The Torture that is Teething

A lot of my mom friends (see mom blogs link on the right side) will confirm what I'm about to write: TEETHING BITES!

Of course there must be some babies/toddlers who aren't bothered by a new tooth about to sprout. And I'm happy for their parents and caregivers. Because they are lucky. My son, however, IS bothered by new teeth and right now he is cutting FIVE at once!

Yes, you read that correctly. Five. All four canines (3 are almost out) and his last First Year molar (the bottom left). He has 11 teeth fully out--soon to be 16 and then, hopefully, a break in this madness until his Second Year molars show up. I really hope they wait until he turns 2, six months from now, because it would be nice.

Little Man is, overall, a happy fellow. He almost always has a smile on his face and a hello (or Hola!) to everyone. He waves and chatters. He likes to "share" his toys with you. But he's stubborn and if he doesn't get what he wants, he can throw a MAJOR tantrum. He throws his body on the floor and cries and kicks and squirms his little body like a worm and can occasionally (on purpose!) bang his head on the floor or a wall. I hate that part. Headbanging should only be done at a metal concert.

So the last few weeks have been interesting. We moved on January 19th. He adjusted pretty well, but the drooly, chompy, bitey phase has been rough. He even bites his clothing to alleviate the pain. But when you try to give him Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen ... well, you need two people to force that down his throat. Little Man is STRONG! And he has a rash on his cheeks from the drool and the cold. I try to put Boudreaux's Baby Kisses on it as frequently as possible, but with 3 dogs (mine and my brother's two) you get a lot of dog hair and it's not fun to have fur stuck to one's gooped-up face.

Hopefully these teeth will poke out soon. I see the tips of two of the canines (upper) and that last molar is being stubborn, but it's slowly emerging. The light is at the end of the tunnel--for now.