Jamie Chew's Web Log: Vol. 1 No. 51

2006-09-26 24:30 (John) Jamie and Liam's cold seemed to be a bit worse today, so we have an appointment with Dr. Kennedy tomorrow. They were both a little warm, with clogged sinuses, and fatigued easily. Kristen looked after them in the morning so that I could go to the dentist for a lost filling (which turned into the usual need for a root canal and crown). Jamie fell asleep right away on his nap, and slept for a solid three hours. When he woke up, it was almost time to meet with my parents and the visiting Alan Kastner for dinner, so we picked up some groceries at the Big Carrot, watched them assemble a 4-metre balloon sculpture in the shape of a big carrot, and chased pigeons with Eames (whom Jamie recognized from the schoolyard).

Jamie was too tired and excited to eat too well at the Silk Road Cafe, but he behaved fairly well and managed to stay in his seat the entire time, and finished his dinner from its takeout box at home.

Liam nursed every two hours during the day because of his sore throat, but managed to stretch that out a bit toward the end of the day with medication. Kristen says he looks very cute and comfortable in a bunting bag that we got from Peter and Leslie, and that he looks like a monk. At least, I think that's what she said just now, though she was pretty groggy.

2006-09-27 20:57 (Kristen) Jamie wasn't all that perky this morning and neither was John, so we kept Jamie home from Hakobune this morning. He spent most of the morning watching movies until I dragged him and Liam to the grocery store. He complained bitterly until we got to a place he could climb on rocks, then rode trom the corner to the store. We got home, played for a bit, then went inside for lunch. We've been working on getting Jamie to take his own clothes off and on, so I asked him to take his coat and shoes off. Meltdown. I was talking with him calmly, being encouraging, and was told in no uncertain terms that "Jamie can't like Mummy. Jamie doesn't love Mummy. Also, that he wanted his dad. Well, it had to happen sometime. He's been telling me to "go away" a lot lately, and this is probably some extension of that. The kicker is that John showed up and did Exactly What I Had Been Doing, which was gently and encouragingly help Jamie to take his coat and shoes off. Then we were all smiles and tripped off to the kitchen to do something or another. Good thing that I don't take these things to heart. I will be reminding him of this someday, however.

He ate a reasonable lunch, and our lunch hour was enlivened considerably by Ruth Ohi dropping by with presents for Jamie and Liam. The bulk of the presents were for Jamie, to celebrate his awesome big brotherness in the face of enormous life transition. Ruth said that her daughters helped to pick out the things, which included easel paper, finger paints, cool glow-in-the-dark modeling clay, and a beautiful stuffed Emperor Penguin chick finger puppet. Jamie has been carrying it around like a baby all day, being very careful of it. He likes it a lot. He has named it the "Four-year-old Baby Penguin". Ruth brought Liam a wonderful hat with bear ears on it, which we decided Liam looks very fierce in (and very very cute). Liam has been having a lot of trouble with his own cold today, and was all rumbly and sniffly. He's nursing heavily, but his ears are clear, and so is his chest (thank goodness). We had an appointment to see Dr. Kennedy today, so we all went in. Jamie woke up in the middle of the appontment, which wasn't a bad thing. He's on antibiotics now to deal with the inflamed ears, and we're keeping him home for the week from Hakobune until his immune system can get a rest before being exposed to countless other kid germs. It's going to be a different sort of week, but I think that the antibiotics are going to help him to feel a lot better. Liam's running a bit of a fever, just like Jamie has, but some Tempra seems to help him a bit. We're just the house of plague, and I'm drinking jugs of citrus juice to avoid getting the plague myself. I'm the only one standing right now, and I had better not get sick!

Jamie played with the neighbourhood kids a bit on returning home, and I can tell that he's missed them because he wouldn't go inside until he'd found some and played with them. With school under way, he hasn't seen the other kids much, and he misses them. John brought food home from his parents' place for dinner, then went to the Scrabble club. Jamie is currently downstairs with Gary and Ayami while I write, and I'm about to get the bath underway. Liam is sleeping, blessedly, and I hope that he can keep it up while I bathe Jamie. He's fussy, and doesn't like to be put down, although I managed it twice earlier today for the first time in days. Yay. Oh: yesterday, I was walking with Jamie and Gary to Browning, when I saw a cat come across the street, stalking quickly, and obviously aiming for a squirrel that was in the middle of a lawn, but not far from a tree. I pointed out to Gary and Jamie that there was no way that the cat was going to catch the squirrel, since it was so obvious and in the open that the squirrel couldn't fail to miss it. Well, instead we saw evolution in action as the cat actually caught the squirrel in a chase and fight, and then ran off with it in its mouth for (I presume) lunch. Gary and I had our mouths open a bit; we were a little flabbergasted. Jamie asked us what was going on, and Gary said that the cat was going to eat the squirrel. Then Jamie asked where they had gone, and we avoided the issue a bit by saying that they had both gone away. Eep. Failure to face the Circle of Life talk full in the face. as it were. We'll try to do better next time. Meanwhile, Jamie hasn't asked us about it again at all, and seems to have forgotten the incident.

2006-09-28 24:40 (Kristen) Jamie had a fever last night, and was so tired that he fell asleep in the middle of his bedtime story after we put him to bed without a bath. His fever broke in the night, and he was awake around eight o'clock. He seemed fine early in the morning, but was starting to exhibit signs of fatigue/illness by lunch, when he was hyperkinetic but not much interested in food. He had a walk with Ken, but John says that he woke up after only an hour and a bit with stomach pains. A lot of gas and a visit to the bathroom later leads John to think that he is having some trouble with the antibiotics. He bought him some yoghurt, and we'll hope that that replaces Jamie's natural flora, if that is indeed the problem. He didn't want to come indoors after John brought him home, and we had a little fight about that. We managed a reasonable evening, but Jamie definitely wasn't himself, as he buzzed about and tried pushing Mummy's buttons one by one. He spent time with Gary and Ayami, and fell asleep sometime around 10:50. Liam, on the other hand, is still having trouble with his breathing, and spent the day alternately sleeping in the morning, and being awake and restless at night. He has been very hard to put down, and I have only now managed it for the first time in over six hours (either John or I have held him). It's been a long day.

2006-09-29 24:06 (Kristen) John is still not feeling well, but both Jamie and Liam seem to be getting better. Jamie slept for almost twelve hours last night, which I appreciated, and Liam followed his big brother's lead (mostly by being pacified by the occasional nurse back to sleep). Jamie was a little contrary, but Liam slept for most of it, so that was good. There were at least two times today when both boys were in full cry at the same time, which is a little crazy-making. However, I did manage to get lunch into Jamie with only one meltdown, and out the door to be with Ken for his afternoon walk. Liam stayed at home with John but didn't want to be put down, so John spent some quality time with Liam on his chest until I got home and finished a few chores.

I dozed for part of the afternoon after I got Liam back (the soporific effect of a baby sleeping on your chest) and John went to get Jamie. Jamie had fallen asleep at 2:30, but woke himself up at 4:00 by having a bit of an accident. He had drunk his entire juice box before falling asleep, and I think that we're going to have to stop him from doing that, as he just doesn't seem to have bladder control during his afternoon nap (but does at night, curiously). John and Jamie went to the park, and I took Liam out to the Second Cup and the Big Carrot for some groceries. We all went to Browning, where it was time for Friday dinner. Jamie wasn't all that hungry and was more wound up than anything else, although we did get him to eat some spaghetti by applying a lot of parmesan cheese to it. He'll eat anything with parmesan on it, but will drive you bonkers asking for more and more cheese. Liam lay in his carbed, staring at polkadots, and showing off his amazing strength. He can lift his own head when he's on his tummy high enough to easily clear his chin, so that he can turn his head to one side or the other. He is also trying very hard to lift himself up on his forearms, which is quite something. He spent a good amount of time tonight being quiet and alert, and John found that it is best to leave him like that sometimes when he picked Liam up to play with him and discovered that Liam wasn't interested in playing. Liam then, unfortunately for John, wasn't interested in being put down either and it took some soothing before Liam was mollified. I sang "The Rainbow Connection" for Liam in the bath tonight, and he seemed to like it a lot. We have to play more music for Liam.

2006-09-30 23:19 (Kristen) Jamie fell asleep late again last night, and we all slept in until close to 9:30. I am fighting off the evil cold that has felled the rest of the family, so the extra rest didn't do me any harm. Jamie was good, but easily upset, indicating that he still isn't really feeling well. Liam was restless until I figured out that he was gassy, not hungry. Some back patting put him to sleep for the rest of the morning. My mom came to visit on her way back from Paris, and Jamie was delighted to see her; so much so that when she arrived, he actually got up from the couch to give her (and Auntie Millie) a hug and kiss hello. Mom brought him a t-shirt from Paris and one for Liam too. John left to do the grocery shopping, while Mom, Jamie and I stayed home and had lunch.

We took Liam and Jamie for an afternoon walk, where everything conspired to keep Jamie awake, despite our best efforts. We gave up after an hour and fifteen minutes or so of walking, and went to the Second Cup. Jamie had a rice krispie square, courtesy of Grammy, and Liam was complimented on his lovely eyes by two women seated nearby. Jamie was a little wound up by the end, and so we went to the Carrot Common across the street so that Jamie could chase pigeons. I went and bought a birthday present for my nephew Owen while he did that, and then we headed home for Jamie to have his next dose of antibiotics. We then had to turn right around to go back to the Danforth for a big family meal at Taste of the Silk Road. Ted, Alice, Ian, and Amy are in town overnight, and Scott and Jeff joined us too for dinner with John's parents. Jamie had fun reading a book with Ian that I had picked up earlier in the day, but couldn't keep his eyes open; he fell asleep in John's arm at the end of the table, and slept between the appetizers and the dessert (about an hour). Augh! Liam entered one of his quiet but alert states, and had a good time being held by many relatives.

We headed home, and Jamie walked part of the way holding Amy's hand, after spending a good deal of time chasing her around. When we got home, Jamie headed downstairs to play with Gary and Ayami, and I put Liam on a playmat that our Scrabble friends Suzi and Ron Tiekert (who sent Liam a beautiful outfit and Gund pony last week) gave to Jamie. I don't think that I have ever seen Liam so animated. He was thrilled by it: his legs and arms were kicking, and he had smiles on his face when he wasn't studying some part of it intensely. He gave himself quite a workout, and the only times he was still was when we played the little musical flower for him that is part of the mat set. I put on "Blue" by Joni Mitchell for him, but he wasn't as rapt by it as Jamie was; possibly because there was too much else going on.

I thought that Jamie would be up until midnight, but he only stayed awake until 11:00, and did so quietly and peacefully cuddling with me. Liam has bewen fussier for John, and has only now fallen asleep in my lap after sucking on my finger and making me type one-handed. I will be going to sleep myself in a few minutes, in my further attempts to avoid the Evil Cold.

2006-10-01 24:14 (Kristen) Jamie woke up around 8:30, I think: I was so busy with both boys from the moment we woke up, that I don't remember. It wasn't a bad morning, however. Jamie was good, ate some breakfast with me, and then some with John. He finished his first Kumon maze book, which was a big accomplishment, and is very proud that he did so, and that he can hold a pencil properly. He was still obviously unwell, however, so I didn't push him when he uncharacteristically complained that the mazes in the next maze book were "too hard for me." He watched The Cat Returns before we headed over to John's parents' place for brunch with Ted and his family, and John's parents. Liam did his usual morning exercise of sleeping through everything.

Brunch was a little late, so Jamie was very tired and much more picky than usual. No gravy on his rice, yes gravy on his rice, and the cranberries only go with the stuffing, augh, Mummy, what are you doing?! We made it through somehow, and Jamie had fun playing with Ian's Gameboy. John says that he has the idea of how to use the four button interface for directions, so we may be in the position of having him want to play them more and more often (sigh). Then he went for his walk with John: John says that he fell asleep almost right away, and stayed asleep for an hour and a half before waking up in an uncomfortable state. He spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Ian and Amy at Jackman, and then came back to Tai-Tai's to meet up with me.

In the meantime, Alice and I went with Liam in tow on an outing to Romni Wools for a signing with (of all people) Tracey Ullman. Yes, that Tracey Ullman: she has a knitting book with Mel Clark called Knit 2 Together, and so Alice and I eanted to go and meet her, and to spent the gift certificates that we had given Alice (a very nifty knitter) for Christmas. Liam got a little overheated in the front carrier that I had him in just as the signing started, so we took hiim to the nearby Second Cup for a drink for him and us. I sent Alice back to get a book signed (and a my copy of her CD You Broke My Heart in 17 Places) while I finished up with Liam, and got him changed. I forgot a receiving blanket at the Second Cup and rushed back to retrieve it only to find it gone and not turned in. What a strange thing to walk off with. Anyway, I made it back in time to meet Tracey Ullman, who was very sweet and very kind to Liam. When she saw him she sang out "Bay-bee!" just like in her song "They Don't Know," and thrilled me to death: I have been just goofily happy all day since (OK, so I'm thirty-seven years old and sound like an utter fangirl. Sue me). She stopped later as she was walking out to smell Liam's head, which I found an oddly touching thing to do. A very nice woman.

Liam was good on the way home, despite the subway delay we found ourselves in, and we had some light supper with everyone before Ted, Alice, and co. had to go back to Kingston. We went home for a quiet evening ourselves, and put the boys to bed. Liam was still up as of half an hour ago, and Jamie didn't fall asleep until after 11:15. He's falling asleep later and later, and it's a trend that I find very difficult as it eats up my entire evening, and I'm not getting the time back during the day. Something to work on.

2006-10-02 26:20 (Kristen) Jamie was up somewhere around 8:30 this morning, which was before I voluntarily opened my own eyes. Liam woke me up after a restless night, likely caused by the cabbage I had unknowingly ingested in gyoza and soup forms earlier in the day. Jamie seemed happy and perky enough, but was prone all day to sudden storms of weeping and irrationality over small things. He would cry because of one thing, then suddenly go 180 and cry over the exact opposite (witness the "You took my pants off and not my underwear at the same time" after I asked him to take his underwear off in the bathroom; also the "I won't wear pants or underwear/Put my pants and underwear on!" sequence soon afterwards). It made today more challenging, which builds maternal character, I am sure!

Liam, unusually, spent most of the morning awake, and has been Wide Awake Boy for most of the day. His sleeping has been easily disturbed and fragmented, and if he were anyone else, he'd be a screaming mess right now. As it is, he has been fussier than usual, with much holding and not much of the putting down, and both slings and the arms of other people have been very useful. The little stroller, I think, gives too bumpy a ride, especially when negotiating subway stairs and narrow aisles in stores. I took Jamie and Liam to the grocery store, briefly, in the morning, and Jamie declared to me that he needed cake and ice cream while we were there. I told him that he always wanted cake and ice cream, but shared one of my Chips Ahoy! cookies with him on the way home. He didn't eat much at lunch, mainly because Ross eats much more quickly and always turns the television on before Jamie's finished. We can't keep him at the table when the television's on, so he ended up eating on the couch after Ross had left for school.

John took Jamie for his walk because Ken was unavailable, and Jamie didn't fall asleep for him until 5:20. Yes: 5:20. In the meantime, I took Liam shopping as I needed a new pair of sneakers very badly, and took the opportunity to do one or two other things while I was in that area. Liam got many "oohs" and "awwws" while shopping, and it was hard to get anywhere in Indigo without someone stopping me to look at him. Hey: not that I mind appreciation of my son, understand. The funny thning was that almost everyone either thought he was a girl, or wouldn't commit to his sex (boy or girl?). Maybe it was that the blanket he was wearing had some pink on it (but blue too), or his outfit was unisex. I see Liam's face as very male, so I was surprised (but not offended in any way) by this. We met up with John and Jamie at Withrow Park, where I saw my eldest son running around with no shoes, socks, or shirt on. It was quite warm, and so Jamie's beach bum look was practical, it seems. The surprising thing was that Mr. "I Hate To Get My Hands Dirty" was cheerfully burying his feet in the sand as much as he could, and using his hands as shovels. A year ago, you could barely get him to touch the sand with his hands, let alone bury his feet in it. We dragged him away from the park, and John took him to Browning where he slept for an hour while I took Liam home, got some chores done, and let him sleep across my knees for an hour.

I made it to Browning for seven, having lost track of time, and helped John get started with dinner. We finally ate around 8:30 (I have no idea why it took so long...I live in a time warp) and we got Jamie home to his bath around 9:30. I fell asleep with Jamie in bed around 11:00 (again with the 11:00!) and woke up at 1:45 to write this blog. Insert complaint about sleep/sleep disruption/need for regularization of sleep here.

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

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