Teething Fun

It has begun - the moment I have dreaded long before Esther was born. Teething.

Yikes. It is as bad as some people claim. Poor Esther has been incredible amounts of pain, to the point of waking through the night.

It was so bad that I brought here back to the doctor yesterday because I worried it was ear infection. Turned out that she is just incredibly close to cutting teeth!

The physicians assistant we saw said Esther has wonderfully healthy ears and lungs and is in perfect health (a wonderful thing for an overly concerned mom to hear). She was also shocked to see how active Es was ("wow, she's really advanced for 5 months!") and to hear Esther say "mama." I hadn't posted that bit before, but she's been saying mama for about a month. At first I thought I was hearing things, but I have had about ten people now point it out and they have noticed that she directs it at me and seems to know what the word means. Guess I'll be officially recording that as her first word!

Anyway, we really had wrestle Es to examine her, but the PA finally got a look in her mouth and said, "Ah, now it makes sense. Her top gums are very swollen. You'll probably see teeth soon." As for the bottom, she mentioned that they are likely ready, but generally give little warning before popping out.

So now we wait and do our best to keep Es happy and comfortable, not always an easy task. We're giving her cold items to soothe her gums, nursing frequently, and holding her close when she's crying (while using Little Teethers and the occasional dose of baby Tylenol).

It's exciting, but nursing with teeth makes me nervous :)

Love you all!