WEEK FIFTEEN

Well folks, it's official, Oliver has started teething. The first indication was the fact that anything that came remotely close to his mouth he would snatch up and immediately try to gnaw down on it. If it didn't fit in his mouth, it ended up on the floor. The second clue was his fussiness. In general Oliver tends to be a pretty happy-go-lucky baby, so when the crankiness started it became very apparent that something was up. His awake time also became a narrower period of time before he lost it all together and needed a nap. And of course when he was napping in his sling, he would know the minute I'd sit down or make too much noise...my poor back! The other symptom which became of some concern was the fact that he was holding and tugging at his ear, sometimes while crying out in pain. We had a couple of rough nights, as the pain was waking him up. It's so awful to see your little baby in pain. His cry sounded so sad, it made me cry! Thinking I was smart, I put all his soothers in the freezer, and he seemed to really like this. Well, after a call to TeleHealth to talk about giving him Tylenol at night, I was informed by a very polite nurse that I should stop putting his soothers in the freezer because it could cause frostbite on his gums. What a wonderful mother I am! That's probably why it felt so good too him. I was freezing his gums altogether!! So, I just want to get the word out there...teething toys in the fridge only...

I keep trying to get a look and see if something is coming through, but between his tongue sticking out and the constant wiggling, it's impossible to get a good look. I wish I would have felt his gums more when he was smaller so I'd have something to compare to. We ended up taking Oliver to the clinic just to be sure that he didn't have an ear infection, and he got a clean bill of health. This is just another side effect of the teething.

Every week my girlfriend (and her daughter) and I try to get together for a play date. Well, her daughter plays (she's 14 months) and Oliver watches her play with his toys. This weekly get-together is so important to my mental well being. I think it gives both of us a chance to reconnect with the adult realm, have a cup of coffee, compare notes, and have a few good laughs. The days can be pretty long when you are at home with a baby, so I really look forward to these get-togethers to break up the week. Highly recommended.