First week with the Chasebuck on papa duty. If you could have seen me trying to wrangle him into the amouti yesterday, with some time constraints with pending immunizations at the health center...you would have called child protection. My amouti's a bit tight at the top opening and Chase is very unaccustomed to sliding into the dark sack. So Sr. Scissorlegs met flailing poppa, who had a minor back tweak from a Wed am workout.
Tried the conventional slide him in down the ruff of my neck and along the spine a couple tries...no way, super flailing legs. Then hmmm...maybe over the shoulder the then straight up with the torso and hope the legs will magically make the 90 degree corner as I squeeze them together....damn!! Ok both sweating bullets now as chase is in his hat gloves and fleece jacket and papas in a fleece-lined parka (amouti). Super wail now and Chase goes into back arches and I back away and wait it out (as if he was seizing or something). Alright now I have it...I'll take off the amouti, set it up like an open tunnel and crawl in head first with him pinned to my back as I slip in. Like a reflexive survivor, he heismaned that idea a time or three...boldest stiff arm to date. That "tunnel" needed a 2 foot clearance and it had about 2 inches. Poor bugger...I was seriously fantasizing about detachable arms and legs at this juncture.
Quick call to Hill, letting her know we were running late to never as she was to meet us there for the afternoon feed. And while I was on the phone leaving a message, I returned to the crime scene and there's the bugger in a heap, red faced, encrusted tears, sleeping.... Yes...yes we can! Easy up and in now and we're off after my first completed (successful would be a huge stretch) solo amouti insertion.
I walked with great pride and relief to the Health Center, behind schedule yes, but with a child gratefully in one piece, at least physically. When the lonely Inuk child on the playground en route approached and asked in his best and most sincere English, "OK to see baby?" I giggled and said, "Next time for sure! " A few minutes later, we dug Chase out of his dark cozy den into the flourescent universe of the nurses office and watched a couple needles pierce his rotund thighs. Kid had nothing left to wail, he just looked at the nurse and said with his droopy eyes, "Whatever..bring it... you should have seen the last procedure with my Papa and he wasn't even wearing gloves."
It's fantastic having Hill and Chase back. Bugger even gave me a sincere smile at the airport, after an eternal 3 second blank stare.
I'm digging hanging out with my son as Hill returned to work on Wed., a great privelege and he's geeked on the guitar and seems to savor every shred of attention we give. Kid plays a mean chicken shaker. Oh Canada!
Here are a few photos of Chase and some clips of his guitar and jumping talents. He's spinning around on his tummy now as he tries to grab things and he's skooching backwards, but not crawling forward yet. Papa has had Chase out in the amouti for walks a lot and even out ptarmigan hunting. Hillary got out to the floe edge - the break in the sea ice where Arctic-dwelling animals congregate, surface, feed, and hunt. It's a dynamic place and a special one, and unfortunately, in for a lot of change - ice breakers every 32 hours and a changing climate. It was -25 F, but the skies were blue and the sun was beaming down - our Inuit compadre agreed with Hillary's assessment of "it doesn't get much better than this." We saw some polar bear mama and cub tracks. There's a photo of Lily near a crack in new ice and another photo of a larger open water spot where one might expect to see seals or narwhal.
