Jamie Chew's Web Log: Vol. 3 No. 28

2010-02-16 46:48 (Kristen) It was back to school today, and back to Hakobune. Liam had a good time once he got there--he really doesn't like leaving the house in the morning when he feels he could be there playing Wii--and was in a lovely, cheerful mood when I picked him up afterwards. I took him to the Second Cup (he was a little fearful, thinking of his finger), where we ate cookies, read Chicken, Pig, Cow on the Move, and did some science flashcards. Then it was off to Jackman to pick up Jamie and his friend Makaiya, who was coming over for a playdate. The kids played outside until 4, then we all walked home for some lego, games, and cookies. Perfect. Makaiya went home around 5:45, we had dinner, and then it was time for homework. Jamie was upset because he didn't do very well in two recent Japanese school tests, which isn't like him, and so he and John spent some extra time working on his Japanese. He felt badly at the start, but by the end was starting to feel more confident again. He went off to play with Gary afterwards, while Liam and I watched more skating. Then, bedtime.

2010-02-17 22:55 (Kristen) I wasn't feeling all that well today, so Liam and I had a very lazy day while Jamie was out at school and John was out running a school Scrabble tournament. We watched downhill skiing, played video games, and generally wasted our brains together. Gary took Jamie to school at lunch and picked him up after school, which was great help. Jamie did more homework with John after school, and then we went en famille to Jamie's judo class. Jamie wasn't sure about how much he wanted to do judo, claiming that he was tired, but he went in and had a fabulous class, as usual. It was fun to see him laughing and enjoying himself. He also has ridiculously good posture, and is the only person sitting who isn't slouching at the start of class as everyone waits with their legs crossed or while kneeling. Liam spent his time waiting for Jamie by making me play his video games on the DS or eating John's food as well as his own snacks. Timbits were bought for the trip home, and the boys went straight to bed after the bath.

2010-02-18 22:47 (Kristen) I took Liam in to the plastics clinic early this morning for a final finger examination. The doctor declared the finger healed; Liam can stop wearing bandages, and can resume all his normal activities. Yay! He is still very dependent upon the bandage (he is afraid the finger will start bleeding again), but I hope to wean him off of it over the next week or two. I am hugely relieved. I took Liam to Hakobune (John had taken Jamie to school), picked him up, and met up with John at Jackman to register Liam for junior kindergarten. It was very exciting for us, and Liam was utterly delighted to have a little desk in the office to colour at while John and I finished filling out forms. Later, I picked up Jamie and his friend Jake to bring them home, where they had a great time playing video games and other stuff. Jamie was tired, so homework took a little longer than it should have, but Liam managed to pull as many people as he could into his video game world for while. We all went to bed a little late, waiting for the Canada-Switzerland game to resolve itself, but the boys enjoyed watching the hockey and the figure skating.

2010-02-19 23:04 (Kristen) It was a normal Friday. Liam went to Hakobune, Jamie went to Jackman, and everyone seemed in relatively good moods. John and I picked up Liam, did some grocery shopping at the Korean grocery store (Anpan! Yum! says Liam), then came home. John picked up Jamie, and we went over to Browning for dinner after more obsessive efforts to solve Super Mario Bros. There is a missing Wii remote, which I think is Liam's fault, but I am clearly not as clever as a three-year-old, as I can't find it. To my credit, neither can John or Liam. Jamie hasn't tried, I don't think. Jamie did homework at Browning, and the high point for him was when John made me do a Japanese kanji writing test, just like Jamie, and he beat me. Then it was home for bed and a long Saturday.

2010-02-20 23:08 (Kristen) After John dropped Jamie off at school, we three went to the St. Lawrence Market. Liam had a good time going around with me while John worked and rested in Starbucks, then we headed home to put the groceries away and rest some more. We three all went up with John to pick up Liam, and the boys ended up playing in the playground for a good half an hour after the end of school--maybe more. We headed home, stopping off at a McDonalds as Jamie had had an egg mcmuffin craving in the morning but was able to settle for a cheeseburger and fries (can haz cheezburger). The boys also played in the play area for another half an hour, guaranteeing some sleep at night. We went home, had a small dinner that Liam once again rejected (he's turned very fussy on me; all week he's rejected dinner in whatever form is arrives, except for the rice), and spent a quiet evening doing the usual before bed.

2010-02-21 23:12 (Kristen) It was a quiet morning that started early, when Liam was up before eight am (which is unusual, given he was asleep after 10:30 last night). Eventually we pulled ourselves together to go to Yorkville to spend some time with John's aunts looking at ice sculptures, and for the boys to climb on the enormous rock in Yorkville Park. I took Liam away from the rock to look at ice sculptures because he was losing his caution on the rock, and got screamed at for my pains. Later, he insisted to John that I had been making him walk down the streets of Yorkville with only one boot on (untrue). We had lunch at Akusa, and the boys enoyed their sushi very much. Afterwards, we went home and vegged while John ran more errands out of the house. Dinner was light, hockey was watched, Olympics discussed, and bed eventually reached.

2010-02-22 23:51 (Kristen) Scene: John and Liam are playing video games. John: Jamie, do this. Liam (quietly): Liam.

Hopefully, at some point, Liam will come to know that everyone around here gets their names mixed up with those of other people. Given how attached he is to his name, however, this may be a stretch.

It was a normal day, otherwise. The only exception of note is that Jamie is truly swamped with homework this week as he has two weeks of Japanese homework to do instead of one by Saturday (long story). He also is behind on his English homework, so he did a good deal of homework tonight. There was complaining at first, but he eventually settled down and did it after explanations were made. Liam had a typical Liam day other than I took him to the Second Cup after lunch for some mom and Liam time. He ate a cookie and did some preschool workbooks with me, which worked out well. I hope to do more of this with him over the next while as I feel that I haven't spent as much time with him doing letters and whatnot as I did with Jamie at this age. He's open to the idea, and likes the time together, so it's good.

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

Back to Vol. 3 No. 27, or up to Jamie Chew's Web Log Archive. or forward to Vol. 3 No. 29.