Feb 5, 2023. Elliot about age 4 years 9 months. Saturday morning Elliot had a swimming lesson at Waterworks Aquatics. Then we went to Shabbat services and the kiddish. Then Elliot had a playdate with Aviva at the new Candeeland Kids on Arapahoe.

Sunday, another swimming lesson with Raef at Waterworks Aquatics. Later, we went to the playground on an “adventure”. Elliot loved when I threw snowballs at him. Loved it.

Then we went to the “frog pool” (Eastridge Rec Center). Someone had pooped in it so it was closed for an hour while being cleaned. This seems to happen a lot. We met McKinley’s parents there coincidentally.

We have a routine at the frog pool:

1. Elliot LOVES when I climb the stairs of the water slide with him, telling him a story about the pizza kittens. But the story has to be about the pizza kittens being taught to do a special trick or special way of sliding down a water slide. The special trick is always named after a vegetable or a fruit. For instance, “The Cucumber” trick, “The Carrot“, “The Celery“, etc. In this video I’m including, the pizza kittens are learning “The Saukerkraut“. Then, when we get to the top of the stairs, I become a sports announcer announcing Elliot Wolf Jung as a leading world champion trying to break a record doing The Saukerkraut. Elliot varies his descent in some small way to make it different than “The Carrot” and previous attempts. We do this over and over, probably 10 times, before moving on to the main pool and playing.

2. We go to the locker room to change. I lift Elliot into one of the upper lockers and close the door. I pretend that I don’t know where he is (just like we used to do with the luggage and how we still do with the bedroom blankets). I call out, “Elliot? Elliot! Where are you? Are you OK?” Then… “I wonder if he’s in locker number 29!”, and I open it. He’s not there. “I wonder if he’s in locker 30!” And he’s not there. I continue until I open his locker, then act surprised and thankful. He laughs and giggles and loves this hide-and-seek that we’ve been playing since he was a little baby (called “peek-a-boo” when he was really little).

3. On the walk towards the car, I chase him as a zombie or “bad hamster” until we get to the large river stones. Then he shows me how well he can walk on them and balance because, well, not long ago he couldn’t walk on them without falling.

The video is also on YouTube at https://youtu.be/M8uI7fXlfyc