August has so far only eaten his squash and apple sauce with a spoon. He didn’t seem to realize he could use his hands. So today Carly put the apple sauce on the tray to see what would happen. Mainly, he chewed on his spoon and waited for me to put apple sauce in it, although he did scrape up food with his left hand a couple times and put it in his mouth:
After he was done, however, we noticed he was slobbering on his right hand, having realized it tasted like apple sauce:
Today we took August in the stroller to Toys R Us and the grocery store. We were looking for a bouncy chair for him, but they didn’t have one.
So, nothing major to report, but here are some moments of the day:
Falling asleep on my shoulder for the first time ever:
Holding on like he is in a bus or subway. He is fascinated by the handles that swing above him. I almost don’t think this is a coincidence:
Looking at the animals in the pet store by Toys R Us. At first, he was more fascinated by the group of teenage girls that found him adorable. But he also loved the fish and was excited by the guinea pigs, turtle, and cat:
And in the evening here he is strolling around the park with Carly:
An excellent outing. August slept 30 minutes on the bus there, and 30 minutes on the way back. In between, he was awake and happy for over four hours.
First, we walked through Tapgol Park:
And then he had fun with the texture of a tree trunk:
Then we had lunch at a Korean restaurant:
Changes his diaper for the first time today on a wet bathroom counter:
And got interviewed by some Korean students:
Took in the view from atop one building:
And from atop the Insa Art Center:
Changed him on a second wet bathroom counter. This time at a Starbucks. This is the second Starbucks bathroom I have changed him in and they were both horrible. I think I should write to Schulz:
And finally fell asleep just before getting on the bus back home:
August slept in late today – to 8:30. I kept expecting him to wake up, so noticed him smiling and laughing in his sleep. It was obviously a good dream. Here you can see him smile and laugh (notice the tummy) and then he finally wakes up, which is also cute and entertaining:
Today was a rainy day. August did make it outside to go to the grocery store with my parents, but that was about the extent of exploring outside. Instead, the adventures were indoors today.
First, he is getting pretty good at holding himself in a sitting position:
Then, my parents made him apple sauce, which he likes. My dad had the honor of giving him the first spoonfuls:
Then August took the spoon from me to feed himself:
When Carly got home she for to feed him some as well:
Which turned into a food fight. Carly put apple sauce on his face. He responded by smearing apple sauce on her leg:
I think he had fun:
After Yeon and Nature we hopped back over the Han (in the subway – no literal hopping) to the park. After walking through the design center, we found a nice place in the grass to take a nap:
As a video:
He also got excited by fish in the design center:
And since (like most almost-six-month-olds) he loves different textures and new objects, as we walked through the park we would stop to feel different leaves and branches and petals:
Also, there was a guy with two trained cats at the park. It was pretty awesome:
Finally, here is a pretty cool panoramic view of the Han:
We had a big adventure today. First, we visited Yeon and Nature – the birthing center where August was born. We got to see the room he was born in, visit with two of the women that helped us a lot, and find his photo on the wall.
Then, we went to Ttukseom Resort – a large park on the shore of the Han. I’ll leave that for a second post.
The room where August was born and spent the first two nights of his life:
Sophie, the interpreter/all sorts of other roles that helped us out:
The nurse that swaddled August a few times, took him to his hearing test, etc.:
His photo on the wall. Note that all the other parents have their babies bundled up, regardless of time of year. Whereas we had him in a onesie. In March:
I had physical therapy in the morning, so in the afternoon we took a short trip over to Dream Forest. We went walking on the west side of the park and found a great lookout spot from which you can see much of the city.
The lookout area:
The view:
The walk. I don’t know how many of these walking videos I have posted on the blog, if any, but I have been taking videos of August on walks like this ever since I first had him in a carrier. I hope to edit them together at some point:
I don’t usually take them from the front, but it looks pretty cool that way as well:
Also, apparently around six months babies develop a good appreciation of texture. So on the walk he was feeling all sorts of things. I just barely missed a good shot of him holding on to some leaves, and didn’t think to get him holding a rock. But he also enjoyed pulling on the rope (didn’t actually capture him pulling on the rope with two hands):
And, finally, on the insanely packed bus ride home, August decided he wanted to hold on to the nice smooth pole as well:
Here are three videos that give you an idea of the sorts of things August likes to do right about now:
Make noise as he sits in his chair:
Work on crawling:
And exercising by holding an object over his head and pulling with both arms, while grimacing. Also, he loves playing with straws:
People keep asking for proof of the teeth. Like the Loch Ness monster, visual evidence is difficult to come by. But they are there. If you look closely I swear you can see the two front bottom teeth right at the beginning of this video and at the 10 second mark: