Already past summer solstice, and already the end of June, which means the day's getting shorter and one third of summer already gone. Taiyo now can climb up the big sphere in Union Square Park playground. "I'm so proud," he says. I'm so proud he's been almost tantrum-less these days. I can't believe we were battling over toilet training just a year ago. Yesterday, we were at the library, and he came to me with a little book, "Look, I found something for you." It was "The I Ching or Book of Changes, a guide to life's turning points." Is he trying to tell me something? I decided to take a look at it. It seems like an interesting book.

It was supposed to be the finale of hectic two weeks. I wasn't looking forward to it but I really wanted to get it over with. And it would've been the longest day ever at the hospital. We were summoned to Mount Sinai Hospital uptown at 7:30 this morning for dental procedure under full anesthesia. I was very nervous about the whole thing, of course. How was I going to get there by 7:30, and how was he going to react that he couldn't eat or drink anything when he got up? I'm sure there will be long wait in between every move, and I was told that we'll be at the hospital all day. So the night before, Taiyo who hardly gets sick and was sick probably only once in the past six month, became sick. He had a little fever, cough, and terribly stuffy nose. He kept tossing and turning, asking for water, asking for tissue to blow nose through the night and I knew we couldn't make it to the hospital. The doctor told us that it cannot be done if he is sick. So Taiyo successfully sabotaged the surgery. So we had a day off after all. He was just as content and energetic as when he wasn't sick all day. We went to the west side and played a while in a playground with water fountains. Interestingly he didn't seem to mix well with Tribeca crowd. So we decided to have lunch at PJ Clarke's at World Financial Center. I wanted sit outside, but Taiyo voted for inside. "It's too hot!" It was pretty hot and muggy.

We've been there. Maybe I wrote about it too. It's fairly kid-friendly not the greatest food and of course a bit overpriced for what it is but comfortable and friendly place. Taiyo settled for mini sliders and per extremely friendly waitress Diane's recommendation I got halibut. Oh the fish was so gorgeously presented but dry and curiously flavorless. Taiyo loved the mini cheese burgers and fries. Overall it was still nice and relaxing dining experience. We were brave to head back in the rain and thunder. We were drenched by the time we got home, but he didn't make a fuss. I was proud of him.

It rained all day, all the time, hard at time, drizzled most of the time. It reminded me of the rainy season in Japan- which is happening right now. It rains almost continuously for at least a month. But I don't mind rain at all. It's quite inconvenient with a small child, but I like the sound of rain. I always liked a little bit of rain for my run. So much is going on lately and I didn't mind the rain if it slows some things down. "Save the garden!" activities are giving me more work as webmaster. Taiyo was scheduled to have a dental treatment under general anesthesia at a hospital. Too many cavities at age 3! With a huge hole on his molar, he was going to need "baby root canal." My dentist laughed that I made so much contributions to dentistry when he examined my teeth for the first time. I have all my teeth but so much work has been done. Unfortunately Taiyo decided to follow my path so early. I catered for 60-people lunch up the block yesterday, and already had a call for another one today for next week. This will mean more cooking through weekend. So these are my excuses for not blogging much lately. The best news this week was that Taiyo got a placement at Earth School. I thought it would've been funny if they saw YouTube video of him as a little activist and said, "We want this kid!" We are getting excited for "Costume Rally-Party" at the garden this coming Thursday. Taiyo's been telling people, "I'm going to be a super-hero and save the garden!" He's so awesome.