boys just wanna have fun!
We started out the day yesterday with a walk down the beach and some fun at the tide pools. We just jumped and jumped off rocks, trying to catch the perfect shot of us midair, flying! Thanks to mom for snapping photos with Ben in her lap shaking a coffee cup full of shells and glass. He loves things that rattle.
Then to the commissary…but first Ben helped me drive the truck.
Then we got a cool cart!
Ben felt like SUCH a big boy doing this especially. You can see Sam checking him out, not so sure he’s ready to “drive.”
And finally, here is “soccer practice” with neighbor friend Jonah in the late afternoon. The boys are outgrowing their backyards, so we spilled out into the common area where they can really run and kick. Ben is watching from a trike. It is chilly here – about 72 degrees with a windchill of 68? We are wearing sweatshirts. Big Ben is about 22 pounds now and has two bottom teeth, and two top teeth just broke through yesterday.
I am wondering something. All this stuff about cranky kids and teething…I’m not so sure. Ben was his absolute sweetest the day they broke through. And he’s generally cranky at the same time of the day every day – around dinner when he is tired and hungry. So either I have tough kids who are not affected, or we moms blame every mood disturbance on teething. And earaches. And upper respiratory infections. All of these theories do have some merit, but still, I’m unconvinced. And at last check, so were researchers on the subject. Do you remember teething when your wisdom teeth came in? I don’t. Were you cranky when you got a whole new set of 20 some teeth in grade school? I don’t remember that at all, either. So either the first set of teeth is particularly difficult because no tooth has gone before, or babies are just cranky because they can’t walk, run, or talk like we can and they’re frustrated. If he could talk, I bet Ben would say, “It’s not the teeth, mom. It’s being so small instead of big and tall!”  Â
I LOVE your commentary! And as you and I chatted, neither of us have had kids who cried because of a wet or dirty diaper, either. I mean, if I could have stopped the crying/cranking with a simple diaper change, I’d stand at that changing table as long as needed to keep the *%#$ diaper dry and clean!! We’ve also seen them smiley and happy with a huge “pancake” in that diaper, and even soaked til the diaper weighed a ton.
au contraire…after having 5 bundles of joy, i firmly believe teething definately causes discomfort..why else would orajel be in business? once the teeth break through the pain is gone,,eons ago the mothers used to rub whiskey on the gums..not recommended today! as far as the loaded diapers are concerned, some kids tolerated them well and some don,t you can believe what you want, just giving you my experience..love to all
Note from Alli: nice to get your take, GG! For what it’s worth – I tried Orajel to see what it did. Hardly anything! And before someone counters “well, you’re an adult” it’s a topical application, not metabolized by the liver which determines relative bioavailability. Anyway…an alternative explanation MAY be that the product continues to sell because parents are desperate for something to help relieve the perceived symptoms. Just like baby gas drops. The evidence is mixed on that as well. Ben is crankier post-breakthrough than he was the day of. Go figure. They’re adorable no matter what. And he’s in his first baby shoes today! Size 4.
Some of my five suffered from teething so far as I can tell…. alas… the wee ones are growing, changing and learning at such a rapid pace (I’ll bet we as adults couldn’t stand the barrage of new things, new feelings and frustrations at not being able to do certain things) so fussiness could be just about anything and everything and as mothers we try to figure it out so we can make it better or help in some way…. but nature will take its course and personalities will be personalities and we are all different.
Babies communicate with what ever is available to them to make their point ! As far as the diaper thing goes, with some of my 5 some where bothered by a dirty diaper, some where not and oh those awful rashes no matter how often they were changed, that two of mine had for which there seemed not too many choices for an effective cure and they eventually outgrew.
Congrats on the first shoes…. Size 4 !