This week can be summed up in one word. DISTRACTION. Probably the only way our wee one made it through each day with these little toofers slowly making their way into place. Her bottom right front tooth has snuck up and is trailing shortly behind her bottom left front tooth. We have been reaching deep into the entertainment bag to keep her busy and take her attention away from the obvious pain....and I think we've been doing a fairly good job. But by the looks of this first photo, I'd say she has been overdosing on infant Tylenol....
"Is there something on my face?"
Without further ado, I would like to present my "Guide to Teething Management."
- Provide your baby with good reading material. An intense reading sesh will thwart any tooth pain...
"Nothin' like a good book to curl up with. Now where's my cup of coffee?"
- Give them an outlet to express their musical talents....
"Teeth, schmeeth!? I love this toy!"
- Cups. Plenty of cups to chew on....
- Get your baby a part-time job. They will be too busy to fuss about their teeth...
"He better pay good..."
- Be sure to work on their interview skills and dress them well. Confidence is key for the interview process. And tell them not to worry about being young...ageism is a thing of the past....
"Is diaper chaning in my contract?"
- Make sure they get lots and lots of love and hugs....
"Aunt Deedee, I will be honest with you. I'm lovin' the attention. Hehe"
- New food. Especially if you have a food-lovin', chubby baby like I do....
"Don't judge...it's low calorie"
"What's that saying? An apple a day keeps the tooth pain away??"
- Play hide and seek.....
"They'll never notice me here" ;)
- Take your baby shopping or have a baby fashion show. Hey, it works for grown women...so why not for babies??
"Sportin' my dress and boots!"
- Encourage them to use electronic devices to access Babybook (the infant counterpart to Facebook)..
"OMG, I can't believe she posted that on here!!!! Some babies have no shame."
- Provide a calm, peaceful area for them to meditate...
"Papa, you shouldn't have! I can't believe you built this pond just for me?!"
What to Expect:
- Do NOT expect sleep. Prepare to be a zombie like you were when your baby first came home from the hospital. Unexpected screams will be heard through the house every two to three hours. Sometimes these screams will subside within minutes or, like last night, they will last for 60 minutes straight.
- Don't waste your money on lovely teething rings. Vibrating or not, your baby will not appreciate what they have to offer.
- Traveling will no longer be a peaceful experience. No more Ms. Nice Girl. Hopping from the front to the back seat has become a habit to soothe her.
- The teething cry is just sad. That's all.
- Carry your rag in hand to clean up slobber messes left and right.
- Not all is bad though...your baby will be an even bigger cuddle bug. :) No more squirmy wormy in my arms...now she loves being hugged and held tight and whispered to.
I realize that some of you are reading my take on teething and saying "my baby wasn't like that at all." Well, to that I respond "I'm jealous." In the big scheme of things, she is doing quite well with the teething process, but I just wish it could be pain free and pleasant for her. Not gonna happen, I realize. Tylenol and teething gel don't seem to be doing the trick so I turned to Facebook for some advice. I was surprised to get tons of input and plenty of helpful suggestions. Lots of options to try. At first I thought the easy fix would be these magical teething tablets...that is until dental expert Aunt B rained on my parade and warned me that they have been recalled for possible poisoning. I'll take screaming anyday! Thanks Aunt B! Next we tried new foods with different textures. First baby puff snacks and then apples. They were both received very well. Hearing her teeth crunch on an apple slice was too darling. I know, it doesn't take much to get me excited. :)
My best advice...stay busy! Hallie has been making a daily trip with me to the office after I pick her up from the babysitter's house. She helps me with paperwork and flashes smiles to everyone throughout the office. My office happens to be right across the street from the hospital so we took a short hike to go surprise dad...and to drag him home from work. We spent the early part of Friday evening at great grandma's house for some therapy and some Hallie time with Aunt Deedee, grandpa and grandma. She was more than entertaining and showed off her silly side. I am reminded every week just how precious this time is that I get to share Hallie with my grandparents. :) We ended the week with dinner at Nanny and Papa's house and Papa did a splendid job of keeping our girl awake til 9 pm!
Since mornings are usually the time of day that she shines, I decided to provide her with the ultimate distraction...outdoors time. So we laced up her walking kicks and we were ready to go. I should have known by taking one look at her that she was exhausted. Teething + exhaustion = speed walking to get back to the car. All wasn't lost, but she was rather high maintenance for what was meant to be a relaxing stroll on a beautiful Saturday morning.
We started off rather happy for being tired....
Although the sunglasses were not welcome on her face, she politely removed them and settled for kicking back and throwing back a nice big bottle....
"This is how I roll"
Somewhere mid-walk she decided that this wasn't something she had signed up for. After much screaming and squirming I realized that we had lost a shoe so we backtracked to hunt it down....
Bingo!
The princess must have wanted some major attention because she calmed down after a little chatting session with momma while kicking back in the shade....
"Wrapped around my little finger..."
I think she finally realized the beauty of the morning and decided to stop screaming and smell the roses...or the pine trees in this case....
You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
Song of Solomon 4:7
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