We Have Teeth!
Baby J. Playing in her Pajamas
Well, it's officially daddy daughter day, and Baby J. is taking her second nap of the day. I checked her gums only a few minutes ago, and I was surprised to find that not one, but BOTH of her lower lateral incisors came in last night, and her upper right lateral incisor has finally come in a couple of weeks after the left one came in. That means Baby J. now has 8 teeth, only 12 more to go! She has seemed a lot less cranky today, so I think (for at least a day or two) the teething has subsided.
So far today, other than breakfast, a snack, and then lunch, Baby J. and I went on a long walk. It's an oddly warm November day. I had bundled us up in coats, only to get outside and see most people walking around in t-shirts. Needless to say, I was seating profusely before the walk was over. We walked for about an hour. I didn't bother with the stroller, which I kind of regretted later, when my arm felt like it was going to fall off. Baby J. enjoyed looking at all of the people outside, the leaves coming down from the trees, and the cars whizzing by. Even though we went out for the walk shortly after her nap, she became really drowsy before it was finished, snuggling with me for the last 15 minutes.
Now, I only have one question, when do I get my nap?
D.
It’s Exhausting…
She Looks Cute Now but Wait Until Tonight
Being a parent. I honestly don't know how my wife does it, since she's with Baby J. from morning to evening every day. I only have the evenings, the occasional night of putting her to bed all by myself (like when my wife is out at an author meeting) or the occasional Saturday or Sunday, when my wife needs a major breather, and I have my daddy daughter day time. Tonight was a particularly difficult night to put Baby J. down. She's teething, and tonight was far by the worst so far. She was cranky ever since 5pm, two hours before her usual bedtime. She didn't want to eat her dinner. She didn't want to play. She didn't want to do anything but cry and be held. I can understand, I remember when my wisdom teeth came in; having something drive itself through your gums is an altogether unpleasant experience, and I can't imagine how much more unpleasant for a baby who can not fully express herself or understand why it is happening.
It took an hour to get her to stay asleep in her crib. She kept waking up crying hysterically. I'd go into her room, pat her gently, until she calmed down. But after no more than 10-15 seconds after I left the room, she would be crying again. I feel terrible at times like that. I know she wants to be picked up. I want to pick her up, but I also know that she won't sleep through the night, if I'm holding her, and neither will I.
Oh well, I'm drained. It's funny because I remember only a few months ago having much, much worse nights. It was much harder to get her to sleep, but I guess I've gotten spoiled by the recent months where putting Baby J. to sleep requires hardly any effort at all, and on nights like this, where it's a trying experience to get her to sleep, I find I'm burnt out and ready for my own nap.
D.
Up at 5am, Wait 4am!
Baby J. Napping on Daddy This Summer
Baby J.'s teeth woke her up this morning at 5am, that was until I realized it was daylight savings, and it was really 4am. She'd had a rough night. All of the excitement from Halloween had made her over-tired, and she spent the latter part of the evening cranky. I decided I'd lose some sleep and let Baby J. sleep on me for a couple hours until her normal wake up time. Now, I used to have to do this more often, especially when she was very little. It had been awhile since I allowed Baby J. to sleep on me, outside of her crib, and it wasn't any less uncomfortable this morning than any of the previous times.
It's sort of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I really do enjoy providing my little one with the comfort she needs (especially after a bad night of teething). On the other hand, I was exhausted, and having to be up at 5am (oh wait, 4am) did not exactly provide me with the nice, relaxing Sunday morning I had anticipated.
I'll briefly explain why it's also uncomfortable having Baby J. sleep on me. She's a living, breathing furnace. When she falls asleep, it's as if some little Baby Gremlin is feeding her body hot coals, because the oven comes on, and holding her causes me to break out into a sweat. Secondly, she never stops moving (especially in her sleep). Whoever came up with the expression "sleeps like a baby" must have been intentionally ironic, because babies in no way sleep soundly (not mine at least). She's always tossing around, changing positions, pulling at her hair, all while she dozes. Thirdly, if I move even a fraction of an inch during the time she's sleeping on me (to say readjust after she tossed and turned her elbow right into my head), she immediately wakes up, scrambles up on top of me, and grapples me tightly, ensuring that I don't move again lest I face the punishment of another grappling.
But what made it all worth it, what made me smile "so big" after those two hours of total discomfort, was how Baby J. woke. Without giving any other indication that she was awake, she quietly started muttering, "da da, da da" over and over again. Now, I've been told that a baby as young as Baby J. (she's 9 months) doesn't understand "da da" yet, but I find that pretty hard to believe that when upon waking and seeing her dad, she immediately says "da da".
After she was done whispering "da da" softly to me, she got up and gave my wife and I a huge smile. It was a pretty terrific way to start the day.
D.
