It is tough being the Mommy of a teething baby.
Cameron started drooling in May (around two months old). From that point on, I noticed lots of teething symptoms. Some people told me “Oh, he can’t be teething – babies don’t do that this early”, but I knew some things they didn’t. I knew that although the average first tooth pops through around seven months, teething can start at any time. I also knew that teething has a lot to do with genetics.
Cameron’s Dad? He got his first tooth when he was three months old.
Me? I got mine at four months.
So I’ve been waiting and expecting that first toofer to pop through at any time.
Anytime turned out to be Sunday night.
I knew Cameron was getting closer to cutting his first tooth, because I could see the bottom two teeth underneath the gums. For a couple days I have been telling Dan that the first tooth will be here soon. At first he didn’t believe me. And then, he felt Cameron’s gums and could feel a little ridge where the tooth was aching to pop through. Of course, I was right.
On Sunday evening, we were entertaining. We had my sister and my (soon to be) brother-in-law, my cousin, her husband (cousin-in-law?), and their baby (only two weeks younger than Cam) over for snacks and Pictionary.
Cameron usually gets fussy and ready for bed between 7pm and 8pm. This makes it easier to have people over instead of going out because Cameron’s bedtime doesn’t mean we have to cut the evening short. 7o’clock came around, and Cameron started to get fussy. Cameron and I started to go through the bedtime routine, but I couldn’t calm him down. Eventually fussing turned into all out screaming. There was no doubt about it, he was in pain. And no matter what teething aid I tried, I could not calm him.
Finally, I cut the continuing game of Pictionary short and decided to take my baby for a walk with my sister and cousin. Thankfully, this calmed Cameron down, but he didn’t fall asleep.
Cam finally went to sleep three hours after his regular bedtime. I kind of hoped that a late bedtime would mean a full night of sleep.
Unfortunately the Tylenol wore off a couple of hours later.
Cue the screaming. Cue the heartbreak.
Finally, after a ride in the car and some more Tylenol, sleep brought the morning.
And the morning? Well it brought a fresh tooth. Okay – you can’t see the tooth yet, but you can feel it. No longer does my son have soft and smooth gums. Right in the very front of his lower gum there is a sharp little toofer ready to grow.
The problem with being a Mom with a teething baby is that I don’t know how to feel. Obviously I don’t want my son to be twenty and toothless. But I also wouldn’t wish the pain he felt trying to get that one tooth through his gum on anyone. When he is going through the pain of teething, I pray that the tooth breaks through the gum quickly, but once that is done, I dread the next tooth.
No matter how many sleepless nights and broken hearts Cameron’s teething causes me, I know that it is worse for my son. But, the teeth must grow. And boy oh boy, he is going to have the cutest little smile.
