Jamie Chew: Blogging Since Birth

Skating

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 02:45:00 GMT

2008-04-01 22:45 (John) Jamie had his first skating lesson today, with his best friend Jake. Flipping through the four dozen photos Kristen took of the event, I was shocked to feel an unfamiliar emotion coursing through my heart: the hope that my son would grow up to play (professional hockey) for the Leafs. Of course it passed quickly, and was replaced by the hope that he becomes a lawyer or doctor.

(Kristen) I hope that he becomes a doctor or a lawyer because that means that I won't be sitting on my butt in a cold, dark arena at 5:00 AM anytime soon. That, and I realized that I will be a rabid hockey mom, and my heart will seize up every time he steps onto the ice. It was difficult as it was to watch him go out and try to skate. He really gave it his all, but he wasn't getting very far. He could, by the end, stand up with his arms out and not fall, which was great, but I had to get him off the ice and tie up his laces twice as tightly as I had the first time (and I thought I'd tied them tightly) because he didn't have enough ankle support to get any forward momentum. He worked really hard, despite falling and getting up at least twenty times. I was so proud of him, for being just so game. He was tired, and wanted to get off the ice near the end, but when it was over, he wanted to go back and do it some more. We'll see about getting some ice time this weekend.

(John)It wasn't even the most exciting thing that happened to Jamie though, because it was his turn to be Ms. Schofield's helper this morning, and he got to show off his Voltron to the class, who all agreed it was very cool.

In the afternoon, Parker came over to join Jamie and Jake for a first three-handed playdate. It went well, better perhaps than with just two. They did the usual things: watched Pythagoras Switch, ate cookies, and played Marble Blast.

Liam has been very happy but a little clingy today. He bursts into tears whenever I leave him, even momentarily say before guilt drives me back and I take him along on the errand after all. He also threw up his lunch, I think because he started to choke, but maybe he is fighting a bug. He's completely forgotten his fear of joining me in the bathtub, which I think was because the water was too hot one night and he had a sensitive bit of diaper rash. In any case, he can be tempted into the bath by repeatedly singing the ABC song while pointing at the foam bath letters on the wall, which is a welcome break from endlessly reading Rolie Polie Olie or singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to him as he sits on the potty.

Wednesday is when everyone arrives

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 04:14:00 GMT

2008-04-02 24:14 (Kristen) I was woken up around 7:30 this morning by a wide-awake Liam saying "Wow! Wow!" loudly, over and over. Jamie was up, and soon John was too, and I hid under the covers in denial for not much longer than that. The morning passed with Jamie at school, and John, Liam, and I going to the St. Lawrence Market for tournament supplies. Liam was very cute at the bulk store, and one of the staff gave him a Kindersurprise egg. Liam knows all about those, and was very insistent that I take it apart for...the toy. The chocolate fell by the wayside: he knew what he wanted. We dashed back to Jackman to get Jamie, and Liam and I stayed behind to do errands in the neighbourhood while John and Jamie headed off to Hakobune. Jamie has been protesting going to Hakobune, and we've been mystified as once he gets there, he's happy and doesn't want to leave by the end. We think that he might be tired of the stories, as he shows signs of boredom then. We asked what they were reading, and apparently it's been "Momotaro," a story that Jamie is very very familiar with. We'll see if a change in story helps. He's going to Hakobune with Liam on Friday morning, as he has a PD day, and they're looking forward to spending the morning there together.

Liam hoovered some California roll, and fell asleep around 12:30. He slept for two hours, and I thought that he'd woken up, so I took him out of the coffee shop and went to get groceries, and he fell back asleep/ He slept for about three hours, in total, and was in a good mood when he woke up. I have been slowly phasing out his nursing sessions, and we are (as of today) down to one in the morning and one at night. Circumstances lately have meant that he's not asking when he wakes up without me after his nap, and I'm not offering. If I remember correctly, it's the night nurses that are the worst to phase out. Those will be last. Jamie was dropped off by John, who had to go to do some work at his parents' house for their return today, and he, Liam, and I played outside happily for at least an hour before we went in. The weather was lovely, and the boys ran around, got chased, rode Jamie's scooter (Jamie and I pushed Liam), and went down the small slide in teh backyard many amny times. It was a very good time.

I made quesadillas for dinner, which went over well, and took Liam to Sobey's for groceries while Jamie played with Gary. Annoyingly, I still didn't get milk, and I hope that Jamie doesn't want cereal tomorrow. John was out when we got home, as his parents had returned from Mexico and he walked with them to the Danforth, but he was home soon after. Bathtime went well, and I read the boys Big Time Olie, a new Rolie Polie Olie book that I picked up at the library for them. It went over well, and they were also very pleased to see our friends Sherrie and Gregg, who will be visiting us for the next week. Liam woke up around 11:30 inexplicably screaming, and I finally figured out that he needed a tummy massage; likely gas. Poor baby. It really does bother him.

Fun with Sherrie and Gregg

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 01:20:00 GMT

2008-04-03 21:20 (Kristen) Liam woke up at 7:10 this morning, and I was unhappy about it as one might imagine. However, he made up for it by asking to poo in the toilet and then producing one (in a diaper, but quickly tranferred to the toilet). His failure to have a fully successful event was mine, as I was too tired to pick up the "this is not a drill" look on his face fastenough. Still, a milestone of sorts.

After Jamie went to school (dawdling in the way that only a four-year-old boy can dawdle), I took Liam to the Big Carrot for milk and other staples before stopping off at John's parents' place on the way back. Liam seemed happy to see John's parents, and they were definitely happy to see him. Liam pushed the wagon a portion of the rest of the way, and alternately walked or rode the reset. We stayed home, ate lunch, and then Ken called to see if Liam was free for a walk. He was, and so they went out together. Liam was fine until Ken took him away, and then started to cry. I think that Liam is having some separation issues, as he has spent a good deal of time cuddling lately. After he woke up from his nap (ony an hour and a half...woe!), he spent twenty minutes cuddling happily on my lap, wrapped up in my arms and happy as a clam instead of wriggling around, getting down, and terrorizing the immediate area. I hope that it wears off soon. The cuddling impulse can stay.

Jamie enjoyed playing with Sherrie and Gregg, and Liam enjoyed the attention too. The kids were both fun and happy to be with, and (John) I'm not sure what Kristen was about to say at this point, but she's gone off to bed. I was out getting the CNSC set up with Sherrie for most of the day, and helping run Scrabble Night In Canada in the evening. I saw Liam a little in the morning, played with Jamie after Jackman and after Hakobune. As Kristen said, Jamie has been enjoying playing with Sherrie and Gregg, fueled in part by the Timbits we bought on the way home from day care.

Fridays

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 03:24:00 GMT

2008-04-04 23:24 (Kristen) John was gone before we got up this morning, as he will be running the Canadian National Scrabble Championships all weekend. Our houseguests, Sherrie and Gregg, are at the tournament too, as is Gary. It's just me, Liam, and Jamie for the weekend, but we're managing nicely so far. I took both boys to Hakobune this morning, as Jamie didn't have Jackman today. Jamie had a great time, and Liam enjoyed having his brother there. Jamie was very helpful, as he kept Liam laughing and played beside him after I left, keeping his brother happy and secure. Liam cried and asked that I not go farther than five steps away from him the moment we arrived, and after I managed to sneak out the door, I heard him cry for about ten seconds before he was distracted by cars or something. When I came back to pick him up, he just smiled and came to me for a hug; Jamie's influence, I think.

I picked up Liam at noon, and dropped off pizza for Jamie for his lunch. Liam ate his own pizza in Goforth Hall, and when Jamie was done, we went down to the streetcar, and over to the venue site to visit John. Jamie stayed to help John with inputting, while I took Liam around (Liam only slept for 45 minutes; arrrgh). I took the boys home around 3:30, and they were both a little crazed by 4:00. Jamie melted down, but was mollified by a snack and some juice. We puttered around, cleaning and doing this and that, until 6:00, when we went to Browning. The afternoon's excitement was when I though that Liam ahd broke nthe VCR until i finally found the fridge magnet he'd stuffed into it. Grrr.

The kids were good and happy, and ate well before we came hom around 8:45. I read two books to them, and they fell asleep quickly. I managed to soothe Liam back down with a backpat and other techniques, instead of offering a nurse that he wasn't seeking out. Yay!

Busy boys

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 03:08:00 GMT

2008-04-05 23:08 (Kristen) It was a day of near disasters. In the morning, John managed to find our friend Junko, and she took Jamie with her up to Nisshu Gakkuin. This was good, as I'd forgotten that our cleaning lady, Trifina, was coming today and I would have been out of the house when she arrived if I'd gone up with Jamie myself. Liam and Jamie were both tired when they got up, and in Liam, this manifested in a continuation of an experimental streak that started yesterday. I was only a heartbeat behind him when he put a round coaster into the DVD player and hit the 'close' button on the DVD tray. After unplugging the device, I was able to get the coaster out by gently pressing down on it with a Swiss Army knife, as it was stuck up above the DVD tray in the machine. I fear for the continued health of our electronics, however.

I took Liam out at that point to the library, and then up to pick up Jamie at school. Jamie was understanding about leaving early, so that we could go down and see John, as he was not entirely happy with not seeing Papa last night or this morning (John arrived home after Jamie was in bed, and left before Jamie woke up this morning). He played a little with Hari-kun first, and then it was back on the subway and to the tourney. We stayed for about two hours, and Jamie was very well behaved the whole time. By the end, however, it was starting to be a strain to keep quiet, and Liam (who had been asleep the entire time) was in danger of waking up crabby. Sure enough, he did wake up in that state on the subway, and was unhappy until we got home and he could have a nurse.

The boys were good, if wound up, for the rest of the day. They had fun playing with Sherrie and Gregg when they returned, and were otherwise occupied by books and television. The Rolie Polie Olie crazecontinues unabated, and Jamie was full of questions tonight as I read the story to them. Liam insisted on having each person in the picture identified. It was a good thing that we only had one book.

Some people get to sleep in

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 03:09:00 GMT

2008-04-06 23:09 (Kristen) The boys and I got a chance to sleep in this morning, which was very much welcome. We were very tired, and it was almost strange to feel close to well rested. Jamie slept in until 9:30; Liam and I were up at 8:50. We puttered around the house, reading books, having breakfast, and otherwise having a good time. John has noticed two new words from Liam: 'wa' is clearly "walk," and "yo" is clearly "yoisho," a Japanese word that mean to call attention to the physical effort that a person is making ("See me going up these stairs? Yoisho! Yoisho!). "Wa" was clearly used with me today when Liam wanted me to walk in to the living room.

We joined John for lunch at the Scrabble tournament, and the boys attracted much positive attention for their matching outfits, and general likeness to each other, as well as for their good manners around a tournament. Liam slept for close to three hours, and Jamie was very good again at keeping his voice down and being unobstrusive. I took the boys home around 3:00, and we puttered around again for a bit until it was time to go to the Silk Road for dinner with Sherrie, Gregg, John, and John's parents. The boys were well behaved again, and we appreciated that the restaurant left out chopsticks with elastic bands and spacers ("training chopsticks," in essence) for the boys for when we arrived. They hoovered back their food, and wandered about with either me or John. Jamie kept us all "entertained" with his limited stock of knock-knock jokes, but has improved his delivery considerably and enjoyed Gregg's 'interrupting cow' knock-knock joke.

Tomorrow is the last day of Scrabble madness, and John and the rest will be out the door at 7:00 to set up for the finals between our friends David Boys and Adam Logan. They're both Canadian champions (former and defending), and we're delighted with whoever is the winner tomorrow. I plan to take the boys down after I pick Jamie up from Hakobune to catch up on the fun.

Back to school

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 03:21:00 GMT

2008-04-07 23:21 (Kristen) John was out of the house before Jamie and Liam were awake, but the boys woke up happy and ready for books in bed. Reading at least one book first thing in bed in the morning seems to be the thing to do lately. We went downstairs, ate breakfast, and headed out the door in a panic only to arrive a few minutes before it was time. Whew! Liam and I headed home, and had a pleasant morning of puzzles an other activities before heading back out to get Jamie.

Jamie was reluctant to go down to the Scrabble tournament, citing fatigue and a desire to go to Daniel and Ross's house, but I managed to get him onto the subway and down to the event site. Once we were there, we ate lunch and visited with John and Gary before the next round of the finals started. I took the boys downstairs to the food court for a slice of pizza (the sandwiches were too imposing) and then Liam out for a nap before returning to the room. When I asked Jamie what his favourite part of he days way, he said "Being at the Scrabble tournament." I reminded him that he hadn't wanted to go, originally, and he smiled at the floor, and said "Yeah." Liam slept for most of the rest of the afternoon that we were there, and Jamie played with Gary, read with me, and helped Gary to put words on the big Scrabble board during the games. Eventually, the championship was over (congratulations, Adam!) and we headed home.

Gary came with us in on the subway, after Jamie, Liam, and I had picked up a few treats to eat on the train. Jamie struck up a conversation with a girl beside us, and had a great time. We made it home, where Gary had a new Exoforce waiting for Jamie (the Chameleon Hunter). Jamie was (as expected) delighted. He, Liam, and Gary spent a happy hour putting it together, and Liam surprised us all by clearly saying 'ease' for 'please.' No pieces were lost and everyone behaved. John and Sherrie headed out to a Scrabble fundraiser tonight, and Gary, Liam, Jamie, and I went to Browning for Monday night dinner. The boys had a good time, and Daniel walked us home tonight, instead of Tom, but he still had a hard time leaving Liam behind. It was getting late, so we read two books and it was lights out. Liam had trouble falling asleep, but Jamie was out like a light.

Jamie's skating improves

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 03:07:00 GMT

2008-04-08 23:07 (Kristen) John got up early today, ready to help with Jamie's class and their visiting scientist day, but the scientist was ill and John was just up early. It meant a more leisurely departure from home, and John took Liam around with him in the wagon as he did a few errands before coming home. We said goodbye to Sherrie and Gregg, who are off to Ottawa today, and I got things ready for Jamie's skating lesson. He was apprehensive, because it was so hard last time, but I was more savvy to the tightness of the skate and told him that he'd have a much better time this time. We picked up Jamie at school, and let him run around a bit with Jake and the others, before it was time to head off to the arena. John took Liam for lunch at Browning, where all seemed well and Liam went off for his walk with Ken.

I am happy to report that Jamie's lesson went significantly better than last time. The tighter laces (I think that I hurt myself tying them up) made a significant difference, and Jamie was actually skating by himself with no supports and making real progress by the end. He came off the ice about five minutes early, exhausted and sweaty, but promised that he'd stay out for the whole lesson next time. I'll send him out with one less layer, too, and see if that helps. We went to Jake's to play afterwards, and the boys had a great time: we hardly saw them at all. Joh and Liam came to get us, and we headed off home. Once there, I did some yard work while John did some cleanup work around the CNSC. Jamie did an excellent job of sweeping the garden dirt off the sidewalk, and Liam helped to put leaves into the compost and snow off the lawn and onto the hot sidewalk and driveway. The boys started to melt down around 5, and I took them in for snacks. I soon made dinner, and finally acceded to Jamie's request that we go to the Dairy Queen: first visit of the year. It was a quiet evening, and the boys were in bed and asleep around 9:30.

An extra Daniel and Ross day

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:09:00 GMT

2008-04-09 23:09 (Kristen) Liam and I slept in today, rarely, and so John got Jamie dressed, fed, and out of the house on time to school. Liam and I hung out together in the morning until John took Liam with him to get the car to take Jamie to Hakobune. We all went, and Liam cried when he wasn't able to follow Jamie inside the daycare. We fed him buns from Yung Sing Pastry instead, but he didn't have enough food until I got him home and stuffed some tofu into him. He took a while to fall alseep, until I realized that I didn't have the plastic cover down over the stroller. There was much protest when I did so, but he was asleep less than five minutes later. I turned around, took him home, and worked there until Liam woke up around 4:00.

John and Jamie didn't leave Hakobune until close to 5:00. Apparently, Jamie spent his time running around and round Goforth Hall with one of the Kai-kuns (there are three), while John discussed raising bilingual children with Kai-kun's parents. Once home, John had a rare Wednesday night free (Lisa Kessler took over the club: thanks, Lisa!) so we were able to go to Browning for a special dinner that Kelly was cooking before she went back to L.A. tomorrow. It was a fun meal, and both boys particularly liked the pureed cauliflower. We stayed far too late, of course, and the boys were up way too late as a result, but they were both in good moods and went to sleep well.

I should add that Jamie got his new Jackman Jaguars gear today: a t-shirt and shorts to match. He is so thrilled that he has announced that he will wear them today, and tomorrow, and the day after.

Apologies

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:16:00 GMT

2008-04-10 23:16 (Kristen) For some reason, today's blog didn't show up on the date advertised; our apologies. Here it is again:

The morning started off normally, and went well enough, with everyone going to where they were supposed to at the appointed times. John took Liam and his mom grocery shopping, leaving me time to work on the house and other important things, and came home in time to take Jamie to Hakobune (after dropping John's mom off at home). Liam and I stayed behind to have lunch with Kelly and the rest of the Browning gang. Ken offered to take Liam for a walk as far as the local Starbuck's, and I met up with them there. Liam was asleep for about 45 minutes when the barista decided that now was the time to get caught up on his coffee grinding. Boom, that was it. Liam was wide awake, and it was time to get going into the open air again. We played at Treasure Island, and I bought Liam another puzzle, this time with four and eight piece puzzles. He's a whiz with two and three piece puzzles, and getting the hang of four piece puzzles quite quickly. It's hard to keep the challenge up, but not to overwhelm him.

Eventually I got home with him, and Jamie and John arrived soon after. I foolishly thought that I could take five minutes to make dinner while the boys watched Treehouse, but I was mistaken. I came into check on them, only to find that Liam had taken down the big book of burned DVDs (who leaves the originals around with a Liam? Watch and see why), and was experimenting with the DVD-holding capacity of the VCR (for those who don't have time to try this out themselves, you can easily get seven or eight in there). Liam was not my favourite person for a piece of time after that. LIam was hysterically tired, and I was quite weirded out for a moment when I watched him and John make hysterical laughing faces at each other: they were true mirrors of each other.

Jamie really wanted a trip to the Dairy Queen, so we went off to do that. It was a nice outing, and the boys went to bed soon after we got home again.

Liam is loud and stubborn

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:28:00 GMT

2008-04-11 23:28 (Kristen) A storm was moving over the city in the morning around the time that we usually wake up, and the grey light was dim enough that we all had trouble getting up. Jamie was up around 8:15, and Liam wasn't up until close to 8:45, when I woke him up dressing him. It was a daycare day for Liam, so I bundled him up in his splash suit and took him to Hakobune. He enjoyed the trip, and in fact had a great time until we entered the room. The moment he saw Sensei, he burst into tears because he realized that I was going to leave him behind. I stayed for about fifteen minutes with him, not allowed to be farther away than a pace or two from him before he'd burst again into tears, until Sensei finally took him and let me make my escape. I could hear him scream downstairs, and I think that he went on for some time. When I came back, I was told that he cried until close to snack time, but got into the swing of things then. He very much enjoyed the birthday party that was held for three other children, and also liked parallel playing "cars" with other kids. He burst into tears, of course, the moment he saw me, but calmed down quickly.

John showed up soon after with Jamie and his mom, with whom he was going to Kensington Market afterwards. Liam and I went with them to Swatow for lunch, and Liam charmed the wait staff while covering himself with noodles. He slept for about two hours, maybe a little less, and I took him back to Hakboune to pick up Jamie (John drove over, as it was faster). John dropped the boys and me off at Browning, and we played for a bit until dinner. Peter, Leslie, and Simon came over too, and brought their collapsable tunnel: much merriment, as you might imagine, was had by all. Pumpkin time fast approached, however, and we got the boys home around 8:30 and into bed not long afterwards.

Step by step

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

2008-04-12 32:00 (Kristen) John took Jamie and Liam up to Nisshu Gakkuin this morning while I stayed behind to let Trifina in, and do do some housework. John and Liam came home around 10:45 with groceries. I went out to the car to get Liam while John brought the groceries in, and found him covered with California roll bits. Eek! Good thing he was wearing a raincoat. We went to get Jamie, who was (predictably) sad that it was raining, but was talking into pizza with Hari-kun. Hari-kun was more disappointed than Jamie about not playing in the rain, but we managed to get to the corner pizza store where we found two more classmates. Jamie happily settled into some serious pizza eating with his little posse (Hari, Hiro, and Toshio) while John and I talked with their moms.

Liam was too wound up to fall asleep in the car, despite his obvious fatigue, so John took him for a walk to the corner and back. Jamie and I puttered, and tried to lie down together, but without much success. John woke up, took Jamie for a bit, and then we went downstairs until Liam woke up. It was a quiet day after that; I made quesadillas again for dinner, which went over well, and the evening was quiet too. We read two books before bed, and that was that.

Lots of exercise

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:06:00 GMT

2008-04-13 23:06 (Kristen) Liam woke up first, around 7:30, but I was ready as I'd fallen asleep early in my clothes. Jamie and John got up not long after that, but it took a while until we settled down enough to have breakfast. John took the boys out for their first walk of the season in the valley, and I am told that both boys walked the whole way (well, 80% of the way in Liam's case, which is still pretty amazing). They looked for frogs and tadpoles (too early; the water is still to high) and watched all the little spring rivers. I am also told that they carried big manly sticks (unquote) around, and Jamie drew "x"es in the path to confound pirates with his. Liam demonstrated his sign language ingenuity by pointing with his empty mitten thumb to make the sign for "more, please" and thereby not exposing his hands to the cold. I am very sure that I head Liam say "Wa-wa" for "Papa" today, showing his typical disregard for the person who gave him life by not saying "Mama" first.

I met up with the boys as they came up out of the valley, and we had lunch at the Dairy Queen. We ordered two kid meals, but really only needed one as Jamie hardly ate his hot dog, and Liam only ate his. I exaggerate, but only slightly. Liam fell asleep on the way home, and I went on with him to do some shopping at hte Big Carrot. Jamie and John stayed behind, and when I came home, John was up from his nap and they were watching a Japanese-language Pokemon movie together. Liam woke up not long afterwards (too early, truth be told), and we puttered around until around 5:00, when John took the boys to the playground for a run before dinner.

After dinner, Liam did a bit of this and that, while Jamie played with Gary. Ayami came up to play with Liam a bit before bed, and we put the kids to bed by 9:30. At that point, Liam was too tired to even think about staying awake for the end of the second story, and insisted on going to be right then. He hasn't woken up yet, which is unusual, and may just be enjoying the sleep of the well run about.

Eight hours or more of video games

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:53:00 GMT

2008-04-14 22:53 (Kristen) Jamie woke us up at 7:00 by peeing in his sleep: the first time in at least six months, I'd say. I amazed myself and those around me by stripping the bed bare in less than two minutes (a zippered mattress cover slowed me down), but it woke Liam up thoroughly. John and Jamie tried to go back to sleep in the other room, but really, it was the start of our day.

On the bright side, I got Jamie's phonics reader and his borrow-a-book book read and dealt with, and it was an amazingly leisurely breakfast. John took the boys out to school, and I got a little work done before John and Liam returned around 40 minutes later. Liam was tired, and wanted to cycle from activity to activity quickly, with much adult imput. Finally, he went off with John to get Jamie from school, and we met up at Browning for lunch.

Jamie was enraptured by Ross playing Super Smash Bros., and while he took a little time out to eat lunch, it was what he did all afternoon (with a break to watch Pokemon). I went out to meet up with Ken and Liam, and Liam kindly slept for almost three an a half hours for me (despite the best efforts of the passive aggressive baristas, who kept grinding coffee five feet away from a sleeping Liam). When he woke up, he was the happiest, sunniest boy you've ever met. He laughed, he giggled, he played: while we walked under trees, he pointed them out joyfully, and threw up his hands and said "Yay!" for no reason whatsoever. The English clerk at one store we visited on the way home complimented Liam on his waving technique, describing it as "royal" in its execution. When we reached Browning, we found that John and Jamie had never left, and Jamie was now happily playing with Ross. Daniel helped to look after a happy Liam while John and I made dinner, and both boys ate big dinners with gusto. It was the usual happy mayhem for the rest of the evening, and Gary took Jamie home while Daniel accompanied an imperious benevolent Dictator for Life Liam home as well. It was a little late when we got into the bath, and the boys were punchy beyond reason, but we managed. Oddly, they both fell asleep almost instantly.

Early risers

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:04:00 GMT

2008-04-15 23:04 (Kristen) Liam has been waking up earlier and earlier, and it's because of the sun. John has wanted blackout curtains in our room for years, but the need has become acute as Liam has been rising before 7:00 and is up and cheerful by 7:20. We are not built for this. Jamie has been getting up a little earlier with the commotion, and while we get ready for school with less hurry, we could use the sleep.

So, we were up and moving. John took Liam with him and Jamie to school, and then they did yard work together before coming in at 9:30, allowing me to fold laundry and drink my coffee in peace. I spent time with Liam for the rest of the morning before the end of school, then met up with him, John, and Jamie at the schoolgrounds. It was skating lesson day, so Jamie and I left with Jake and his brother and mom straight from the schoolyard. The lesson went all right, in that Jamie did a great job at the beginning, fell and hurt his bum hard enough to cry a little more than halfway through, and needed serious convincing to get back onto the ice for the last ten minutes. He was pretty miserable, as he didn't want to fall on his bum again, but he managed to make it through the rest of the class. Mind you, he spent five minutes standing in the middle of the ice and staring into space (when I asked him why, he said that he was resting) before he skated around again a little before the end. He did manage to get a glide going a couple of times, but startled himself enough that he fell when he did. Next week will be even better.

Afterwards, we went to play at Withrow and waited for Liam and Ken. It was colder than we expected, however, so we went back to Jake's house for an hour before we headed home. Sachiko Tatsumi, who stayed with us last summer, came by for some fukinotto*, a Japanese seasonal delicacy in our garden, and stayed to play with the kids for a bit. Gary and Ayami played with Liam and Jamie, and Liam was blitheringly tired by the time bathtime arrived. Both boys fell asleep in record time.

Early nap

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:21:00 GMT

2008-04-16 23:21 (Kristen) Liam woke up around 7:30, and spurred on by this, I took him shopping for curtains today at the Eaton Centre. I left the house around 10:15, after doing this and that, and we were downtown around 10:45. He enjoyed the subway ride immensely, making friends all the way, but was suspiciously quiet around 11:15. I looked down at him to see that he had fallen asleep. Horrors! I quickly made some decisions about curtains that I'd seen, and ran to a local Starbucks (internet connection there, don't you know) to get a little work done. John called around 12:15, and we met up at a local Thai place nearby the Eaton Centre (called, strangely, Salad King). Liam woke up as I went in (at 12:30 or so), and that was that for sleep today. He did not fall asleep after a long walk from the Eaton Centre to Hakobune, despite my letting him play to his heart's content at the train table in Indigo, or with any other encouragements. Even the car trip home didn't do it. Sigh.

Jamie had a good day, reading his phonics book with me at breakfast and otherwise having fun. John reports having a pre- and post-school round of "Papa Monster," which has provided him with exercise for the week. He was in full cry when Liam and I met him at Hakobune, and remained tired but voluble for the trip home, which contained many of Jamie's attempts at writing his own knock-knock jokes. Our local Second Cup had a "sneak peek" party at 5:30 (it opens officially on Friday), and we were invited down. We brought Jamie and Liam, with the idea that we'd have dinner at the Silk Road before John left for Scrabble, but the hors d'oeuvres were very good and the kids were having such a great time that we just let them play. Liam was actually too tired to eat properly, and spilled a large quantity of cranberry juice over himself (christening the new store). Jamie played with Jordan, the son of one of the other regulars, and with Christian, Antonio's son. In fact, Antonio and I are talking about setting up a playdate one Saturday for Christian and Jamie at the park across the street, once both boys finish their second-language Saturday schools.

Liam was completely judgement impaired and suicidal when I brought the boys home, and so I fed them a small dinner. Jamie ate his downstairs with Gary, and I put Liam to bed first, around 8:30. He fell asleep almost instantly. Jamie came up after, and fell asleep very quickly at 9:00.

Thursday rush

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 02:18:00 GMT

2008-04-17 22:18 (Kristen) There doesn't seem to be enough time in the morning. John takes the kids to school (Jamie had the sniffles, as do half the kids at Hakobune), and I do laundry and try to eat breakfast and drink my coffee before it gets cold. Then John and Liam are back, happy and flushed with exertion, and I take over. Liam was fine to play beside me with minimal input on my part until close to lunch, when I was roaring about trying to get Jamie's lunch made, essentials packed up, laundry hung, and dishes washed. The mornings vanish very quickly, and I don't know where they go. John took Liam to the school to get Jamie, and I ran out to meet them ten minutes later. Jamie was sitting on the sidewalk in front of his classroom looking very put out when I arrived, but I didn't get the story from him before he left with John for Hakobune. Liam and I went home, got the stuff I'd forgotten the first time, and went to Browning for lunch.

Liam ate his greek salad with great gusto, inhaling the olives even faster than the tomatoes. Jamie told me later, through John, that I'd forgotten the nori* in his lunch, so he didn't have a piece to wrap around his second onigiri* (rice ball). Oops. They are better with the seaweed. Liam was terribly tired when he left with Ken, crying his heart out as he left but asleep soon after. He didn't stay asleep long after Ken dropped him off at Starbucks with me, and so I packed him up and took him to the library to straighten out a problem with his library card. Then we went to Treasure Island to play with the train table, but we had to go back outside first to have a fight about having to wear shoes (I said yes, he said no). I eventually just put them on him, and he realized that this was the better way once I did. He's so very stubborn, and once he flies off the handle, will refuse the very thing that will make him happy. It makes dealing with him very different than with Jamie, who would always listen to me, even when he was upset, at that age. At least, that's how I remember it now that the endorphins have kicked in...

After playing for a bit, we headed home to play outdoors for a while. Liam is utterly fascinated with our neighbours' cat Jasper, and he followed Jasper all over the lawns and into backyards for at least an hour. He signed "cat" vigourously, and had to be stopped from chasing Jasper across the street at least twice (that was not so good). If he managed to get close enough to touch Jasper then he was very gentle, even if he hasn't quite got the hang of "the fur goes *this* way, not that way". I thought that I lost him at one point, and nearly had a fit before I realized that he was in Rosemary's backyard(which adjoins ours) and not lost in the front somewhere. He is *fast*. Luke and his mom Betsy were out too, and we all played until it was time for dinner. John and Jamie were over at John's parents' house, and ate there before they joined us at home.

Jamie and John finished Jamie's Nisshu Gakkuin homework, and we all trooped off to the Jackman playground for one last kick at the can before bedtime. We were joined by Nadine and Zachary, who moved into a house about five away from ours last summer. Zachary is 18-months-old, and he and Liam seem to be hitting it off well. We'll arrange a playdate sometime soon for the two of them. I am realizing that my life will be one big playdate very soon. When I was young, we went outside and swarmed in packs. It was Lord of the Flies, and that was how we liked it! Sigh. Modern parenting. The kids successfully ran off the rest of their energy at the park, and we came home. Jamie decided that he was a kid snake and I was the mummy snake, so there was much hissing. It was fun, and then it was bedtime and lights out. Both boys were out like little lights. I should mention too that Liam was also enraptured by birds today, and kept making the sign for 'bird' as he looked up into the sky, pointing and pointing.

Both boys at Hakobune

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:09:00 GMT

2008-04-18 24:09 (Kristen) It was the usual rush out the door today, compounded by taking both boys to their respective destinations: Jackman for Jamie, Hakobune for Liam. John took the boys to Jackman, and I picked up Liam on the way back to take him to Hakobune. Liam had a great time on the trip, sitting on subway seats and making friends with random passengers. Once we reached the daycare, Liam started to cry when the door opened. To avoid last week's fiasco, I handed him to Sasaki-sensei, kissed Liam, and fled like a coward, feeling like the world's worst mom as I heard him cry from behind the door. He didn't cry for long today (likely because I wasn't there, and there were more interesting things to do), but apparently started crying again five minutes before I arrived. Other moms had arrived first, and he knew that I was about to arrive, and Where Was I?!! He clung to me for a few minutes, but he cheered up enough to say goodbye to the staff, and to pounce on his dad when he showed up a few minutes later.

Jamie was in a great mood when I saw him, and Liam was looking forward to his pizza. He scarfed it down, and fell asleep on the walk over to Aroma. He didn't sleep very soundly, but stayed under (with much rocking back and forth) for about two hours. I ran back to Hakobune with a newly awakened Liam around 3:00 to pick up Jamie. We couldn't play in Goforth Hall because setup for a concert was underway, but I tried to make up for it by taking Jamie for bubble tea for the first time. I didn't think to have him pee before we left, and that made his mood a little more explosive on the way home, but he was happy to see John when we got home. The boys all went to Browning for dinner, while I went off to yoga, but I feel pretty confident in guessing that Jamie played video games and Liam spent a lot of time with Tom.

The boys were sweet and affectionate tonight, and Liam still makes little cooing and burbling sounds when he's happy that I will miss six months from now when he grows out of them. Jamie is very funny, and continues to assault us with made-up knock-knock jokes.

A very long Saturday

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:17:00 GMT

2008-04-19 24:17 (John) The boys were up at dawn this morning, as someone left the blinds open again. Kristen let me pretend to sleep in for a half hour while she got the boys fed. We got them dressed and into the car with a few minutes to spare to get to Nisshu Gakuin for Jamie's Saturday school. Kristen stayed at home to (as we say in our family) nap and eat bonbons (i.e. do housework and paid editing work). I dropped Jamie off at school, explained to Nishinoiri-sensei that we couldn't find the set of 47 yomi-fuda cards from Jamie's hand-made karuta* set, which is going to be a moderate pain in the backside to replace. She said she'd check the other kids' backpacks, but they didn't turn up.

I drove Liam all the way down Yonge Street to Front Street on the way to the market. Usually I take a faster, less populated route, but he was taking such glee in calling out the letters that he knew on the signs we passed (AEIJLOSUW, at least) that I had to maximise the number of large signs we would pass. He continued in an effervescently good mood as we walked from the car to the market, and one passerby couldn't resist and had to tousle his hair. Once we got to the market, he sat in his stroller and ate, and got very sleepy because of his early start. I whizzed through the shopping, then took him to Pearls to drop off Tai-Tai's groceries.

My mom wanted to talk to me, so my dad sat in the car and played with Liam to keep him amused, with much apparent success. Liam and I then went to pick up Mom and then back uptown to pick up Jamie. Everyone played with Hari and his mom, while I went in search of an ATM to get cash to pay Jamie's tuition, because I'd left my chequebook at home. I didn't mind the search, because it consisted of walking to the nearest Starbuck's, then using my iPod Touch to quickly determine that the nearest CIBC ATM was 500 m north.

The boys ate at the local pizzeria as usual, and we said goodbye after inviting Hari for a playdate in two weeks' time. Hari said we should come up to his house (in Barrie, a long drive north of Toronto) so we could go swimming, I said we'd see what hours our local community pool was open, because it used to be open on Saturday afternoons.

Jamie and Liam fell asleep on the car ride home, thanks to the early morning, the exercise and the food. As we were trying to decide what to do, Alison called to say that she was taking her girls, Genya and Toni, to the local pool and did we want to join her. Yes. Both boys had a fabulous time, and had somehow managed to improve their swimming skills significantly even since their last time in the water in Mexico in February. They didn't want to say goodbye, so we walked to the Second Cup, then played at St. Barnabas' Church until dinner.

Kristen made a light dinner for all of us, and we got the boys to bed not too late. I have spent the evening and night working on rescuing data from Kristen's iBook G4, which appears to be suffering some sort of hardware failure that is keeping it from booting.

Three quick linguistic notes: I was telling Jamie yesterday that a woman I used to go to school with had passed away (Jennifer Naiberg, the first of my high school classmates to die, and close to the last I would have wanted to lose). He asked her name, then asked "Was she your mother?" It took me a moment to realise the ambiguity of the phrase "go to school with", and that in Jamie's experience the only people you actually go to school with are your parents.

This morning, Jamie asked why Sunday used to be a store holiday in Toronto. I told him it was because people used to keep Sunday special for praying to God in church. He said "I don't understand that", so I repeated it in Japanese, and he said "Oh, okay", as going to Hakobune has been very good for his Japanese religious terminology, among other things.

Liam continues to add to his vocabulary of syllables, and is very creative at combining gestures and sounds, generalising and inventing signs to communicate. He has a very evocative door-handle turning sign for "go outside". He has generalised the sign for "more" to include not just more of a concrete substance, but also more of an ongoing activity. He has a hilarious sign for "Mercury Meltdown Revolution for the Wii", which involves scowling while saying "Warwarwar". He practises calling out the names of the letters he can pronounce whenever he has the opportunity: A, E, I and O. "A" on its own can either mean that he wants to watch the Fisher-Price ABC flash video, or that he wants to play MarbleBlast, which I think in his mind is a game where you press the right letters ro make the marble move.

Shopping for laptops

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:28:00 GMT

2008-04-20 23:28 (Kristen) John didn't get much work done yesterday, as he was trying to diagnose what was wrong with my G4 laptop (my primary machine, and the one that has all my professional work on it). He finally thought that it might be a memory problem, which might involve me having a fried machine and need to buy a new computer. After managing to close the blinds last night, we all slept in until around 8:30 (very pleasant!). I got the kids up, and we did a little of this and that before I took the boys to the Eaton Centre for lunch and a visit to the Apple store.

We made our way there, and both boys enjoyed the subway ride. When we arrived, we went straight to the Apple store to book an appointment with an Apple tech, and then went off to have lunch. Jamie chose lunch from Sushi Q, a little takeaway sushi stand in the food court, which suited me and Liam well. The boys ate sushi and drank miso soup, and Liam in particular attacked the edamame* with gusto. We finished up and cleaned up just as we needed to head back to the Apple store for our appointment, and Jamie nibbled an apple on our way up. He was very amused by the fact that apples weren't allowed in the Apple store.

The fabulous technician who looked at my computer (he *listened* to me! He found the kids fun things to do! He was personable and knowledgable and helpful beyond belief! I love the Apple store!) told me that John had correctly diagnosed the problem with my computer, and that it would easily be $1200 to fix (toasty logicboard). However, he gave the contact info for two places that might take my otherwise happy laptop (5 month old battery! Lovely hard drive! etc.) for trade-in, and so I plotted my next move. I took the boys to Indigo (Liam fell asleep on the way), bought Jamie a new Charlie and Lola book, and then we went to one of the stores mentioned by the Apple tech that was nearby our house. Their technician wasn't in, and Jamie was tired, so we went home.

Once we were home, we puttered about. I got Jamie to tell me some more about Jamieland, and to illustrate what I wrote down in a sketchbook. That was fun. Liam did puzzles, some Pokemon was watched, and we had a good time. Gary and Ayami came up to spend a little time with us before they leave for Japan tomorrow, and Gary walked Jamie to Tom and Michelle's for dinner before they left. Tom had business, and Michelle was asleep, so it was just me, John, Jamie, Liam, Ross, and Daniel for dinner. The boys ate well, much hilarity was had, and we came home well and went to bed well. I should add that Gary and Jamie kept phoning me and John every few minutes so that Jamie could, for some inexplicable reason, yell "OINK!" into the phone. The mysteries of being four.

Invasion of the kindergarteners

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:45:00 GMT

2008-04-21 37:45 (Kristen) We slept well, all of us, last night, and woke up in a house without Gary and Ayami, who are off to Japan. We were a little late getting out the door because Gary called to stay goodbye from the airport, but that was a good reason. Jamie had a good morning at school, and I walked Liam to the library and back (he looked for birds). We picked up Jamie, along with Jake, Sam, and Parker, who were coming to our house for a lunch/afternoon playdate. The boys were in great moods, and formed a train voluntarily on the way home, shouting out the names of "stops" along the way. Once home, they played for a bit while I made macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for lunch. They ate more than I expected (except for Jake, who was too wound up to eat), and then I threw them outside to run around in the back yard (thank you Spring!).

The only fly in the ointment of the afternoon was when Jamie fell down and scraped his knee, provoking howls and gales of tears. He took a long time to calm down, and was eventually helped by his friend Parker, who discussed past 'boo-boos' with him, and who cried the longest about it. Around that time, it was clear that a snack and drink were needed, and so we came in, ate, and watched a Backyardigans episode. By the time that was over, it was time to go out again, and the boys ran around until their parents came to pick them up. Jamie was a little lost for a moment, but that was corrected by Sam and Ben coming outside. The boys all played gleefully with each other until dinnertime, when John called us in for soba and leftover veggies and fish from Monday night. It was good timing, as the boys were getting wet from random watergun spray.

The boys were exhausted, as Liam had only slept for an hour and a half after much effort on John's part, and all that fresh air and exercise was soporific, in the end. Jamie fell asleep easily, but Liam was so tired that he took a long time to finally settle down and sleep.

Skating and other things

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:23:00 GMT

2008-04-22 22:23 (Kristen) Liam was up early enough, nursing away, but Jamie proved to be hard to budge. John was talking softly to him as he levered Jamie out of bed, but I could clearly hear a disoriented and mostly unconscious Jamie protesting in Japanese, "Yadda*! Yadda*! [No! Stop it! I don't want you to do that!, etc.] John says that Jamie was dehydrated, which isn't surprising, and so Jamie ate his breakfast in the living room and drank almost a whole juice box at the same time. Liam was perky and rarin' to go, so out they went to school. John and Liam came back to cart some old computer equipment to Jackman School, as the school was hosting a huge recycle day as part of their Earth Day commemorations. This included taking old computer monitors, etc., which worked for us (although we missed the toxic taxi this year; rats). Liam enjoyed helping. We went home, and puttered there while I made lunch for Jamie and did and that at Liam's bidding.

We met up with Jake and his mom and brother at the school, and had lunch at the picnic table in the playground in the bright sunshine. That went over well, but I think that Jamie was a little tired when we reached our skating lesson. He was very reluctant to go out, and came back off the ice a little over halfway through the class. He didn't want to fall again, and he was tired, and he wanted to go home. I jollied him back onto the ice to get him to play with a stick and a puck, and then, when he wanted off again (10 minutes before the end), I told him that he could only get off if he skated from where he was over to the exit halfway down the ice from where he was. Sure enough, when he had a purpose, he could skate quite quickly. Who knew. Apparently most of the kids just weren't into it today, likely because it was 22 degrees Celsius outside...

Jake had a dentist appointment today, so we went home and watched Godzilla: The Animated Television Series instead. I think that it's kind of scary, but Jamie watched it with me beside him to explain stuff, and I have to thank Gary ever so much for it when he returns from Japan in two weeks. Really thank him. We went outside soon after Liam and John returned from the Second Cup, and the boys played well. Liam scraped up his knee on one of the slides in the back yard, and really hated it when I had to clean the dirt out of it, but otherwise it all went well. We blew bubbles, and Jamie waited very impatiently for Sam, Ben, and Luke to come home and play with water guns again. It turned into one of those lovely neighbourhood free-for-alls, but we had to leave around 5:30 to go to the Silk Road Cafe to meet up with John's old friend Alan Kastner. John's parents came along as well, and we had a good deal of fun. Both boys were very hungry, and Jamie later said, with a sheepish but pleased grin, that he ate too much broccoli while he was there. The only downside was that Liam fell in the bathroom and gave himself two impressive welts on his forehead. They're going to bruise spectacularly, and go nicely with his sniffles and scraped knee.

We came home straight from the restaurant, and played some "warwarwar" (Wii) before heading off to bed. Liam enjoyed reading a book in Japanese that had a mummy cat and a baby cat, and kept pointing out each and then pointing to himself as the small cat. He likes it when I kissed him like a mummy cat. Liam's cold is keeping him from sleeping very well, but I hope that he gets a good night's sleep.

Things Liam can do

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:11:00 GMT

2008-04-23 22:11 (Kristen) I should do a quick roundup of things said and done by the boys worthy of mention but not mentioned in previous iterations of this blog. First, Liam has discovered for us that you can use the toaster as a pen holder. He had stuffed three pens into it before I caught him. Fortunately, he didn't depress the plunger, and we didn't have toasted pens stuck in there too. The toaster is in a different place. Whenever it's quiet around Liam, I worry. A lot. And go find him quickly. He said the word "bubble" today almost clearly, surprising me quite a bit, but it was contextual. Jamie and his friends, on Monday, were discussing which girls they liked. Jamie likes Sabine (d'uh), who likes him but apparently doesn't like Sam, which caused some small but quickly dropped concern between the two of them, where Jamie defended Sabine by saying that she was nice to him. There was much dissing of girls in general (mainly by Jake), but I pointed out to them, "Hello?! Girl in the room, here!" They thought that was very funny.

It was off to class as usual, and John's mom walked with John and Liam back to our house. I usually am given a half hour to do dishes and have my coffee before I'm back on Liam duty, but today I heard an enormous wail in the driveway, and I met John coming up the stairs into the house with a howling Liam. He'd fallen and bitten his mouth; blood, which needed cleaning, and a fat lip for the remainder of the day. Every day he's done some bit of external damage (mouth, forehead, both knees), and we're ready for him to get a little more coordination now, thank you. I took Liam with me to the Big Carrot, which he enjoyed, and then we raced back home for snacks and lunch making before taking Jamie to Hakobune. We were very close to late (and may have actually have been: Liam and I stayed in the car), but got Jamie to the daycare. John, Liam, and I went to Loblaws for some groceries and sushi (Liam ate just the crab out of the centres of 10 pieces of roll). When we were done, I got John to drop us off near Aroma, and Liam kindly fell asleep in the stroller on the way there. I worked and Liam slept until 3:00, and then we picked up Jamie. It was the usual exciting trip home, and Jamie was extremely excited when John revealed that we have a fabulous super soaker of our own in the garage. He played with that for a while, and Liam wandered about, while I did yardwork, and then we headed in for dinner.

Liam was crabby and hungry but didn't eat much. Jamie ate well, and did a good job of entertaining himself for about half an hour while I cleaned up the kitchen. We read a bit together, and then got ready for the bath. I had to herd Jamie a bit, because it's harder to let him dawdle as much as he wants to when it's only the three of us, but we got into the bath together and had a good time. We read three books, and the boys were asleep by 9:20.

Papa leaves for Boston

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:17:00 GMT

2008-04-24 23:17 (Kristen) Liam had a very restless night last night, but fell asleep again for what was sort of a nap around 8:00. He woke up a little after 9:00 in a good mood, but not particularly hungry. He was hungry around 10:30, when I was making Jamie's lunch, however. I got everything done, and packed him up to go with John to Jackman to pick up Jamie. Jamie and John and John's dad headed off, as Jamie was going to Hakobune and John to the airport to fly off to Boston for the weekend. I took Liam to Browning, where he ate a little lunch and went off with Ken for a walk. Ken says that he didn't fall asleep until Coxwell, which is the halfway point of their walk, and Liam woke up after five minutes at the Second Cup. I estimate that he slept for half an hour; 45 minutes max. Ugh. We went to get Jamie, and then walked up to the subway. I was happy about that, as Jamie had walked with the rest of the kids to Queen's Park, and had been complaining that he was tired on the way back (although he had "100% energy" on the way there). We met up with Minako-sensei on the way, and travelled with her part way on the subway, to Jamie's great pleasure.

With Gary gone, Jamie has been playing a lot with our neighbours Sam, Ben, and Luke. However, they weren't home today, and he was reduced to playing with the super soaker on his own, and to playing with his brother. I had to take Liam in at one point, as he was tired enough that he wasn't listening to me when he was running off into the alley. We ate, but were interrupted by Sam, who wanted Jamie to come out to play. That broke the rhythm, and the boys abandoned dinner to go outside. We took just enough time to miss the Martin boys, unfortunately, but I was glad that I was able to offer Jamie time with Alexandria at 7:00. She came over to watch the boys while I ran our book club (I was hosting), and the last thing Jamie said to me before he fell asleep tonight was "I had so much fun." I put the boys to sleep around 8:50, and Jamie fell asleep first. Liam took much longer, and fought it hard, but fell asleep as well by 9:15.

Busy busy busy

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:56:00 GMT

2008-04-25 22:56 (Kristen) It was our first morning without Papa in the house. As a treat, Jamie and Liam made it very easy for me to get them fed and out the door to school. Thanks, guys! John's mom was waiting for us at the schoolyard, and walked with me and Liam to the subway, as we were going to Hakobune. We parted ways, and I took Liam on the train. He loves the subway, and insists (whenever possible) that he get up and have a seat to himself. He then proceeds to "talk" with whoever will talk with him.

Liam was happy until we arrived at Hakobune and he saw Sasaki-sensei. Then he burst into tears until I was out of sight (and earshot). Both Minako-sensei and Mrs. Sasaki told me that Liam came up to them and *asked* to do crafts. With glue. I'm not sure what I'm more impressed by: that he wanted to do crafts, or that he was able to communicate exactly what he wanted so clearly. I, in the meantime, had gone home to do some work, have a shower, and get ready to pick up Jamie at 11:30. John's dad drove us to Hakobune, where Jamie and I bought pizza for lunch for me, Liam, and Jamie. Upon our arrival, I saw Liam having fun and playing until he saw me: then, of course, he burst into tears. We went out, leaving Jamie behind to a chorus of "Jamie no pizza!" from envious other children, and ate our own pizza. I chatted with the other moms while LIam sat on one of the little kids chairs. The other kids were roaming, and Liam (who had not eaten much thus far in the day) was too distracted and tired to eat. He fell three times off the little chair, and I decided that was enough. I packed him up, and he fell asleep not long after that in the stroller.

He slept until a little before 3:00, just as I was sending off a freelance project. I got it sent off, and took a sweet Liam with me to pick up Jamie. I explained to Jamie that we needed to go, and he agreed. His friend, Kakeru-kun, and his mom and brother (Akira) walked with us to Bloor, and came with us to the bubble tea store. The boys were full of beans, and very happy as they chattered away in Japanese. We parted ways in the subway, and made it home without too much incident (except for invisible bears, lions, and tigers everywhere). When we got home, Jamie let me come with him to Jamieland for the first time, and I can testify that it is an amazing place. We did some of this and a bit of that, and headed to Browning for dinner at six.

Tom played with Liam and Daniel with Jamie, and I had an hour to myself (which was great). We ran home at 9:00 when Grammie called to say that she was almost there, and the boys were utterly delighted to see her and Becky. Both boys gave hugs and kisses, and Liam actually offered Blue Pony (his current favourite toy) to Grammie for inspection. Liam followed Jamie's lead: when Jamie gave Grammie and Becky hugs and kisses hello, he followed right away. Baths were had, and then it was lights out at 9:50 (way too late). I hope that they are not too tired tomorrow.

Happyokai*

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:29:00 GMT

2008-04-26 23:29 (Kristen) I found out last night, just before I went to bed, that the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) union had just gone on strike with little to no warning. This called for a bit more tweaking of our day's activities, and my thanking the PTBs that my mom was here with her car this weekend. Jamie was taken to Nisshu Gakkuin by our friend Junko, which was enormously helpful. The day was going to be very busy, however, for the first half as Jamie had his annual happyokai*, or class presentation, at 11:15, and we needed to go grocery shopping at the Market first. We managed it all, doing the shopping and getting home in time to pick up Junko's husband and then to the school in time to videotape Jamie's class sing three or four songs (very very cute) for their presentation. John's parents came as well, and were happy to see that Jamie was featured in the front middle of the class, and not picking his nose on the side or failing to sing.

Jamie did a great job; he was very serious, but I suspect he was a little shy and a little tired too. After his presentation, the rest of us went to Starbuck's (John's parents were there too, but left right afterwards) for a drink, and then we headed back to get Jamie at the usual time. Jamie played with Hari-kun while we found his car seat, and didn't put up too much of a fight going home. Liam fell asleep the moment we turned into the driveway, but was quickly put into his stroller and fell back asleep so that we could get lunch. This we did at the Second Cup, as per Jamie's request. He was a little forceful and single minded today, and I think it was a combination of John's being away, having to pee a lot, and being tired.

Liam woke up after two hours, when we were on the way home. I cleaned, my mom cooked dinner, and Becky looked after the kids. The boys liked the homemade mac and cheese (yay! I now know how to make it too!) and liked the trip to Dairy Queen afterwards even more. They were both exhausted when we got back, so it was into the bath and off to bed. They gave both Mom and Becky goodnight hugs and kisses, which were too cute for words.

Lots of fun

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:04:00 GMT

2008-04-27 25:04 (Kristen) It's hard to encapsulate the days sometimes, when there is so much going on, and both boys are doing their level best to make me laugh and smile all the time. Liam, for example, threw his hands up in the air spontaneously and said "yay!" when the ice cream arrived, and Jamie described himself as having 1000% energy for the day, having stuffed himself full of dim sum. So much detail is lost when I write this blog, but having even a fraction of it down somewhere helps me to remember the rest.

That isn't to say that the boys were not in my good books when, on the one morning that we can all sleep in, they were poking and pleading for me to *get up, Mummy!* at 7:15. Not so very good. We got up around 8:00, had breakfast, and were joined not long afterwards by Grammie and then Becky. I found a pad of paper with very funny drawings that Jamie and Becky had collaborated on, including a sponge versus mop deathmatch. Hilarious. Sponges have rockets, and evil mops have bat wings. In case you didn't already know. The boys played outside with Becky for a little bit while I did a mad clean aroundthe house, and then we set off for a ramble on the Danforth. Mom graciously bought lunch (which was more expensive than anticipated, d'oh, but we have lots of leftovers), and bought Jamie a rubber spider (and LIam a little wooden horse) at Treasure Island. Jamie really really wanted me to buy him the $50 Exoforce he found, and then the $80 one when I said no to the first. Thank goodness he didn't see the $150 Exoforce set. We headed back, finally, to home and waved to Daniel and Ross as they passed by in their car. Tom phoned soon after to see if the boys could come over and play with ours, and we happily agreed. The kids all played together (water guns somehow became involved) for about an hour and a half outside while I had a shower and did some more housework. It was amazing to be able to trust Daniel and Becky with the kids, and no tears were shed (although Ross was irritated when he got soaked by Daniel).

We eventually left to go and have Thai food with Auntie Millie, up north in Markham. Jamie fell asleep on the way up, and slept for half an hour, until a little after 6:00. D'oh. We got to the restaurant, which happily had a large brick patio all around the little mall it was in. I took the boys (who were a little wound up) outside to run around and play Monster until the food was ready. They enjoyed it and (as mentioned earlier) loved the ice cream for dessert. We got them to leave by asking them if they wanted to meet Lucy, my aunt's cat. Liam was particularly enthusiastic, as he had met two dogs earlier, and was in the mood for more animals in his world. He signed "cat' practically the whole way there, he was so excited. Lucy is a small black cat and very skittish and shy. Liam's enthusiastic greetings were met with alarm, and Lucy ran off to hide. Jamie and Becky consoled themselves with Photo Booth on my aunt's computer, and then Jamie left me with Becky. I came downstairs to take pictures a little later to find that Jamie and Liam had found Lucy, and had been stroking her very gently for some time as she purred. My arrival, unfortunately, spooked her. Jamie explained to me, very seriously, that Lucy had realized that they (he and Liam) were going to be kind to her, and that she was happy to see them now. Lucy was skittish for the rest of the evening, so I didn't get photos of her with the kids again, which is a shame.

We left late, and Liam had trouble sleeping in the car. He fell asleep instantly when we got home, and Mom and Becky put Jamie into his pjs. He had a good deal of trouble falling asleep, despite the food and the running around I'd had him do, and so he was awake until 11:00 or a bit afterwards. I hope that he'll be all right and not too tired at school tomorrow. Grammie and Becky leave tomorrow, and I know that the boys are going to miss them terribly. Liam, in particular, has been Grammie's friend.

Missing Grammie and Becky

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:52:00 GMT

2008-04-28 22:52 (Kristen) John didn't get home until after 2:30 last night, and wasn't in bed until 3:30. Everyone was exhausted, and so I made the decision (on my mom's suggestion) that Jamie stay home from school today. It was a good idea, as Jamie was very very tired all day, and it showed. It would have been a hard day for him in class, I think. We woke up around 8:15, and left John in bed to sleep some more as we went downstairs and puttered. We had a small breakfast at 10:00, and Grammie and Becky got packed up to go. They couldn't go without a breakfast out, however, and so we went to Wimpy's (Mocha Mocha was too crowded, the Detroit was closed for Orthodox Easter, and Wimpy's had the milkshakes that Jamie was craving). Once we were there, Liam (unusually) insisted on nursing, and fell asleep in the booth. I was able to get him, with John's help, into the stroller, and so it was a quieter, more restful lunch than usual. Jamie had two milkshakes and some of his burger and fries.

We headed home to see Becky and Grammie off around 2:45, and then went indoors. The weather has taken a cold turn, and it's overcast and occasionally wet, so there was no joy to be had outside. Jamie was bored, and finally nagged me into going over to Daniel and Ross's, where he was much happier. It was salmon night, and we got dinner made by 6:45 or so (I think). Both boys ate relatively well, and had fun playing before we came home. When we did, Jamie sat to watch a short Pokemon video, and told me, as he watched, "I miss Grammie and Becky," with a sad look on his face. I said that I did too, and we sat together, watching Pokemon, an missing them. We had a really really good time.

Liam fell asleep quickly, as he had woken himself out of his nap after an hour and a half with a deep cough he developed last night. He doesn't cough often, but it's a rich, hoarse, hack-y sound. Poor guy. Jamie also fell asleep easily, and I know that I'm going to sleep myself any minute.

Good Jamie day

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:33:00 GMT

2008-04-29 20:33 (Kristen) Jamie, Liam, and I woke up around 8:10 today after a good night's sleep. That was nice in and of itself. Jamie got off to school a little late, and was actually late for what might have been the first time. John came back with Liam, who got into various types of trouble all morning (spilling the watermelon juice left over in the container, that sort of thing), but managed to stay cute enough that I didn't give in to my baser impulses. Grrr. I sent him out with John to the schoolyard, and followed soon afterwards with Jamie's skating gear.

I was dreading skating class, as Jamie has started to take a serious dislike to it. I was thinking very hard about how to get him motivated again, and realized that he's been spending most of his time alone on the ice. He and Jake haven't been connecting, because they're going at different speeds, and he didn't really know anyone else. Just before class, as he was telling me he really didn't want to go, I reminded him that skating, like anything, is 2% hard (as in you fall, get hurt, etc.) and 98% fun, and that when he falls, he should remember that. Also, that he was spending his time alone on the ice, and that he should make friends with kids nearby, or stay close to Jake. He thought, and went out onto the ice. I removed myself from the arena, and went to watch him from outside the arena, through the glass, after warning him that I might not be in the arena if he was looking for me (my official excuse was that my coat wasn't warm enough, which was true). I was worried that it was too easy for him to come off the ice if he saw me nearby. Whether it was the pep talk or my being out of the arena, Jamie had an absolutely fabulous class. He kept close to Jake and made friends with Hunter, Alexander, and Graham; he skated to the end of the ice for the first time with the group; he stood up after a fall all by himself for the first time; he playe d hockey; he stayed on the ice for the whole lesson, having fun. I was so excited as I watched him, and was so very happy, that I practically leapt onto him as he exited the ice, lifting him out and gaving him a huge hug as I did. He was very proud of himself, and declared that he'd had 1000% fun. It was a very good moment for both of us.

Afterwards, we went with Jake and Graham (who is also in JK at Jackman, and lives across the street from Jake) to the park nearby and the boys played for a bit. The boys all went back to Jake's house afterwards, and a fun time was had by all. Liam was dropped off around 3:00 and he woke up not long afterwards. John says that he was so tired at lunch that he asked to be put into his stroller a little before 1:00, and instead of crying and fighting, just turned his face to the side and fell asleep. !!! He was in a good mood when he woke up, and Jamie was in such a good mood that he didn't complain at all about not wanting to walk home, and did so in good humour.

In the evening, I made dinner and the kids were good, keeping themselves amused and playing with John (who was taking a break from taxes). Jamie and I played a spelling game that he brought home from school (a new innovation), and he did very well at it too, as well as reading his phonics book ("All About 'P'"). Liam didn't cause any major disasters involving food, although he was interested in eating the green bean/potato/pasta dish out of the serving bowl with his fingers. He was very tired again once bathtime came around, and his nose is running almost constantly. He has woken up coughing once already, and I'm not sure how well he'll sleep tonight. Jamie can sleep through almost anything, thank goodness.

People we miss

Thu, 1 May 2008 03:17:00 GMT

2008-04-30 23:17 (Kristen) Jamie is missing Gary, but not talking about him much other than to tell people where he is ("Gary is in Japan"). I asked him today if he missed Gary, and he just said "Yes," quietly. He also told me, yesterday, that he really missed Grammie. He likes his people to be around, and all those who are away from him are remembered. Just in case you wonder, those of you who worry (no names mentioned).

John let Liam and me sleep in today, and so we didn't get up until after 9:00 (how very unusual!). When we got up, I took Liam downstairs and we puttered until it was time for John to take Liam with him to pick up the car and Jamie at Jackman. Then it was shoes on and "bye, Mum!" as he happily (nay, ecstatically) left with his dad. He loves to go outside, and time with Papa makes it so much better. I met up with them at the school, and we all went to Hakobune together. I took Liam with me on a short shopping spree in Kensington Market, but he didn't fall asleep until 1:45, likely because he'd slept in. He isn't eating much, but I'm blaming that on the cold. He fell asleep just as I left Kensington, so I sat in a mediocre Second Cup nearby (instead of the indie coffee shops I'd been eyeing, because I was just too tired to walk back) until it was time to get Jamie. When I did, Jamie left without too much fuss, and was very affectionate with a newly wakened Liam. I should mention that Jamie, with no prompting, shared his rice krispie square with Liam in the car on the way to Hakobune, and then with me and John. What a guy!

The funny thing was that Liam, seeing Sasaki-sensei, burst into tears. I think that he associates her with being parted from me, and it took a minute for him to realize that he was picking up his brother, not being dropped off. Then the sun came out through the clouds, and he even managed a smile and a wave for Sasaki-sensei before we left. I think that, if I pick up Jamie tomorrow, that we'll go in for a few minutes to play, Liam and I, before we leave to wire a few associations for Liam. I asked Jamie, as we left, where we should pick up a few groceries, and he chose the Big Carrot over Dominion or Sobey's because the Big Carrot has candy in their bulk section (dried fruit and organic malt balls, natch). We went to Chester, did our shopping (Jamie insisted that there were secrets all over, don't look) and then came back home.

I had to spend a good deal of the rest of the day cleaning and cooking, but I did get some time with the boys near the end of the day. I made an asparagus avgolemono soup and an orzo-based warm salad with baby spinach, goat cheese, sunflower seeds and dried cherries, and Liam adored the dried cherries, but neither boy ate a lot. They didn't eat much of the other things that I offered them either (tofu, e.g.), so I think that Liam wasn't hungry again. Jamie only wanted freezies, and kept changing his mind every few minutes about what he wanted to eat. We ate by 6, so it might have just been fatigue. The boys weren't all that happy with my doing housework instead of playing with them, but I made it up to them by reading Jamie the rest of the Velveteen Rabbit (He liked it when the rabbit became real, that the book was long, and the fairy), played a phonics game with him, and had him read See Otto to me. He did very well with all three. Liam put up with us doing other stuff, but was getting tired (or so I thought). They had fun in the bath, and I had them in bed, with a story read, by 9:10. Neither boy fell asleep easily, however, and LIam was completely unwilling to be asleep and stay there until 9:40. I felt his gums earlier in the evening, and there are big bumps under the gum. I reiterate my desire to have a big, fat party when those two-year molars are through. Big. Fat. Party.

Liam is not feeling well

Fri, 2 May 2008 03:47:00 GMT

2008-05-01 23:47 (Kristen) Around 3 am, Liam woke up with a strong fever and stayed up for about an hour. During that time, he managed to get himself into quite a state until we got the fever down with some Advil. The fever had broken by 3:45, so it didn't take long, but John and I were a little wrecked.

Liam and I slept in until 9:20, which we both needed. We then did some laundry and hung out some clothes, cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes (Liam will sometimes insist on "doing dishes" too), and straightened up a bit. He was in a fine mood, and showed no signs of illness other than that cold he's had for a while now. We puttered around while John went to take Jamie to Hakobune and his mom shopping, and I tried to feed Liam some lunch. He really isn't eating much, however, except for a couple of cookies that I gave to him tonight. Maybe that's a sign that his appetite is coming back, or it's just because he rarely has cookies. I took him for a walk around 1:45, and he fell asleep from 2 to 3:45 or so.

We got home around 4:00, and companionably did more housework. I made dinner, and when John and Jamie got home at 6:00, it was almost ready. However, Jamie had been eating steadily over at Tai Tai's place, so he wasn't all that hungry. Liam picked at his food too, but John and I ate what I made so it wasn't a waste. We played Wii, did homework both English and Japanese with Jamie and some puzzles with Liam, and got the boys into the bath around 8:30. They both fell asleep without huge amounts of trouble, but Liam is doing a lot of coughing tonight. He's not waking up fully, except for once, and we're trying to keep him off his back.

Good Liam day

Sat, 3 May 2008 02:15:00 GMT

2008-05-02 22:15 (Kristen) I slept in with Liam a bit this morning, so our morning was a little rushed as we struggled to get everything ready and everyone fed before departing for Jackman and Hakobune, respectively. I ended up feeding Liam his breakfast on the train, which worked out well because he ate more than usual for him lately as he happily gazed about from his own seat. When we got to Hakobune, he cried but stopped enough to put his own sticker into his book, and (I stayed to listen) only cried for a few minutes after I fled the daycare like a guilty criminal. When I came back to get him, the staff told me that he didn't cry every time the door opened, for the first time. I quietly came in and sat down beside him as he played industriously, and he didn't cry then either: just threw himself into my lap and held on tightly to my neck for a minute or two. Apparently he did crafts again. He hates having his hands be sticky, so he had Minako-sensei put the glue on his paper, but insisted (strongly!) that he be the one to put the paper where he wanted it. Very Liam. He ate snack, but didn't sit down during sing along or for story time: apparently, Jamie was the same. They say that Liam is a lot like his brother.

John and Jamie arrived soon after, and Jamie went happily into Hakobune. Apparently there was some sort of jump rope demonstration at Jackman today, and Jamie is all excited about it. I have been told that I have to teach Jamie how to jump rope, as John claims that he doesn't know how. John and I took Liam to Loblaws, which he enjoyed, and where he ate the centres out of a lot of sushi again. He didn't fall asleep in the car, however, and insisted on taking his socks and boots off and then putting them on again. We went back to Hakobune for the stroller, and I walked him up to Starbucks (Aroma was full). He fell asleep after two minutes, tops, but with only one boot on as the other offended him for no discernable reason. He woke up on the subway, as I took Liam home that way to meet John and Jamie, who came back from Hakobune by car.

We puttered and did some homework, and played a little "warwarwar" before I took LIam to Browning for dinner. John and Jamie finished Jamie's Nisshu Gakkuin homework and then followed. Jamie played a lot of Smash Bros. with Daniel and Ross, and Liam played with Daniel and roamed (Tom was working late). Daniel helped to bring two very tired boys home around 8:00, and they were in bed and asleep by 9:15 or so. Liam's cough still bothers him, and he's woken himself up with one fit so far already.

Playdate with Hari

Sun, 4 May 2008 02:08:00 GMT

2008-05-03 22:08 (Kristen) John took Jamie to Nisshu Gakkuin, and I took Liam with me to do some shopping at the Eaton Centre. I am now richer by a pair of sky-blue rubber boots and a lot of Crabtree products (thanks, Auntie!). I brought Liam home about 1:00, after a subway ride with a bag of dill pickle chips (which Liam kindly deigned to share with me after snatching the whole bag out of my hands). We speed cleaned, and then Jamie arrived home with his friend Hari and his parents. We had arranged a swimming playdate for them a few weeks ago, and we left home (after much light sabre battling) to go swimming at the Frankland pool. Hari's mom (who is expecting in September) and John sat out (John walked a very tired Liam to the pool), while Hari's dad and I got in with the boys. After many rounds of Mummy Shark and "toss me!" and other fun games, we finally got out of the pool to go our separate ways.

I walked Liam home while Jamie and John got a ride back home themselves. On the way, John called me to say that Jamie had requested Greek food for dinner (souvlaki, in particular, as chicken on a stick sounded fun), and so I stayed down a bit longer to get takeout from Astoria. Jamie was very hungry and very happy that I had found what he wanted, but somewhat disappointed that Astoria doesn't send its takeout chicken home on a stick. Next time. The boys ate very early, and were very tired, but not as tired as John. I'm not sure exactly what time he passed out, but it was early (like 7:00 or earlier). He's fighting off a cold, so it's probably the best thing for him to do. In the meantime, the boys watched a lot of Treehouse, and Jamie read a phonics book for me. They were a little too tired at 8:30 when I took them upstairs to the bath, and we read a story in the other bedroom because we didn't want to disturb John. Jamie declared that he wanted to sleep in the green room with me and Liam, and so the boys are asleep there now (after much much flailing). I think that Jamie wanted to do that because he didn't want to wake John up. He's a very thoughtful boy.

Grumpy Sunday

Mon, 5 May 2008 02:47:00 GMT

2008-05-04 22:47 (Kristen) Liam was up around 4:30 for some unspecified amount of time, but it wasn't very restful for the rest of the night. I didn't get a REM cycle, so I was more than a little groggy today, and maybe a little cross at times. Maybe.

Both boys slept with me for the whole night, and were up between 7:30 and 8:00. Jamie has been wanting to play "cat" with me for a few days now, so we did (this involves him meowing, and me 'patting' the cat for a bit) before making it downstairs for breakfast. We did some housework, and ate lunch. Afterwards, we went to Home Depot to look for curtain rods (full of fail) and a few other things. Jamie ate french fries at the food court, and was overwhelmed by the choice of toys at Zellers. In particular, he wanted the $30 Transformer figure (John and Liam wanted the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 'soft' whip with a button that played the Indie theme when you press it. Words fail me, but 'abomination' comes pretty close. Liam, of course, couldn't be parted from it without tears.) We didn't buy anything, but started to introdue the idea of an allowance to Jamie. He's very interested in the idea of having money for himself. I'm very interested in having him clean up after himself in return for an allowance. We're working out the details.

Jamie got a popsicle at the local ice cream truck on the way home, and Liam (who continued to be in a foul mood himself) wasn't satisfied with the freezie he got when we arrived home. A large popsicle in the back seat just wasn't going to happen: I am reminded of a scene I saw a week or two ago, where a woman gave a child not much older than Liam a large chocolate-dip cone from Dairy Queen in the back of her car. About two minutes later, a squished-looking cone came out of the car and went into the garbage. So. Judge as you will. Liam continued to be in a foul mood, despite a nurse, and was not interested in sharing with anyone or having anyone not really be with his program for long periods. Liam ate a good dinner, while Jamie was too distracted to eat much himself, and the boys were put to bed early. Liam didn't fall asleep until 9:04, when the sun was just far enough below the horizon to make it dark enough in the room for Liam to sleep. Jamie was full of beans and had a lot of trouble falling asleep. He's got an exciting day tomorrow, with a playdate at Charlie's (including lunch) and a trip to the airport in the evening to pick up Gary. He's really missed him, and is very much looking forward to seeing him again.

Excellent Monday

Tue, 6 May 2008 03:32:00 GMT

2008-05-05 23:32 (Kristen) Jamie had a fantabulous* Monday. He came and pounced on me early this morning (well, it was 7:55--it just felt too early) and played 'cat' with me and played random kid games with a delighted Liam. Then it was off to school. Afterwards, he went to his friend Charlie's for lunch (Charlie has three other siblings and a fourth on the way), which sounds like it was a blast. I met up with him at the schoolground around 4:00, and let Liam roam while Jamie continued to play hard with Charlie and the rest. Then we went to Browning for Michelle's birthday dinner, and cake was eaten. Finally, Jamie went to the airport with John to pick up Gary, who was as happy to see Jamie as Jamie was to see him. Jamie got carsick on the way home, however, likely as a result of too much excitement, not enough food, and a touch of genuine carsickness. Poor guy went straight to bed after apologizing to Gary that he wouldn't be able to play with him any more that evening. Gary read him a bedtime story, and they have a playdate for tomorrow. Life is good for Jamie.

Liam had a good day too. We played some MMR in the morning, puttered around the house, and then walked to Browning for lunch. We took quite some time to just get around the block, but it meant that Liam had a great appetite for lunch. He asked to get his shoes and went into his stroller with nary a wimper for his walk. He's getting much better at being reasonable about things: he understands being tired now, and that he can do things about it (like get into his stroller). Which is, you know, kinda cool. He slept for an hour and a half, and woke up more or less the instant Ken entered the Second Cup with him. In the vain hope that he'd go back to sleep, we went to the library, and then walked back towards the schoolyard, where we met up with Jamie and Charlie. Liam was very happy to play with the other boys, and roamed the schoolyard for a while, climbing this and doing that, and giving me heart attacks but managing to stay alive. Curiously, the only time he got really hurt was when he was sitting on a little metal bar, and was so excited that he slipped backwards and hit his head. Poor guy. He did it twice, to make it worse. He was pretty tired by then, I think.

Liam got to play with Tom for the first time in a week and a half, which suited him very well. We came home around 8:00, not long after John and Jamie went to get Gary, and he was asleep by 9:10. He's woken up a few times tonight, and I'm a little worried about this cold that just won't go away. We'll try to get him to see Dr Kennedy tomorrow.

Exhausted

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:02:00 GMT

2008-05-06 20:02 (Kristen) We were all exhausted today. Jamie's headache was gone when he woke up, but he was draggy and slow all morning. Liam was fine and happy, and went for a walk with me that made him a pleased clam, especially when he got a breakfast cookie at the Second Cup. He went with John to the school yard to meet Jamie, and was having a grand time when I arrived to take Jamie off to skating with Jake, Charlie, and Michelle. They went off to lunch at Browning, and Liam slept for about two hours in the afternoon.

Jamie did well at his skating class: he really likes one of the instructors, Lucas, who is very good to him. He was completely exhausted, however, and was the first one off the ice. I was pleased that he was out there participating at all, given his exhaustion levels, and told him so. We went off to Jake's for the rest of the afternoon, where the boys played shareware games at the Treehouse site together, peacefully. Liam and John arrived a little after three, and we took the boys home at 3:45. Liam insisted on walking, and was in a combustible mood if he was thwarted in any way. That, actually, describes Liam for the rest of the day. We played with Sam, Ben, and Luke (and neighbour Thomas) for a bit before dinner. Ben was very good at letting Jamie try to score goals in their soccer game, and Jamie was getting right into being an Italian soccer player as the boys showed him how to run about with his shirt pulled over his face, a la the Italians, when you score. Skinny little white boy chests everywhere. Very funny. It was Jamie's first time trying to play soccer, and he had fun. It was clear that he's on a growth spurt, as he's visibly taller against some of the other boys, as compared to a month or two ago. Liam wandered through the game, irrepressible and impossible to redirect, and enjoyed kicking balls onto the street until we stopped that.

John made dinner, and Jamie did a rhyming game sent home from school with the help of Legion, his new Gamera action figure from Japan, courtesy of Gary. I had to praise Legion when he put a pair of rhyming words onto the board, just as I did with Jamie. As Legion is a Japanese monster, this was an action worthy of praise. Liam loves the Godzilla figure that we have as well, and makes roaring sounds for it. He also adores a dinosaur book that I got for him from the library, and made me read it to him three times before bed last night. Tonight, however, while Jamie fell asleep in ten minutes, Liam took an hour and a half to settle down. In the end, he was saying "ow ow ow" and sticking his finger in his mouth, but not screaming or crying, and I thought he was talking about cats or food at first. I gave him some Advil, and he was asleep fifteen minutes later. Teething it is. This behaviour has been geting progressively worse over the last week or so, and I really hope that damn tooth comes through soon.

Liam, Super Destructo Boy

Thu, 8 May 2008 01:58:00 GMT

2008-05-07 21:58 (Kristen) Liam slept well last night after I drugged him, and we managed to stay in bed until after 9:00. Jamie got up to pee twice, I think, and got up with a sore throat this morning and a bit of a cough to go with it. Liam was in an average mood by the time the morning was over, and was definitely in the mood to play in the school yard when it was time to get Jamie. We stopped at the Second Cup to get Jamie a car treat, and saw Christian, Antonio's son. Jamie and Christian played while I did the purchasing, and preliminary negotiations were made for a playdate (with Jordan) on Sunday. I was going to make it Saturday, but then grabbed my scheduling brain and gave it a shake as that is the day of the Jackman Spring Fair. We dropped Jamie off, took Liam to Loblaws, and took a side trip to Canadian Tire. Liam didn't fall asleep in the car, so I walked him a few blocks in the stroller (I really only needed ten feet to have him asleep). He woke up in Aroma, too hot, and that after only an hour.

The rest of the day was not as much fun, as Liam was tired, crabby, and in what can only be charitably described as a destructive mood. Jamie, once we got him, flew downstairs to play with Gary, and this ticked Liam off terribly, as he couldn't go down too (too many breakable things, etc.). He made up for it by howling whenever thwarted in anything (including acts of certain death) and refusing to be mollified. He spilled the lemon juice for dinner (important main course ingredient), shoved a speaker off the tv stand and put a small divot into the floor, and insisted on going down the stairs and doing exactly what I'd just told him not to do. It was a looooong evening. I got the boys bathed by 8:45, and the lights were out by 9:00. Liam had his painkiller before story time, and this helped to avoid the 1 1/2 hour fiasco of last night. Jamie is a little warm as he sleeps, and I hope that he's going to be all right. John leaves for Providence tomorrow, and a sick child at home would make for a very long weekend.

Sick day

Fri, 9 May 2008 05:51:00 GMT

2008-05-08 25:51 (Kristen) Very fast, because Liam keeps waking up coughing, and it's almost 2 am: Jamie was home sick today with some sort of sore throat, and Liam has a bit of an eye infection. John left for Providence this afternoon, and will be back on Sunday. Both boys are coping. So am I. More detail tomorrow, if I can find the time.

Feeling better

Sat, 10 May 2008 02:58:00 GMT

2008-05-09 22:58 (Kristen) Jamie slept in a little this morning, but was feeling much better than yesterday. Liam was feeling all right too, and slept in until 8:30. Gary came upstairs to help walk Jamie to school, which he appreciated a good deal. I took Liam off to Hakobune, where he howled when I left, but was soon occupied in something fun and interesting. Gary brought Jamie to Hakobune by TTC, and I saw them on the streetcar as I was going into Cora's Pizza to pick up lunches. Jamie was in a state of high excitement, and was delighted to arrive early at Hakobune and play a little before lunch. Liam burst into tears as usual when he saw me, but stopped dead when he saw Gary. He was delighted to see him, and to eat lunch with him before setting out on his walk.

For some reason, he took a long time to fall asleep, and only stayed that way for about 45 minutes. He had insisted on taking off his socks and shoes and blanket for the walk. He agreed to put them on again only to play with his brother, and he first went to get Jamie's shoes so that they would be ready for his brother to don so that they could play together. Jamie was very tired when we left, so after much convincing (he wanted to stay and play more) we went home. We had an early bath so that we could stay a little longer at Browning tonight, which was a good idea. The boys were clean and happy, and Jamie helped Liam to put on his shoes on our way to Browning. I was very very surprised and happy with that, and praised him mightily as being an excellent Big Brother. He was pretty pleased with the praise. The boys, I should mention, had spent about half an hour playing together in the living room with Godzilla, Legion, a battle cart, and an enormous Piglet pillow (Piglet was squishing Legion but Jamie swore that Piglet hadn't won). It was lovely and wonderful to see.

It was the usual fun romp at Browning. Liam got a lot of Tom time, as he hasn't seen much of Tom for the last week and a half or so, and was delighted. Jamie played with Daniel, Ross, and Gary, and did very well too, given how tired he was. We trooped home, and the boys were in bed not long afterwards.

Total exhaustion

Sun, 11 May 2008 03:39:00 GMT

2008-05-10 23:39 (Kristen) The boys were not awake when the alarm went off this morning, and I wished that I wasn't. The alarm went off again, and Jamie wanted to play 'cat' while Liam wanted to keep sleeping and nursing. No one really much got what they wanted, but I got Jamie downstairs and dressed, and out the door and into Junko's car (a Nisshu Gakkuin day) with not too mch drama. Liam continued to be Child From Hell, however, until we went back upstairs to have a nurse and to start the day all over again. It worked; an odd sort of reset, but I'm not arguing.

I had a deadline loom unexpectedly, so I worked as much as I could in the morning while Liam alternately played beside me and mugged me to read books to him. He was heavily into making lots and lots of noise, and I was very glad that Gary was at work today, and not working at sleeping off his jet lag. We walked to the library, dropped off some books, and Liam took his shoes and socks off again. I don't know why he feels this is fun or necessary, but it's a Liam thing. We made it to Nisshu Gakkuin just in time, and brought Rayna and Maya back down with us while their mom, Junko, kept teaching. The girls really wanted to go to the Jackman Spring Fair (as did we), and we had fun playing word games on the subway there. We dropped the girls off with their dad, and got some food. Daniel and Ross came along, and took Jamie for a little bit to go on the rides; then Daniel came back and took Liam for a while. I later learned that they were going on the bouncy rides, and Liam was having a great time because no one would rush him along because he was so cute. I should also mention that many many people mistake Liam for a young Jamie, and exclaim that they look so much alike. Is this true? By the time I saw Liam again it was very close to three o'clock, and I realized that if he slept, he wouldn't be asleep again until quite late, and I have a killer deadline (did I mention that? I'm sure that I did). So, I made the bold decision to keep him up and let him play. By and large he was delightful, so it worked out. He had a good time in the bouncy ride with the balls, and kept passing the balls out to me, even though he wasn't supposed to. Jamie was very hot and very tired, and kept asking for water and other potables (which I supplied). We went home, very slowly, around 4:00, and very tired. I picked up a little puzzle and a toolbox for Liam (the little handsaw will be much fought over by both boys), and some books for Jamie at the rummage table.

The boys played together a lot today, and Jamie was very good about making sure that a very tired Liam didn't kill himself. John's parents came over for dinner (John's mom made dinner and brought it, more accurately: thanks!) and we al ate al fresco in the back yard. The boys ate well, and then ran around playing in the pleasant evening. Liam eventually went from bubbly and cheery (he can say "cheese" and mug for the camera now...well, maybe say "eeees!") to very clumsy and judgement impaired, so we went inside and said goodbye and thank you to John's parents. I put the kids into the bath, even though it was barely 7:30, and they were in bed and asleep by 8:30. It's a record, I tell you! I've tried to block the light coming in from the windows so that they'll sleep in a little tomorrow but I'm not counting on it. Liam and Jamie are now both coughing that nasty cough, and Liam has woken up twice with it, but I hope that they'll sleep well anyway.

Mother's Day

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:00:00 GMT

2008-05-11 21:00 (John) Briefly, because Kristen is busy working on a deadline and is likely to do so all night, I came home from Providence and the NSSC at around 14:00 to find Jamie downstairs playing with Gary and Kristen at the Second Cup with Liam. I took a nap until 16:00, woke up and played with the boys for a bit, then we went down to the Silk Road Cafe for Mother's Day dinner. The boys had very good appetites considering how poorly they seemed to feel. After dinner, we brought them home and went straight to bed, at least the boys and me. Kristen is on her own again tomorrow, as my dad is having a cataract removed. Wish her luck.

Post Mother's Day

Tue, 13 May 2008 04:01:00 GMT

2008-05-12 24:01 (Kristen) Before I get to today, I should mention a few things about Mother's Day. First, the boys gave me a huge present by letting me sleep in until 9:00 (well, we all did). Thoughtful boys! And both of them made me a flower with a ladybug on it at Hakobune, and Jamie also made a tissue paper flower fridge magnet at kindergarten. I was a very happy mom. Jamie, seeing that I liked the presents, said that I could look at the flower when I was crabby so that I could feel happy again. I said that I would. About five minutes later, as I asked him to sit properly on his chair while eating (again!) he looked at me with a little smile and said "Look at the flower, Mummy!" Funny kid. And I am a lucky mom. Both boys showered me with hugs and kisses, and Liam can now sign "more kisses." How cute is that? How can one resist when one's preverbal toddler asks you to kiss his tummy some more? You just don't.

We had dinner at the Silk Road, and the boys were delighted to have John back home. I did stay up way too late working, and had the chance to observe that Liam is sleeping in four hour chunks, but only one: the early hours of his sleep have him waking up once every two hours or so, and he wakes up after about three or hour hours after the four-hour chunk. I'm not sure how to get him to sleep a full night yet; I remember that Jamie slept better, perversely, when he stopped nursing. It may be the same for Liam, but he's going to resist being weaned ferociously, I think.

Jamie had a slight fever again last night, and so he stayed home from Jackman today. He seemed fine during the day, watching a lot of television in the morning and going for a walk around Riverdale Farm with John and Liam in the early afternoon while I dropped off a manuscript with an author. Liam apparently liked the horses and cows. John said that a lot of the animals weren't out. The baby animals should be showing up soon, however, and I think that we'll be going back soon for another look. The interesting part was that Liam liked looking at the horses and cows so much that he didn't sleep this afternoon by the time it was 3:00. As I was feeling very tired, we decided to forego the nap so that he'd fall asleep early tonight. It was a bit of a struggle for the rest of the day, as he becomes even more strong willed when he's tired, but we managed. The boys ate a huge dinner (they both love Japanese barbequed eel), and I read lots of books to them. Jamie was not feeling himself by the time the bath rolled around, and had a full meltdown, sobbing his heart out that he wasn't first into the bath after he'd failed to notify us that this was his wish and Liam was already in. We'd been getting him ready for bed early, and this was to the good. I'm a little concerned about this, but will keep an eye on him for further developments.

Trying for routine

Wed, 14 May 2008 03:45:00 GMT

2008-05-13 23:45 (John) We got off to a reasonably normal start this morning. Everyone managed to wake up before alarms went off, and Jamie, Liam and I were out the door for school on time. We met Parker and Jake at the corner, and Jamie jumped out of the wagon and ran the rest of the way to school with his pals. Kristen caught up with us and took Liam shopping on the Danforth while I went home to let Trifina in. When Kristen came home, Liam and I took my dad out for a post-op checkup, and entertained ourselves shopping at the local Loblaws while waiting to pick him up. Liam is a huge impulse shopper; after he finishes eating his California roll, I have to make sure we are in aisles where there are lots of unbreakable things that we need to buy, or else he just starts loading whatever looks good to him onto the cart.

My mom fed Liam and me lunch, and Kristen and Jamie went to skating class with Jake and his mom. We all got together again at Jamie's skating friend Graham's house, walked back toward home so that I could make delayed salmon dinner at Browning while Kristen went to lock up after Trifina with Liam. The boys were both tired but in better spirits today, but still have several days' before they're fully recovered, I think. Liam in particular has had Kristen pinned to the bed since about 21:00, and only settled down at all after she gave him some Tylenol, so he must be teething again.

Long day

Thu, 15 May 2008 03:15:00 GMT

2008-05-14 23:15 (Kristen) Liam kept me in bed all night; every time I moved, he woke up. I relish those nights when I sleep in my clothes because I can't get out of bed. One the bright side, I got a lot of sleep: enough t wake up feeling a little disoriented and stiff. Liam was in a fine mood, and Jamie seemed to be well also. The boys ate breakfast and went off to school, and I followed not long afterwards so that I could take over from John. We walked home after Liam played on the slides (his favourite outdoor activity, aside from chasing and ovserving the local wildlife), and settled into our usual morning of TVO Kids and puzzles. Liam surprised me greatly by doing two of his four-piece puzzles by himself, and was very pleased with himself when I walked into the room and saw the two puzzles all done (I was doubly surprised because he had chosen the right pieces out of the box, which contains four puzzles). He is still prone to sudden explosions of temper when he is thwarted in any way, which will often include a series of very short, high-pitched screams (!...!...!...!). I am not enjoying this at all. At. All.

In the afternoon, we picked up Jamie and dropped him off at Hakobune. Liam came with us to the Korean grocery store, where it was difficult to keep him from impulse buying EVERYTHING (we got off cheaply with the Hello Kitty! cookies, I thought). I picked up a pizza bun for him, and he enjoyed eating that in his stroller while I walked him to Aroma to meet John (who drove). Liam fell asleep a little past Aroma, but it was a pleasant walk, and I turned around and walked back to meet John. Liam slept for about an hour, but was very snuggly when he woke up. He nursed and then just cuddled on my lap. He insisted that John carry him to the car, and was very affectionate with his dad on the way there, making John visibly melt. They both went to get Jamie while I slept in the car (I was very sleepy today), and then we dropped off some groceries at John's parents' house before we went home. The boys stopped and socialized with John's parents first, of course.

For dinner, I made the boys eel and edamame again (which they love), and Joamie disappeared soon after for his playtime with Gary. Liam and I read books, played Wii, argued about the proper use of the stereo and DVD players, and I figured out how he managed to put the VCR parental lock on (and I'm not taking it off anytime soon, heh). Bedtime was at 8:25, and lights out not long after 9:00. It was an average day, and I'm already gearing up for tomorrow.

John and the boys

Fri, 16 May 2008 04:43:00 GMT

2008-05-15 24:43 (Kristen) Liam and I slept in until after 9:00, and didn't get out of bed until about 9:30. I know that Jamie came in to say goodbye, which was nice, but I was pretty groggy when I woke up. It was a quiet morning in which I kept meaning to take Liam outside but something else would come up. Liam had a pleasant morning anyway, which was good. John surprised me by offering to take Liam for the afternoon, in addition to his usual routine of taking Jamie to Hakobune and picking him up, and I was utterly delighted to have an afternoon to myself to get a project finished. Joy!

John said that Liam had two 45-minute naps (John: one at Aroma, one outside the Barbord Bakery), and that he was a little unsure when he was in Hakobune when John went to pick up Jamie. John thought that Liam was unsure if he was to be left behind, and needed much reassuring and constant paternal presence. They came home around 5:00, Jamie had fallen asleep in the car on the final approach, and John carried him inside to the couch. I woke him up about half an hour later, as he was starting to pee (which, oddly, he will do only if he falls asleep in the afternoon). He was utterly disoriented, and wasn't really coherent for about ten minutes. He was pretty tired for the rest of the night, but not so tired that he would fall asleep before 10:30 tonight. Not so good, at all. He played with Gary, and Liam determinedly did an eight-piece puzzle over and over again until he got seven pieces right out of eight consistently (and did the whole thing right once). He is very determined, and it's nice to see him determined about that, and not about using my CD player, or DVD player, or freaking out that I won't let him take all my DVDs down and out of their boxes. 'Cause I'm unreasonable that way. I should also add that Liam sat cheerfully on the potty for about fifteen minutes, as the board books kept coming. He knows that if he poos, that I'll put him on the potty and put the poo into the potty. Then he gets toilet paper, and that's all he really wants at this point. Well, that and the books, as he's mugging me to read to him on a frequent basis. He knows the difference between yellow, red, orange, and green, I am pretty sure.

(John) I dropped off the permission slip for Jamie's upcoming first field trip, to the zoo. Jamie surprised us the other day by mentioning the correct date and destination of the field trip, even before we had read about it on the flyer in his knapsack. I'm not used to being with little boys who are so organised.

Liam has decided that his spring coat is his comfort item, will not leave the house without it, and drags it around the schoolyard like Linus and his blanket. I tried to send him out in a different coat this morning, but noooo! He and his coat were inseparable today; he curled up with it for a nap, and he may have been trying to share his food and drink with it in the car. When we went to pick Jamie up at Hakobune, I let him carry it in with him, which seemed to calm him down quite a bit. It's also a useful prop for him, as he can use it to indicate that it is time to go out.

Speaking of food and drink, my mom made us lunches today. Liam enjoyed some fried rice, especially the fuki* my mom put on the side, the chicken, the red pepper and broccoli, but when he saw the broccoli the first thing he wanted to do was offer some to Jamie, who had already gone into Hakobune. He's a good little brother.

Good Hakobune day

Sat, 17 May 2008 03:07:00 GMT

2008-05-16 23:07 (Kristen) Our fervid parental minds whirring, we decided that Liam should take his comfort coat and his blue pony with him to Hakobune today to see if it helped at all. Liam is still bawling his eyes out when I leave, and we need to Do Something. So, we took Jamie to Jackman, and then I took a cheery Liam off to daycare. We went in with coat and pony, and he started to cry when he saw Sasaki-sensei, but only once we were inside (barely). I took him to put his sticker in his attendence book, and we got through that well. Then he actually wandered off for a moment to play with cars, and realized that I was still there: he came back, and then started to cry but Sasaki-sensei was there, and I bolted. He cried for a whole three breaths (I was listening outside, of course), and that was it. He was cheerful and great for the rest of the morning, I am told, which included a trip to the playground. He didn't cry when I sat beside him after I arrived (and he then looked up from his focused Lego work), but smiled and gave me a big hug. He was wearing his coat. Who am I to argue with the success of the magic coat?

We dropped Jamie off with some pizza at Hakobune, and took Liam out for noodles at Swatow. He stuck his fingers into the hot congee when we weren't looking, and bawled ('cause it *hurt*), which got him a cookie from the passing waitress. He was patting his head, and we thought for a moment that he'd eaten the overly hot congee; no, his fingers were red, so it was just the fingers. Later in the day, after another incident, we finally put two and two together ot figure out that his sign for 'pain' is to pat his head, like he'd just hit it. Very very useful. Jamie was very tired when I picked him up, but wanted to play with his friends some more. We hung about for a little bit, but then headed up to Bloor for some bubble tea instead. Then it was off to Browning, and from there John, Liam, and I went to our friends Geoff and Derrick's for some Scrabble, while Jamie, Gary, Daniel, and Ross went to Gary's for some video games. Jamie notified Gary, when he arrived, that this was what was happening, and Gary was some surprised.

Liam had fun playing pinball and playing with Quentin the Cat (and Liam was very gentle). Jamie was displeased when we arrived home to put him to bed, but soon acquiesced. It helped that John bought the boys water pistols for the bath (he is cleaning up after that because I am *so* not), and so they had fun playing with those under close parental supervision. Jamie was disappointed to hear that his Japanese school cancelled its picnic tomorrow in the face of doom-laden weather reports (rain and more of it), but I am sure will be happy enough with a trip to the market and Ross's birthday party.