Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Month 6 Updates
I've been having so much fun lately that I haven't had time to post any updates. When Sammy hear about this he began beating me with a Tupperware lid and yelling, "pppplattt maaaa aahhh daaa." Well, he didn't have to say that twice (though he did). I got right to work with the update.
Gratuitous Cute Picture
Speed Crawling
In the last posting, I described Sammy's 
crawling more like a slither. He'd slide around on his belly. He got quite good at it, but he wasn't getting anywhere quickly. Therefore, it didn't take him long to figure out that crawling on his knees would be faster.
After getting up on his knees he spent a couple days testing the waters. After that he was off. Now he's a speed demon. He's just a blur in the corner of my eye. I never have to look far. He's always at the front door undoing shoelaces and chewing on shoes. We all have our vices, but I think that we are going to have to cure him of this one.
Chusok (Korean Thanksgiving)
Chusok is the Korean Thanksgiving. It's even more about family than the American version. While food and drink also play a role in the celebration, the main focus of the holiday is to honor the family's (patriarchal) ancestors. This is done by visiting their graves (for some families this could be quite a few) with food and drink offerings, while giving ceremonial bows for each of the deceased.
For more information on Chusok, see http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/chusok.htm
Sammy enjoyed it greatly. Lots of family, food, and stuff to break. He's no longer a passive passenger in your arms. He reaches for anything that makes noise or shines. His favorites seem to be anything that the people around him are or have actually used. Anything breakable, especially plates, cups, and glasses.
The Kim's ancestral graves (Mr. Kim's mother and father) are at a location near the family's farm. I didn't take any pictures of the ceremony, but here is a nice picture of Sammy's cousins and him next to a stream in the area. We stopped here for a while, across the street from Moon's cousin's house. I think that Sammy in his overalls with no shirt is perfect for the day and the location.
Chonggyechon (river running through/under Seoul)
Chonggyechon is a river that runs through Seoul. The funny thing is that it's been covered up for years. Seoul was built over it throughout the years. Witnessing the effect of having a riverwalk in cities like San Antonio, Seoul managers decided that having this running through the downtown was more important than the 8-lane road that was running over it. Therefore a few years ago, they tore it all up and really did a great job designing it and the area around it.
We went there to see a tile that Jiyun (Sammy's cousin) had made with her school that was on display on the walk (along with a LOT of others). This was a really impressive wall of tiles. The students all did a really great job and Jiyun was so proud of hers. This is a great project for the school kids.
After finally seeing the tile (we walked what seemed like 3 or so miles), we decided it was time for some food. While I don't have any interesting pictures of this, but there is a great video. Sammy is playing with his aunt and cousins. They are opening and closing the lid on a metal picture and he is just dying of laugher. You'll have to check this one out.
Click to view the video (QuickTime 26MB)
Get Up, Get Up, Everybody Please Get Up
It was only a matter of time. He started getting a little bored of stuff that he could reach from a sitting position. It all started in the bathtub. I suppose that the water made it a little easier for him to get up. All of the neat bottles of shampoo, soap, and razors drove him to grunt and strain his way to his feet. Of course the tub has some drawbacks. One such drawback is that it's slippery. He crashed only moments after making it up there. Moon didn't help, but she was there to catch
Click here for video (QuickTime 13MB)
Getting up in the water was one thing, but doing it on dry land was another story. We followed him around for a while knowing that it wouldn't be too long. His chance took the form of a pile of boxes by the front door.
I saw him grabbing the flaps on the highest box. He looked like he wanted to see what was in there. I ran and grabbed the camera just in time to see him get up for the first time. Of course, I was too busy taking pictures to save him from the subsequent fall. But I'm sure his diminished mental capacity was worth the shot.
Cheerios, Yum!
I suppose that it is a rite of passage. We thought that it was finally time for him to try some Cheerios. We went to Costco and got a box so big that he could fit into it. It seemed like overkill at the time. Little did I know how much he would like it. Let's just call it Child Cheery Crack. He could be crying for hours, but a cup full of Cheerios would take his mind off it.
I'm not a big fan of using this crack on him, but it's really the only processed food that he gets and the only 'easy' think that we can get him to eat. Given this, I'm more than happy to empty this box and go for another.
Final Cute Picture
