"Pointer finger scratch"
It all started as an innocent foot rub when I began to put Jerry to sleep in place of Eriko. She had been nursing him at night, but that wasn't working as effectively and I wanted to give her a break. Before long, I added the back scratch to the foot rub, as the foot rub wasn't quite enough to keep him pacified.
Almost overnight (pun intended), the list grew extensively (in no particular order):
- Back scratch
- Foot rub
- Booty scratch
- Under-the-arm scratch
- Leg scratch
- Foot scratch
- Side scratch
- Nipple scratch
- Head scratch
- Chin scratch
- Ear scratch
- Shoulder scratch
- Neck scratch
- Chest scratch
- Arm scratch
- Elbow scratch
- In-between-the-toes scratch
Not only does Jerry request a particular area to be scratched, but he also provides specific directions as well: "left", "right", "up", "hard", "harder", "super-duper hard", "not suuuuper duper hard." He also switches very rapidly between locations, giving instructions faster than one can comply.
When I heard "pointer-finger scratch", I knew I had to record this - finally it dawned on me that this had become ridiculous. On a good day, this ritual lasts about 10 minutes - but on a bad night it can not only occur several times but also last up to 45 minutes. Let the weaning begin.