Teething Pains

Teething Pain for E = nipple pain for mom.  My daughter is using me as a teether.  I didn't realize until last night, how sore I am.  I've started using the lanolin that I got when I started breastfeeding on my nipples again.  Last night, as she slowly gnawed on my nipple, I said "Oh, stop that!  That hurts Mommy!"  She stopped, looked at me, smiled, then went right back to doing it again.  I've been sticking my finger in her mouth to break the bite when she does it, but I think I'm going to have to get a little more serious now, since that's not working.  I certainly don't want her thinking she can do that to me once her teeth have cut through.
And when will those teeth come?  I feel like the kid's been teething for months!  I will not be surprised if five teeth sprout all at once.  In fact, last night when she was chewing on my finger, she was doing a ton of chewing with her top gums, not just her bottoms.  Oh boy!

Another one of her favorite chew toys is my cell phone.  I have learned the hard way that it doesn't make a good chew toy.  I now cannot talk on my cell phone.  There must be slobber, spit-up and other gunk in the speaker, so that when I call someone, it sounds like I'm in a cave on the other side of the world.  I now can only use my phone with the hands-free device.  Luckily, it should still be under warranty, so I'll be taking it to the cell-phone store today.

Also with the chewing comes the total disdain for pureed foods.  E will have none of that.  I now have to feed her small chopped morsels of food.  Her favorites so far are pears, peaches, peas, olives and avocado.  She had some cod the other day and seemed to enjoy that as well.  For snacks, I give her Pirate's Booty (a puffed rice & corn snack made with spinach & kale), freeze dried fruits and snap-pea crisps.  These new foods make diaper changing fun!

On the crawling front, she is still moving backwards, but gets her belly off the floor much better and more often.  She is beginning to figure out how to move her knees under her body, and once she has that, all she'll have to do is figure out how to coordinate it all.  That should be no problem.  She has no problem moving herself around the living room, even if she's going in circles.

I feel so fortunate to have such an easy going, happy child.  It sure has made this parenting thing a breeze.