion ring, so August ate it. Paul also didn’t eat his raw onions, which were covered with cheese. August also ate those, and said “I like these onions, but not the ones at home.” He also said “I want my breath to smell like the food.” I also mentioned that we had recently had onion rings somewhere, and he asked “at the airport?” Talking about eating the onions in cheese he said “I like things covered in cheese.” And “Drinking makes me a lot fuller.” Finally, when the waitress asked if we wanted dessert he heard and said “I want dessert!”

We were on our way home by 5:30. He had one mint and wanted another:  “Besides, my breath doesn’t smell THAT minty.” He asked a loot of what ifs on the way home: “what if you had cords plugged in you?” and was being rather creative: “I put milk in dada’s electronics.” We read three or four books on the iPad, a couple of those adapted classic books. We were home at 6:20.

Carly and August played out back for a long time in the sand, making a big sand castle/mountain with a moat. I was downstairs when Carly called down that it sounded like someone was yelling for help next door. It was from two doors down, and a man had collapsed. By the time I got over there, a man was on the ground and a couple people were performing CPR. I helped the boy get the dog in the house, then got out of the way and headed home. It turned out that they were able to resuscitate him.

Carly and I took August for a walk at 8. He ate a whole banana, then a little cracker and cheese. We saw Paul running through the park, which was exciting for August. I had dropped the strawberries, and Paul came back a second time a few seconds later as he had found them on the ground. Paul joked that we were going on a bubble gum ice cream run and August heard him and said he wanted ice cream. August did his walking while still in the stroller thing: “Its like a wheelchair.” Carly rolled down the hill, but August watched her and said he wanted to walk down. He looked in the lake at the bandstand and liked seeing it so deep: “Mama, see the deepness.” On the way back, we spotted Paul again, about a block away. August then kept asking “Where’s uncle Paul? Where’s uncle Paul?”

We got home, and Carly gave him a quick bath. Out on the couch, my dad was eating peanuts. August has never really eaten them as he hasn’t been interested. This time though he decided “I like peanuts!” He then pretended they each tasted different: “I’ll try a cooked peanut. This is a roasted peanut. This is a chocolate peanut. Striped
chocolate. And this is covered in ketchup…covered in chocolate.” Took him downstairs after that and he was asleep at 10.

Car vest: 

Rocky Reach Dam fish ladder: 

Looking out at the dam: 

Out at the playground: 

Paul’s sunglasses: 

He slept until 9:30. Almost 13 hours. Carly went to take a shower. I asked if he wanted yogurt and berries for breakfast and he chanted “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” While he ate, mom and I talked about the UW student who drowned in the lake. August overheard and kept asking questions, namely “Why they were getting in trouble?”

Carly watched him while I took a shower. They went outside and he was spitting a lot from his water bottle. I then sorted mail while they played sink or float with water in the big metal tub. Carly and I switched so that she could get some food. He first suggested floating a lantern, but was then afraid it would break it. So I assured him it wouldn’t and I got the lantern and we tried it. Dad got closer with the weed eater and he doesn’t like the sound, so we went around front.

August went inside and spotted Iris. He then slowly and carefully followed her around the house – first to the dining room table, then downstairs. I had no idea where she had gone downstairs, but he quickly spotted her sitting on a chair under the dining room table down there. He quietly played with some of the toys in a basket while we gave her some space.

Carly and I spent much of the morning going through our stuff in the garage and doing other things (finishing with mail, preparing my phone to send back). Couldn’t find my clear glass mugs, but found plenty of other stuff. For most of the time August was with my mom. She explained a lot of the tools to him, then they spent a lot of time in the Jag explaining things. He was asking constant ‘What that is?’ and ‘Why?’ questions. They went out to the tub of water for awhile and he ate a bit more yogurt at one point. He ended back out with her, then with grampa in the Jag again. A little before 1 I came through and he wanted me to get in the car. He then wanted Carly to get in the back seat. At 1:15 she went in and got him a lunch of tofu and corn. He had fun dipping them in yogurt to eat.

The three of us then got ready to go run some errands and go to the park. We talked about his mystery toe wound and he had me speculating on how it happened. As we went and he climbed in the car he said a good “Oofta”. We first went and dropped some of our stuff off at the second hand store. Then drove to the post office where Carly went in and asked about shipping boxes to Israel. Finally to the Mailboxes store, where she did the same and dropped off some clothes she had to return and my iPhone. August and I walked over to the Variety Store and Carly caught up. We got him a backup pair of sunglasses. Red ones again. He wasn’t excited by them (not purple heart sunglasses), but they will do.

We went and parked at Don Morse Park. I convinced him to wear his hat, then left them playing at the playground and I went over to get a haircut. It was closed without explanation, and when I walked back I found them down on the beach. August was throwing sand in the lake and Carly was wading. I put sunscreen on him and he ran up on the sand to avoid me. He didn’t really get in the water until we were ready to leave and he wanted the sand off his feet. So Carly set him in the water with his sandals on and he liked it.

We walked over to the Lakeview Drive-in, me carrying him because he didn’t have his shoes on. They got a cone of bubble gum ice cream and I got a garden burger. We sat outside and ate those, then walked back to our car and headed home, getting here at 3:45.

He was hungry, so had Ritz crackers (first time, I think) and cheese and strawberries as a snack. My mom was then vacuuming, and it had the rotating part  in it that you can see. He followed her around, watching, right up close but with his fingers in his ears. I left for a haircut about 4:30, going to the barber shop right downtown. Took awhile to get my haircut, as there was a short line. While I was getting my haircut she asked if I was from around here, then when I said we had been living in South Korea, she said “Oh, so you know the guy who drowned?” I got back from my haircut at 5:30.

August played in more mud, then helped me try to pump up the bike tires and played with the lock. He then went back to spitting out ice. Back inside, he said

“What’s that? Ice?” and reached in and grabbed ice from my mom’s glass. He then tricked her again, saying he was just going to cover her glass and reached in and grabbed ice instead.

Then a long game of following and petting the cats began. We looked for them out front and he was able to pe Cynde a couple times. He dumped the water out of the watering can from earlier and said “You like playing in water?”

We went in for dinner, then he went out front with Carly and more petting of cats. We all ended up out there. Paul and dad went with him around the corner, and Cynde would attack Paul or dad when they petted her tummy, but left August alone. He turned the handle on the boat, then excitedly came up the back stairs and told me about it. But then he was suddenly nervous that he didn’t know where mama was. We went and found her, then he wanted  to find cats again. We put on his shoes and he followed Cynde around the side of the house with Paul. They were able to pet Iris as well for the first time. We did one more car finding expedition after that and used a stick to play with Iris. Disappeared around the front with Paul again then came back and we sat in the grass. He sat on my lap and “Dada loves you so much?…And gramma and grampa love you so much? And uncle Paul? Everybody likes you? Why?” I said “Because you’re nice.” He replied “No, I’m mean.”

He was with Carly for a bit, then we were about to go for a walk around the block but he decided he was hungry. Carly got him berries and grapes for a snack and as he went to the table he said. “I want this chair because I don’t like rolly chairs.” Earlier I had put his food in front of the folding chair and he said “You did this chair cuz you knew I didn’t like rolly chairs?” He ate a bunch of fruit, then we went for a walk after 8:30. He saw a dog standing still across the street and asked “Is that a real dog?” We walked over close to the bridge and he wanted out and was walking on his own, but then fell on the edge of the the sidewalk. He didn’t cry, but was upset/frustrated by it. We tried asking him about it, but he said “No. Dada fell. (Lip noise).”

Back home, he really got upset over the idea of a bath, as he didn’t want water to touch the cut that he had received on his big toe. Eventually, I got him calmed down and we sat on the inside of the tub and filled it with a little water and scooped water through the bath toys. We took quite awhile playing, and managed to get him washed. Off to bed after that and he was asleep a little before 10.

Sink or float: 

Playing in the car: 

Hat: 

Ice cream: 

He woke up during the night and asked to go to the bathroom.

He and Carly came out a little after 9 in the morning. Carly took a shower and we went upstairs and said good morning. Dad showed him the cats out the window. August made buzzing noises with his mouth and said “I’m a bee out of buzzes.” He played around with the magnifying glass, then wanted to go outside. But then he decided he was hungry and was singing a song about it. Got him some Cheerios, but then he wanted to hang up the lanterns. First he said he would hang up the lanterns first, then eat, but then he tried to delegate “”Dada do it and I’ll eat.” We hung them up together then went back inside. A couple times he finished my sentences. “Maybe we can find a bowl more…” “interesting.”

I took a shower and they spent much of the time eating ice chips. Carly started a load of laundry and August decided he didn’t like the sound of the washing machine. The three of us then headed to Safeway. Carly got the big cart with the little car at the front of it and August liked riding around in it. As we rode around, August reached out and grabbed a blueberry pomegranate almond snack bar, then turned around and put it through the bars into the cart. I let him keep it. We got back from Safeway at 12:10. I had said we could sit out back and eat the bar when we got home. He remembered his blueberry bar “I want to sit on the porch and eat it.” He then said “I don’t like…” to Paul and mom. We talked to him about that. He then wanted to eat ice, so we got him a bowl and he stood on the back porch and ate it with a spoon. He was then being Grouchy Smurf “I don’t like ice. I don’t like strollers. I don’t like the mushroom thing.” He then spit ice chips on the plants.

He needed to use the bathroom so we went in, and he headed downstairs, where he decided he liked the sound of the dryer. But then my mom started a load of towels. When he saw her loading the washer he closed the door on her. Back upstairs, Carly had cut up watermelon so he had some of that. Carly was cutting up veggies for the barbecue and he was looking under the sink and spilled some dish soap, so Carly took him down for a timeout. I took over for the rest of the veggies. He was hungry, and seemed to be feeling much better after he had a lunch of spaghetti and meatballs. Carly took him outside to shuck the corn, but he didn’t like standing or sitting in the grass. I think it’s going to turn out that he actually prefers the fake grass to real grass. He wanted some raw corn, so I went inside and broke off some kernels for him and he ate them all.

We went downstairs and started to make a fort out of blankets. He reused a line he heard Thatcher say: “It’s not a very good fort.” He was then sitting on the couch, and said “I want to sit with dada.” We sat on the couch together for several minutes. Carly asked if I was hungry, as she was going to finish up the spaghetti. August said “But I’m hungry.” We then started heading upstairs, but he just lay on the stairs for awhile. Seemed rather sleepy.

He and I eventually headed out to the garages. He was asking about the mess of cat litter where they come out of the litter box again, and I thought we might find a hand vac that he could use on it. We ended up upstairs above the garage and explored there for quite awhile. He found the Dilbert characters and played with them, then put them back on the shelf on his own. There’s a painted green chair that my dad is working on and he ran to that and seemed to smell it, then was climbing on it and resting his head on it. I suggested he tell grampa that he liked the green chair, and rather a good time later, when we went in, he said “I like the green chair you’re working on, Grampa.” Carly came and found and as we talked about our stored stuff up there, and what we can ship or get rid of. Carly looked at some of the stuff my dad had done and was working on and said she wished she had practical abilities. August said “Yeah. I want to have practical abilities like that, too.”

Mom and Dad got home and we went in. We filled his water bottle with ice and made a good mess on the floor. He was then out on the front porch with Carly, spitting water on the porch and grass. We got ready to go on a walk, and he kept spitting on the grass as I carried him to the stroller out back. He kept spitting as Carly pushed him down the alley: “I like spitting in the gravel.” We saw a firetruck putting up its ladder as we walked by the fire station. At the bathrooms we refilled his water, but he was upset we couldn’t add ice and he wanted to go home. I calmed him down by saying there were fun things to come on our walk. He was intrigued enough.

We went around the corner to the ice cream place. He said he wanted all of them, but landed on a chocolate brownie flavor that I then got. Carly got bubble gum. We went back to the park and sat in the grass and ate. He kept asking Carly “That’s bubble gum ice cream?” When asked which was his favorite, he kept saying “Both”. He sneezed as he was eating a cone and said  “Maybe I sneezed because of the cone.”

We then walked to the playground at the elementary school, getting there at 4:30. Paul headed on to the house. It was getting really windy. He went up on the play structure, then called for the three of us to come play with him. I went up for a bit, then mom and I walked over to see the new entrance to the community gym and Carly stayed with him. I told him what we were doing, and he was fine with it, although he confirmed that mama was staying with him. Back at the playground he was sliding rocks down the slide. Carly headed home and he was fine staying with mom and me. He had a rock in his shoe, but instead of getting it out started putting more in. Mom said he wouldn’t put rocks in his shoe, and he repeated it: “August would never put rocks in his shoe.”

We headed home a few minutes after Carly. We got home at 5. Mom got out a milk crate for him to use as a stool. August got to spray it off: “Its pretty much clean.” Mom then made the mistake of getting too close, and he sprayed her. Twice. Carly and I barbecued, and he was playing in the dirt. He did just fine for awhile, and mom and I both talked to him about leaving the flowers alone, but then he pulled one off. Carly took him in for awhile. Dinner turned out well, although we had to eat inside due to all the wind. We had barbecued chicken, portobellos, peppers, asparagus, and tofu. During dinner I took him to the bathroom, and we were spotting all the pine cones. He then pointed out pine cones out in the rest of the house a couple times.

He then sat outside with Carly and did more spitting. Mom and dad brought out his bike, and he happily put on his helmet and tried it out. Dad lowered the seat for him, then mom and I pushed him around the deck and patio. He wanted to go someplace with more room right now, but after several minutes was fine going inside.

Went downstairs and saw Paul watching Saunders soccer. August watched a bit, then went and purposefully stood in front of the TV and turned around and grinned at Paul. Got him out of the way, and then he said “Maybe they’re trying to get a goal.” Carly then took him to his bath at 7:50. Got him ready for bed, and he was asleep at 8:40.

Eating ice: 

Spitting in the gravel: 

Ice cream and wiping his arm: 

Rocks down the slide on the windy playground: 

Washing off the milk crate: 

I’m gonna spray dada: 

Mist chant and rainbow: 

Getting his bike: 

On his bike 1: 

Hat

Safeway cart

Fort

Green chair

Ice cream

Cone

Playground

Spitting

Blocking the view

Looking at the cats

Hat: 

Safeway: 

Liking the green chair: 

Ice cream cone: 

Playground: 

Helmet and spitting: 

Blocking the TV: 

He was up a little before 8, He waited in the hall and played with his bracelet until Thatcher and Kayla came out of Derek and Andrea’s room. They played on the railing of the stairs and then all took turns feeding Eddy, scooping up food and carrying it in the scoop out to her bowl. August helped Kayla carry hers without spilling it. Andrea headed to work.

I took a shower and they played outside. August tried Thatcher’s balance bike then they played in the dirt. We all got ready to go and drove to the top of the trail a couple blocks away. We walked down to the playground at Carkeek Park. Along the way August followed Thatcher, wanting to look at and touch everything he did. We paused to play on a big rock for a few minutes before continuing on.

Down at the playground they went on the teeter totter thing for a few minutes, then over to the swings. August had to wait for a few minutes, then wanted to swing and swing. Thatcher wanted to go to the beach so I asked “Do you want to go to the beach?” “No. I want to swing. The swings are nice. Not as nice as the other swings.” He practiced pumping, as Thatcher was, then was twisting on the swing when he saw Thatcher doing it. Thatcher left, and eventually August wanted to find him and Kayla. They were up at the salmon playground area. We went up there, and Thatcher showed August a secret path and hole in the ground area. Thatcher went to the bathroom, then we were needing to head back as Kayla was ready for a nap. August was really liking the hole though and was reluctant to leave. We left a little before 11.

It was a slow walk back, as they looked at everything. We got back to the house at 11:20. We played outside for a bit; he would use the sidewalk chalk to make a mark on the ground, then use the hose to wash it off the ground.

We finished packing up and were ready to leave about 12:30. August and Thatcher were playing together really well though by the vent by the back door. We let them play for a few minutes more until August got a bit distracted.

We left at 12:40. He and Carly were reading the illustrated Little House book that Stephanie and Ruby had given us. He said he wanted to do that. That is, build a house out of wood. “First you have to cut it.” As we left the gas station, he started repeatedly asking “Are we there?” Carly and I switched in Gold Bar and I read Richard Scarry’s Best Counting Book Ever. He got a little cranky again when he got tired and said he wanted us to switch. But he fell asleep at 3:10. We got to Leavenworth at 3:15 and Carly went in to get us some food at McDonald’s. Ate at the car and kept going, me driving again.

August woke up around 4:15, I think and we got to Chelan by 4:40. Went in and said hi to everyone and saw the cats and started exploring. Dad had found YouTube videos showing how to get to the cabin air filter, so we opened the glove box and found the mouse nest. August watched on, and dad went and got the shop vac and August plugged his ears and watched him vacuum it out. August got in the driver’s seat at one point and mom asked if he was driving. He said “No. But I’m learning to drive.”

We went to Walmart and went back to automotive and got a filter. A guy named Thomas helped us find it, and he was making funny faces and acting like a chicken for August, which made him laugh. Went back and put in the filter. I found the Legos downstairs and brought them up and we played with those a bit. Carly wondered how old some of the partially built structures were.

He was really excited about dinner, and ate a good amount of spaghetti and meatballs. He had milk in the Peter Rabbit cup, and really liked the Parmesan cheese. He thought it looked like flour, so he also wanted to try flour on his spaghetti. Carly went and put some on (he had wondered what was in the larger canisters earlier) and he said he liked it. He got an after dinner chocolate as well.

He’s curious about what people are doing. At one point he asked Paul: What you doing? And to Grampa: Where you going? We wandered the backyard, and he remembered the wire flowers and asked Grampa made those?

Out in the front porch he watched the cats from the porch and had fun spitting off of it. We went and saw his tree, and mom pointed out the shells on the log and he deduced it was squirrels eating them. He was playing a bit in the sand and I left him with gramma and grampa. He said it was okay. He sang a song about grampa sweeping the deck. A few minutes later he was nervous when he couldn’t find me and came inside. He told mom he could go downstairs on his own.

We decided to go for an evening walk. Before we left Jeopardy was on the TV. He asked “Why we watching that? What we doing?” I realized Carly was sitting out back, waiting for us. He looked at the front door and asked “What if we go out that door?” We walked down to Riverwalk Park. He didn’t realize that Paul and gramma were coming with us and was a bit rude to them, making it clear that he wanted just Mama and Dada and Zinnie time. They walked behind, then peeled off and went to check the mail. The three of us stopped at the bathrooms and drinking fountains. He pushed the buttons for the drinking fountains and then Paul and mom found us close to there. Walked back along the shore path. By the library August got the idea of staying in the stroller, buckled in, and trying to walk himself forward. We gave him a few minutes with that, then got going home.

At home mom lit the crackling candle for him, then we all had some cake. When asked what he wanted for his piece he just kept insisting on all of it. I then gave him a bath. He was stomping to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Got his hair washed, which was full of sand, probably from throwing it in the sand area earlier, but maybe also from the dirt with Thatcher.

Downstairs, he went into Paul’s room and asked what he was doing. He found a bundle in the hall and asked what it was. It was Paul’s laundry basket, so we decided to put it together. He helped with that, and we decided to use it while we are here. Carly asked if he was ready to nurse, and he said he didn’t like nursing anymore – he’s caught on that that means going to bed. She tried getting him to bed about ten. He wanted warm milk, so I got him some. He finished it and wanted more: “I want more because I’m not falling asleep. More milk will make me fall asleep.” We wouldn’t get him more, but he nursed and fell asleep about 10:20.

Vacuuming out the mouse nest: 

Legos: 

Sitting by his tree:

Evening walk: 

When I went to bed last night he was asleep sideways across the bed where my head would normally go. So I put my pillow below him and had to sort of angle sideways to get my feet on the bed.

He was up a little after 7. He immediately wanted to find Carly. I woke up with him, and told him she was downstairs. I was quickly trying to get dressed and was sneezing as I realized that Carly was actually in the shower, and August was downstairs talking to Andrea and getting upset that he couldn’t find mama. I hurried down, and he was quite upset, especially when I wouldn’t let him go upstairs, as he was noisy and Thatcher was still asleep. Luckily, Andrea had made biscuits, and eventually he was tempted by a biscuit with honey and the jam that Carly had made on it and he calmed down. In fact, when Carly did show up he didn’t get all that excited.

August played on the couch with Andrea and Kayla. Andrea did This little piggie on Kayla and he liked hat but didn’t let her do it to him. They Kayla was tickling August and trying to get the bee on his shirt. They read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? August had me ask them if they wanted to go up to the playroom. But Kayla was looking at another book. We stayed downstairs a bit longer then went upstairs to the playroom. Kayla was up soon after with Derek.

August was talking to Derek when Carly left to return the vacuum cleaner (she had done part of Andrea’s car this morning) and got upset. He wanted to go outside and convinced me to put on our shoes by pointing to the stroller outside. But once we went out the door he just started playing and wouldn’t get in the stroller. We played in the dirt, etc. then when Carly got home I took a shower. August brushed his teeth, then all the kids were playing in the play room. I said he red glasses were probably his favorite toy. He said “and the instrument (car)…and also the monster (that you feed).”

We headed to Stephanie’s just after 10. They greeted us on the porch and August played with a tent pole, using it as a crane. Inside we played for a few minutes with some puzzles (he put the pieces in the clock puzzle) and in the house toys area. Of the kitchen stuff he said “yeah. It’s so interesting.” August and Cedar played together with a toy phone. August was getting allergic, rubbing his eyes, so we headed outside.

There, Ruby showed us the amazing box she has decorated as the home for one of her dolls, with all sorts of things (like a covered wagon and a whaling boat) inspired by stories they’ve read. Then a delivery person brought a big box. It was a math curriculum they had ordered. That provided most of the entertainment for the rest of our visit, after August had worn Ruby’s slippers. The main two things we played with together was a math weight scale and these boards on which you use rubber bands to make shapes.

We headed out just after noon. Two hours had gone quickly. August fell asleep and napped from 12:50 to 2:00. After he woke up he was really in a good mood and talking a lot. He said “Maybe when we go faster it makes me sneeze. And when we go slower it makes me yawn…”

We arrived at Steve and Claremay’s house at 3:15. Steve was asleep on the couch, so we went up to the toy room with Claremay and August played with the toys. He pushed the button on the little oven/stove thing that used to be at Chuck and Cherie’s house and said “I’m grinding beans.” Which he had learned at Derek and Andrea’s, not to mention at 8st Coffee.

We then went outside for awhile. He dropped rocks off the side at one point and we went down to pick them up. I had some cider and he wanted a taste. He swirled it around in his mouth to taste it and then commented that it was more apple-y. Claremay prepared some snacks, and he of course most liked the cookies. He grabbed a piece of mine at one point and ate it and said “I’m eating it because dada is not eating it.” He walked around with shoes on his hands, but then hit Claremay. Saw the mountain, and played in the yard a bit with Carly. It was now just after 4 and Steve came out. August went in with Claremay and got a plate of food, and also came out with a huckleberry jelly bean.

He snuck back inside, and I went in because I was feeling allergic. I heard the tinkle of glass, then he came around the corner with a licorice jelly bean and gave it to me. I let him have it though and he ate it in two bites. He walked around the living room pondering it and decided he liked it.  Outside, he ate a few bites of cantaloupe and seemed to like it well enough. He was getting tired of visiting people and started to say “I don’t like you.” So we went inside. He went back outside after a few minutes though, and I lay down on the downstairs couch for a few minutes as I was feeling quite allergic.

We went back inside and he played with the green soccer ball, rolling around on it: “I wanted to listen to the music. The music reminds me of balls. The music reminds me of this ball.” He then delivered licorice jelly beans to Carly and Steve. He kept wanting more licrorice and we were discussing how not being able to have something makes people want it more. However, he managed to grab extra jelly beans and said “I like extras.”

One of us took him to the bathroom, then he went and asked Claremay what she was doing in kitchen. He ran to Carly and said, on his own, “Got my mama.” He and I then played with the hose. He managed to spray me with the hose. Twice. I said “Althausers” as they are known for their water fights. He responded with “Nimans”. He stole another licorice after giving one to Steve: “Really got extra. Now I shouldn’t have any more.”

We then had dinner. Barbecue chicken and apple sauce, which August really, really liked. August and Carly then used the binoculars for several minutes.

We went to the living room and he rolled around with the ball more and played with the fisherman rocking statue that Chuck and Cherie had brought back from Europe. He was then out front with Carly and stepped on the beauty bark and apparently (we were never actually sure) got a sliver. His first, and it was quite traumatic: “Don’t touch it. Don’t look at it…Don’t do anything.” “Not anything will help.” “I just want to put it on the flowers.” And on like that for several minutes. I got a bucket and Carly filled it with water. August by this point was dramatically walking around, tiptoeing on one foot with a shoe on the other: “Now it feels better…half better.” He wore their reading glasses as he hobbled around. Carly pretended to have a sliver and put her foot in the water. He liked that, but wouldn’t do it himself.

At one point Carly tripped him, then he wanted to do it again. He played with the old style telephone, holding it to his ear and talking through the mouth piece. He played around, getting into as much as he could in the living room (glass things, coasters), then gave good high fives to Steve and Claremay before we left.

We left at 7:20. He was tired and exhausted, and got really upset when we wanted the windows up and took control of the windows from him. He continued to be upset until we stopped at a rest area an hour later. We had tried everything along the way, and he would calm down for a second, then get upset again. Finally, due to exhaustion and talking through our plan for the rest of the evening, he calmed down soon before we got to the rest area. Our plan had us stopping at the rest area, nursing, then driving to the house, getting blueberry yogurt drink, and playing with the instrument car in the playroom. He said at one point he wanted more added to the plan, but of course it didn’t matter. After the rest stop he calmed down, then fell asleep in the car at 9:00. I carried him into the house at 9:20 and lay him on the bed and Carly changed him into a diaper in his sleep.

In talking to Derek later I found out that we had eaten at the same fish and chips place in Yellowknife
. I’ve mentioned that place to a few other people, but didn’t really expect to find someone else that knew about it.

Biscuits: 

Phone: 

Hiding the sliver: 

Reading glasses: 

Telephone: 

High fives: 

Last night he had a bad dream, said something about wanting something, and had his hand stretched out in the air above him. Put my finger in his hand and he held it and calmed down, but still had his hands up in the air for a couple minutes. If I tried to push his hands down to the bed he would put it back up.

He was up a little after 5. They went for a walk at some point and made waffles with Andrea. Carly made the berry sauce to go on top. When I got up August was wanting to get on Thatcher’s pillow in the play room and getting upset when Thatcher wouldn’t let him. We ended up making a fort with Andrea and the other two kids. In the fort, I read/sang an Eensy Weensy Spider book, mainly for Kayla. August kept bringing books into the fort and to Carly but not reading them. Carly went to get coffee and he said “But I got book for you.”

When someone suggested going outside to the dirt area August got excited: “Yeah! Let’s go!” He and Thatcher did a lot of digging and making mud. Thatcher went in at some point and August was playing with the hose, carrying it around the driveway and saying “Left, right, left, right.” Did some watering with it as well, then Thatcher suggested they go back and find snap peas. August wanted to go, but ran down the wrong side of the fence, into the neighbor’s yard. Got him headed the right direction, but then he wanted to avoid the poop: “Up, please.” Thatcher gave him a pea and August ate the whole thing. They used the hose to rinse off the trucks again together, then August used the hose to water the garden boxes.

Carly had taken a nap, and I went and got her up at 11. We got ready to go, and headed up to Dee and Grant’s house in Lake Stevens. August fell asleep in the car and slept from 11:35 to 12, when we woke him up when we got there. He was a bit groggy when my mom met us at the car, and as I carried him in. But he perked up for the chips. Dee got him some grapes, and we told him he had to have a grape for every chip, and he did a good job of going back and forth on his own. He rode on the rocking horse, then helped Dee use the salad spinner. He was interested in it and asked why you push the top and don’t spin it (like ours does). He explored the garage and outside, and liked going up and over the pile of gravel in the driveway. At 1:30 he asked “I’m tired. They have a bedroom?”

He ate a little hot dog, but was really excited by Dee’s orange jello salad: “That’s going to be mmm.” He ate a few servings. At 1:55 we went outside to play with water. Dad helped him turn the hose on. First with nothing on it, then August wanted the sprinkler on it, so we put that on. He wanted people to get close so they’d get wet when he turned the water up. “What happens if you get wet?” “You dry it off!”

At 2:30 my mom asked August to help carry the presents in for Dee’s birthday. Dee then opened presents, and August was by her. He alternated between wanting to be in the photos and not. When he was asked to carry the bag with the flowers in it over to her to open, he tossed them on the couch next to her.

The cake was brought out, but people were waiting for longer after dinner. We pretended the cake had a sensor and it would close when someone got close. Waiting was not what August wanted, and he said “I want to close it so you don’t touch it.” He also kept asking “Why we not eating quite yet?” He went and was pretending to cut the ottoman by Andrew, and Andrew was playing with him, telling him to not do it.

About 3 we had cake. I sent him to say “it’s cake time.” And an apple turnover. And then a chocolate mini muffin. August shared all of them with me, and sat on my lap. The muffin was probably his favorite. He was so excited he told Carly “Mama. Have a chocolate muffin.” But he also liked getting a piece of writing with his cake. He said “I want all of it. I want to share but I want a lot of it.”

He went out with Carly and was chasing her around the street. When I came out on the porch he saw me and they raced to me. Mom went out and sat next to him and Carly on the curb for several minutes.

Finally, a little before 3:45 we went for a walk. Just a simple one through the housing development and back. He wasn’t happy at first that everyone was coming along and said “I want private time.”  We stopped to look at the flowers, mainly the lupin and the snapdragons. In our hurry to leave in the morning we hadn’t thought of the stroller, so Carly carried him most of the way. We got back about 4:10.

Also, he had picked up on the fact that people weren’t taking their shoes of in the house: “They don’t like taking their shoes off in Seattle?”

He was getting hyper and tired, so it was time to head out. When he saw everyone walking us out he was afraid they were coming along: “They’re not going in the car. There’s only three windows!” He then got hyper and was pointing to everyone as I carried them out: “That’s uncle Paul! And that’s uncle Paul! Everything’s uncle Paul.” We took a family photo. He held up his hand in front of us and appeared to be covering my mouth. We took off at 4:30.

He fell asleep again, from 4:45 to 5:23. We woke him up as we went into Central Market. Inside, he rode in a cart and I pushed. We went and got milk and the blueberry yogurt drink he really liked at the house. We also got a blackberry yogurt one. We got coffee, paper towels (to replace all those we used during the great puke/faint morning), and a few other things, then got back to the house at 6.

We had also bought a new toothbrush and toothpaste for August, as we hadn’t been able to find his in the luggage. He chose a Spongebob toothbrush. He drank a bunch of the blackberry yogurt drink, then we brushed his teeth. He really, really, really liked the strawberry toothpaste and wanted more and more, and got upset when I wouldn’t let him have anymore.

Carly had run to Home Depot to get a steam cleaner to clean the car. While we waited, he played with the hose and a green bottle in the driveway, filling it up. Carly got home at 6:35 and we started cleaning the car. Carly told him to be careful when she moved the car into the garage, and he went and climbed on the couch and wouldn’t get off. August then stood and watched the vacuuming with his fingers in his ears. Andrea and the kids came home and they played and played in the mud. Andrea took Kayla up to bed and the two boys kept playing. They then went and took a bath together. Thatcher went into his room for story time and sleep, and we went to the kitchen for soup and blueberry milk and milk. He was doing a lot of silly talking and singing, including a “He was going down” song. He was to bed at 9:50 and asleep about 10.

In the fort: 

Three cousins: 

Snacks: 

Helping Dee: 

Family photo: 

He started waking up about 10:15 and they came down after 10:30. A little grumpy at first, but then got silly with the stuffed snake and balloons. He was perturbed that the ribbon on the Elmo balloon was curly and wanted it straight. He just rested against Carly for awhile then cuddled and nursed.

Had a lot of the blueberry milk. He talked about being sick yesterday: “What happens if yesterday your tummy was feeling all the way off?” And last night he told Carly this house was fun when the kids are here but not fun when he has to be tired. He also called the Spider-Man balloon the scary spider balloon.

He played with the yellow snake, having it slither around on the counter and lick me. I asked “Is yogurt and fruit okay?” Singing: “No, no, no, not yogurt and fruit. Not yogurt.” And to Carly “I want mama to guess why we threw up this morning. Please, please, please.”

He cuddled with Carly on the couch and played with the Elmo balloon  He lay next to her and just rested for awhile as well. I then took him outside and we tried out the different sprinklers so he could see them and he filled Eddy’s bowl after spilling it.

Then, I was planning on taking him to the playground at Carkeek. Glecy texted to ask how they were doing and I invited her along. She agreed, and said she’d bring food from Ezell’s with her. August and I got ready to go, and by luck got perhaps the best parking spot in the park. We were on the playground by 12:45. He went on the double wide bouncy teeter totter thing, where he would end up spending 90 percent of his play time. A series of other kids came and went. Rather fun, as we could talk to them and the parents, about taking turns, etc. Woohoo! It was getting a bit sunny and he saw a couple of grandparents wearing sunglasses and wanted his. He saw a guy with long, grey hair playing frisbee and asked “That grandpa? Who that?”

About 1:30 Glecy arrived. She dropped the food off to us by our car, as she needed to drive around to the lower part and walk up. We went and claimed a bench and opened a grapefruit Perrier, which he liked. He would kept talking about it and say:”I like this one, but not other sparkling drinks.”

We got out all the food and started eating. He really liked the roll, and dipped it in the mashed potatoes and gravy. He ate french fries with ketchup. He ate a little chicken, but not much. They did a lot of talking, with August trying to understand and answer all her questions, and her trying to understand what he said.

Eventually he was full, and after 2 wanted to go down and play. She got up on the slide area with him, and he was climbing up the slide and making a good noise sliding back down on his hands and knees. When Glecy was chasing him he did a good job of communicating with his words: “I really don’t want you to tickle me.” We went over to the musical instruments thing and at first August didn’t want to share with another boy. But Glecy brokered a deal, with August getting the high notes and the boy getting the low notes. They made a lot of noise, and Glecy played it and sand the Do Re Me song. August wanted her to do it again and said “I want auntie Glecy notes.” Back on the slide he made more noise, and said “I really like that noise…I want auntie Glecy to plug her ears.”

Finally, we went back up to the table to find that the crows had eaten the rest of the fries and gotten into the closed box and stolen the last piece of chicken. We had some more grapefruit and had been discussing ‘cheers’ in different languages. So we were clinking the bottles together and saying “Leheim!” (Hebrew) with him.

We talked about going to the beach, but he decided he just wanted to go to the beach in Israel. We had also earlier talked about going over to the salmon play area part, just on the other side of the bathrooms, but didn’t make it there either.

We went to our cars and headed back, getting to the house at 2:50. Carly came out and we were all on the front porch as Thatcher was asleep on a couch inside. August was playing in the car and trying to convince Carly to come play in it with him: “Mama, mama, mama! It’s so nice in the car!”

A little after 3 I left to go visit my friend Peter. As I left, they were getting in Glecy’s car to play there. While I was gone Glecy stayed until after 7 and played with the kids and had dinner with them. I later found out that one of the things they did was paint the ‘Happy Father’s Day’ banner for Sunday. They took a bath, and he was asleep a little after 7.

Snake: 

With mama: 

Sprinklers: 

Carkeek: 

Playing in the car: 

August woke up just after 7, asked for water, drank a bunch, then threw up all over the bed. We cleaned him and the bed up, and I took August downstairs to the kitchen and fixed us yogurt and berries while Carly took a shower. August played around with Thatcher but didn’t eat anything, then wanted to go find mama. He threw up again, this time just in the toilet. They then went and watched cartoons (some Mickey Mouse superhero thing) for awhile. I went up and sat with him while Carly got tea. He lay on the floor with a stuffed snake and rolled around a bit. After awhile August wanted to go down to mama, but as we were getting up he threw up a third time.

I got him out of his clothes and downstairs to Carly. But then she wasn’t feeling well, and at 8:25 as they sat on the floor near the stairs she threw up, and in the process fainted. I called to Derek and he was about to call 911 when she woke back up. August threw up for a fourth time at 8:40. Derek got Gatorades for them. August chose purple. He threw up for a fifth time after 9:10. He had been standing behind me as I sat across from Carly, his arms around my neck. He backed up, but still got Gatorade all over my shirt and shorts. Derek and family left to go to breakfast and the Zoo. I set up a little bed for August and Carly on the floor, and they watched Sarah & Duck and Smurfs. They nursed, and he threw up for a 6th time at 9:50. Then, Carly threw up and fainted second time at 10:15.

At that point I called Derek and he told me where the urgent clinic was. I drove them up to Immediate Clinic. They processed us quickly, then we waited. A communication glitch of some kind as it took rather awhile for the doctor to actually come in. So not exactly urgent or immediate. August and I went and got the iPad out of the car and played with that a little. He also played with the door and we went to the bathroom at one point and he admired the soap and sink with sensors.

The doctor said Carly would need IV fluids, and since they didn’t do that at the clinic we would have to go on to the ER at Swedish Ballard. Carly observed that this was kind of funny given that in Korea everyplace does IV fluids. It’s like the first thing they do if you’re sick.

Anyway, we drove down to Swedish Ballard. Got us straight into a room and collecting information, etc. I was texting with Glecy, and she was saying everything the nurses and doctors were saying there. They had Carly stand up and her blood pressure and heart rate dropped. Started giving her fluids and a d-dimer test to rule out a pulmonary embolism, and August was getting hungry. He said “Want to get a bop burger or something.” Wrong country for a bop burger. But good that he had an appetite. He had also been munching on the goldfish crackers.

He and I headed out looking for food. We saw a pizza place and he thought that sounded good, so we kept walking to find a place with slices. Ballard is kind of empty of pizza places now, it seems, and the place that I used to know that did slices wasn’t there anymore. We had seen a Sen Noodle Bar and August liked that so we were there at 1:20. We ordered the thin noodles and tofu vegetable broth. He played with and sang about the chopsticks while we waited. He ate a ton, to the point that I slowed him down as I didn’t want him to throw it all up. He also admired the big glass water bottle they had on the table, looking at the sparkles in the water.

We left there at 1:55 and walked back to the hospital. They had given Carly a chest x-ray while we were gone. Both that and the blood test came back negative. After two bags of fluids they had her stand again and her blood pressure was fine. She went for a little walk and was fine as well. Back in the room, August did more talking about the pain chart. It is the standard chart with happy/sad faces attached to a 0 to 10 scale. A couple times he either volunteered or when asked  said he was now at a 0, which is the smiley face. They had Carly get a urine sample, and when August saw it he asked what it was and when she told him he said “They test the pee!?” He also got to use the hand sanitizer that they have by the doors. Also, he was keeping track of all the nurses, etc. that came in and out of the room, and asking tons of ‘why’ questions, which we or the nurses were trying to answer.

She was discharged at 3 and we left soon after that. On the way home August fell asleep at 3:30. At 4:15 we tried waking him up, but he kept sleeping, cuddling into us. He sort of woke up with Carly, but then fell back to sleep while nursing. She curled up with him and they both fell asleep.

Glecy came over at 4:45. She brought balloons for the kids (Elmo, Spider-Man, and animals for August, Thatcher, and Kayla) and a pack of red gatorades. Derek and Andrea and kids were back soon after. Carly got up and came down for a bit, then August was up at 6:30. He came down and played with the balloons, taking a liking to the animal balloon in particular. Derek made ramen for Carly and she went back up and rested in bed and ate that.

Derek made a tortilla casserole for dinner, but their kids were exhausted from the day and headed up for a bath and bed. So Glecy, August, and I had a nice dinner together. She made sure he drank a lot of Gatorade. They also had a funny argument over which of them could have mango as their favorite fruit.

I went outside with August while Glecy went up and visited with Carly. We went out the front and got some of Thatcher’s trucks. They were quite dirty, so we took them out back and sprayed them off with the hose. We came back inside at 7:45 when he had to go to the bathroom: “Maybe I have to go to the bathroom from the Gatorade…maybe the poop is from the FOOD.” We drank some Gatorade and ate raspberries, then Glecy left at 8. August was ready to go see mama, but we walked her to the door. I think she suggested doing a couple things and August interpreted them as doing them right now, before going to see mama, and started to get sad. But still he got out a “Bye bye” and “Love you Glecy”. We went up to Carly for awhile.

He and I then went downstairs. Carly came down at 8:50. He seemed kind of surprised and said “Mama went out to bed?” We read part of the finger puppet book on the table, then I took him for a walk from 9:10 to 9:30. We just walked north for a few blocks before he decided he wanted to head back. He walked a little, but mainly rode in the stroller.

Used the bathroom, then we read Oh, Daddy on the iPad for the first time. He asked where Carly was and I said in the bathroom. He asked “The cool bathroom with the soap thing?” Carly made a bread and cheese sandwich and August wanted more. Carly said “Say please” And he sang/said “Please, please, please… I’m singing it.”

Carly was feeling okay with watching him for while. We didn’t know how long he’d be up in the night, and I was exhausted, so I went up to bed. They read Oh, Daddy again and some paper books and she brought him up before 11:30. I got up and kind of expected to stay up with him, but he fell right to sleep and was asleep at 11:40.

Photos. With the snake: 

Gatorade and bed on the floor: 

We woke him up at 10:15. Tough to wake up, and eventually he said “I really want to nurse.” Eventually Carly took him down and they saw Kayla. Back upstairs he went to the bathroom. I picked him up and held him for a couple minutes. Back downstairs August ate tofu hotdog and dried fruit and drank milk and watched Kayla throw her food to Eddy. August and I went up to the playroom and played with a big plastic dragon pirate ship sort of toy. And he played with a snake and sang a “slither, slither, slither…you’re covered in poop” song.

Derek put Kayla down for her nap and they left to go to Thatcher’s preschool graduation. August and I exercised with weights, then went downstairs to get something to eat. Had some cereal and he drank milk. He spilled some milk on the floor and shopping bags and Carly cleaned it. Looking outside a couple times he commented on it being rainy and said “But that’s okay because we’re going to stay inside for awhile?”

He and Carly went upstairs to nurse for a couple minutes. Back downstairs they went out on the porch and August played with one of those claw hand pickup things. He got it to pick up a pacifier, but eventually we had to declare it an outside-only thing. He and I then read a High Five magazine on the iPad. In particular he liked a story called “Jared’s Favorite Button” and we read it four times. He and Carly then went back upstairs to nurse, although they ended up playing in the playroom first. I dozed on the couch for a bit. Kayla was up about 1:15. August and her were playing with the 10 Little Monkeys book when I came in the playroom. She cuddled over to Carly a bit when I got close. Derek and Andrea got home a few minutes later and Kayla got excited when she heard the garage door sound. August really liked the Thomas the Train book and was carrying it around, pushing all the buttons, when Thatcher came up and showed us his metal.

We went downstairs to lunch. Andrea made a salad for us adults, and August let us know he really didn’t want salad.  We all went upstairs to play. Then Carly and August went outside, and I finished reading my book club book, Ill Will. I went outside and switched with Carly. I got my orange coat on and realized I was wearing an all Eddie Bauer outfit. We played another 15 minutes or so. Started raining harder for awhile, but that didn’t phase him. 

We went back in and found Thatcher and Kayla and went and played in the playroom. August tried on Thatcher’s graduation cap, and he wanted the squishy baby: “I want the squishy baby. I really, really, really like the squishy baby.”

Before we left, I had a mint. August could tell because I smelled like mint, and he asked “what if you had two? It would make dada feel stronger?”

The three of us went to QFC. Got things like tea, raspberries, and goldfish crackers. August sat in the cart, which is still a novelty for him. He ate some crackers on the way back to the house.

Here, we ate some raspberries, which he seems to really like. Back up in the playroom, the three of them all sat next to each other and played with the Legos and Duplos. August and Kayla first played with the Duplos together, then August moved on to playing more with the Legos.

Derek made a wonderful meal of rockfish tacos and everything to go with them. August didn’t eat a ton. They all then took a bath together. That went on and on, as they used the big scoop and the cups to pour water. After they were all washed they got “extra bath time”. They were all then playing on the stairway and the railing, and August wanted to slide down. When Carly said it wasn’t safe, he said “Thatcher does it.”

In our bedroom, August had some good practice sharing his stuff, as at first Thatcher found his little blue fan that we got at Home Plus. Then, Kayla was playing with Green Monster and Bluie. And she really liked Bluie. She was hugging her and carrying her around. August tried to trade Marshy for her at one point, and she handed Marshy back.

They went off to bed, and we went downstairs as August was hungry. He first said he didn’t like raspberries, but then remembered he did and ate a few. Carly picked him up and was holding him, and he fell asleep at 8:15 in her arms, head on her shoulder – the first time he’s fallen asleep without nursing. She carried him up and put him to bed.

Later, when I walked in before going to the bathroom to get ready for bed, he sat up in bed, then lay back down with his head at the end of the bed. Then, as I was in bed, he did it again. A little before 11 he did wake up with a bad dream and nursed back to sleep.

Squishy baby: 

Thatcher’s hat: 

Lego time: 

Drinking from the bath: 

Kayla with Bluie: 

Asleep in her arms: 

He was up at 6. When I got up Carly called American Express as our second transfer from the bank hadn’t gone through. The first, to BECU, had gone through quickly. Turns out, American Express, a company whose reputation is sort of built on worldwide travel, doesn’t accept overseas transfers to their bank accounts. We had used American Express both for that transfer transfer and for both of our pension transfers, which would go through in a few weeks.

With banks and pension offices open at 9, and us leaving at 12, we needed to move quickly. We got to work, finishing up our cleaning and packing and taking showers. August and Carly took down recycling. At 9, Carly was able to call the pension office and actually got the guy who helped us in person. He said we could submit new account paperwork via email. So Carly took August outside for awhile. They went to Dunkin Donuts and got a sandwich. August was smelling the donuts and Sarah McRoberts was there and thought that was quite funny. They got a chocolate donut to share.

I stayed at home and did the work for the pension office, then walked over to our bank. Got the same woman who helped us the first time. Took a little figuring out, but eventually she changed the transfer to BECU and cancelled the first transfer as it hadn’t bounced back yet. The new transfer should go through in a few days. I went home, and the pension office needed us to fill out a couple more forms,so I did that. August helped Carly clean, using a spray bottle to spray everywhere. Carly tried to get him to eat oatmeal and he said “I’m too tired for eating. But I’m not too tired to spray.”

When I was done, Carly went in and took a nap. I made French toast and we August and I ate that with syrup and blackberries. We managed to finish off the bread, eggs, cinnamon, syrup, and blackberries all at once. He also put watermelon on the French toast and ate a few bites that way.

There was a little cinnamon left in the container and I let him smell it and dump the last of it out in the compost. I was holding the bag already, and as he smelled the cinnamon it made his eyes itchy and he started rubbing them on the arm he was holding the cinnamon with. In the process, he turned the cinnamon upside down. Luckily, I was able to move the bag and catch it all. When he stopped rubbing his eyes he looked at the container and said “It already poured.”

So just a little after noon we got going. No long goodbyes, and it felt right heading to the airport. We were well weighted down though: I had August in the backpack and pulled one suitcase. Carly had one backpack on, pulled a suitcase with a backpack strapped to it, and pushed the empty stroller. After a couple blocks we stopped and took the backpack off the suitcase and I carried it the rest of the way.

At the bus stop we waited 20 minutes or so. At first, I just set August down in the backpack and he just sat in there. And then, as I took a photo of him waiting there, he leaned to the side and tipped over. Something that has literally never happened since we have been using the backpack. Actually, I got a pretty good set of videos/photos as we left: Leaving the apartment, I took a video and was trying to have him say bye bye to home. He’s getting upset in the video, but not because we are leaving, but because I was initially pulling the suitcase with a backpack attached and it was bumping his foot, which he hates. Then, as we walked outside I didn’t have his sunglasses, so he put his head down in the backpack. Again, it looks like he has his head down because he is upset, but really it is just because of the sun. Finally, I snapped a photo just as he started to fall in the backpack, so caught that on film.

He wanted to nurse after he fell, but was actually just fine. No crying. He then played with a business card he found on the ground. Carly asked what his job was: “I’m working at check if the money is going through.” He then poked it on old gum, and Carly asked if it was a gum bank he worked at. He said the bank checked to see if the gum worked well. He also spit on the ground and stuck the card in spit. Then he was trying to get Carly to hold the card.

We got on the bus and it first heads north past Nowon. He said bye bye to the park as we passed. On the bus he was excited about wearing his vest and did that no problem. We used the button to move his seat back and forwards. He said “What if it was a robot bus?” Me: “I am your bus. I am taking you to your airport. Along the way we may fight some Decepticons.” Him: “Oh, dada.” He wanted to plug in his headphones and was listening to the news on that was playing on the bus TV:  “I like it! What your brain is saying.” I also plugged his headphones into my phone and he listened to some of his playlist.

We were to the airport at 1:45. We went to the bathroom, then checked in. We ate lunch at Burger King. There was a boy the same age. Initially August said “I don’t like boys because they take your stuff.” But then the boy came over, and they ended up following each other around and doing high fives. The mom gave us a set of two bracelets and August really liked those. Went through security and used our last Starbucks cards. August got his chia seed drink. Went to our terminal and saw our plane, then August and I went up to the museum area and did the rubbing and rubber stamps. He was excited to take those back down to mama.

They played hide and seek, and I went up a floor to send a couple emails, as the wi-fi wasn’t working at our gate. We all then went to find the play area. Took us awhile, as it wasn’t where it used to be. He got straight to playing with the red and yellow rods thing and I went to the bathroom. When I came back he was still there, but had already had two timeouts in the meantime. Kind of a wild, rambunctious place with both smaller and older kids. He battled with a larger kid for space on the rods thing and said “No. Please! I want some space!” He then had the dice pillow thing and took it into a space where two kids wrestled him for it. That went fine for a minute until a girl came out with it and August didn’t have it anymore. It was rather unfair, as he had it taken from him. But he got upset right away, so we headed back to our gate.

They started boarding quite early, like at 6, so we had quite a but of time on the plane. They played a couple of the games on the in-flight system, then he watched some Smurfs on his headphones. The flight went quite smoothly, so not much to say about it. We each got a different dinner, and he ate a variety of things. The best was the kiwi: he claimed he didn’t like kiwi, but instantly changed his mind once I gave him a bite. He was asleep around 9, and Carly got to sleep sometime after. I finished watching Suicide Squad, then some more Broadchurch, and went to sleep around midnight. I was up at 3:30. They woke up about 3:40 when they turned the lights back on. He fell back to sleep until 4:15. Right before landing, he had to go to the bathroom. Made it just in time, and he really had to pee.

Talked him through the landing and hearing the landing gear and everything. Seemed quite interested in it all. Deplaning and going through the airport was smooth. The best part was when we took his photo for customs. I held him up to the camera and Carly pushed the button. At just the right moment, he stuck out his tongue for the photo. The guy that took our form got a laugh out of that.

We got our bags, then while we communicated with Theresa we sat at a table and found a green germ-like stuffed animal someone had lost. Outside, we put on his vest, then he and I wandered over to look at the little fake stream. He was also interested in the people at the smoking area that were making noise and laughing.

She picked us up and drove us to her house. August had been apprehensive – he had wanted to just walk to her house – but he did quite well, and when we got there he kept playing in the car for awhile. On the way he had w
orn her sunglasses when it was bright. At the house it took awhile to get the cover off our car and everything packed. They looked at the backyard, then August and I smelled lavender in the front yard (he remembered it was called ‘lavender’ on his own) and looked at more roses.

We got going and drove up 99 all the way to the house. August was getting rather tired of the car by the the time we got here, but he made it. We were here at 4:30. A nice greeting from Thatcher at the door. We got our stuff in, then August explored the playroom with Thatcher. Before I left, the two of them had gone up to the play area to play, on their own. A new experience for me and Carly.

I took the car and went to T-Mobile to activate our phones. Went easy enough, but their computer froze while doing the second, so took longer. I was back at 5:45 and found Carly and all three kids playing in the tent in the playroom. Kayla had been in the high seat and doing her shy thing with me, putting her head down, before I left, so it was fun to see the change as she was playing with the two boys in the tent.

Derek made a wonderful meal of gnocchi, fresh asparagus (one of the things we missed in Korea), peppers, and peas. We went back to playing: they made a fort in Thatcher’s room, Thatcher jumped off his bed and bumped his head on a closet door a bit (left a bit of a mark, but he is tough and was right back to it), they all had shortbread cookies, the two of them chased August around the kitchen as he wore a life preserver-shaped pillow around his waist, and they all played with the pillows up in the play area before heading to bed.

Andrea did storytime, but August wasn’t ready to calm down for that. But Carly got him to sleep about 8. At 9, I heard him coming down the stairs. Impressive, as it was in the dark and he also walked right past Eddy (who he also did quite well with, giving her some pets earlier – he was a little worried about the licking potential, but it seems to be mainly small dogs he’s afraid of in that regard).

Carly got him back to sleep, but then the disaster: at 10:30 he woke up, crying and upset it was dark. He wanted to go outside, and at one point asked “Why?” it was dark. I stayed up with them until a little after midnight. I went to bed when they were having some blueberries and cereal in the kitchen. They came to bed at 2:20, nursed, then he watched some Smurfs with his headphones. When he was still up, I took him into the play room from about 3 to 3:30. He wore a red mask, put a bucket on his head, and we read Secret Pizza Party. He wanted to go back to mama. Tried that, and he lay between us, patting me on the back (which was better than the last time, when he was bouncing his foot on me), but then wanted to go out again after 3:50. We went to the play room and ate wheat thins and guessed why the bear in a picture on the wall looks sad. He was thirsty, so we went down to the kitchen where we got water in a cup and poured it back and forth to another cup. We ate a few strawberries and a banana. Before going back up I took him to the bathroom, where he wanted us to see the soap dispenser filled. I don’t think he had seen someone filling it, but maybe it reminded him of the one by our sink in Korea (which we never used).

Took him up about 4:30 and he was asleep after 4:40.

Photos. A last lie down on the floor: 

Walking to the bus: 

Falling: 

Vest and headphones: 

Airport friend: 

Our plane: 

Rubbing: 

Playing: 

Asleep on the plane: 

Best customs photo ever: 

Sunglasses: 

Cookies: 

The whole group: 

Blueberries at midnight: