As soon as Maddie opened her eyes this morning, it was obvious that her gaggle of new teeth were not treating her very kindly. She’s been grinding these enamel barbarians against one other for almost 48 hours now.
It’s frustrating as a parent to have such a happy baby who is struggling to stay in good spirits even when she is in obvious discomfort.
This morning we took Maddie to Panera to munch on a bagel and give her teeth a rest from all that grinding. This was one of many distractions we tried with the baby to distract her from those erupting teeth.
Maddie’s grandmother MiMi came up with a great distraction technique when she engaged the baby in a winner take all game of Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake Baker’s Man.
Maddie seemed to be getting the hang of the Baker’s Man hand motions when she turned the tables on MiMi. Once Maddie got the moves down, she grabbed her grandmother’s hands and started instructing her. It’s always reassuring to have a 9-month-old who is so ready to pull from her vast pool of knowledge.
Next up was naptime for the baby, but Maddie wasn’t having it.
I put her down to sleep and the waterworks broke out just a few minutes later. It was strange because for the past few months, Maddie has insisted on putting herself to sleep.
Today was a different story. I went up to the crib and it was obvious that Maddie needed some company. I rested my hand on her tummy and she held onto my arm until she finally drifted off to sleep.
Luckily she woke up in much better spirits and enjoyed a great day with all of her aunts and uncles.
Stay Home PaPa 