Jamie Chew's Web Log: Vol. 0 No. 16

2004-02-24 23:21 Jamie continues to teethe, much to everyone's regret. [John: I'm not sure regret is the right word here. We're all happy he'll be getting teeth, especially those of us who make frequent trips to the dentist like me. He is however certainly sharing the pain of teething with everyone.] I hope that this/these tooth/ teeth show(s) up soon. He was chomping down on Tom's thumb tonight almost continuously, and he made both him and Michelle (who also lent *ahem* a hand) wince visibly. The counterpressure makes the pain go away, or at least abates it, but he will not chomp down on my offered thumb or knuckles. If he is in extremis, he will bite down hard until he realizes it's me, and then he'll stop. I think that this is very sweet and considerate of him, and hope that it bodes well for nursing when he has teeth.

(John) Jamie did a classic baby trick today. He was tired and fussing in the way that babies do when they can't remember how to fall asleep. We put him in the snowsuit, which increased the volume of his complaints. We put him in the stroller, which increased it further. The moment the stroller's front wheel was outside the house though, he was out like a light and sleeping like a baby.

2004-02-25 23:46 (Kristen) It was another long mother and son walk today, as the Magic Stroller put Jamie to sleep during a long teething bout this afternoon. I'm enjoying the exercise, and the weather has been decent for strolling. I can even read a book while pushing the stroller, if we amble slowly enough, while my son sleeps.

We went to the Scrabble club tonight for its 29th anniversary. There, Susan Dick gave us a lovely present of two picture frames (Me and My Mummy/Daddy), a Canada jacket, a little Scrabble bag, and a baby calendar. Thank you, Susan! Upon arriving home, Jamie gave his demonstration of Baby Holding His Own Foot. It's pretty cute, and he's awfully proud of himself.

2004-02-26 22:48 (Kristen)It has been a wonderful day with Jamie. He woke up in the sunniest of moods, and it lasted all day. His teeth seem to be giving him a little bit of a break, since he isn't drooling or chewing as much as usual, and this gives him a chance to be himself. He was laughing and chatting almost non-stop. His little face was bright and animated, and there were almost no tears. I think that I want to save this day in a bottle for some future rainy day.

One funny thing that happened was that he was chatting in his usual quiet way over at Michelle's, but then I heard him suddenly increase his volume significantly. We aren't sure if he was imitating Ross, or increasing his volume to get Ross's attention. I have not heard him increase his conversational voice before, and am forcibly reminded that he is both a boy, and that he is likely to get much louder as time goes on...

2004-02-27 22:48 (John) My memories of the day are a little scattered, as much of the time I usually spend sleeping was spent dealing with an old pair of water heaters at my parents' house that gave up the ghost and started leaking at around 3:00 A.M. Jamie was in a very chattery (and good) mood all day. He sang along with me as I took him to the end of Chester Hill Road to look at the sunset over the Don Valley. I was singing Akatombo and Yuuyake Koyake. He was singing "Woo woo", but enjoying himself throughly.

2004-02-28 23:30 (Kristen) We three went to the St. Lawrence Market today to do our weekly shopping, and from there we went to see John's aunt Nobuko at her Yorkville attelier. On the way back to the car, we stopped in Pusateri's, a very nice upscale grocery and specialty food store, to look about. At least two [jjc: 6] people stopped us to say how cute Jamie was, and I overheard one other woman say to her friend that she had to see the cute baby that had just gone past (Jamie was in John's arms and ahead of me). It does a mother's heart good to hear her child being praised... it shows that the overall intelligence of the world is in good working order.

Jamie was very alert and chattery again today, with many little naps and no long naps, rather than his usual long nap and a few medium naps. He's also nursing a little more often than the every four hours that he's maintained for the last week--maybe every three on average. Heads up for a possible growth spurt? Possible...all I know is that I'm tired!

(John) I took Jamie out for two walks in the evening. One to the end of Chester Hill Road again, to see the sunset, from which I returned ready for a nap but with Jamie wide awake. The other to the Sobey's (supermarket) where he fell asleep in Canned Goods.

2004-02-29 24:26 (Kristen) Jamie and I went on another of our long walks today, as his teeth were bothering him and a walk in the Magic Stroller usually does him good. It also gets a Crying Baby out of the house while his father tries to meet deadlines! I have noticed that Jamie will sleep for close to three hours in the stroller, while only about an hour at most out of the stroller. Consequently, I don't get much of a chance to "sleep while the baby sleeps," but I do get some quiet times at our local cafes. [John: unless we trick Jamie by putting him in the stroller until he falls asleep, then leave him in the stroller when we get home.]

I can now make him laugh by tickling him, and by raising him above my head and kissing his cheeks. He has an absolutely lovely little laugh, and his smile utterly transforms his face. He is also becoming a creature of routine...it bores him enough that he will go to sleep and not be Cranky Boy when he's tired...new places are too interesting to sleep in, but not so interesting that he can't be Hysterical Tired Boy. [John: we went to Andy and Christine's to watch the Oscars, and were reminded of this can't-sleep-in-interesting-new-surroundings phenomenon.]

2004-03-01 24:55 (Kristen) Jamie and I went on the subway today for the first time without company. [John: Kristen kindly uses a politer phrase than "paranoid control freak husband".] We headed over to Yonge and Bloor to buy CDs with some Christmas money from John's parents. Jamie was very sleepy, but was very interested in his surroundings and kept waking up, which is unusual behaviour in the Magic Stroller. We went to the Second Cup at Yonge and Charles St., had a nurse and a diaper change, and then headed over to UTP to see people there. Jamie was Laughing Happy Boy when we arrived, and made a good impression on my old boss, Bill Harnum (good boy!!) by laughing and chatting. Bill loves kids, and whisked Jamie off to meet the rest of the people in the office while I talked with my friend, Suzanne. A few minutes later, I heard a burst of laughter from a group of people and then a wail and, sure enough, Bill came back with a very upset little boy. I finally nursed Jamie to calm him down again, and he seemed a little fragile until he settled down for another nap soon afterwards. John pointed out, upon my telling the story, that while Jamie loves people, he can be a little freaked out by large groups that he is unfamiliar with. [John: not so much by large groups, but he startled and cried in similar circumstances on Saturday when Nobuko's students all suddenly laughed.]

We came back home after Jamie finally dropped off for a three hour nap, and I got some more shopping in and another Second Cup visit. It was a quiet evening in for the two of us, as John went out to a pub at Bay and Elm to play in a Trivia league, subbing in for our Scrabble friend, Glenn Mosher. Other than his team not knowing that Ringo Starr (*Ringo*!) sang "You're Sixteen," it sounds like it was a successful event, and John will likely do this for a few more weeks until Glenn returns. Jamie and I played, and listened to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which I finally bought for him after intending to do so from the time he first came home from the hospital. He was appreciative, but it may take a little time before he is as fond of it as he is of Let It Be, or even Abbey Road.

(John) I should add that Jamie has been enjoying his Lamaze Wrist Rattles for the first time today, where enjoying involves a lot of tasting and drooling.

* For the benefit of Scrabble players, words that are not in the Scrabble dictionary are marked with an asterisk.

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