Teething is believin'

I am one of the lucky ones, meaning my child was sleeping through the night, six hours or more, by around six weeks.  Mind you, the first six weeks were nothing short of brutal.  AML jr is a night person, coincidentally like her mother, and most enjoyed the hours of 11pm-4am, waaaay past my bedtime.  I wasn't sure I'd survive motherhood during that first month and half, but I did and soon after she was sleeping six then eight then 10 plus hours a night.  What a relief and a joy!  A well-rested mommy and baby makes for a much happier mommy and baby, wouldn't you agree?  Now I can't even remember those all nighters or operating on virtually no sleep, I mean this.

For months I've heard the teething stories--fever, runny nose, sleepless night, etc. and I've been thankful that AML jr is not there yet, meaning she has no signs of teeth.  I also heard from people that the older the teething begins, the less painful it is and less symptoms will occur (wishful thinking?).  Once again I thought I'd be one of the lucky ones and somehow her teeth would magically appear without any suffering for her.  Buuuuuut last night the teething fairy appeared.  While enjoying a night in at a friend's place whose baby is just a month younger than AML jr the fussiness, drooling, chewing everything in sight and ear grabbing began...and then the dreaded waking up in the middle of the night happened a few times...and then a fever, runny nose and stinky diaper (understatement) this morning--signs of teething were everywhere.  I was prepared with the gum numbing gel, Tylenol, liquids and lots of snuggling.  But not being able to take away the discomfort and help her understand that in just a short time the pearly whites will take the place of the pain is tough to bear for us both.

I feel like teething is yet another rite of passage for moms.  Not only does it mean our little ones are growing up, but it's another test of our care, patience, love and among other things, willingness to accept that we could and should try hard to ease our babies' pain, but we cannot control/fix everything.  Yep, that means that no matter how hard we try to take away the suffering and console our babies, it may not be enough.  And that's where the guilt comes in--should I have/have not used Tylenol?  Should I have stayed home from work with him/her?  Should I have/have not gone into his/her room every time he/she cried through the night?  Should I have/have not given him/her that bottle feeding in the middle of the night?  I don't have all the answers, so like the rest of you, I'm just doing the best I can to care for my baby.  Teethin is believin...that this too shall pass.  At least from what I hear teething passes like so many other baby stages, and then we'll look back and realize it wasn't so bad afterall, and our babies won't even remember the teething fairy, but the tooth fairy on the other hand...better start saving now!