Goodby Gums

Tyler made it official yesterday, his front lower left tooth popped through. Joe discovered the tooth when he got home from work last night. It's a bittersweet moment. So, here's an ode to the gummy smiles (and frowns) that will never quite be the same:

A Parental "Duh" Moment

Tyler has been fussy for the last few days. I've deduced that it is from a combination of being over-tired (we stayed at my sister's house WAY too late on Thursday, which set in motion grump-a-tude for the days following) and the fact that he's teething. I looked in his mouth yesterday, and his lower front left tooth is on the verge of popping out. His gum is red and swollen, and I can see a little bit of white getting ready to show.... I'm not ready for his first tooth. In my eyes it's just another step into big-boyhood, and I'm not ready for that. Regardless, Tyler's grumpiness has also been accompanied with a lack of interest in nursing. I've read plenty about this, and know that nursing can increase the pain of teething. I, however, didn't bother to think that despite the fact that Tyler wasn't nursing well, that he was in fact still very hungry. DUH! Also, that him being hungry would then lead to more grumpiness. DUH again!

So, these thoughts final hit me last night. I felt horrible that I had been starving my own son (thank god for his extra rolls... I'm sure he has plenty of chub to live off of), and made him a bowl of cereal and sweet potatoes. He ate, or rather scarfed, 3 1/2 ounces of cereal and an ENTIRE jar of sweet potatoes, and then some bananas (not that he liked them that much). His eagerness to eat, shown by Tyler lunging at the spoon, proved that he was indeed starving. At some point during his meal, he sneezed... I'm sure as some sort of punishment for me letting him go hungry for so long, with his mouth full of food. Food went flying all over the high-chair and me. Here's a picture of his tray after the sneeze, it almost looks like a crime scene.

So, lesson learned; I should always consider Tyler hungry. It was certainly a "Duh" moment, not my first and definitely not my last.