Today went by pretty much the same as yesterday, except that Gustav went back to Kindergarten this morning. With both the kids gone and no place for Olaf or me to go, Esther took the car to Cologne to go take her exam. Since there was no laundry to fold/iron and Emma was coming at 10 to clean the house, I had a late breakfast and took Amelie for a long walk. She kinda got cheated out of her second walk yesterday because I was taking care of Gustav, so I was just going to use up some of my free time with her today.

When I got back to the house and was about to start cleaning up the kitchen (it was 10:30 and Emma still wasn't there) Olaf came upstairs and told me that he already got a call from the Kindergarten saying that Gustav was still sick and wanted to come home. This was fine, except for the fact that there was no car. Instead, I got to pick him up on the bicycle. I haven't ridden a bike in 3 years, and I am really out of shape. Not to mention the fact that I've never ridden a bicycle with a child on the back of it, so that was interesting. I felt like I was wobbling all over the place, and the seat was just a little bit too high. We made it home without any problems, though, and Gustav was ok with it, so all is well.

Just as we expected, Gustav didn't act nearly as sick as he said he was. He stayed in his room for a little bit, quietly playing with his Legos and listening to a cassette. When he was bored with that, he came downstairs looking for something more interesting to do. His interaction with me was pretty typical, always telling me to go away and saying no to everything I ask, but he wasn't nearly as adamant about it as he has been in the past. He was holding his neck and acting like he had a sore throat so I gave him a cough drop that the cashier at the Apotheke gave me as a sample a few days ago, and that was enough to make him happy. After that we ate some cereal together, and then we sat at the table making pictures with colored paper and pencils. He didn't cry or fuss or yell at me at all. He was having fun, and smiling and happy to be with me, so all in all it was a good day.

I spoke too soon. Right after I wrote that last bit, I went to help get the kids ready for bed while Esther was in bed (she's sick again) and Olaf cooked dinner. As always I had no problem with Pauline, but I had to carry Gustav, kicking and screaming, into the bathroom. He was furious with me when I tried to make him change his underwear, so he just stood in the corner with his pants off crying and yelling at me. Finally Esther came in and told him that he needed to let me help him and that he would only be allowed out of the bathroom when he was finished. He continued to cry but let me get him ready for bed.

Gustav really does like me, though. He's told Esther several times that he likes me, and even after our little tiff he asked me politely to help him cut his spaghetti into smaller pieces for him. He's a good kid, and I don't think it will take him very long to fully accept me.