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.

I made paper airplanes today for the first time in probably 30 or more years. With a little one you get to do things you never thought you'd do again. I didn't remember how to make a good paper airplanes- first tries sadly nosedived to the floor and didn't fly at all. But thanks to internet, I found some fabulous simple paper airplane prescriptions and we enjoyed flying colorful big airplanes across the restaurant this mellow afternoon. Cold has gone for the week and it felt like spring. Conversation with Taiyo has been just endlessly entertaining. Today in the tub, he started talking about "Bathtub car." "We need a bathtub car. We need wheels and remote control for the bathtub," he said. "Bathtub car? This tub turns into a car to drive outside?" "Yep." "So we can drive around while taking a bath?" "Yep. We need a steeering wheel." "But is it all open and people can see us taking a bath?" "No there's black cover and people can't see from outside." "Oh, ok. So they can't see us taking a bath inside." "Nope." "But how about when we want to stop some place. We just get dressed and go outside?" "Yep." I swear this was really what we were talking about in the tub.

Mercury falls to teens and it feels really cold since we were spoiled with mild winter last year. But even in this temperature and even with added icy wind little sparrows are sleeping on the bare pear trees up the block, not huddling together but individually perched, which always fascinates me. Though so small, I guess they have enough feathers? When I was a runner this totally didn't discourage me from going out for a run in the morning. It's a perfect sweat icicle weather; I would come back from a run and feel my sweat that got frozen stiff melt down around my neck inside warm apartment. If it's in single digit I may hesitate, but weather in general was hardly ever an excuse for not going out there. So last weekend when Taiyo announced he wanted to go to the park, I was totally in. It was a long weekend with Monday off, and we spent too much time inside. "I want to go to Pumpkin Square Park," he said. So we went to deserted Tompkins Square Park. There were very few kids and adults in this usually busy playground. I decided it was the perfect time to really run around with Taiyo- besides it was just too cold to sit around. We hopped from one gym to another, playing pirates on ships. We also just chased each other and played hide and seek. I enjoyed sliding on the tall slide which was really smooth and fast. It was just a perfect day for it. When we saw flurries we went across the street to 7A for late brunch.

This is one of the few places still left in the neighborhood since I moved to Manhattan in 1990. Like Sidewalk Cafe across the street, I'm sure management has changed at least once because it just does not feel the same, but I do appreciate that it still bears the name. It was great time for us to be there after brunch rush. We got to sit in a roomy booth near the back. Taiyo no longer needs one, fortunately, but they seemed to have plenty of high chairs. I wasn't expecting much for their food, just being nostalgic to go to my old hangout, and I was pretty sure this popular joint was child-friendly. Taiyo didn't get any notable service or attention, but there were a few other family diners in the restaurant which made us more comfortable. In any case Taiyo was acting crazy as usual pointing his new potato gun at people, bubbling, jumping up and down on the booth, and I just had to get something to shut him up. Blueberry pancakes with sausage. It was kind of sad looking. But Taiyo was so excited and he totally sat quietly and cleared the plate pretty much all on his own. So it was really nothing notable about the food and I would not order it again unless it was $3. But Taiyo was so happy and kept him in his seat, so they did something right.

In the beginning of the year, I would often think of blogging more, which will quickly fade from my mind in a few weeks. I've been definitely slacking from it in recent years, and well, besides "drinking more tea" thing, I thought "blogging more" thing would be another new year's resolution. Again. Maybe four entries a month minimum. I am not going to be too ambitious. And here I am, only the second entry for the month/year at 13th day. Not quite on time yet, but not terribly behind. I would really like to reclaim my status as a super woman. Eventually.

Elliot took us to the Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Garden on Wednesday. Taiyo and I saw it last year for the first time- this is one of the New York gems you may not be so interested if you don't have a kid. But this is something I would truly recommend seeing once in your life. Both Taiyo and I were not as blown away as last year, the first time seeing it, however. Still, it was just an amazing show with artistic reproductions of New York landmarks all made by natural materials like twigs, leaves, and acorns, within a beautiful indoor garden with little trains running though. Then we caught after holiday attraction of "Thomas Train Show," which was terribly bad but Taiyo was happy to meet Thomas and even have a picture taken. At least the photo is kind of cute and we were one of the first one's to get it done.

Taiyo says he wants to go to vacation. I really don't mind going to some place warm before spring.

Another long weekend for the New Year holiday- although quite mellow, it was still tiring. On 30th of December I suddenly decided to do a paint job in the restaurant, and that's what I did after Taiyo went to sleep. It's somehow so hard to get motivated to do this- this time it was relatively short two years- but once you get started it is quite therapeutic to apply fresh coat of paint. I very much enjoyed quiet relaxing and uninterrupted time although it was still work. A few beer helped very much. By 4am I finished major parts of dining area. So we woke up to this newly painted restaurant but to my surprise and disappointment, Taiyo didn't seem to notice. He was of course excited about some tools laying around.


Finally I lured him out of the house after two days of spending mostly indoors to see the train show at the Grand Central Station. Then we went to Bryant Park and got on the carousel. These were the most holiday-like things we've done this season. Then Taiyo had to have a hotdog. The only hotdog I found around the Bryant Park holiday market was "Hotdog Strudel." It was pretty yummy he had to have the second.

Back home, we rang in the New Year watching "Nightmare Before Christmas," second time this week. "It was great!" He wanted to watch again. It was just another night for him. My block was fairly quiet- I didn't even notice when it past midnight. My New Year resolution- I usually like to keep it simple- drink more tea.