Teething bites...literally.

Last night was...well it wasn't really BAD. We rarely, if ever, have BAD nights, but it wasn't good either. Normally, bedtime is as follows: Around 9:30-10ish, when Jack shows signs of being tired (rubbing eyes, mild fussiness) we mosey upstairs, get him changed and put his jammies on him. I settle into the rocker recliner while Todd sits on a folding chair. Todd reads a chapter of Harry Potter while Jack pleasantly nurses and nods off to sleep. Then, we put baby in his crib and recite (no longer needing to read) Goodnight Moon. Jack stays asleep and we back out of the room. This whole teething thing sucks. Jack doesn't want to nurse because he's not hungry, but he wants to nurse for comfort but gets mad when there's milk coming. What's my solution? The Bink.

I fully believe in the binky (or pacifier for you that don't know what a bink is). Babies have an ingrained need to suck. Studies have shown that using a bink at bedtime reduces the risk of SIDS. It keeps babies calm and quiet at things like meetings with the head of the education department or shopping.

When Jack gets mad that there's milk coming often he shows his displeasure by choking, gagging, pulling away while still attached to me and growling while his little face turns bright red and mommy tends to get grumpy. Well, it's painful and I get upset that he's not eating, he gets upset that he IS eating and it's a vicious circle. Hey, I never said I was perfect. I get frustrated.

Well, last night this was all going on so I gave him the binky. This went over well until he pulls out the bink to chew on the sides. I'm all for this, as he is not chewing on me. However, he gets mad that he can't suck and chew at the same time. We have the Soothie bink teether and he likes this, but once again, he cannot suck and chew at the same time! So, every minute or so, I'm pulling the bink out of his iron death grip to replace it properly in his mouth. Finally, he wouldn't take the bink or the boob, so I let him scream for a minute and then attempted to walk around with him. It worked!

One thing about parenting that no one tells you is that it's really hard on your back. Babies are dead weight. Jack is 17+ pounds of dead weight. So, despite lifting with my legs, my back inevitably starts to hurt (also, this doesn't happen often, so I don't think to use a sling). So, I sit down again. BIG mistake. Jack screams, I get mad and hand him off to Todd. Todd, the love that he is, hands me Harry Potter (we're reading The Prisoner of Azkaban right now) and we swap places. Somehow, thank the maker, Todd gets Jack to sleep.

Apparently he woke up at 3:45 this morning. I don't recall this. I only remember Todd getting back in bed sometime later. Why, you may ask, doesn't the mother that stays home not get up with the baby? Well, to answer you, I didn't hear him and it's what works for us. Todd functions at near 100% capacity on lack of sleep. Me, not so much. I turn into a raving bitch. And that's putting it nicely.

Todd took Zelda to the vet this morning. Simply put, she's not a fan. He managed to get her into the carrier with little fight. I'm very impressed. This afternoon, Jack and I will pick her up from the vet. I haven't maneuvered baby and cat up the stairs yet, so this will be very interesting.

Thank God It's Friday