First Mother's Day; First Tooth

Andrew cut his first tooth on Mother's Day weekend -- awwwww. It's the bottom right incisor. He didn't seem particularly fussy leading up to it, even though he'd also had another round of vaccines on Thursday (he did sleep through the night on Thursday, though, which is unusual for him: 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., that is). Alas, when I took him in for his shots I asked if a pediatrician could stop in (it was supposed to be a nurse-only visit) and check his ears and lungs. He'd had a cough for about a week after his bad cold, and when I picked him up on Thursday I noticed he was pulling on his ears. Sure enough, although his lungs were clear, his right ear is infected, so he's on the grody pink amoxicillin crap that is IMPOSSIBLE to get into him. Well, it was impossible before I figured out that if I stick my finger in his mouth, it serves two purposes: One, it pries his vice-like little jaws open; and two, it gives him something to suck on, thereby getting the medicine down his stubborn little throat, rather than down his chubby little chin. Only 6 more days of that damned syringe and sticky pink crud.

Tonight, like a little champ, he at two whole tablespoons of rice cereal, mixed with an entire 2.5 ounce jar of sweet potatoes (Earth's Best organic!), and even then he seemed hungry, so I gave him a "dessert" of half a jar of pears, which he'd never tried before but loved. I'm a big fan of Earth's Best. I've tried everything Andrew's eaten so far, and it tastes like real food. Not "baby food." Whatever that is.

While we were waiting for the nurse to come in and give Andrew his shots, I snuck him on the scale: 18 lbs, 7 oz with a onesie and a diaper on. Big boy!

We had a lovely Mother's Day weekend in Boston: I got a cake, two beautiful bouquets of roses, lovely gifts, several cards, a fabulous dinner out (thank you, Aunt K, for babysitting!!!), a nap on Saturday afternoon, two yummy brunches, and MDad is going to spring for one or two maid visits to my house (as soon as I get it in good enough order...) When Roo and I got home from Boston on Sunday evening, Mom came over and made me dinner; she'd also brought a cake and a card. We exchanged cards and played with Roo, gave him his bath, etc. In all, a perfectly lovely weekend -- I feel so special! I'm just sorry that MDad was sick -- damn sinuses and lungs!

I had my first parent-teacher conference with Roo's teacher this morning. It's kind of a joke -- it's not like I don't see this woman every single day. But I guess, for accreditation's sake, they have to fill out the progress reports and have us sign them. The only area she suggested we work on with Roo is his "self-soothing" abilities (i.e., she thinks if you're not paying constant attention to him, he gets upset, and that's a bad thing...I'm not so sure that's accurate, since he DOES entertain himself for reasonable stretches at home, and for Christ's sake, he's a BABY and NEEDS attention!). It's not like I'm carrying him around all the time -- my back can't take it. But I do respond when he needs me, although usually not right away. I do give him the opportunity to calm himself down. Again, I think it's more of an issue with Miss S. than it is with Andrew. Her coworkers C and L, who are there when I pick Roo up in the afternoon, have made it clear to me that S doesn't necessarily like to cuddle and comfort babies like they do. And S has made it clear to me that daycare "isn't what I went to school for." It's not that she's hostile or anything; it's just that she's a little more tough-love than the others. Plus, I think I've mentioned that she's not a mom yet, and I do think that that has at least something to do with it. Anyway...

Roo's consistently rolling over...although not when anyone's looking! He seems to forget how to roll from his back to his belly, though, when it's naptime at daycare, which presents a conundrum: They're not supposed to put babies to sleep on their bellies, but that's the only way Roo gets good rest anymore. I think he's going to have to tough it out or figure it out; I'm not going to expect his teachers to break the rules for him.

This week he had a diaper rash, I think from the teething. Or the bananas. Or the amoxicillin. Or all three. And I hope he's not getting constipated from all the solids...

Some new favorite toys: My stainless steel Williams-Sonoma measuring spoons, and my spring-loaded nut chopper. They're both favorites of mine, too! The nut chopper is a "with supervision only" toy, since it has a glass cup and sharp metal blades inside (although I can't see how he could possibly ever get it open, but still). He laughs out loud when I push the plunger down on the nut chopper. What a strange and funny little boy.

Andrew also loves to laugh at the dogs and cats. He's learning how to pet them. Bob is such a good boy -- he doesn't mind when Andrew gets a handful of fur. And I know that hurts -- he gets handfuls of MY fur sometimes, too!

I need to go to bed now; it's way past my bedtime. Just wanted to post all these updates while they're fresh in my mind. Here's hoping the gobs of food he ate for "supper" bode well for a good night's sleep...