Jamie Chew's Web Log: Vol. 1 No. 40

2006-07-11 22:28 (Kristen) Jamie didn't fall asleep until a little after midnight last night, which was just Not Good. This morning, he was awake around 9:00, and while he was in a good mood, I was determined that he would have a nap at a decent time today, and that he would go to bed at a Decent Hour.

The morning went quickly, and he did spend about an hour outside with Alexandria and the other kids. It wasn't a high-energy morning, however, and he really wasn't all that ready to go out for his walk with Ken at 1:00. I managed to shoe horn him into his stroller by 1:15, however, and he did seem tired to me when I did so. He didn't fall asleep until 2:20, however, which could have been better. John was out having a tooth pulled, and Mom went to drop him off and pick him up, and so Jen went to meet Jamie and Ken at the Second Cup (with Anna) while I spent the afternoon working. Jen and Anna showed up with Jamie at 4:00, soon after Mom and John got back from the dentist, with a Jamie that had only slept for an hour. Mom and Jen took Jamie back out again, and Mom bought Jamie a great pair of pajamas (all stars and moons) for the winter. They're so cool, in fact, that I'd wear them if they were big enough. They had a great time, apparently, and Mom and Jen let Jamie got down every "whee" at Jackman School.

They came back around 5:00, and Jamie played more with the neighbourhood kids outside. Anna, John, and Jen left close to 6:00 to catch the 7:00 showing of Pirates of the Caribbean 2, and Mom and I stayed behind with Jamie. We dragged him in at 6:30 for a light dinner, and then headed over to Alexandria's for 7:30 to have some birthday cake in a belated birthday party for Alexandria. All the kids were there, and they ended up spending most of the evening running around the backyard with no shoes on. Jamie loves the slide in Alexandria's backyard, and eventually was going down it on his own, with no one to catch him at the bottom (although many eyes were watching). We had a lovely time, but brought Jamie in by 9:00 to avoid mosquitos. His little feet were black with dirt, and I had to wipe them down thoroughly before he was allowed to walk around in the house. I had his teeth brushed and his bath drawn at 10:00, when John and company came back, and so Jamie is now getting all the dirt scrubbed off him in the bath with his dad. I am hoping that he sleeps well tonight after all the running around that he did today.

I checked his teeth tonight just to see what was going on with his last two-year molar. He bit down a bit as I did so, and I could feel the actual tooth: it's not through, but it is almost there. I was expecting it to take another week or two, as a few days ago I could only feel the bulge where the tooth should be, so I'm delighted. It may explain a few behavioural things, and I'm just soooooo looking forward to the end of teething for this child, at least for the next four years or so. Hooray!

2006-07-12 22:20 (Kristen) I was supposed to take Jamie to Hakobune today, but slept in. I hadn't set my alarm, because I've been waking up early, but the heavy rain and cloud kept it dark enough outside to throw me off. I suppose that I should be grateful for the extra sleep, but I hate being half an hour behind. Jamie was just waking up when I did, and he hates being rushed even more than I do. We were well on our way to a hard morning when John got up and offered to drive us in. Given the heavy rain, and that Jamie was doing everything at half speed in a sleepy way, I was most grateful. We made it to Hakobune forty-five minutes late, but it could have been worse, with tears.

Jamie was reluctant to let me and John go, but we soon left, blowing kisses to each other. I picked him up at lunch, and he told me that he had a good day in a very excited voice. We sat and ate lunch, and Mom and Jen came to pick us up in Mom's car (yay!). They took Jamie out for his walk while John and I went to the midwife, and he slept for an hour before waking up in the Second Cup with me, Jen, Anna, and Mom. He was content to putter around and get a "cold chocolate with whipped cream," but soon it was time to go home. He played with Gary and the rest for a while, while Mom, Jen, and I took turns having little twenty-minute naps.

Dinner was at John's parents' house, and Jamie wasn't all that hungry, even with homemade chocolate ice cream on the menu. He was happy enough to play with Anna and John, and to run around exploring things. We walked home, and he messed around some more with everyone before it was time to have his bath and go to bed. Right now, John is getting ready to lie down with him, and Jamie is roaming the upstairs, eating an apple, and cheerfully "bonking" everyone like the silly freight car he is.

He has been very sweet with me today, kissing my stomach and patting it whenever we talk about the little baby. He wanted to know where the baby's bum was, its arms, and its legs. I pointed them out, and he thought this was somewhat strange, but he still was very interested in making the little baby "happy." This is mixed in with big pounces, and other high speed encounters, and some general refusals to deal with the fact that Mom doesn't have much of a lap left. I think that he's going to be a good older brother.

2006-07-13 21:47 (Kristen) Jamie has taken to telling me lately that he is hiding. He'll stick his head out from under a table at my feet, and say "Jamie hiding." I tell him, in true Wallace Tripp fashion, "That's fine, dear. Just hide where I can see you." And we're all happy.

John and Jamie were out the door late this morning to Hakobune, and came home around 1:00. John says that Jamie had a good day at daycare, which was a relief as he had been a little volatile earlier in the morning with me. When he started to yell at me, in tears, about doing something that he had asked me to, the light turned on and I checked his mouth. Sure enough, that big molar was just breaking through, so I grabbed the painkiller and dosed him up before he left. Sunny boy back again.

He was in a good mood when he arrived home, had a bathroom and a train break, and went out with me around 2:00. My friend Heather had been visiting, and so it was nice for him to see her before going out. Mom and Jen went to visit John's parents, so I took Jamie out solo (which insures that he falls asleep faster, anyway). He fell asleep at 2:25, and slept for three hours. He woke up a little crabbily, and asked for a big, red apple. We ran into the Big Carrot, got his apple, and then went back to pull my mom and my sister out of the book store. We got home just as John, Daniel, and Ross were cleaning up after their big waterfight with Anna and Alexandria, and Jamie stayed outside while I took some groceries in. John came in with Jamie about fifteen or twenty minutes later, as Jamie had become a snack for a mosquito (it wasn't even six o'clock: the early mosquito gets the toddler, I guess). We put some of the new, non-steroidal cream on, and the bite is (as of 21:35) looking much, much better.

We all went out for dinner at Mocha Mocha, and Jamie hoovered a good deal of food: some of John's salad and chicken stew, my lasagne, and Mom's vegetarian club sandwich. (John: the photo shows how Jamie eats a club sandwich: holding onto the toothpick at each end and nibbing around like kebab.) We topped dinner off with a visit to the local ice cream truck, and a long walk home, looking at gardens and interesting houses along the way. Jamie is now downstairs in what he refers to as the train room, and what John and I like to call the dining room in our more optimistic moments, playing with Gary, Ayami, Anna, Jen, and Mom. He's going to miss them a great deal when they go back to Ottawa tomorrow.

2006-07-14 22:25 (Kristen) Jamie fell asleep late last night, and then was woken up by the sounds of laughter from the living room. His tooth was really bothering him, and I managed to get him to fall asleep after dosing him up with painkiller, and lying down beside him (he wanted mummy AND papa). He woke up in a fabulous mood, fortunately, which was a great relief. Mom drove him and John to Hakobune, along with Anna, and left him playing happily. He apparently had a great day, and was full of little bits of news about how he felt, and what his day was like when he came home with John. He's getting better at retelling important bits of his day when asked, which I love. John says that he ate all of his lunch and that he was apparently good all morning, tooth and all, including his first large potty poo for Mrs. Sasaki.

He came in and both he and John spent some time cooling off before heading back out into the heat. They set out after 2:30, and John says that Jamie fell asleep around 3:30. I met John at the Second Cup to take over around 4:00, and Jamie slept well until 5:30. He seemed quite awake, so I took him to Browning to play with trains, but he fell asleep again on the trip there. I woke him, as it was almost 6:00 and I didn't want him falling asleep at 11:30 again. He grumbled a bit, but was pleased to go in and play. He spent some time watching train simulators with Ross, and tormenting Daniel with the "come here!" game every time Daniel pretended or really tried to leave and get back to his computer game. Then we went downstairs and played for a bit. One game that startled me a little was when he dumped out a container, and when I was about to admonish him for making such a mess on purpose, he turned into Diesel 10, and started putting everything back with his "claw." Well, there you go.

I think that his teeth have started to bother him again, as he was kinetic at dinner, even though I think he was hungry, and didn't eat much. He ran around with Gary and Ayami, and watched "The Wrong Trousers" with Daniel, Ross, Gary, Ayami, and Tom. (John: when it was time to go home, he dragged us all in one big train to the back door, then said "Bye, Tom!" and we continued out the door.) We're all home now, and he's in the bath with John. His mosquito bites are responding well to the creams we're putting on them, and I'll dose him up with Motrin tonight for the teething pain. I think that he's going to be disappointed tomorrow when he wakes up and Grammie, Auntie, and Anna aren't here. He's looked for them every morning they've been here, and pouncing on Anna in particular has been a fun morning ritual. We'll look forward to their coming back again soon.

2006-07-15 21:06 (Kristen) John and I went to bed very late last night due to work demands, but Jamie was kind to his parents and let them sleep in until after 9:00. He was in a good mood, and very happy to play with either of us. John and Jamie headed out the door for the market around noon, and I settled down to work some more.

It was a real scorcher today, and both John and Jamie came back home very very hot. They came in to cool down, and as John was looking a little tired, I said that I'd take Jamie out for a walk. By the time we were ready to go, however, Jamie had rounded the bend as it were and was very difficult to motivate or reason with. We had an enormous argument about putting his clothes on after a bathroom visit, which eventually ended up with John putting a still struggling Jamie into the stroller and me taking him out around 3:00. He took an hour to fall asleep, by which time I was feeling a little worn myself. I went and worked in the Second Cup for a few hours, at the end of which Jamie woke up a little before six, and just in time to say "hi" to his Great-Aunt Millie, and cousin Scott (whose birthday is was today). They were down for dinner, and to meet with my other cousin, Jeff, who has beeb the Amazing Vanishing Cousin lately: I'll have to ask if they actually caught a sighting.

Jamie and I stopped off on the way home at the playground, where Jamie burned off some energy while John went home to make dinner. It was getting cooler, and not so oppressive, and Jamie had fun climbing up the slides and going down them. He also likes to climb to the top of the climbing apparatus, and then (catlike) asks to be lifted down. We headed home when John called to say that dinner was almost ready, and Jamie watched some Thomas while we ate dinner. He read some books with me and John afterwards, and is doing something with Gary that seems to require noise (John: Gary bought Jamie a new pull-and-go Thomas the Tank Engine). He and John should be in the bath soon, and I hope that he falls asleep more easily than last night: he took over an hour to settle, and eventually John had to come in and take over so that I could get some work done.

(John) Jamie behaved well at the market, and seemed to notice the heat less than either my mom or myself, though he eventually did concede that it was a lot cooler in the shade than in the sun, and was willing to abbreviate some of our outdoor routine. He ate well, perhaps a little too well, as he wasn't at all hungry come dinner time. He enjoyed playing with my mom a lot, both at the market and at home while Kristen and I were putting away the groceries.

2006-07-16 21:29 (Kristen) Jamie was asleep around 11:30 last night, and awake before 8:00 this morning (it may have been as early as 7:30, but I was in denial). We got up, and watched a lot of Thomas, as I was too hot and tired to do much more than that. Well, that and work on the Big Manuscript, which is going out tomorrow come hell or high water. It was a quiet morning, with trains and more trains, and train-themed activities, and John wisely decided that he would take Jamie on the subway for his afternoon nap. One of Toronto's better kept secrets is that the subway cars are air-conditioned, making them fabulous venues for taking sleepy toddlers out for their afternoon walks without frying. After lunch, John took Jamie out and they stayed out for the rest of the afternoon while I worked.

John says that they went west, and then took the subway north towards Downsview. Jamie enjoyed the fact that the subway is above ground for part of the way. John wanted to get out at Yorkdale to get a bubble tea (which Jamie normally enjoys) but he vetoed that in favour of going a little farther to the end of the line. They were at the front of the train, and the driver confirmed for them that the wall in the distance was at the end of the track. Jamie was thrilled, as he loves buffers. Then they rode back, and Jamie started to drowse by Lawrence West, dropping his head more heavily against John's shoulder. Then he asked for me, and was asleep by Dupont. John waited until much further down the line before transfering Jamie with no trouble into his stroller, and getting off the train at the Eaton Centre. The trouble with being at the Eaton Centre on a hot day is that everyone else is too... John didn't get to sit down the entire time he was there.

They tried to come home around 5:00, when Jamie woke up, but it turned into an ordeal because of some mysterious TTC emergency. The trains weren't running, and the shuttle buses were all full. They finally found a streetcar around 6:10, and met me at John's parents' house. Jamie had been snacking a good deal on edamame*, samosa, and apple after he woke up, so he wasn't all that hungry when it was time for dinner. He was kinetic, bouncing all over the place, and telling us that he was Jamie Frog. He did stop for television as John, hot and exhausted, stretched out on the couch. Eventually we made it home, with Jamie walking a good deal of the way and dragging the stroller behind him like a train. He would drop the towel that was acting like a coupling, and John would back up slowly, making Jamie chase after it like a Thomas the Tank Engine scenario. Now Jamie is playing with Gary and Ayami as John bathes, and we get ourselves ready for bed.

I should mention, for the people who are watching the pregnancy as well as Jamie, that I've been having lots of braxton-hicks contractions all day, and they're getting stronger.

2006-07-17 22:30 (John) Kristen played with Jamie indoors at home this morning because of the heat, with occasional interruptions for "Jamie play [with] Papa please!" We had lunch at Browning, then I headed out around 13:30 to take Jamie for another subway ride. We rode out to see the buffer at the end of the Spadina line and the nearby subway yard and bus garage, then back down the line with Jamie clearly tired enough to sleep but to physically restless. He burned off enough calories jumping up onto and back down from his seat until he said he was thirsty, but as he had finished his apple juice and didn't want my iced tea, agreed to go look for bubble tea with me at the Yorkdale Mall. This meant he had to get in the stroller so that we could get back on a northbound train at Spadina, and a few stops later at St. Clair West, he was asleep.

He only slept for 75 minutes though, possibly because he was dehydrated, and woke up in possible dental pain and crabby. I stuffed him full of edamame*, inari* and lychee green bubble tea with condensed milk and his mood improved dramatically. We were still both hot and tired though, so we took the subway to Browning to quietly cool down.

Jamie always gets one of the front seats on the subway. If they're occupied by strangers he turns on the charm, smiles and asks "Where's Jamie's seat?" which always seems to work. He's bossier with the ones he loves.

My mom came over to Browning as she usually does on Monday nights, to get "takeout" barbecue dinner to take home to my dad. She and Jamie chased each other around the yard while I finished grilling, then Jamie announced that he wanted to eat dinner outside. I am inclined to indulge my son in harmless lunacies, so he and my mom sat on the porch steps eating their salmon and veggies and watching the world go by. A very interesting part of that world turned out to be three-year-old Katie from a few doors down, who was flying a kite on the wind that I hope will be bringing a thunderstorm across the city any minute now. She let Jamie take a turn, which he found exciting and scary. Then they grabbed each other's hands and ran around the lawns like old friends, tickling each other, playing tag and Ring Around The Rosie, ending up on her porch sharing her pizza. I haven't been so astounded since Jamie met Burhan. Jamie makes friends so easily, I think I have to ask him for lessons when he gets older.

When we eventually made it inside he was still quite wound up, but Tom finally managed to drag him downstairs for some quiet play with toys so I could get a bite to eat, and when Gary and Ayami came back from tennis they fed him some pineapple, let him watched some TTTE and helped bring him back home. Kristen arrived back from Trivia not too much later, and is finishing feeding him the rest of the dinner that he didn't have the time or interest for earlier.

(Kristen) John says that Jamie managed to drink a juice box and a bubble tea on his way to Browning, but exhibited extreme control on the way. He declared "Jamie pee! Jamie pee!" when they got out of the subway at Broadview, but realized quickly that there was no bathroom around. Then he said "Jamie squeeze," ran around in a circle for a minute, then was fine until he got to Browning. I'm awfully impressed, since I have wondered what we would do in such a situation, if it came up. Yay! Jamie also does something that I love, which is to say "Jamie can't like X" when he doesn't want to eat something, or do something. Not that he doesn't want something, but that he can't like it. Or, conversely, that he can like something. It's just such an interesting way to phrase things. That, and when watching Tarzan II, he noted at one point that Tarzan needed his mother (the boy character has run away and is all alone), and that he needed his mother to give him a hug to make him feel happy. Sigh. I love my boy. In other news, the baby has been having the hiccups, which is a very odd feeling.

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

Back to Vol. 1 No. 39, or up to Jamie Chew's Web Log Archive. or forward to Vol. 1 No. 41.