Jamie Chew's Web Log: Vol. 0 No. 8

2003-12-30 12:40 We thought Jamie might have a sinus infection, because of some dried mucus in one nostril and dried blood in the other, but subsequent closer examination showed that the latter was due to a scratch from a fingernail. Phew.

We now think he might be starting to experience teething pain. His lower front gums do look different from the way that he did when he was born, but I don't know how they're supposed to look when he starts to have pain. I do know that he is exhibiting a marked preference for sucking on his dad's cold fingers to his mom's warm ones, he's drooling more and more, has more of a bite when sucking, and is downright irritable sometimes. So far, playing the one-handed baby bongo while offering him an ice-cold finger is keeping him calm.

Auntie Jennifer went home today, but says she'll come back to help look after Jamie if I have to go to Greenport next month.

2003-12-31 25:30 Still working on the teething hypothesis. It could just be that he's gone through another cognitive leap that lets him be irritable, but I'm betting it's early teething. Speaking of cognitive leaps, I never realized how when babies develop the ability to pay attention (as Jamie has over the last week or two), it necessarily gives adults the very useful ability to distract them. "Your gums hurt, but look! It's a mesmerizing black and white grid!"

Slept in, saw Justin off, ran errands in the neighbourhood, then took Jamie shopping for Japanese New Year's Day tomorrow at the St. Lawrence Market, and went to spend some Christmas money on the last day of Boxing Week at the Eaton Centre, picking up Jamie some cute holiday outfits from his Chew grandparents.

Visited Michelle in the evening, and I don't know which is more fun to watch, Michelle settling into wise parent passing onto Kristen the benefit of her years of experience, or my godson Daniel running (and prancing and cavorting...) effortlessly through his extensive repertoire of surefire amusement for children of all ages to bring a smile to Jamie's face.

2004-01-01 20:01 (Kristen) Happy New Year to everyone... we hope that your New Year is a good one, and that you are in as wonderful a place as we have been, surrounded by generous friends and family with a sunny outlook on the future.

We all slept well last night (although not long enough). John and I experimented with leaving Jamie by himself to sleep while we ran about the house cleaning and getting ready to go to John's aunts' house for New Year's lunch. I had no luck, but John seems to have found the knack for getting him to sleep while not being held: a trick I have lost, and which has cost me much time in getting regular household chores accomlished. Hence, Jamie slept on gently while I rushed about doing a week's worth of laundry, cleaned up the living room, did a little decorating (that rug looks better overthere, and now I know what colour scheme I want for the living room, does Martha Stewart make that colour for her paint line?), and other bits of satisfying puttering. John thinks that Jamie's inability to sleep while not being held is because he is uncomfortable, and there seems to be some real merit to the theory. Part of it may also be that I find it difficult to leave him alone, even safely asleep, for longer than two minutes.

John made more of his dynamite curried herring, and we headed over to Nobuko and Tomoko's apartment for o-sechi ryori, or traditional Japanese New Year's food. This is a feast of special foods that only get made once a year, and each dish, I am told, has some sort of special significance for the New Year. I am particularly fond of it, and we have hosted the party in years past. I had hoped to do it again this year, but we were just not up to it. As it was, we had a lovely time with John's aunts. I ate till I hurt, and will happily be snacking on leftovers for the next day or two (about how long it will take me to piggily eat them up). Jamie is currently draped across my lap, sound asleep, having had a number of heavy meals himself in the last three hours.

2004-01-02 11:30 Today's worry is that Jamie might have a cold. He's always sounded a little congested, but we were told that sinus mucus is normal for newborns. Since last night, he's seemed tired, and there's occasionally been enough mucus to pull out of his nose. I think, by the way, that this is the first time that I've picked a nose other than my own.

2004-01-02 21:06 (Kristen) No clear sign of a cold yet, other than his occasional sinus rumbles, but we decided to spend a nice, quiet day at home. We did venture out to the Second Cup for our daily walk, but otherwise enjoyed doing nothing. A little Indiana Jones before bed, and an early night.

2004-01-02 23:30 (John) Alleluia, we're in bed before midnight. Michelle says that increased sinus flow can be a sign of teething. Brilliant. In any case, we're a much happier family after a day spent largely doing nothing. Good night, all.

2004-01-03 24:29 (Kristen) Jamie had a very good day today. Either we're learning to figure out his gas attacks and deal with them swiftly, or he isn't having as many. John went to the St. Lawrence Market for groceries, while Jamie and I stayed home (Jamie having not fallen asleep until Late last night). Chihoko came over and held Jamie while I helped John put groceries away... always very welcome! She has the knack of getting him to fall asleep when he's fussing a little. So does Kelly. So do most people not me!

2004-01-03 25:20 (John) Jamie continued to be well-behaved throughout the evening. So maybe he's not teething. He was drooling a fair amount after the bath, but that's normal for listening to the Beatles (Let It Be). He was also very singalong# chatty, directed almost entirely at Kristen, or the bedroom door in Kristen's absence.

2004-01-04 24:45 (John) We went to the Bay in the afternoon to spend some gift certificate money and had fun picking out more light clothing for Jamie to wear in Mexico next month, along with a few age-appropriate toys and teething objects. My mom's been rereading the diary (a document recorded in pigments on sheets of processed wood cellulose, predating the web log) she kept for me as a baby, and in our weekly phone call I enjoyed hearing what I was doing at Jamie's age. I did seem to have a lot of trouble with the tropical heat of Washington D.C. in August, and admit I'm a little worried about Jamie in Mexico.

I pulled two large boogers out of Jamie's nose today, and he seems more congested today, and uncomfortable. Kristen and I are a little fussy and cranky today, too.

2004-01-05 23:18 (Kristen) It was another good night last night for Jamie and me. We finally seem to be getting the hang of nursing in bed, which is a godsend for the both of us. It makes a large difference to me to not have to get up in the middle of the night, even if it is only to walk to the chair in the corner of the room. I think that we're both even starting to sleep through the entire process, which is rather funny.

I have noticed that he consistently begins to stir somewhere in the vicinity of 8:00 AM every morning. He'll wriggle and squirm about, not entirely awake, and make a series of little noises as he seems to fight consciousness. Inevitably it is a diaper that has caused him to stir, and so wake up me, but what I find amusing is the consistency of this behaviour. I'm usually asleep myself, and it has taken me a little while to realize that this is indeed a pattern, andthe knowledge that I'm going to be changing a diaper in less than ten minutes makes me fight consciousness myself.

He was feeling better today than yesterday, and I think that he's enjoying the slower pace of life after the craziness of the holidays. Our outings have been very little--over to Michelle's for lunch, or down to the Second Cup--and his congestion seems to have lessened, much to my relief. He's nursing frequently, and was trying to set some sort of record for number of diapers changed today. He isn't going to beat the sixteen plus that he made me change four weeks ago, but every so often he decides that he'd like to give it a try. Now he's asleep across my lap as I type, being very very cute. He really doesn't look like an infant any more: he really does look like a little boy. He's so big now, compared to what he was before, and I can't simultaneously can't believe that he'll weigh sixteen pounds in a few months, let alone that he'll be a huge, lanky or hulking teenager soon enough, and can't wait to see if he looks like I imagine he will. That's enough rambling for today.

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