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August woke up at 6:25 and was awake for 6 hours. I think he has officially changed to just taking one nap a day. His nap today was a monster: over 2 hours and 45 minutes. And when he woke up 45 minutes into it he was only awake for 5 minutes before he got back to sleep. I think he is adjusting to taking naps with just me around. 

A lot more reading today. He was also really into looking out the window. He would sit on my lap with his head leaning against the window and make some quiet noises. This happened twice before his nap and Carly said he looked out the window with her when I was at PT. 

When he woke up we no longer had time to go to the kid cafe. So we simply went for a walk. Picked up two pizzas at Pizza School for dinner and then walked some back streets. 

Came back a few minutes before Carly got home, made the switch, and I went to PT. 

Helping put a new sheet on the bed:

Watching the traffic below. My parents will remember this routine. But we can sit down now. Also, he has changed a bit since my parents held him in the same spot four or five months ago:

Got to love the talking:

Playing with my laundry:

Destroying a piece of pasta:

Finally asleep:

On our walk to get pizza. After such a long nap August was full of energy:

For bed Carly dressed him in his grey pajamas and a pair of socks we haven’t used for quite awhile. The pajamas are getting tight and the socks used to be huge on him:

August woke up at 6:25 and we had a very nice morning, although he seemed to get tired and rebound a few times. 

We did a lot of reading; so much so that I was actually taking him away from the books to do other things. He played with his shapes, but the blocks in the tin can, played with shoe laces, drank from the spray bottle, watched his Napul Napul video with me, and of course played on the bed a lot. 

His nap was an enormous two and a half hours, but that includes about 20 minutes in the middle of crying and failed attempts to get him back to sleep. 

When he woke up it was about 2:30. Carly was getting home late because of her club so I decided we had time for a little adventure. We took a bus northeast just past Sanggye station and walked a bit to the foot of the mountains and Bulamsan Nature Park. 

We walked up a trail a bit and found a nice bench. We hung out there for awhile, reading But Not the Hippopotamus and feeling the trees. 

We then walked around more, seeing a big, fenced in stone that had no sign but looked important, a building with some odd art on it, and a few other things before we got back to the playground and played there. 

Oh, and along the way August found his new spotting obsession: the electrical boxes along the sides of the street that have a picture on them. He’s never pointed them out before, but did it four times today. 

 

Just for fun, playing with his shapes in slow motion: 

He is proud of his shapes:

The books have told me that he should be interested in shoelaces about now. But he rarely gets to play with our shoes now since we take them off inside. And since it is winter they have been dirty so I haven’t given them to him to play with. Well yesterday he happened to be by my feet when I was putting on my shoes and got really excited about trying to untie them. So, more shoe fun today:

He was being goofy while drinking out of the spray bottle. Here he is looking up at the monkeys on his growh chart and offering them some water:

It was with Carly a couple days ago that he started putting blocks in the tin can and taking them out again. We had filled the can a couple times already before I shot this:

Perhaps the best August video yet. You would think he is tired in this video, but he stayed awake for more than an hour after this:

And here is one of the electrical boxes that is his new obsession:

At out sitting spot in the woods. He felt the bench and the tree and we read But Not the Hippopotamus:

Feeling more trees and talking to/about them:

He was also excited by this exercise wheel and did a pretty good job of turning it:

The weird art on the side of a building. August seemed to most like the blue branchy head in the second photo:

On one of those little rocking things at the playground:

Watching the scenery on the way home:

August slept in until almost 8, meaning he slept close to 12 and a half hours. I had a feeling he wouldn’t have a problem getting to and through his music class at 12:40 and I was right. 

We left the house about an hour early and walked around the park a couple times and then played on the swing, slide, and bouncy thing at the playground for quite awhile. 

His class went well. He was even more vocal than usual, although I want able to get any of those good moments on camera. In particular he was screeching when she was introducing and handing out the tambourines (which, as you will see below, he didn’t end up playing with too much).  

After his class we bought a few groceries and headed home. I expected him to fall asleep soon as it was 2 and he’d been awake 6 hours. But after eating pasta, being changed, and having milk he just kept going until 3:20.  

Alas, he only slept 53 minutes. That was his only nap for the day.  

After Carly got home we went down to the clinic on the second floor so that she and I could get flu shots. That done we walked back through the park and to Home Plus for a few more things (if you get the sense we are always going to Home Plus you are pretty much right). 

I had fun on the way back predicting all the things August was going to get excited about. He is pretty predictable that way. From Home Plus home the list includes: a blue hose, the vending machines, the dog and man sculpture, the stairs, the ice rink, more vending machines, the cartoon characters on the Dunkin Donuts window, the Orange warning light above the drive way, a red light, the numbers in the elevator, and finally one last red light outside the elevators on the 8th floor. 

A very happy wake up this morning: 

A fun word:

On the swing:

Music class:

This is supposed to show how intently he watches the teacher; but you can’t rally tell what he is focused on:

The teacher does a great job of getting his attention; but once the toys are passed out the room becomes chaotic and there are distractions everywhere. August prefers to watch what everyone else is going. Or simply look at the mat:

Today’s random not-related-to-music activity involved a noodle thing and colored pieces of felt. It was actually a pretty good activity:

Liking the bubbles, as usual:

Cuddling with Marshy:

There is only one thing wrong with this photo. He was still awake after 7 hours:

After August took a very short nap this morning, we took the bus to Seokgye station. We started walking up the stream from the river, heading northwest. The stream curves north and goes past APIS and on up to Bukhansan. 

We stopped near APIS to try out a new burger place for lunch, then continued along the until August started to get tired.  

He took another short nap on the way home. 

Back in our neighborhood we played at the playground for about half an hour.  

Today was about sticking out his tongue and practicing his minickry, which he has been doing more and more of.  

Sticking out his tongue: 

Mimicking:

On our walk. Some funny noises and minickry:

Trying out the new burger place. He was happy to have some of my lettuce:

Excited by pigeons outside the burger place:

Ready for a nap:

Alas, his nap only lasted 25 minutes as he was woken by a subway intercom announcement. But he woke up happy and awake:

We played for about a half hour in the park. We were perfecting our sliding technique. I figured out just where I could release him so he could stop at the bottom and get off by himself: 

Still sticking out his tongue in the afternoon:

In the evening Carly put in his bandanna for the fun of it. I’ll probably have him wear it to his class tomorrow:

Carly’s first day back meant the first day in three weeks that August had to just deal with me for milk and naps. He responded by deciding to not take a nap. He woke up at 6:25 and managed to stay awake through his class and all the way until 1:50. 

He wasn’t even really acting tired, and made it through his class just fine. When he did fall asleep it was almost like a switch had been activated. Boom. Asleep. 

He slept until 3:00 and that was when things got complicated. Carly wasn’t there to nurse him back to sleep, so he was upset. He fell asleep twice in my arms, but awoke when I tried to put him down. I got him to sleep lying down only to have him start crying when I started to move.

Eventually, he fell asleep in my arms and I carried him out to the couch. He slept, draped on me, for over another hour until Csrly opened the door and woke him up. 

I had PT and then came home to a very hyper boy.  

From the morning. An example of my excellent parenting: 

At his class. He did quite well despite being awake for over five hours when it started. The activities today were about frogs. That was the only time he got a bit upset as he wanted to put the foam handles in his mouth. Anyway, a bubble:

Ready for the parachute:

Out of focus, but you can tell he is liking the parachute games:

His first major crawl away. When I went to get him I realized what he’d seen was a bunch of bubbles still on the floor (they use an amazing bubble mix) and he wanted to pop them:

Finally asleep, with Bluey and Marshy for company:

And this is how he slept for the final hour. We were more upright for most of it and I managed to have the computer on my knees so I could type an email:

Looking at his Napul Napul books from his class. One usually stays in the classroom but I asked to bring it home today:

Carly goes back to work tomorrow. So we ended the break by meeting up with our friends and their son at the book cafe at Dream Forest. 

 

In the morning: 

A nice blurry action photo of him bouncing in the chair: 

Eating a raw carrot. He ended up eating quite a bit of it, and ate a couple good meals of pasta and veggies later in the day:

There were about ten times as many people in the book cafe as when August and I went a couple weeks back. August still had a lot of fun though and got into taking books off the shelves:

After that we played at the playground. August on the slide and Carly on the balance beam:

Some slide time:

Watching the deer on our way home. He really likes the deer, and even though it was cold and getting dark he was upset to leave:

Brushing his teeth with mama before bedtime:

Happy ten months, August!

Today looked to be a repeat of yesterday as he only took a 30 minute nap in the morning. But after a trip to Home Plus he slept 90 minutes in the early afternoon. 

We took a walk in the afteoon sun, getting coffee at the women’s business center before walking along the stream and playing at the little park by the youth center. 

In the evening August suffered a bath and got to eat pasta and sauce for the first time (we always schedule the messiest meals right after baths for some reason) before falling asleep at the reasonable hour of 8.  

Morning: 

August had been imitating us more and more. Just today he tried to imitate me in saying ‘Oma’, ‘annyang’, and in making a ‘rar rar rar’ sound. But his best imitating lately is coughing, and he will carry on full conversations in coughs. He will also let out a whole string of fake coughs as we walk down the street, which Carly and I are afraid people with think are real. And when you do cough for real he will think you are joking and cough back. Anyway, some coughing:

In the carrier:

Asleep in the carrier at the start of his 20 minute nap:

On our walk, atop the museum:

Going down the slide by himself for the first time:

August got really excited about this sculpture, which we could see from the playground. I’m not sure why. We’ve walked by it several times but I don’t think he has taken note of it before:

Eating pasta and sauce:

For Carly and me: our first big cookie from the rice cooker:

We had fun with our first trip to the museum. It turns out we only had to pay 30000 won, or about $30, for our membership.

August played and played until we knew he was overdue to nurse and take a nap, although he showed no signs of wanting to do either. 

He fell asleep quickly though and we went and got lunch, and then visited some of our favorite animals in the zoo: spotted seals, the sea birds, gibbon, squirrel monkeys, and the sloth.  

Carly really liked to see August exploring new things, so we are planning ongoing back tomorrow as well.  

 

On our way there August spent a lot of time doing his walking noise: 

 

His initial excitement walking into the actual museum:

This is the middle of the infant-only area:

Having fun:

At lunch. The same place I had lunch with him and where we went with my parents:

August really likes the polar bear statues:

He only took a 30 minute nap on our trip, and didn’t go to sleep when we got home like we thought he would. He only made it a bit past 6pm before falling asleep. We’ll see how early he wakes up tomorrow…

Rather a mishmash of a day. In the morning we went to an optical place to get contacts for Carly. Figuring out one more thing in Korea that we haven’t done before. August and I then Skyped with my parents. After that, Carly and August went for a walk with one of Carly’s friends. And then I went to get my hair cut and to PT.  As I was getting my hair cut I realized Carly never got to take a picture of August and I both with messy hair. Perhaps when my hair is long again in a month or two…

But tomorrow is Carly’s last weekday of her winter break and we are going to make the most of it by taking August to the Seoul Children’s Museum and (most likely) getting a membership.  

Anyway, when we went to get contacts for Carly, August and I spent most of our time waiting outside because the cell phone store next door had these flashing signs and the whirligig things that were driving August crazy. Didn’t get any photos/videos though as Carly had my phone for potential translation purposes. 

 

Here’s a shot of August before we left for the walk: 

I’ve got two things to show you from August today. The first is that he has suddenly become very interested in figuring out how to turn individual pages in paper books. He’s turned pages in the board books, but still generally requires help just getting one page. Today he became fascinated with this Corduroy book and was intent on picking apart individual pages. At one point he even had a good ruffling of the pages going. I was trying to keep him from destroying the book too much, but just kept reminding myself it only cost 50 cents, as it was one of the books we bought when we went with my parents to the thrift store:

The other thing is crawling. He’s actually been crawling quite well for a couple weeks, but it is something that happened so gradually that I don’t think we ever posted a video of it. He can now pretty much crawl as far as he wants to, although he will often take breaks, or army crawl for awhile, or request that we pick him up.

This video is from when I got home after PT. So he is excited to see me, but keeps looking back, as crawling to me takes him farther away from Carly. He did, eventually, make it all the way to me after I stopped the video:

Finally, Augudt had perhaps his most excited moment ever today as Carly was getting him changed for bed. He was crying, so I started to play the jump-out-from-behind-the-door game, which he always loved. The other thing we do is the ‘duh duhn’ sound from Jaws. That is one of the things I don’t think about getting on film as I am too busy at the time. Anyway, will perhaps try to get his response to that another time. 

August had his music class. Then he and I went shopping and then on a walk so that Carly could have some time to work. Later, we all went for a walk in the dark to get some exercise, fresh air, a hot chocolate, and free advice about how rosy cheeks are bad for a baby. 

Also,  August spent a lot of time teething. 

Music class: 

He like the rattles they played with. Mainly as a teething toy:

Carly gave him her water bottle when it was time to give them back:

We got to play with stickers. Carly and I would put the sticker on our nose or ear, etc. and he would pull it off. Here it is on his cheek:

And we played with puzzles. I like both of his classes, but prefer the Monday class. This is supposed to be a music class, but a lot of the activities seem to not have much to do with music. Overall it seems a bit more chaotic and less clear. Although there are about ten more babies in the class and I don’t speak much Korean, so it isn’t necessarily the teacher’s fault. She actually seems really good with the kids and August likes her. 

As we often do, we looked at the pet section of Home Plus. The lizard was moving around and caught August’s eye. And August caught the lizard’s eye, as it seemed to be trying to get to him:

He is excited about the ice rink they built in the park:

Here’s what he was looking at. Kind of an odd activity. They have kids pushing themselves around on boards over the rough ice using these pointy ice pick things:

We stopped at home to drop off groceries and change him before heading out for a walk. Usually he isn’t a big fan of lying on the changing pad, but sometimes he decides he just wants to hangout for awhile:

On our first walk, looking down on the stream:

Watching the washing machine before we leave on our second walk. Trying shoes on him again for a little more warmth:

Waiting for Carly’s hot chocolate and my royal milk tea. Note the mittened hand sticking out:

And here are the cool shoes:

Finally, trying out another bath. Notice how he is clinging to Carly. It went okay, and is interesting because it isn’t like he is afraid of the bath. I ended up standing on the other side of the bath and washing him while he still held on to Carly. There was a little crying near the end, but not much: