I used to think people were overreacting when they described their kids' teething woes. The stories of the crankiness (for both the baby and the parent), the sleepless nights, the sheer misery of it all just never resonated with me. But now I know the truth. And the truth is that my first two were champion teethers, pushing right through without so much as a peep as sharp incisors thrust themselves up through soft baby gums.Jacob, I'm beginning to understand, is a much more normal baby. I'm sure the stomach virus (or whatever that wretched illness was that wreaked havoc on his body for 12 days and caused him to lose two pounds) had a lot to do with it. He was so pitiful at one point that I caved in and bought him a teething toy and a brand new walker. I don't buy my kids new toys. Ever. If we have to take something out of the box and put it together for the first time, I know something's wrong.
Maybe it has something to with the fact that he's teething so excruciatingly slowly. We've been to the doctor a lot lately. And she agrees with me that his mouth looks like a war zone. And she asks the same question every time she peeks in his mouth: "Those teeth haven't come through yet?"
Nope, what started with a song on Abby's fourth birthday over a month ago (Happy Birthday to her, Happy Toothday to Jacob) still drags on today. Those first two teeth that we spotted that morning had almost completed their ascent by the time we sat down for cupcakes that evening. Five more soon promised to follow in quick succession.
Or not.
A month later, the top two teeth have finally broken through the gums. Three lateral incisors are still lurking just below the surface, taunting my poor son with their total lack of progress.
So we continue to wait, and apply Tylenol and Oragel as needed. The new teething toy was not a hit, but chewing on the corners of matchbox cars and the edges of my furniture seems to bring him some relief. So do frozen chicken nuggets.
I can see we have a long road ahead of us.
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