Jamie Chew's Web Log: Vol. 0 No. 31

2006-05-09 21:19 (Kristen) Jamie woke up at 6:45 this morning, and dragged me and him out of bed. I'm not so sure that I can handle this much morning! We muddled through until 10:00, when we met Burhan and his mom, Selma, at their house for our park play date. They were mowing the lawn in the first park, and the second seems to be attached to some sort of daycare facility, and we were told we couldn't play there while the other children were out for liability reasons. (?!) So, we ended up at Jackman, which was empty and which suited each child well. Jamie wanted to play in sand and Burhan wanted to run around, but that was all right. They came together and parted in the manner of toddlers everywhere, although Burhan would sometimes complain if he wanted to run around and Jamie was engrossed in some solo activity, like the sandbox. Eventually it was time for lunch after a pee break and some raisins that Selma brought for everyone. We're going to try and get together next Tuesday, if the weather allows, as the boys still get along very well.

We managed to get some lunch into Jamie, who was much more interested in trains and playing with Gary than he was in eating. We saw Ted, Alice, Ian, and Amy off as they headed back to Kingston after a one-night layover in Toronto, Jamie enjoyed seeing them, and receiving a book (The Three Javelinas - John is excited because he's played JAVELINA in Scrabble) as a trip present, but he was pretty tired when he finally set off on his walk with Ken. In the end, he slept for over three hours, and woke up in our back yard, chatty in a quiet way, and ready for a post-nap cuddle on the lawn with his adoring mum. I had been working on the garden all afternoon (John: we had offered some of our Petasites japonicus to Michelle's across-the-street neighbour Harriet, and she loaded us up with half a dozen plants in return, including a lovely rose of Sharon and some Solomon's seal), and Jamie and John helped by planting some sunflowers and watering things. Then we went inside to play with trains until I heard voices in the back. John was talking with one of our neighbours, and Jamie took the opportunity to go outside and run around in his bare feet for the first time. I eventually got some sandals on him, and after running around to make sure that no kids were around to play with, he settled into my lap again in the front yard to work on a lollypop from Trifina. Then it was in again for more trains, and a quiet evening in. (John: I made zaru* soba for dinner, with last night's grilled vegetables. As shown in the photo, Jamie has progressed impressively in his chopstick-handling, and happily feeds himself the noodle soup, while admittedly dropping half of it in his lap.) I'm going to get him now for his bath, and hope that he'll fall asleep well and stay asleep well tonight.

2006-05-10 23:18 (Kristen) Jamie went to bed last night at 10:30 like a good boy, and was asleep very quickly despite his long nap. He made up for it by waking up at 5:45, and stating that he wanted an apple or apple juice. He then insisted on coming downstairs with me to eat said apple, sat on his chair or in my lap like a sleepy little zombie for 45 minutes, and then decided that it was time to play with trains and keep the party going. I did not sign up for this, and want my little boy who woke up at 8:00 back. Now!

He was hungry, and ate a fair amount for first and second breakfast. I got him out of the house at 10:00 to go to Bill's Garden Centre to buy seeds and a present for a Scrabble friend who is having her 84th birthday. I thought that he was quiet as we rumbled down the street with the wagon, but I was still surprised when I turned around and saw him falling asleep sitting up as we bumped along. I tried to get him comfortable (he kept weaving and waking himself up as he stopped himself from falling over), but he wouldn't have any of it. He eventually slept for ten to fifteen minutes well, and perhaps another fifteen badly. John came to get us with the stroller, by which time (even though he was as prompt as it was possible to be) Jamie was wide awake again. We all walked back together, and went inside to play with trains, make lunch, and be tired people at each other until lunch. The funny moment was when Gary came upstairs and Jamie decided that Jamie wanted a drink of iced tea. He then looked at Gary and said "Gary drink iced tea?" Gary doesn't like the stuff, and politely declined. Jamie fixed him with a harder stare, and said firmly "Gary drink iced tea?" Gary laughed, picked up the bottle, and turned around to pretend to drink some. "Mmm!" he said. Jamie then fixed the Stern, I Wasn't Born Yesterday look on him, and said patiently but with the proper firmness, "Gary take cap off, drink iced tea? Soooo busted.

John took him out for his walk in the afternoon, and I slept the entire time they were out. I came to meet them at Jackman, and played with Jamie and talked with our neighbour, Alexandria (who is soon to be 12). Jamie was happy to play in sand and to climb the apparatus, but looked very tired as I took him to John's parents' place for dinner. He wasn't that interested in dinner, although he liked the apple cider that went with it. We packed food for him, and headed up to the Scrabble club. All he wanted to eat was sembei* (Japanese rice crackers), and I had a hard time getting even a mango into him. He played in the sand and on the apparatus at the community centre with me and then with John while I played a game of Scrabble. He was very tired when I played with him for the rest of the evening, although Shirley's birthday cake, which was served at the club, helped him to feel pretty good about the world. He sang "Happy Birthday" to Shirley with everyone else, and wished her happy birthday, which she really enjoyed. It really is the cutest thing.

Then it was home again to a flossing and brushing arguement, some Paper Bag Princess and Goodnight Moon, and finally to sleep. We have him sleeping with Leon, his lion, for the first time in a while in an attempt to get him to soothe himself back to sleep a little better. Maybe we'll see the sunrise again tomorrow. I hope not, though.

(John) At the playground at Earl Bales Park, Jamie insisted on squeezing into one of the baby swings (which he doesn't really fit into anymore). It turned out he was interested in showing off a newly acquired idiom, as he swung a bit, then said "Almost finished", waited a minute, said "Almost finished", then another minute and "Finished now, Papa!"

2006-05-11 19:30 (Kristen) Jamie slept in this morning for the first time in days, until almost 8:00. He stirred in his bed around 6:00 (or so...I didn't look at the clock that closely), but I reached down, patted his back, and gave him Leon to cuddle. He settled back down, possibly also because it was cloudy and rainy outside, which always makes him sleepy, and gave me another couple of hours. Priceless. He woke up in a spectacularly grouchy mood, however, and it took a while to calm him down. I came back into the bedroom to get Jamie dressed and down for breakfast, and John was making up new verses to the "Wheels on the Bus" song as Jamie gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling.

We got him downstairs for breakfast, and he ate most of his grape toast. He wanted to go and play with trains after breakfast, however, rather than go to day care, and John went to extract him from the dining room where his trains are. We were both impressed that Jamie, even in the middle of a tantrum, can scream "no, thank you!" so politely.

He was happy to go once he was in the car, and waved a cheery "goodbye!" to me and John once he had put his sticker in his attendance book. John and I came back to get Jamie, and he was happily playing, and showed us the toys he liked at the moment. I also met Kai-kun, who is a friend of Jamie, and very sweet. Jamie was excited by the novelty of having me pick him up with John, and bounced around rather than eat, and was too excited to even have the pee he hadn't had in the morning. Finally, he ate and had his pee, and we headed off to meet Ken for Jamie's afternoon walk. Jamie fell asleep very quickly, and slept for almost three hours. Unfortunately, Jamie had an accident in his sleep and we had to wake him and change him: possibly a result of the rain, the cold, and having drunk a good deal of apple juice before falling asleep. Whatever the case, he woke up surprisingly well given that accidents usually upset him greatly. He had his krispie* on my lap, and we headed out to Treasure Island for an hour before coming back home.

Jamie ate some chicken salad sandwich that John made for dinner, and is currently tormenting Gary by eating his dinner and making him watch "Number Rock" over and over again. Early to bed again, for the Friday version of today.

(John) Working with Jamie on the idea of spelling again in the bath tonight, I let him make three-letter words for me to pronounce. ZOD*, DOZ*, DZO#. He eventually conceded that "ZOD" does not spell "Max". I spelled MAX (from Where the Wild Things Are) and MAP (from Dora the Explorer), and he decided he wanted to jump straight to studying his sevens and made MAPXORD*. He thought it was "funny" how it was pronounced. Kristen and I joked about how he was in for an unpleasant surprise when he tries playing that "word" at his first Scrabble tournament "because it looks familiar", and I said I would see what I could do about getting it in the dictionary by then. I said the word needed a meaning, and Jamie said right away "MAPXORD* means 'fine'." So there you have it. The next time someone asks you how you are, please tell them you are mapxord*.

2006-05-12 23:00 (John) My parents had the car this morning, so Jamie and I took the bus, subway and streetcar for the first time in a few months. He was excited, enjoyed the ride and made friends with everyone he saw. I was about to say that I wished that we lived in a smaller town, so that he wouldn't have the isolating urbanity of not making eye contact with strangers to look forward to. But our Toronto at least is not that way. I may not be like my son or my father, who can't walk past someone in the neighbourhood or sit beside them on the subway without a boisterous hello, but I have found over the past thirty years in this area and increasingly since Jamie was born a comforting familiarity with all the local residents. It's local custom to at least smile at people as they approach, because it's a near certainty that you're each in some way related with children who attend the same school. "You live across the street from my godson." "I know you from garden club." "My godson went to the same dojo as your daughter."

Anyway. We got to Hakobune, I dropped Jamie off without incident, then spent fifteen minutes cleaning dried dog poo off his sandals. I'd noticed it earlier on the subway but had to keep quiet about it or face having to carry him barefoot the rest of the trip, as it's something he's understandably squeamish about. Oh, there was one minor incident. Hiro-kun was challenging each arrival with "Did you ride the TTC (public transit)?" and if they admitted it, he forbade them to do it again. Apparently he's a big fan of the Better Way, but not into sharing much.

When I got back, we had a little bite to eat with Hiro-kun, but Jamie was more interested in running around and I had to chase after him with food. I blame the change in routine, taking the subway. (Kristen: I find that Jamie is less inclined to eat lately. He'll eat enough to take the edge off, and then dashes off to find someone to play with. If you follow him around with food, he eats twice as much as he does if left to himself at the table. Sigh.) When I told him it was time to leave, he said "Jamie o-soto ni kaiju kowai!" [Jamie afraid! Monsters outside!] I told him not to worry, but apparently the day care scuttlebutt was more credible. We walked out hand-in-hand and then he pointed at some dirt on the pavement and said "Kaiju poo!" I couldn't deny the hard physical evidence, and agreed to carry him to the streetcar stop in case we encountered any monsters. He said "Kaiju no poo on the floor! Kaiju poo in big blue kaiju potty!" which I will be sure to convey to the next giant Japanese movie monster I meet.

When we got to Browning, I fed him the rest of his lunch, and he managed to have only his second potty break of the day. The last few days he has been really testing the capacity of his bladder and intestines, with a fair amount of success.

He fell right asleep in his stroller for Ken, and continued sleeping for over three hours, even as I left the Second Cup, went to the bank, came home and did some gardening. He eventually woke up to the sounds of Alexandria and Clare playing, and happily ran around with them until Karen started bringing out food and drink.

(Kristen) There isn't much else to report. We went to Browning for dinner, where Jamie gleefully played with trains, Gary, Ayami, and Tom in more or less that order. I followed him around with food, and eventually he ate enough. Gary and Ayami brought him home, because he wouldn't leave without Gary, and carried him upstairs to the bath. He had a little trouble falling alseep tonight, but eventually let me go so that I could have my shower, and finish getting ready for bed.

2006-05-13 22:03 (Kristen) We all woke up around eight, in cheerful moods (mark this day on your calendar!). John and Jamie left early for the market with John's mother, because it was the day of the Jackman Spring Fair, and we wanted Jamie to have fun there before his nap, as it is over at three. Jamie was a little tired and crabby, John said, when I arrived to meet them at the school at noon. Daniel and Ross were running around as their dad, Tom, was volunteering at the balloon stand, and Jamie was having fun with them. Once I arrived, Jamie went with them on the inflatable obstacle course, which they turned into a fifteen-minute ride rather than the five-minute ride it was supposed to be. Then it was time to slide down the inflatable slides (the stairs to which Jamie can shimmy up like a monkey) three times, and go on one more big inflatable, bouncy course before going to look for where Daniel and Ross went.

We never did find them, but we did visit the bathroom, buy and eat part of a snow cone (grape), and buy some strawberry plants from the green committee. Then it was getting close to two, and Jamie was very very tired. He fell asleep just past Pape Avenue, and I walked back to the Second Cup to have a restorative beverage and a piece of equally restorative carrot cake. Jamie slept for an hour and a half, before waking up and eating his krispie* while waiting for John to meet us and eat his half of the carrot cake. Jamie insisted strongly that we visit Treasure Island, and we all went together. He had his usual good time, and we bought him a penny whistle (he is very interested in Daniel's clarinet) and a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle for him. Then we walked home.

Jamie loves the penny whistle, which he plays at predictably high and piercing notes. He finished the two twenty-piece Thomas puzzles like a little star, and did some other puzzles for fun for the first time in months. Dinner was low-key, and we spent the rest of the evening reading and watching Multiplication Rock (which John will sing "Miffy the Bunny" to kick out of his brain. He can't stand "Miffy the Bunny.") He's bathed and sitting in John's lap, exhausted but not willing to go to bed quite yet.

2006-05-14 22:11 (Kristen) I forgot to mention that I bathed Jamie last night, and that he was afraid to get into the bathtub, he said. "Why?" sez I, and he replied that there was a kaiju* [monster] in the bathtub. I said "Don't worry; Mummy squish." So I stuck my foot into the bath and stomped a few times. Then I said "Mummy sit on kaiju*," and got in. Jamie thought this was so funny that he got in too. You lose a few, but you win a few sometimes, too.

Today Jamie was up at 8:00, and very politely asked me to come downstairs with him. We went down, Jamie ate some breakfast, and I called my mom to wish her Happy Mother's Day. I talked with her for a little bit, and Jamie did too, wishing her "Happy Grandma's Day" all on his own. Clever boy. He also gave me a Mother's Day gift that he and Sensei had made at Hakobune, which was a construction paper heart with a little hook on it for hanging plastic bags: it's a kibble holder, and you all know that I will treasure it always, although it is far too fragile to actually hold kibble. I was so tickled.

We all went out and did a little work in the garden, and then had a quick lunch before picking up John's mom and heading out to Humber Nurseries. We were going to buy a rose for me for Mother's Day (a New Dawn climbing rose, for those who take interest), and Jamie had a ball. He liked the butterfly conservatory, and the fish ponds (they sell koi in various sizes), and was transfixed by the number of different wagons they had lying around for kids like him to use (well, not really: only the green plastic ones, but he didn't care). Eventually we got him to sleep for an hour and a half in the stroller while we attempted to explore the acres and acres of plants they have, and left with a number of excellent Mother's Day plants, including two (2!) of my New Dawn roses. Happiness. The other big find was an iris called (no kidding) "Jennifer Rebecca" (the names of my sister and oldest niece, respectively). Photos forthcoming, guys.

We headed back to John's parents' place, where we had a Mother's Day dinner with John's parents and John's aunts, Nobuko and Tomoko. We also saw my Aunt Millie, who was having the same kind of dinner with her sons in the basement apartment (Jeff rents Jack and Sai's basement...small world). Jamie had a great time playing with Tomoko in particular, and was not thrilled to come home. He was cheered up by playing with Gary and Ayami, however, and is now in the bath, and I have to go and get him out.

(Update) I looked at the amount of time it took me to write the blog, and realized that I wasn't hearing much from the bathroom. In fact, I wasn't hearing much at all except the sound of water draining from the tub. I went in, and found John lying in the bath, very quiet and still, and Jamie right beside him, asleep. John says that he talked with Jamie about his exciting day, and only got non-verbal responses. Then Jamie stared at the wall for ten minutes and sneezed. He closed his eyes to sneeze, John says, and just didn't open them up again. John was in a bit of a predicament, as Jamie had fallen asleep with his head beside John's mouth, so he couldn't call for help. Finally, he hit on the idea of pulling the plug out with his toes, thinking that I would either hear and come to investigate, or he'd eventually dry off enough to try and move Jamie himself. We got all the lights out, and I helped John out of the tub with Jamie in his arms, and together we got Jamie into bed. The boy was so asleep that I was able to put a diaper and pajamas on him withouta whimper. I guess it was a good day for him too.

Oh yes: for those of you who are very observant, you will have noticed that I have been putting some weight on. For those of you who are extra observant, and have asked, you will know that I am indeed pregnant with our second child, and that this blog will be turning into the Jamie and Child X Blog as of the end of August.

2006-05-15 21:53 (Kristen) Jamie slept until 9:00 this morning, which he hasn't done in ages. I slept in with him, which ended up being a good idea as I wasn't going to get much rest for the rest of the day.

Right after breakfast, a knock came at the door. A city employee was there, with a truck and a friend, and our basswood tree! We ordered the tree from the city a year and a half ago, and we were thrilled to see it finally arrive. The ideal place for it was where the old tree was, which had become a tulip patch. John raced out to remove the tulips, which were (fortunately) nearing the end of their bloom, and put them into a wagon. Our neighbours Alexandria, Karen, and David had lost their kitten, Tulip (who Jamie was very fond of), on Saturday night when Tulip was hit by a car. We gave the tulips to Karen to put on Tulip's grave, which seemed the best thing to do as we are all quite upset by the kitten's passing. Karen is a big gardening fan, and she enjoyed our tree's arrival as much as we did. Jamie was helpful in digging around in the dirt and pulling the wagon over to Karen's, and seemed to enjoy the whole city tree planting process. John wonders if Jamie now thinks that all trees come on big trucks: it's an odd interpretation of urban ecology, but not entirely inaccurate.

Jamie played for a bit out front before finding Gary and going over to Daniel and Ross's for lunch. He seemed a little tired, so I was very surprised when John called me at 2:45 to say that Ken had delivered Jamie, and that Jamie had Not Slept. At All. Oh god. I came out to meet John and Jamie to run Jamie around the playground, and he was wide awake and very silly. He was pretty clumsy too, so we stuck with the sandbox, and didn't go on the climbing apparatus. I took him home to see if he'd fall asleep, and to see if Alexandria was home, but ran into Clare and Iain instead. Jamie played with Ian and then with Clare (who was very forbearing about Jamie playing with her toys in her room) until it was time for them to do their homework and John came to get him. We went over to Browning, where Jamie managed to keep it together and play with trains and other people until it was time to come home. He is in the bath now (no falling asleep on Papa tonight), and I'm off to take him to bed, and to read to him from whatever he likes if it makes him fall asleep easier.

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

Back to Vol. 0 No. 30, or up to Jamie Chew's Web Log Archive. or forward to Vol. 0 No. 32.