The Daily (tooth)Grind

Teething comes with a distinct set of challenges, both for Sam and for me.  Sam's challenges are pretty straightforward.  His mouth hurts. This mouth pain causes multiple side effects such as fussiness, inconsistent naps (both short and long), random crying, eating little bits at a time, frustration at hunger, and excessive drooling. My challenges are all about attempting to foresee his needs/figure out what he wants when he fusses.  Is he hungry for another sip of milk? Is he in need of a piggybacked nap due to his short previous nap? Does he need some Tylenol? Does he need something to chew on? Does he just need to be held?

These challenges have forced me to come up with several coping mechanisms that will either calm the baby or calm the dad. First I try some peek-a-boo, making raspberry noises, or slapping a hand against the ground repeatedly.  All of these things can make Sam smile and shift his attention from his pain.  He will blow raspberries back, slap the ground with you or in response to you, and laugh a lot at peek-a-boo. If that doesn't work, we have this brilliant toy made by Baby Einstein that plays snippets of classical music when the button on the front is pressed. That music will sometimes calm the boy.  If no, then a change of scenery is in order.

For scene changes, I've got a couple tricks.  Sam LOVES shoulder rides.  He will hold onto my hair like the reigns of a horse, drool all over my hair/try to eat my head, and smile/laugh a lot. He also has a Snug-a-bunny swing that can be a good distraction with its noise, swinging and little rotating birdies.  This helps him nap when he is fighting naps, too.  If none of the above is working, a trip somewhere in his car seat does the trick.  Sam loves to look around at the world passing by, and for some unknown reason, he loves being buckled into his car seat for either a car trip or a stroller ride.  As long as he is moving, he will be an un-fussy baby.

Sam and I have been men about town over the past few weeks, visiting my old office, helping to manage some property in Boston, grabbing coffees, cruising around Target and Stop and Shop, lunching with my uncles, picnicking, and getting out for walks as frequently as we can.  It helps keep us both sane, and gets some good photo ops too!