Category: Uncategorized

Today we braved the cold to walk to Toys R Us and then on to a neighborhood called Eunhang Junction. We came back with a stash of new toys from the clearance shelves. 

But first, in the morning…

A good way to entertain August nowadays is to simply have him sit or stand in someplace he hasn’t sat or stood in before: 

Mid-sneeze:

Off to brave the cold:

Matching hats:

People watching in the food court:

Tired, waiting for me to turn around the carrier so he could fall asleep:

Meeting a girl:

Rosy cheeks and a runny nose:

Back at home:

Our haul, mainly of wooden toys: 

Playing with his first truck:

New game:

Wrapping up the day with some washing machine action:

It has gotten cold here in Seoul, with highs in the low 40s or high 30s for the next few days. 

so today August wore a coat over his sweatshirt for the first time and also wore shoes for the first time. 

We did our standard PT day routine of going to the store after his first nap and hen to APIS after his second and handing him over to Carly. 

Nowadays he is primarily working on his talking and his standing:

Using only one hand:

Something to say:

Standing again:

He hasn’t given the beach ball much thought. Until today:

Standing again:

He was pretty patient with the extra time it took to put in the shoes and the coat, but his patience has a limit:

But he calmed down once he was in the carrier and knew we were leaving:

The handoff:

I realized the reason he enjoys sucking on the spray bottle is that it actually works like a straw and he can get water out of it pretty easily:

But I don’t know what he accomplishes with the elephant. Except it makes us laugh, and he seems to like that:

It was a crisp fall day in Seoul. After we Skyped with my parents, August and I took off for the Taerung royal tomb. It is one of several royal tombs in Seoul which, together, are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We had a nice walk around the grounds and after visiting the tomb area we found a little platform to hang out on. There weren’t many people around at all, but there was a woman with a little girl (close to 2, probably) that had a similar idea. At one point the girl walked over to us and interacted  bit with August. When they were saying goodbye, she bowed to August – his first bow.  

Fun in the morning:

In the museum at the tomb:

Looking at the display:

Fall in Korea:

The tomb:

Our lunch time platform:

Quince tea:

On the way home:

Bath time:

His first invitation:

Saturday and Sunday night August had had a fever and difficulty sleeping. He was better on Sunday, but by Monday morning he was still having difficulty going to sleep for his nap. 

So after his nap I took him down to see the doctor. The doctor is in our building, only took 10 minutes of waiting, and it cost a whiole 3 dollars for the visit. 

While we waited I had him standing in front of a big cushion. There was a girl, just a couple inches taller than him, who could walk also in the waiting room. He tried really hard to get her attention, first with his squeals, but switching to fake coughs when that didn’t work. She didn’t show much interest in him, however, although she did walk over and kind of stand across the cushion from him at one point. 

His ears and nose and throat are clear, and he no longer had a fever. So, he got a clean bill of health. 

We also got out for a bit of a walk around the neighborhood, but nothing too major. 

Here he is, asleep on my shoulder, since he couldn’t get to sleep on the bed:

Finally tranferred to the bed on his tummy as he would wake up on his back:

Waiting for the doctor. Since it was just an elevator ride away we didn’t even have to put on sweatshirts:

Feeling good enough to get excited about bouncy chair time:

Getting better at the trumpet:

Accidentally shot a video of him laughing in his pajamas in slow motion, to comic effect:  

What it was really like:

And he was having fun with snorting:

We were all ready for some downtime. Still, we ended up taking a walk and getting hot chocolate and going to the art museum and later took a walk along the stream. We also made sweet potato burritos, spaghetti for the week, and, in the rice cooker, banana bread. 

Carly appreciating the art in the coffee shop:

He enjoyed the sculpture in the park:

At home:

On our second walk:

He’s been more clear about it, but you can kind of see him being done with eating and pushing your hand away:

Playing around:

Our first experiment in the rice cooker: banana bread. It worked perfectly:

Check out the hair:

Carly had a half day of parent conferences, so it was just me and August in the morning. We have been very lucky in that he has generally slept through the night, only waking to nurse. But this morning he woke up from 3:45 to 5, and then woke up at 6:40. Luckily, he took a nice two hour nap a couple hours later. 

August and I went for a walk after his nap and found a festival/market going on in the park. I tried a few food things, and we watched some of the acts at the talent show.  

When Carly got back she met us in the park for awhile. 

Morning fun: 

A game he has invented (similar to the slobber on mama’s tummy game):

A usual activity, with the addition of playing with the basket at the same time:

Talent show:

August and I went downtown to explore some art museums and galleries and then took the bus/walked to APIS to visit Carly, who had to stay there until 7:30 for parent conferences. 

On the bus: 

Some art at the young artists competition show:

Banana in a park:

He managed to get his sock off twice while we were walking and we had to double back. Luckily, not too far:

Another art show at the Arko in Hyehwa:

Waking up as we wait for the bus:

Hanging out at school with mama:

We hopped a bus and then a train to the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Didn’t go until noonish. So time this morning to give him a bath, play in the bouncy chair (getting better at using his foot to help him pick up the ball), read a lot of books (he is now turning the pages on regular paper books), and eat breakfast and later a banana. 

These first three videos show you talking he was doing this morning: 

I liked all these photos from crib time. Would put them together as one of those things you have to click through, but I can’t do that on the iPhone:

His favorite activity in the tub is still playing with the nozzle. He ignores everything else:

When we arrived at the subway station we walked to campus and stopped in a little grassy/treey area not too far into campus. Had a rest there and August insisted on being on the ground. So we sat on the ground and he played with the grass and decaying leaves – tossing around handfuls and methodically ripping apart individual leaves. 

He started crying suddenly and so I put him in the carrier facing me. He fell asleep quickly. I walked around the campus for 15 minutes or so, finding the President Obama Trail, commemorating a visit he made to the school. 

This is a photo of a photo of president Obama standing at the spot in the photo:

August had fallen asleep, and continued to stay asleep for well over an hour – the longest nap he has ever taken in the carrier:

When August woke up, we went back to station and took subway to Wolgye. Walked to APIS and did our usual trade. PT went well. At its best, my arm is almost flat on the table. 

Back home, August was not asleep when I got home for once. In fact, he did not take a nap and fell asleep for the night about 7:30. 

Carly made more food for August. Before I got home, she fed him some of the apple-pear. And then she made a cinnamon apple carrot sauce for him. It tastes quite good. 

He got one other new taste today. He was playing with the bottle of sesame dressing and the lid popped open by his mouth. Managed to get just a bit, but enough to know he really liked it.

Mans, of course, he got to read with mama: 

Note: my phone isn’t letting me access photos from yesterday in other apps (although the photos are still there). Will add photos later. 

 

We went up to Changdong today via bus. We had tried to go with my parents to check out the Salvation Army store but it had been closed. 

It was open today, but we only ended up buying a stuffed elephant that was about a buck. August really liked it, so it was worth it.  

We also stopped at the stage near the station to sit in the sun, eat our daily banana, and play.  

Bur first, he got to play in his bouncy swing in the morning. If you watch closely I think you can see him using his foot to boost the ball up to his hand so he can grab it: 

Here we are on that stage:

This was on our way home. There is an area in our park that is like pigeon home base, so we visit it most times we walk through the park:

He’s starting to talk more and create new sounds more frequently. Case in point: