He was up at 5:55. Down on the couch, after nursing, he found the sentence building app on his iPad and played with that for awhile. He then watched an episode of Wanda and the Alien and Carly headed to work. We read Edgar and acted it out a lot. I made an Edgar bed for him on the couch. We then read part of Stars, Stars, Stars and acted out someone staring at the sun. He became a seeing eye dog. He was also the light from the sun and I was the Earth and he ran across the room to me. “What other dwarf planets are there…We COULD use my Space app.” He was then Haumea and would revolve while I travelled to him in a rocket. He was then a space probe: “I took photos of the solar system for you.”
We went upstairs and played electric guitar and mandolin for a long time. He picked up the Jokey Smurf toy and was giving me exploding presents. He said it meant that he wanted to read Smurfs. So we went down and read all of Smurfs #5: Smurfs and the Egg. Exercised and he made words with Cookie Monster. He was having fun not sharing the cookies with Cookie Monster. We then read a little of the Dinosaur book and he played Metamorphabet before we turned to the Garfield 8th Treasury and finished that.
We went upstairs so I could take a shower. He was going to play Toca Builders. He was doing other stuff though and came in before I started my shower and said “Oh shoot, dada. Your iPad just turned off.”
We went downstairs for lunch. We had falafel and sweet potato fries. While I got that ready he took all the spices out of the cabinet and lined them up, saying he was getting what he needed for his recipe. He was a millipede, and said “That’s how many spices I need for my really hot spicy cake.” We ate lunch and discussed our plans today, which now included going to the Skoda dealership as the embassy paperwork has come through. Again. He said “Yeah! I get to go to the spinny chairs!” He then asked “Can I read a Dr. Seuss book? The one about the star problem?” So we read The Sneetches and Other Stories.
We then got going. We were going to Ace Hardware, as the showerhead had broken while Carly was taking a shower yesterday, a music store for guitar strings, and then to Tiv Taam for groceries. To Ace Hardware first, where August helped me remember what color of paint I needed for the shelves. He described the can and that it was spray paint, and a light blue, then helped verify I had the right color. We also found a pizza cutter and got our showerhead. He noticed he wasn’t in a stroller and asked why. I told him we would get the stroller when we were done with Ace.
We went out to the car and put the stuff in the trunk and got the stroller. He needed the bathroom, so we went looking for one and found one in the SE corner of the complex. Used the bathroom, then he went on the little merry-go-round nearby. It went up and down. He called it not the not-very-merry-go-round – a reference to The 39-Story Treehouse where they have one that goes too fast and throws everyone off.
We then walked a block north and found the music store. Got a set of strings and tried out the xylophones, etc. and looked at the keyboards and guitars and drum kits. Showed him a few things related to GarageBand – the hi-hat and guitar pedals. I pointed out the acoustic guitars and he instantly said “Let’s get an acoustic guitar. Can I have one?” We looked at the drum kits after that and I asked which he would rather have. I thought he’d say drums, but he stuck with acoustic guitar.
We walked back to the car and drove to Tiv Taam. A pretty quick trip there, in part because more than half of the store is closed for remodel. No frozen food at all, other things ripped out, no cereal aisle, etc. We found a new toothbrush for August. It is some sort of animal and pink. He wasn’t happy that I couldn’t find fluoride-free toothpaste though. August was getting tired of shopping, but just put his head down on the bar of the shopping cart in front of him.
We went to the car and headed to pick up Carly. Almost got hit by a car that was cutting through traffic. Took the next light, but it was one early, into Beit Yehoshua. Then got stuck behind a big truck hauling hay. Which then had to turn. So took a few minutes longer. August had wanted to send Carly messages as we were leaving, so he held my phone the whole way and sent her lots of messages.
Got to the school just in time as August was falling asleep. Carly got in and had him watch Peg + Cat on my phone – the first time he’s watched something on my phone, but it kept him from falling asleep before the dealership.
We parked at 4 and paid for parking until 5:10. Thought that should be plenty of time. We went and did the paperwork and played in the dealership. A lot of spinning in the chair, but he kept getting loud about how it was a “secret” from me or Carly so then we were going outside. He made pipes and did his sewer game there a bit. For the last stint outside with him he was jumping off of the top step holding my hands and he was a rocket going to different places. Sometimes he wouldn’t launch when we got to zero because he had a glitch. And for about 10 minutes we were all in the office and August wanted to do paperwork too. Carly got out a folder from her backpack and we borrowed a pen. August wrote all of his names, the date, the month, and probably a few other things.
At 5:05 he and I headed to the car to wait for Carly. When I explained why we were going, that our time ran out at 5:10 and that if you stay too long you might get a ticket and have to pay extra money, he was very concerned that we make it on time. We did, and Carly showed up right behind us.
We were home before 6. I made the grilled cheese sandwiches. They nursed and played with the splat balls. We ate dinner, then Carly gave him his shower. I did dishes and they went outside and watered plants and he played on the slide. They were in at 6:50 and Carly went up to take a shower and he and I went up to play guitar – after he first hummed/sang Ode to Joy and named and played the notes on the toy piano. We then read Berenstain Bears Go to School and The Red Hen and he was asleep by 8.
