The Trouble with Teeth

Mark Twain said "Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principle one was that they escaped teething. " And at this moment, who I wish that Sean could too.
Let's go through the list off teething symptoms and see which Sean has:

Irritability - Yep. Cranky all morning. Drives a knife through my gut knowing there's nothing I can do to make him feel better.
Drooling - How do you turn it off?!?!
Cold like symptoms (runny nose, etc.) - I just want to stick a wad of tissue up his nose to keep the snot from coming out.
Coughing - Yes, unfortunately. Combined with the previously mentioned, people think I'm bringing a sick child everywhere.
Chin rash - not yet....
Biting & gnawing - Oh my gosh! Everything! Seriously, nothing is safe, not even my arm.
Cheek rubbing and ear pulling - Not really; he'll stick his finger way back in his mouth and chew on it where the molars are coming in, though.
Diarrhea - Funny thing, Sean actually gets plugged up with teething. Always has.
Low-grade fever - Off and on.
Not sleeping well - Oh, of course! And that means that Mommy is not sleeping well, too.

So, here it is, quarter after midnight, I'm up just waiting for Sean to screech out in pain/discomfort/low grade/whatever, knowing full well that I have to get up at seven (I'm trying to get up at the same time) and work tomorrow afternoon. Not only is teething messing with his sleep routine, it's messing with my (newly established) routine, too. Gotta' love motherhood at night....

Goodnight world.

Instruction Manual on Second Birthdays

What can a mother do when she sits down, reflects, and suddenly realizes that in ten days her little boy will be two? Nothing, that's what.

What should she do? Well, I'm glad you asked!

First, her hands should go cold and sweaty when it finally hits her that her baby's a little boy. Next, start hyperventilating, realizing that two means that potty training is coming faster than a Tobey Dog running for a treat. And potty training scares her.
When it finally sinks in that there are only ten days, her heart should start to race from the lack of 'party' planing she has done, and then be crushed with tremendous guilt that she has to work three weeks strait (and I mean strait, with no days off) - her sons birthday being too close to that stretch. To add to this guilt, she suddenly realizes that his birthday falls on his second day of daycare ever (At least he only is going once a week).
After her son bites her and she loosed her temper a bit, she will morn the baby days where there were snuggles and coos galore. And when that little boy comes running up to her when she gets home and plants a big kiss on her, she'll wish that this stage will never end.
After she has time to digest all of this emotional intake, she should finally takes a deep breath, decides to just roll with the punches and deal with the changes when one day at a time, blog about it, then go to bed.
She should repeat daily until one day after her sons birthday.

Mini Monet!

Hi there.
First thing and it's real weird; I was up at 6am, on my own, and feeling totally refreshed. I NEVER do that!

So, Sean was done with breakfast, but was still a little hungry. I needed to work on emptying the dishes (still need to re-load, though. Nate.... ). Did I give him Cheerios? No. Did I give him some puffs? No Did I give him the yogurt melts that he loves oh so very much? No! What did I give him? Baby finger paint.
Yes, baby finger paint. Just a simple mixture of fruit and cereal watered down some so it's nice and semi-runny like paint. Not only is it real fun to smear around, squish through fingers and make a huge mess, but it also helps get those finger muscles working so maybe one day he'll point (he has the concept of pointing seeing he'll look in the direction you're pointing at, but he has still to point).
Did we have fun Sean?

(Yes, he also ate some...)

And I guess that I should just bite the bullet and explain yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday photograph (Lord, help me…)
Sean figured out how to take is diaper off, again. I honestly think the first time was a happy accident for him caused by flipping a rolling around in his crib trying to find his corner (he likes to sleep with his head in the corner…). But this was a true, honest-to-God, he took the diapie off all by himself event……… and then proceeded to discover his boy parts.

He also saw the camera and decided to pose for the latest new installment of “Babies Gone Wild.”

It’s really not a big deal. I mean, he found his little baby boy parts; it’s just like finding his fingers or toes. It’s a part of his body and he should be entitled to explore it and figure out what it does, just like any other part of his body. It’s not a big deal, so I’m not going to treat it like one… until he starts undressing in public…

Other than dealing with a nude baby, how an I doing. Well, I have contracted Tiny Chicken Disease so my nose feels like a leaky faucet. Nate also had Tiny Chicken Disease,only his tiny chickens laid rotten eggs and thus has a sinus infection! Great.... He is feeling better, though. Sean also had this chicken disease, but only because those two front teeth are cutting in but don't want to poke through!
The inverters of Puffs tissues are my best friend right now....

Burnt Out

I am burnt out.
I'm just going to do a quick review of the past two weeks.

• Sean decides he doesn't have enough toys out in his room.

(Full story in later post)

• Nate hates his job right now and I don't blame him.

• Sean's pink eye cleared up. (Yea!)

• My friend Lacy came to visit Sean, Tobey and me one afternoon. :)
  

• I get the stomach flu.

• Sean turns 7 months!

• Sean keeps pooping out his diapers.

• Nate and I messed the Tony's because the tape didn't record! (*cries*)

• I find out that Tobey sleeps really funny.

• Sean is fussy from his tooth.

• Sean is trying to cut a top tooth.

• I'm going crazy; nothing new.
  

• Sean gets a new toy.

(A play yard! So much fun!)

So...

Sean had a tummy ache and teething pains yesterday, wouldn't stop screaming, wouldn't take a nap, finally settles down just in time to go get his shots! He slept well last night (we were at Grandma and Grandpas from baby sitting and we were traveling with them today), but woke up at 5am with poop leaking out of his diaper, running down his legs and between his tows, all over the porta-crib and then won't go back to sleep!
We traveled to Auntie Mary Jane's today to give her her retirement gift, stayed for about two-and-a-half hours, then turned around and came home... a six hour trip both ways. Sean is not happy! At least he's asleep.
And speaking of sleep, I'm going there now. Thank you for listing to me vent! :)

Two for Tooth

Well, that other tooth of Sean's is stubborn, but it finally cut through today! Again, just the tiniest tip is sticking out and Sean is not happy about it one little bit!
On a better note, Sean's pink eye is looking a lot better today. He's had two rounds of eye drops and already a lot of the puffiness is down and the whites are less red.

On a completely different note - I have no Idea how he got into what he did!
All four of us were in the front room; Nate was half reading, half watching a movie I was on the sofa with Tobey, half watching the movie, mostly keeping an eye on Sean who was crawling around on the floor. We have some arias barricaded off with boxes, the ironing board, a suit case, things of that nature that we already have and he can't climb over.
Sean starts crawling over toward Tobey, wanting to play and just babbling up a storm. As he gets closer to the sofa, I notice that Sean is making a chewing motion and something is in the corner of his mouth. I wipe it off and pick him, and there is a big, mussy glob of blue paper stuck to the roof of his mouth! What in the world?
I have no idea where he got that! I was keeping a fairly good eye on him and I don't even remember having any blue paper! Anyway, we got it out of his mouth and in the garbage with no harm done.
I think this kid is going to like surprising him parents...

Kansas City, Gonna take my baby there sometime!

We just got back Monday from KC (the Kansas one, not MO) to help my cousin celebrate her high school graduation and to celebrate Nate and my two year anniversary, which was yesterday.
It was a lot of fun to just get away from it all and we had a lot of fun! It was so nice to see the "Shawnee Six" as we call my aunt and uncles, plus kids. We went over to see them Saturday evening and Sean had to show off his amazing crawling skills. He's really getting this hands and knees crawl down, but still likes to do the elbow schootch a lot. Brenden, my youngest cousin, loved to stroke his head and Clara, my other youngest cousin (yep, twins) liked to make silly faces at him. Maria was tired from just getting off work and Laura, the oldest, was at a graduation party.
Dean and Patricia (with the help of Brenden) lead me through the photo albums of their France holiday. They were super cool. I love my family

Sunday, Nate, Sean and I went to the KC Crown Center, a huge shopping center/live theater and also the headquarters and visiting center for the Hallmark Card Co. I really wanted to see the Hallmark place, but that area was closed for the long weekend. But we still had a great time, Sean really liked taking in all of the new sights and sounds and smells and laughing at us. He did get lots of photos, more if the batteries hadn't died. My favorite photo is of Sean in front of the Crayola Color Wheel in the Crayola Store.

(The quality is real crappy, I know. I couln't get it sized right with it's resolution)

In the hotel, Sean really loved the pool. He loved being pushed around in his little boat and when Nate or I would just carry him in the water, those little hands were just splashing and splashing! We do have photos of him swimming that I'll post later, once I get the card from my father.

Sean did well in the car, but is happy he doesn't have to be strapped in his chair anymore at the same time. Yesterday, he was a holy terror. He didn't want to nap, he was wanting to nurse all the time and when he didn't want nursed, he just wanted held. I really do understand that he was settling back into things, but at the same time, I was tired too and ready to pull my hair out!
Yesterday was just pure chaos! The repair man can for the washer, Tobey was ballistic and Sean got his little chubber leg stuck in the slots of his crib and I couln't get it out. I finally did after a lot of loation and him screaming in pane and fear. You now see why I almost went crazy?
But, I love my life; however crazy it gets, I know I wouln't swap it for the world.

Sean's new trick!

CHOMP!

Sean has his first tooth! Wow! He must have just finished cutting it today.
I was sitting with him, glancing at some piece of literature and letting Sean gnaw on my knuckle (he loves to do that) - when all of a sudden, I felt something hard.
I'm at my folks today, do I asked Grammy to hang onto him while I checked it out. Sure enough, he has the tippy-top of his left bottom front toother sticking out! And, if that isn't enough to make your head spin, I can see the other tooth coming up under his thinning gum! So I had to call Nate, my mom and my dad (who had just walked out the door) to let them know.
This really explains his icky cough now. My brother-in-law said that when their toddler was teething, he acted like he was sick; coughing, diarrhea, ear infections, and just plan-old fussiness. Except for the ear infection, Sean has been having all of these symptoms, plus some congestion that the teething may be causing (I also think that he is congested because he has his dad's allergies).
Wow... just... WOW! I'm was having a hard time believing that on Monday he's going to be six months, but this was a bit of a wake-up call.
Good thing I just finished knitting up his teething bib a.k.a. slobber catcher!

3 Months

Where has the time gone? I know it's cliche, but it really does feel like it was just the other day when Nate and I brought Sean home. And now, yesterday he turned three months!
He has changes so much! At his last check-up he weighed in at 14lb, 10oz and measured in at 25 inches, the 97 percentile for both. Doctor says he's growing and developing very well. He also had his first round of vaccinations. it just broke my heart to hear him scream like that when he was stuck, but after we changed his diaper, he quieted down.
(I know that there are a lot of people out there who say that vaccinations cause autism, but I know that this is entirely false, medical research has proved it. I think that some parents found out that their child had autism and were just so angry because of the "this could never happen to my child" mind set, and they needed something to blame.)
Sean has started to 'talk' and coo; he's smiling at Nate and me, plus flirting with all of the ladies at my knitting group; and just this past Monday he flipped from his back to his tummy!
He is also one of the most hick up-y baby I know! He gets the 'naughty hick up's' at least two times a day, but at least he doesn't cry when he gets them any more; he laughs at them now!
He is a very happy baby. He loves his glow worm and to stand on our tummies and chests; he likes getting his diaper changed and getting dresses and um-dressed; he thinks The Wiener Dog Song is the coolest song in the world, and he eats like a little piggy! He loves his Mummy's Milk!
I love him so very much! Tobey Dog is getting more accustom to him being around and has started to acknowledge him some, but not all of the time.
But anywho, it's photo time!


I'm one cool dude!


Husker fan in training


I love to stand on Granddad


Having fun with my new toy


Buddy time with Uncle Derick


My mid-morning nap