On Saturday while I did my chicken feeding duty at the Children's Magical Garden, Taiyo stood there in the drizzling rain holding tight onto his little red umbrella. He looked like he was listening to the sound of rain.

And today it was sunny and I felt like we owed ourselves a big day out - we've been a bit lazy this season. So I asked Taiyo where he wanted to go, and he said, maybe to the Children's Museum. On bicycle. We've been there once on a bicycle, but it was during summer. It might be a bit too cold for bicycle, I said. It's ok, he said. It's cold and it's kind of far. It's ok. It was like 30 degrees, but it didn't feel that cold. I was working out sweats before reaching the halfway point on the bridge. We went through South Williamsburg where orthodox Jews were celebrating Purim, I don't think it was supposed to be like that originally, but now it's Jewish Halloween. Kids and Adult in costumes were everywhere. There were lots of loud music. Some men were dancing in circles on the sidewalk. It seemed even crazier than Halloween. This holiday actually made the Children's Museum less crowded and chaotic because large Jewish families with 5-10 kids and uncles and aunts and grandparents and parents didn't come today. So Taiyo was playing with a doll house for a long time, although only doll he could find was a firefighter. Then this woman placed her daughter right next to him and told her to play with it. She took some furniture Taiyo had carefully placed around the house and gave it to the girl. Taiyo snatched the piece back. She yelled at Taiyo that he had to share. The girl didn't seem to be enthusiastic but the mother grabbed another furniture and placed it in front of her and told her to play with it. Taiyo of course snatched it back immediately and the woman started yelling at me that I wasn't telling him to share. I said I did, because I did. But she was yelling at me. I said you didn't have to create a conflict by making her play with the toys he was playing with. She grabbed the girl onto her enormous hip and walked away, cursing. I felt almost traumatized by this experience but I let him play until he was bored. No one else really bothered him. We stayed until closing and he slept through the noise of Purim parties in Williamsburg. I had to pedal against gusting wind all the way I promised myself to upgrade the bike before next long bike ride. He's getting a bit too heavy. I can't believe I was riding with him back and forth from Greenpoint during hurricane blackout just four months ago. It was probably the most workout I've done in months.

So this book exist, and it's no joke but that's exactly how Taiyo goes to sleep right now. I told him that if he can go to sleep on his own, he'll get a new app on iPad in the morning. If you can go to sleep without mama, mama can look for a new thing for your iPad to download. This 'getting a new thing' on the iPad still occurs magically overnight, but I still try to tell him the truth. Hey, these things don't just appear from nowhere. I buy them for you. Anyway, it's still like getting a mystery present; he is so excited when he finds a new app on iPad. I have to start reviewing these apps- there's some great ones, trash, and everything in between of course. So, thank you iPad, for helping me raise my child. With the happy thought of finding a new icon, Taiyo went to sleep by himself third day in a row.

On Saturday we encountered lions in Chinatown for Lunar New Year celebration. I love these loud noises and crazy looking lions that makes me feel lucky. So we watched some lions and snapped popping firecrackers on the street. Three boxes for a dollar, these little pops are great cheap entertainment- it also helps little ones to work on motor skill. One little box was enough fun for Taiyo; we came home with two more boxes for another day.

So far I've been working 6-day weeks this year, which I thought it was fair for me to take a day off on Presidents' Day. And you know what, I am the president of my little company. So yes, I took a day off. I spent a relaxing day visiting my friend Virginia in Queens who had a baby two months ago. Taiyo loved their place, with lots more room to run around, and big TV with cable service and a comfy large couch in front of it. So he loved the visit and it also game me a chance to look back and think of the beginning days. It was terrifying time but then you look back and think it was the easiest time. I could put him down and at least he won't go anywhere. He won't ask me million questions. He won't say he wants no green stuff on his food. When I started this blog two years ago, I thought we'd be eating at so much more variety of food by now. But he has regressed very much over the past year. On the way from Virginia's place in Forest Hills, I made a mistake of telling Taiyo I saw a Diner ahead. His mind was set for the diner. I told him there seems more choice a block ahead, but no. He just wanted to go to a diner. I don't know why he loves a diner, but he does. Any typical crappy diner, such as this one, T-Bone Diner.

I seemed like the joint was there for a long time, and I wondered if the food was always crappy like that. Anyway, when I opened the menu it was one of those typical diner menu with hundreds of things that makes me dizzy, but today's special 'home made' turkey meatballs with spaghetti may be all right, I thought. Taiyo wanted to have pasta. And the food was edible but pretty gross. Turkey meatballs were kind of strange and very much surely not home made. By the way why diners are allowed to lie on their menu that all baking are done on premise. What baking? So probably 'Home made' doesn't mean anything either. But Taiyo liked it. He sat down and ate. The waiter seemed quite tolerating of the restless little person. The booth was comfortable. There was a middle-aged couple on a first date after meeting on-line in the next booth. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but the man was talking so loudly into my direction I got to enjoy listening his online dating stories. So with a little added entertainment, it wasn't horrible dining experience. I just wish the food was a little more decent.

Friday night, I regretted that I signed up for chicken feeding duty Saturday morning. But Taiyo and I were troopers. He was totally up for chicken feeding and sidewalk shoveling. At the garden, the beautiful new snow was knee deep for Taiyo. He was totally up for a new challenge. He trekked across the garden making track marks. But after 10 minutes he was crying because snow got into his rain boots- he didn't even have snow boots or thick gloves. So his thin gloves were also soaking wet and he was crying that his hands hurt. I finished the chicken feeding quickly and we had to get out. He whined all the way to Tiny's because I couldn't carry him with two buckets I had to return. But I was quite proud of him trekking into the deep snow by himself. He didn't feel like shoveling when we got back to the restaurant, of course, and that was ok with me.

I started writing in the blog and I heard something. Some electric music coming from the other side of the apartment. Something I've never heard of. I traced the source of the music and it turned out to be a clock radio that makes Taiyo feel better when he turns it on lately which obviously he set an alarm for 12 am. But no, it did not wake him up- he went to bed quite early today at 10 pm.

A few days after that tub talk Taiyo showed me something on 'his' iPad. "Mama, look." It was from his interactive book- a bath-tub car with wheels and a steering wheel. "Oh, no. I thought you were being totally original." Well, but still. Taiyo's bath-tub car was a bit more advanced since this one on iPad didn't have any covering or changing area in case you wanted to go outside.

So strange things happen. I was feeling acoustic and was listening to Devendra Banhart someone told me about a few months ago. A couple of tracks into it here he was, into my restaurant with his girlfriend Ana who's been my new regular for two weeks. It was so like Taiyo's favorite phrase, "How did this happen?" It was like an awkward mistake. So strange things sometimes happen.

Weekend was nice and mellow and chilly again. On Sunday we got on the ferris wheel at Toys'R'Us in Times Square for the first time. When I saw that ferris wheel for the first time, I explaimed "That was my idea to put a ferris wheel inside a building!!" But mine also served as an elevator between floors. Anyway, it cost us $5 each and it was fun the first round but maybe five more times around the floors of Toys'R'Us was kind of nightmarish we were pretty happy to get off. Taiyo scored some new toys of course and it was like another Christmas or birthday for him.

We stopped at Guy's American Kitchen and Bar, which I wasn't expecting best service, and wasn't expecting to be impressed with the food, and I was just right on. I didn't know who this 'Guy' was until I opened the menu, and ok, this name attached, and so conveniently located right off Broadway, I really didn't expect too much of it but knew that it will be kid-friendly and would be comfortable enough for me. And I was right on. Well, food was almost good, but not too expensive. Service was good but almost too fast and sort of pressuring to finish the plate and go. But Taiyo ate more than just his french fries and they seemed to be quite tolerant even when Taiyo became more mobile around the floor between their feet. So overall I'd recommend it.