A second tooth for Christmas!

This Christmas was full of firsts. First Santa visit, first Christmas with a baby, first everything! Although, amongst the firsts was a pivotal second.

This Christmas Day Monster popped his second tooth! It definitely wasn't as fun or as easy as the first one. This Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day Monster spent the majority of the day with a low grade fever. Accompanying this low grade fever was some whining and grumping.

Murphy's law states that your Monster won't be feeling well on his/her first Christmas.

However it wasn't all bad. We made plenty of "firsts" memories and have tons of solemn-faced Monster photos. It wasn't until part way through the day that I realized Monster has a bump with a slight slit on his gums right next to his first tooth. The thought of it just makes the song "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" pop into my head.

Monster got spoiled this Christmas by his grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and... Well, his own body!






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Just when I thought I knew all about teething...

Once upon a time I blogged about teething... And then again about a teething MONSTER who ate my happy little boy...

And then a few more times after that. I was so sure I knew exactly what teething was, and how terrible it was. Then Monster got a tooth and had absolutely no typical teething signs for the days up until the sucker popped out! I did not have a crying, whiny, chewing, drooling, feverish boy on my hands.

The only thing out of the norm was a couple nights of restless sleeps. I had originally chalked that up to the fact that he'd spent last Saturday at Grandma's house, and then last Sunday with me at his Baba's house. All that time away from his crib threw him off kilter? Nope, must have just been a tooth trying to pop out!

Yesterday morning before I went to work Monster and I completed our morning routine. I get up, get ready from head to toe and then he wakes up for the day. I got him changed, dressed and then took him to the bathroom to brush his "teeth" and spike his hair. I brushed his gums and felt nothing. We had breakfast, still nothing in his mouth hitting the spoon. No tooth to be found!

By the time I got home from work and fed Monster dinner it was time for his evening bath. I plunked him in and he pulled my arm over for a "kiss", really.. it's a "nom-nom-nom-ATTACK". That's when I felt it! My Monster popped his first tooth!! It's just broken the gum line, but it's safe to say that Monster got his first tooth when he was 9 months, 4 days old!

It just goes to show that when it comes to parenting, no body ever really knows everything! Hahaha. I am beaming! :)

Seventh Month Review

Back when Monster was five months old I wrote a blog post regarding the fact that the 5th month of Monsters life so far had been my favorite.

Right now, I have decided that the 7th month has been the most trying. It really has nothing to do with Monster meeting and surpassing his infant milestones, or growing more and more into a little person but the fact that so far this month we've had a few interesting things to deal with.

Monsters first infant cold hit him early this month, and lasted for approximately a week. We spent that whole week with sleepless nights, sleepy days, and relieving his discomfort as best we could by saline rinses, steamy baths, and Vicks Vapo Rub.

Just when we began to get Monster back into his routine severe teething hit. Luckily teething comes and goes with him so he might have a bad couple of hours every few days. I can handle terrible infant teething because usually it just presses on my mommy patience during the day light hours. Like I said, teething is a Monster I can handle.... 

However an infant with an ear infection is a whole other ball game! Just when everything started to level out around here Monster was diagnosed with an infant ear infection and so far has been awake at least once every single night. It makes me really feel for the parents who have not had the opportunity to experience a full nights sleep since their infants were born. Monster started sleeping through the night by two months and never experienced the 4th month sleep regression. That means for the last 5ish months (at least) Hubbs and I have had any where from 6-12 hours per night of silence.

Oh how I wish for those days to return... Infant sleep training might be the next challenge on my plate, in order to get Monster back into his nighttime routine. 

A Teething Monster Invaded our Home!

A teething Monster is a miserable Monster!

It's funny, when I had a drooly 2 month old I was sure all his crankiness had to be teething. That theory was fine and dandy, until he actually started teething!

Teething makes an otherwise adorable, content baby an absolute wreck. Today was certainly this mommy's test of patience. I had a puffy red cheeked Monster who's only form of communication today was whine. Not cry, not happy infant blabble, but incessant whine.

The only thing that made him resemble his happy self was to sit on the floor between my legs playing with his toys. Oh, the relief for his gums? Taking gnawing breaks on my thumb knuckle. It was cute, he chewed like I was cob of corn.

Nope, not every single day with a 6 month old is sunshine and sunflowers but at least every single day has good, hilarious moments too. The worst part was hearing my mom telling me "Oh, this is nothing compared to what you were like!"

Thanks Mom! :)


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The Teething Monster

When The Teething Monster Attacks... dun dun dun!

Since my Monster was about two months old I've been dealing with sopping wet onsies and tee-shirts, not to mention mine and the Hubbs clothing getting absolutely drenched while holding him. It wasn't until recently that the pain aspect of teething hit. What I dislike most about teething pain is that is usually comes on suddenly, without any warning!

For the last week or two Monster has been slightly bi-polar, laughing and happily chatting with me and his toys while mouthfuls of drool drips everywhere. Then, suddenly, like a light switch he is screaming and thrashing with uncontrollable teething pain. That sounds rather dramatic, perhaps it is, but when you have a normally contented sunshiny baby, the screaming/thrashing comes with a shocked and terrified mommy.

We've looked into various ways to help sooth Monsters gum pains: Teething toys to chew on, Hyland's Teething Tablets, Kolic Gripe Water, and Infant Tylenol but the most effective tool we've found has been a cold, damp face cloth or towel to chew on.

Seems so simple! We actually found this cheap, homemade remedy by accident. One afternoon Auntie Tg and I took Monster to the beach for a dip, and when we all got out she slung him over her shoulder where her towel was lying. He immediately started to gnaw on her shoulder, where the cold, wet towel was. It's common for him to chew and suck on the clothes over our shoulders when we hold him, but he was really going to town on this towel.

Since that day, when teething pain begins to set in, he give him a cool, damp towel to chew on before resorting to over the counter medicinal (or holistic) treatments. I'm sure this at home remedy won't last through our teething days, but for now, I'm in!

Walking on Sunshine

Every single day my Monster changes, yesterday I discovered that he has become bored with the view inside our house. I have to admit, we do spend a lot of time in our house, playing games, bouncing in the excersaucer, and reading stories.

Of course I started by blaming his fussiness on four month sleep regression (he has been fighting his naps lately), teething pain, and growth spurts without thinking things through. Monster is a contented, happy little man who doesn't usually fuss unless something is genuinely pissing him off.

After trying his Hyland's Teething Tablets, which often works very quickly, he still wasn't a happy camper. I finally made a last ditch effort to help him nap by taking him for a car ride to pick Hubbs up from work. The soothing ride, seriously, works every time! Instead of going straight home we ventured down to our local big box store to check out some teething rings and toys.

Once we parked and left the vehicle Mr. Monster woke up with a huge smile on his face! Could it be? The happy little baby I've been waiting to see all day? We walked around that store for well over an hour enjoying the smiles, laughs and coo's of our little boy. He stopped to talk to everyone he saw, and looking with interested smiles at everything I had to show it.

Then it hit me... A new interesting environment = An interested, happy baby! Of course! The ever expanding brain of my Monster was merely bored with the sights he sees day in and day out.

I guess it's time to put my mommy pants on and think of new and exciting things for us to do together!