Sunday, February 24: catching bugs and playing at Simone’s

He had a bad dream. Then was up early, at 5:50. He watched some Berenstain Bears and had oatmeal. I was up an hour later. Carly started cleaning things out, and she found his old brown tube that he used as a musical instrument. She asked if he was done with it, and he said, “I’m never done with it!” He started playing it again, making music. I think she was able to get rid of it a bit later. He went outside, and with just a little help from me nailed two nails onto the Zinnie house to hang up keys on. He was basically able to do it by himself; I just helped to keep them straight. Inside, he took over vacuuming and was singing “Hey Man.” We were doing more cleaning. He got the photo book from the artist here in Even Yehuda, and looked at a photo of Buddhist monks in Thailand, wearing orange robes. We discussed the photo and why they dressed like that.

I then took August out on a walk. First, we went across the street and released the caterpillars and, after taping up the microwave (August helped with the duct tape), placed the microwave over there.

We then walked over to the mall. We discussed the meaning of ‘insect’ and ‘bug’, so ‘insect’ was a word of the day. Along the path near the mall we looked for insects. I caught a little flying insect by putting the catcher upside down over the plant it was on. I talked about thinking about something ‘rationally’, so that was another word of the day.

We went to Tiv Taam and got a few groceries. We also got a pack of saltine and cheese crackers. We ate those as we walked back, stopping to look at microphones at the musical instruments stand. Back outside he released the bug, then we found a pill bug and three different ladybugs. He released those, then caught an ant, but let it go when we found what we at first called a centipede.

It turned out that he was releasing the insects quickly because he didn’t want them to bake in the sun. Marion had warned him about that. I assured him they’d be fine on the way home. On the walk back he studied the old wall that has styrofoam in the middle of it.

Earlier, when releasing the caterpillars, he had started to cross the street on his own. I had called to him and he had stopped, but he was doing it right, having stopped first and looked both ways. Now, as we walked back, I let him lead the way and practice crossing.

We were home at 10. He wanted to feed the insect. I looked it up and realized it was a millipede. He got some old leaves for it, but then got impatient when it didn’t start eating right away. He would release it out in our garden pretty quickly.

He ate some of the broccoli casserole dish, then was climbing on Carly. I went up to take a shower. When I came down they were working on the electricity kit. We read Magic Tree House #50 pleats word

Upstairs to wrestle and bladder game

I rest and he went downstairs to Carly

He wanted to go looking for bugs by the strawberry field instead of going to the beach before Simone’s. He had me spin him around for awhile, then we did the rocking thing on the floor.

The two of them got walking about 1:05. I spotted the bug catcher in the kitchen and put on my shoes to chase after them, since Carly hadn’t taken her phone. They had realized it though and I met them at the gate.

They were back at 1:50. They sat on the swing for a few minutes before coming in. They had found several insects, but Carly said he was quite dissatisfied with them. He said the ants were boring at first, but then decided he liked them the best.

Carly made popcorn and sliced an apple and they ate those on the couch. He randomly said to me, “You dropped me…in the museum.” At least he finds it funny now. He’s talking about when I was carrying him in the Natural History Museum and he did a raspberry right in my face and I was startled and tried to put him down, but he slipped in the process and fell the last foot or two.

Before we left we asked if he was hungry, and he said, “I can eat the food at Simone’s house.” He then sang, “I’m pretty sure they have food, I’m pretty sure I love you, I’m pretty sure I’m walking away from you…hugging you.”

We drove to Herzliya and got to their house right at 3. It’s a nice, new house, and they just moved there within the last couple months. It’s faced Israeli construction issues though—the kitchen ceiling collapsed without warning after they moved in.

August and Simone got to it. It is a little different, as Simone is much different than Taya or Eve. He too is more into parallel play, although they still interacted a fair amount. They went outside for a few minutes to look at snails or something, then went down to the play room. When they went upstairs August first wanted me to go up with them. They climbed in the bunk beds, then tried to jump on the parents’ bed.

Back downstairs, Anita put a Michael Jackson album, Bad, on the record player. Meanwhile, Carly and I were talking to Anita. Her husband works as a financial director for Philip Morris. The kids went back downstairs, and now we all went down. Anita helped build a big Playmobile castle, while the boys played with Legos. A typical exchange between them went like this, August starting: “Look at this powerful thing.” “Yeah.” “Yeah, cool.” August found Simone’s electric toothbrush and loved it. He kept playing with it, and we had to stop him from putting it on anything. We definitely need to get him an electric toothbrush.

When I suggested we needed to leave soon to go home for dinner, Anita offered to cook some pasta. So we stayed for dinner. We’d had a coffee earlier, and now there was Chianti wine. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we had lemon cake earlier, which they had baked together. August and Simone played out in the back yard. They started throwing rocks in the small pool, and Simone claimed it was allowed. I didn’t believe him for a second, but asked Anita. They were then playing at locking Carly outside, and that was pretty funny. They usually eat their pasta quite al dente, so cooked it further for us.

We all sat at the table and ate, then we adults were still talking at the table and August and Simone were playing in the living room. They’d brought up some Legos and were playing with them. More Michael Jackson was playing (I had tried to put some other music on, but Simone really liked Michael Jackson). I was over looking at the records again, when suddenly August screamed behind me. He had leaned on the glass coffee table, which has a wooden base. It had tipped and the glass had landed on his toes.

Anita and I got the glass off of him and I picked him up and sat on the stairs by the door. Luckily, no broken skin, and, eventually, clear there was no broken toes. Luckily, it had hit all the toes, and not just one. He was inconsolable though. He calmed a little to have a little of a popsicle that Simone brought him. And I think he got more lemon cake, and she sent us home with a bunch more cake. He refused an ointment.

So we headed home. He wouldn’t wear his shoes. He calmed down enough for me to read some of _Hilo 2 _ in the car, and after we got home we sat and finished the book. We took the iPad upstairs but never started the next book, as planned.

Did a bit of a sponge bath, then he was cuddling with Carly on the bed. He called for family hugs. He was telling Carly she didn’t love him, and said, “I’m just trying to make you squeak.”

We had talked about inviting Simone to his birthday party, and he liked that idea. He then also suggested Candy as well. Carly and I were wondering how big we can make it without feeling like we have to invite everyone. As I put him to bed, he now changed his mind and suggested Millie: “She acts kind of cute. Cuter than Candy.”

August got frustrated when he realized he hadn’t worked on his wood project with Carly this weekend. We talked about how there isn’t time to do all the fun stuff in one day.

As he was quiet and about to go to sleep, he told me, “Dada, I have something good to tell you…The pain is at a 1.” He was asleep just before 9.

Playing his instrument again: