Teething Bites

I have heard it so many times, and now I am joining my voice in with the masses....TEETHING BITES!!  It is amazing how tiny little pieces of tissue in a tiny little mouth can cause SO MUCH misery (and not just for the little person who gets them)!

Ben has been teething now for a couple months, and wow has that been some hard work.  He fusses, screeches, cries, clings, fusses, drools, cries, gnaws and....fusses.  I am sure it is painful and frustrating to be the one receiving these little chompers, but it is a little painful and frustrating having to take care of the one doing the receiving!  It comes in waves, and we have just ridden a wave that lasted a few weeks.  At night, when he just doesn't know how to deal with it anymore, and the fussing is wearing on us, sometimes we resort to the guaranteed smile-maker: get the kid naked.  So, literally we will take his clothes off and let him play in just his diaper.  It is amazing how the removal of clothes can change our son - crying turns to giggles and we just scratch our heads and laugh, grateful that there is something that works!  

Finally, all Ben's hard work finally has shown some fruit.  Last night we found the very tippy tip of a tooth on his bottom gum!  The first, of many...oh dear..., has announced its arrival and we are ALL so relieved!  Ben had such a great day today - hardly any fussing or screeching and I felt like I had my little boy back.  Hip-hip-hooray!!

Along with teething, we have begun to face some training challenges.  We kept thinking, "he is just a baby, not even crawling and getting into things yet, so training and disciplining is still in our future".  Oh no, we are IN it now!  We had a battle of the wills the other day, in regards to sleeping.  We definitely saw his little will come out as he responded to us with anger and frustration and quite the determination to stay that way until he got his way! (whoever isn't sure about original sin needs to spend a day with an infant and they will come away a believer!)  After 2 hours, John and I came out battered, but victors.  We realized that if we didn't engage now, we would be behind the curve on training.  So we are in it and we are joining as a team to be intentional as we train and guide Ben.  Wow, it has begun, and will be our life, for the next couple decades!  

So the newest challenge to our commitment to train and guide Ben is his new habit of shrieking.  Sometimes in delight, sometimes in frustration and anger, but ALWAYS very loud.  How exactly do you help a baby understand that this isn't appropriate?  We haven't figured that one out yet.  I have found myself feeling frustrated as each attempt to curb this fails and nothing seems to change.  After some wise insight from my sister I am beginning to see it a little differently.  We are realizing that Ben is a very expressive person (wonder where he got that from?) and that he needs our help to learn how to be that way, and do it well.  I am learning to see his strong willed, bold personality as a gift that we get to help mold, instead of an irritating trait.  I love my son so much, and so enjoy watching him grow and become this unique individual.  My mom has said before that raising kids is like tending a garden, with seeds of unknown species.  As they grow, you get to discover what little plants have been placed in your garden.  Each one is unique and requires special care to become the best plant that it can be.  So I wonder....is Ben going to be an oak...a palm tree....a redwood....it is my privilege to find out!

John and Ben in the Battle of the Kitchen Utensils

yes, he does have a diaper on....:)