He was up at 6:25. One of the first things he said was “I want to play my piano downstairs.” But he then lay on and hung out on the bed until after 6:40. He was asking Carly for something and said “You don’t say finesy minesy ever again.” He did fine without a diaper through the night, although when we pointed that out he said he likes diapers. They went to the bathroom, then headed downstairs. I headed down a few minutes later.
Downstairs we played xylophone and piano and listened to Sentimental Wars on repeat. He then played Dragonbox Little Numbers. He has gotten farther in the arcade mode, and is now figuring out how to adde numbers to ten. I was trying to empty book boxes but wasn’t having much luck as he kept wanting me to see things or help him. But I can see a lot of improvement in his math. He asked Carly to fill up his water bottle: “Mama, can you fill up the water bottle for the flower?” He was being a flower from dance class yesterday.
I hung up our Buddhist lanterns outside the kitchen, then went up and took a shower. Carly made him a mango smoothie, then he played more piano with me. He then opened the doctor kit and we used it, mainly on Green Monster. Carly and I were talking about going to Jaffa today to do some shopping, walking, and sightseeing, so I was looking at Google Maps and he got involved. He lamented not going on bus rides: “I just love bus rides!” At one point Carly was having trouble getting moving and said “I can get going.” August told her “By yourself!” He wasn’t excited by going on an adventure. He and I read The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog, then we all got going after 10.
Once we were in the car and going though he was fine, and mainly looked out the window. We stopped by the closest gas station, but found out that the discount diplomatic gas cards that we now have only work at one specific chain of gas station, Paz. Which is a little inconvenient, but luckily there was one just off highway 2 on our way south.
We parked at the parking lot closest to the Jaffa Flea Market, then proceeded to walk around. We got an embroidered square cloth, about 3 feet by 3 feet, with flowers on it, for 300 shekels. More walking around and we got a bunch of small square pillow cases for decorating purposes and a ceramic hamsa. When August wanted another slice of apple he would poke his head out backwards through the hole between the back of the stroller and the sun cover. We then walked northwest, towards the coast. We saw a mosque and then walked up a hill to a viewpoint that Carly had seen when she was here in a bus. We stopped by the cannons and listened to a call to prayer that was coming from another mosque in front of us.
We walked a bit further and found a bathroom and they went in. We then, about 12:50, went across the street and past St. Peter’s church and found a small snack place and got a strawberry and coffee iced drinks and sat out in the square and drank them. August and I read a few of the books which we had brought along for the car, but that I’d forgotten to take out of the backpack: Suddenly!, Happy Birthday, and something else. The strawberry slushee was really sweet and he said “160 sugar!” 160 is his new favorite number. And he got up from his chair once: “I’m gonna go back to the sun and open my mouth to warm up my mouth!”
Carly went back up to the guy to pay after I reminded her we hadn’t paid. He’d forgotten as well and wondered why she was giving him money. Carly and August went back to the bathroom and I looked around the square. There was an art studio across from us that looked really interesting (http://www.ilanadar.com) but when we tried to go in it was closed. A sculptor by the name of Matanya Abramson had his studio there.
We walked across the Wishing Bridge and through the parks up on the hill, over the zodiac bridge and then down the north side of the hill and back through the flea market area, which was now deserted, having closed at 2 as tomorrow is a holiday. We got to the car and left at 2:15.
Vivian skyped us while on the drive back, and we skyped with them for a few minutes as Carly drove. We went straight to the Tiv Taam at the mall and did some shopping. Everything went well until August wanted to go to the treats section. At first this was really funny, as I pretended to not know what he was talking about and he was laughing and wanted to show me. But then he saw a Hello Kitty candy on a stick thing and got upset when I said he couldn’t have it. He wasn’t satisfied by the reminder that there were popsicles at home, or that we were also buying honey bread for Rosh Ha’shana and he was excited about that.
At home Carly started hanging things up, and at some point asked August “Do you like our house?” and he said “Yeah”. Carly Skyped with her parents, and after awhile went upstairs. August and I read Tacky, then played Big Dragonbox Numbers.
When Carly came back down I made quiche. A zucchini quiche this time. They went for a walk to the southwest for awhile and watched people go to synagogue. When they got back there was still 20 or so minutes left until the quiche was done, so Carly fried up some mushrooms and zucchini with rice and cheese for his dinner.
We played piano and he was humming along to “Sentimental Wars”, then was being my doctor, giving me a shot with “too much medicine” in it. He then climbed on the couch and had his hands on the coffee table and feet on the couch, facing the ceiling. I got up to go get him off, but in the time I took to walk over to him he had tried going on the side of it (the other part of the L shape of the couch), doing the same thing and fell, hitting his cheek and mouth on the edge of the coffee table.
There was blood, but not a lot. Seemed to be his lip, although he wouldn’t let us look. We got him upstairs, and Carly eventually got him to nurse a bit, but mainly he was upset. She ended up rocking him to sleep as she sat on the bed, something she hasn’t done in a long, long time. It was about 7:40.
Photos. A shot for Green Monster:
In Jaffa:
Strawberry drink:
Across the Wishing Bridge:
Sign:
Treate at Tiv Taam:
Blood and bruise from his fall:
