Let's Call A Do-Over

I gotta tell ya, transition to solid foods wasn't as smooth sailing as I thought (check out my half-way-failed-attempt here).  Since Quincy loved solid food for three days, and then abhorred them for the following week, I had to call a Do-Over.  I halted the whole solid foods stuff, switched back to just strictly nursing for a few days, got in some good reading and advice from friends, and started from the beginning.

A dear friend of mine loaned me her copy of Babywise, Book Two: Parenting Your Pretoddler Five to Fifteen Months, which I found to be very helpful.  It has a great approach to raising children and guiding them from the start so as to avoid "retraining" them later.  I definitely recommend picking up a copy; I especially liked the section on Moral Foundations.  Here is a great quote from the book:

"At birth, a child has no functioning conscience.  By that we mean the child possesses no awareness of standards of right and wrong.  From the start, parents should strive to raise a child who regulates his own behavior from within, in accordance with the rules of common ethics.  Until the child internalizes healthy moral principles, parents are obligated to make value judgements and moral decisions on behalf of the child."*

These moral foundations can be applied to every aspect of a child's upbringing, including food and eating, like teaching them not to put their fingers in their mouth while they eat or learning to sit with the family and have a meal together.  They also had a straight-forward approach to starting solids, and since Quincy seemed to back-track on solids, I thought it couldn't hurt to try.

They suggest starting with one meal a day where you give them rice cereal, and always follow the cereal with either nursing or a bottle (much like you would accompany a meal with something to drink).  Since Quincy had taken to solids before, I pretty much started doing three meals a day instead of building back up, though in the beginning he didn't each much compared to a week into having cereal.

Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain Rice Cereal

In order to make the rice cereal, you need to add water, breast milk, or formula.  We used the above whole grain rice cereal, and, hoping that the taste of breast milk would encourage Quincy to eat well, I opted to pump.  You can read my previous post about pumping, the other side of nursing, as this did (and still does) pose some challenges for me.  The instructions for rice cereal said to add 1 Tablespoon of cereal with 3-4 Tablespoons of milk or water, but this made it super runny and wouldn't stay on the spoon.  Instead, I found that a 1:2 ratio was much better (1 Tbsp cereal : 2 Tbsp Milk).

After about a week of cereal, I switched to adding in servings of butternut squash, though at a more gradual pace than the cereal.  (The book recommends waiting two weeks of having all meals with cereal, but again I started sooner since Quincy had already done some solid foods before).  I tried it at lunch before giving him cereal, and then later added it to his evening meal.  Eventually, the cereal servings for lunch and dinner were replaced with vegetables, and the schedule below is what we now generally follow:

The above word generally is used very loosely.  As some of you parents out there have come to find out, babies (and children) can get into a routine and then change dramatically the following day, hour, minute...  Basically, they all come with built-in asterisks with a whole lot of fine print.  Factors like sleep, outside activities, visitors, car trips, teething, and every other component that affects your child's mood can change how well (or poorly) they eat.  But generally speaking, the above schedule has been good to follow for us.

You may notice that I nurse him when he first wakes up, and then he has breakfast, which is followed with another nursing session.  The Babywise II book recommends just giving them breakfast first, but Quincy would get too upset if I tried to do this.  Like scream-crying upset.  I think he struggled to make the connection that rice cereal was something that would fill his belly.  The book did address this issue and said to try nursing some and then giving them cereal, but again, this didn't go over well.  Instead, I found that if he nursed first, we hung out for a while and then had breakfast later, he did much better eating the cereal and some tears were spared.

Happily Eating Cereal

Now at two and a half weeks into this Do-Over, Quincy has gotten used to rice cereal and butternut squash.  I attempted carrots a few times, and must admit this is just one vegetable that might not be one we'll try a lot (Quincy hated them and would refuse to eat anything else at that meal once carrots were tried).  In my homemade baby food stash I also have peas, and am hoping to make some more purees of sweet potatoes, acorn squash, green beans, and lentils.  I think I'll also give baby oatmeal a try, too!

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In related news, the Teething Monster seems to sneak up on the H-G Household, so we've discovered some tricks to combat sore gums during mealtime...

It's hard to see in this slightly blurred photo, but Quincy has two teeth
(finally) coming in on the bottom; the left one has already cut through!

SOME OBSERVATIONS FOR TEETHING BABIES EATING SOLIDS

1.  Keep the Food Cold.  Whether it's baby cereal and milk or a pureed food, don't bother warming it before baby eats it.  In fact, I once had some rather icy squash that had mostly thawed from the freezer that Quincy loved to gulp down when his gums were sore.  One note on the cereal and milk: breast milk should not be microwaved as it can deplete it of important nutrients.  For the vegetables, I've popped them in the microwave for 5 or 6 seconds just to take the chill off, but no need when Quincy has had sore gums!

He's actually excited in this photo, if you can believe it.

2.  Be Patient.  When Quincy was especially fussy from his incoming teeth, the last thing he wanted was to have a spoon shoved into his mouth.  Unfortunately, he also wasn't too happy of a camper when he was hungry.  I found that at the beginning of a feeding session he was wary to eat, so I just took my time and gave him small spoonfuls, and then didn't push too hard once he had had enough.

Saving some for later.

3.  Keep it Positive.  The last thing a fussy, teething baby wants is an upsetting meal.  Keep it light and happy, and try to get them to eat, but don't be too forceful when they've had enough.

¡Abre la boca!

4.  Rotate Between Acetaminophen & Ibuprofen.  I've mentioned this before, but there is a time and place for medication.  We aren't big on drugging children or anything, but by following the recommended dosing for these pain relievers, it can help a great deal to comfort sensitive gums and/or teeth.  Having a pain reliever in their system before they need to eat has worked best for us.  By rotating between acetaminophen (Tylenol®) and ibuprofen (Motrin®), you don't run the risk of over-dosing on either of the medications with the doses being close together.  As always, check with your pediatrician before administering any kind of medication to your child.

Excuse me?  Next bite, please.

5.  Have a Cold Teether or Icy Washcloth On Hand.  When I couldn't get Quincy to calm down and take a spoonful of food, I would give him a cold teething ring to chew on in order to help chill down his sore gums, and then try to give him food.  Surprisingly, it worked!  Just be sure not to yank the teether from their mouth, which could cause further tenderness.  Gently remove the teether and replace it with a spoonful of food.

OOOH, SO GOOOOOD.
(use a Cookie Monster Voice for full effect)

Some questions for the readers out there:

1. If you make (or have made) your own baby food, what kind of vegetables did you prepare?

2. When did you introduce fruits?

3. What was your baby's favorite kind of food?

4. Any good tips you've come across for teething babies while they eat?

Squash Face

This Do-Over seems to be going pretty well - I mean, c'mon, look at that sweet, adorable face!

Ever had to call a Do-Over?  Share below!

~M

*Ezzo, Gary and Robert Bucknam, MD. (1995). Baby Wise II: Parenting Your Pretoddler, Five to Fifteen Months. Multnomah Books.

Una Promesa - A Promise

View of Madrid skyline from the neighborhood where I lived in Spain, 2006

When I was debating whether I should stay home full-time or return to work, I mentioned my desire for Quincy to grow up knowing Spanish.  In order to explain what my promise to Quincy will be, I have to tell you a little bit about my history with the language and why it is so important to me.

For starters, I took my first Spanish class my Freshman year of high school, and I wasn't happy about it.  I had wanted to take French, but it wasn't offered at my school.  What was a girl to do?  French was romantic, fancy, elegant, sophisticated... and speaking French would therefore make me romantic, fancy, elegant, and sophisticated.  I decided to go with Spanish because it was practical - West Michigan has a large population of Spanish speakers - and maybe, I thought, it would come in handy.

I found out that I loved Spanish class (apart from homework, tests, and the tedious book work required to learn a language), because the sounds, the music, the variety of cultures, accents... it all fascinated me.  After graduating high school with four years of Spanish under my belt, I enrolled at Grand Valley State University, with a major in Spanish and minor in Elementary Education (the latter I later dropped).  I was able to take the CLEP test for Spanish and began courses at the 300-level my Freshman year at GVSU.

The courses were difficult, taught only in Spanish, and the professors came from a variety of backgrounds, but I greatly enjoyed each class (well, mostly - grammar and I never really became good friends).  In my classes, I met some really great girls who shared a love of language, and I learned a great deal from them.

Some of my GVSU Friends
Stacy, Stefanie, Maggie & Sharlynn

During my Junior year at GVSU, I had the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in Spain. Brad's family had hosted a student from Spain for a number of visits, and so I was able to stay with her family just outside the city of Madrid (the took photo in this post is the view of Madrid from where I lived).  

I learned the language (not just out of a book, but in real life situations, too), ate delicious food, traveled around the country, took courses at the local university as well as through my American program, and met some really great people.

Segovia, Spain

Córdoba, Spain

Cochinillo - Roast Suckling Pig

Galicia, Spain

Langostinos (Shrimp), Percebes (I guess they're called "Goose Barnacles"?)
Caracoles (Snails), & Jamón (Ham)

Toledo, Spain

Celebrating our last night in Spain with friends!
Emily, Maggie & Brit

Frauke & Maggie - Fireworks for El Día de San Isidro

Brad and I even got engaged in Spain while he came for a visit.  (Romantic, right?!  I thought so!)

At my program building, sharing the news with friends!

El Parque del Retiro, Madrid

Real Madrid Soccer Stadium

My time in Spain was such a great adventure - I learned about another culture, language, and country; I also learned a great deal about myself.

Okay, so enough reminiscing...

Now as the mother of a six month old, I am looking forward to seeing the adventures of which Quincy will partake.  My job, and that of the community of family and friends around him, is to nurture him in every way possible, teaching him what we can from the knowledge we have gained, while also teaching him a sense of curiosity and adventure - a desire to learn more.

I spent eight academic years learning another language (including the Bachelor's Degree I earned at GVSU) and I still struggle with components of the language.  Grammar makes my skin crawl, I've lost a ton of vocabulary over the years, and I blush from time to time when speaking the language.  Why should Quincy spend so much of his time learning a language, as I did, when it can be incorporated in his daily routine?  I'm not saying I'm the perfect teacher, or that my grammar and vocabulary will be that of a native speaker, but  even him knowing fruits and vegetables or basic conversation in Spanish will be a success in my book.

So here is what I have decided to do:

READ in Spanish to Quincy.  I budgeted one hundred dollars to purchase books in Spanish to read to Quincy and also to use to teach myself new vocabulary.  I probably could have gotten  a slightly better deal ordering books online, but I went to the local Barnes & Noble so I could page through the books and see which ones would be good to have in the house.  I tried to get a variety of books: some with nursery rhymes and songs, others filled with pictures of everyday vocabulary, a few biblical books to encourage his faith in another language, and some familiar childhood books that I can remember reading (in English) with my parents.

One hundred dollars may seem like a lot, but I consider these books a great investment and should last for a while.  This way, we have a variety of books to read instead of cycling through the same three books several times a day.  A handful of the books have several stories (one has 365 stories and nursery rhymes!) so we will have different tales to read through as he grows!

SPEAK with Quincy in Spanish.  In talking about this promise with Brad, we decided that I would speak strictly in Spanish with Quincy when others aren't around.  Not that I want to make Quincy timid about speaking around others, but I want him to to be aware that speaking a language around others that do not understand could give them a feeling of alienation.  When Brad is around, English will be the primary language, but once it's just me and Quincy (or with other Spanish speakers), it'll just be Spanish. This obviously means while we play at home, but also out and about at the grocery store, running other errands, going for walks, etc.

This also means I had to make a decision about my accent.  From living in Spain, I have a rather (strong) Spanish accent, complete with the "Spanish lisp" (read more about ceceo and seseo here).  I've always held on strongly to my accent, since it shows where my language skills were nurtured and enhanced.  To be honest, it also helped distinguish certain words from others.  The pronunciation of hacer and a ser is very different with a Spanish accent, but is less distinguishable in a Latin American accent.  For those of you unfamiliar with the typical Spanish accent (I should note that there are a variety of accents besides the one I am familiar with, depending on the region of Spain), the word "gracias" is pronounced like "graTHiaS" (the "TH" here sounds like the same letter combination found at the end of the English word "with").  The letter S still has the same sound you would use in English, but all words with Z's and soft C's (ce- and ci-) are presented with the "TH" sound.

Our community has a very large hispanic population (about 22% of the total population), but does not have strong ties to Spain.  Most hispanics in the area are from Mexico (16.7% of the total population), while others are from Puerto Rico or Cuba (read more statistics here).  It would make more sense to have an accent that matched better with the local speakers, so I am making the adjustment to a more commonly recognized accent in my area.

SEEK out cultural events, playgroups and music that encourages cultural diversity.  This doesn't solely have to be related to Spanish or the local hispanic community.  I have a very dear friend in Germany (we met in Spain, actually) that we have kept in contact with and have visited each other over the years and plan on keeping up the tradition of crossing the ocean to hang out.

Brad, Maggie, Frauke & Marcel - Chicago 2007

Frauke & Maggie - Germany 2010

Michigan - Summer 2011
Stacey, Maggie, Brad, Doug, Sheryl, Marcel & Frauke

Beyond the international friends that Brad and I have, I also want to expose Quincy to new music, food, and cool festivals.  This may be easier said than done, but I'll see what I can find!  (Feel free to leave comments about recommendations of food, music, cultural events or playgroups you may know of!)  We obviously have the local tradition of Tulip Time, but we also established a tradition of attending the Garlic Festival when we lived out East.  We plan on going again this year!

Friends at Garlic Festival 2010
Chelsea, Christian, Monica, Jessica, Marcus, Maggie & Brad

WORK hard.  This will be a big challenge to relearn the vocabulary I have lost, study new vocabulary that we encounter along the way, and not give up when it gets a little tough.  For me, this means looking up words that I don't know, making an effort to always speak in Spanish, and haul out my old grammar book to brush up on the rules.

My new companion

All of these things I promise to do with and for Quincy so that he can grow up knowing more about the cultures and people around him, and have a natural curiosity to seek out new people, food, cultures... all things that will help him understand our worldly community more fully.

Special thanks to my Facebook friends that grew up in a multi-cultural home or have encouraged their own children to grow up speaking another language.  Your input and advice was really great to hear and use as I work on this promise to Quincy.  Feel free to leave comments below for any further advice, questions, resources, or tips - whether you are multi-lingual or just interested!

Got any promises you are working on in your life?  Share in the comments!

¡Buena suerte!

~M

First Tastes: Food for Baby, Food for Thought

Instead of buying jarred baby food, I thought I'd give making my own baby food a try.  Pictured above is some of my "finished product" of baby food - steamed, pureed, frozen in cubes, and then stored in freezer bags.  It's recommended for babies to start solids between 4-6 months of age, beginning with pureed basic foods like veggies or fruits or baby cereals.

In our case, we had decided we would wait until Quincy turned six months old before starting solid foods.  In speaking with our pediatrician, we had also decided to start with vegetables, as some babies can enjoy the sweetness of fruits and then have difficulty liking vegetables.

Despite what we may have planned on ahead of time, Quincy had a slightly different idea in mind for a start date.  For the week before we began giving him solid food, he had this face after nursing:

Much like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, I came to the realization that he was still hungry.  So instead of waiting out the remaining weeks, we started Quincy on solids.

I've realized I have a certain pattern for parenting, and the H-G Parenting Model might work for you, too.  It goes like this:

Here goes....

READ. 
I browsed a few books to figure out what foods would be good, and how to actually add in meals...

This is a great book for all things baby/children.  It reads like a textbook, but it's very informative 

Great book for gourmet recipes for being a super fancy cook (Quincy will eat better than I do, ha!)

Great book of easy recipes AND really good insight on how to start food and which foods to avoid

PREPARE. 
This is where you gather up all the stuff you'll need - in the case of making baby food, you'll need produce, something to puree the food, and something to store the food.

Picked up fresh veggies from the local farmers' market and grocery store.
Asparagus, Butternut Squash, Carrots, & Peas

I had heard from a few friends that make their own baby food, that freezing the pureed food in ice cube trays was the best way to go.  Each cube was like a portion, and you just pull out what you need and leave the rest frozen.  We purchased these ice cube trays because they were dishwasher safe, made of silicone (no risk of BPA's), flexible, and looked cool.

Flexible Ice Cube Trays to freeze pureed foods.

To puree the food, I used a Baby Bullet and a regular blender.  Any kind of food processor should work, too.

The Baby Bullet

The Blender

After getting all the gear together, I got to peeling, slicing, steaming, pureeing, freezing, and storing.  It was a grand old time!

Carrots

Fresh Peas (with the shell) vs. Frozen Peas (without shell)

Top Photos: Fresh Peas from the market - FAIL!  Notice the stringy appearance of the cubes; I wasn't able to get all of the little pieces out when blending it.

Bottom Photos: Frozen Peas - SUCCESS!  These blended much better and had a much brighter hue after freezing.  Use shelled peas, not the whole pod!

Butternut Squash

You may notice I didn't include asparagus in the prepared foods above - we instead opted to grill it with olive oil and lemon juice for a cookout on Father's Day.  Boy, was it good!  Quincy, unfortunately, did not get to try it.  Maybe next time!

When pureeing the food, use the water leftover from steaming the veggies to thin out the mixture.

I poured the water used for steaming into a measure cup,
and then added 1/4 cup at a time to the veggies until it was the right consistency.

I'll admit, you have to set aside some time to get everything together, but once you have it all cooked and then frozen, it's easy to just take a cube out of the freezer, place it in a container to thaw for the next day, and then serve it up when he's ready!




IMPLEMENT.
We started on a Saturday with butternut squash, and it went pretty well!  (Side bar here: Squash is referred to a vegetable with cooking but is actually considered a fruit, in case you were wondering).  With his first meal in the morning, he was very puzzled by what we kept putting in his mouth, but he eventually figured it out.  By the third meal of the day, he knew what to do.

First Tastes of Butternut Squash

Each feeding I started with the solid food, then followed it with nursing.  He still kept up his regular schedule of nursing every three to four hours, just with three meals of solid food added at the beginning of those nursing times.


QUESTION EVERYTHING.
Everything was going great.... until.... teething struck again (I've shared a few woes of teething before).  No, Quincy still hasn't actually had any teeth come in, but they sure like to move around.

Here is what Quincy was like on Day Three of Butternut Squash - note the happy snorting a few seconds into the video clip:




One quick note: I won't make a habit of uploading videos of every meal Quincy eats, but wanted to use this to demonstrate how things can change with babies.  You may have something figured out, and then the next day it's as if it never happened.

The following day, he wanted nothing to do with solid foods (I tried squash, then carrots for a few days, then peas just two days ago), and all it did was upset him.

New Talent - Crying with Carrots in One's Mouth

So many questions have run through my mind: Did he not like the food?  Was it too cold, too warm, too thick, too thin?  Should I have started him on a less-sweet food?  Should I try baby cereal?  Ultimately, it became obvious that his gums were bothering him (heavy drool, fussier than usual, Tylenol/Ibuprofen helped...), so I'm chalking this one up to another battle with incoming teeth, and hopefully it ends soon.


ADJUST & EXPECT NOTHING TO GO AS PLANNED
I'm a bit of a planner (I'm sure there are a few of you out there laughing at the phrase "a bit"), but there comes a point where the plan goes out the window and you just see how things play out.   I'm hoping his gums calm down soon, and we can get into a rhythm with solids, but for the meantime I'll keep trying a little bit at a time until he's ready again.  I might also use the H-G Parenting Model and start over with some more reading...

Bon appetit!

~M

Teasing Teeth

I don't know about all of you out there, but I hate Teeth Stuff.  They're great for chewing, and filling up a smile, but when something goes wrong, it's the pits.  I've had my share of crummy experiences with teeth - cavities, then fillings, braces (and their accessories), teeth being pulled, wisdom teeth extractions, oh and that one time my loose baby tooth fell victim to a tootsie roll.  Let me just add, that tootsie rolls are not supposed to be crunchy.  Yuck.

Now, do you remember when your first teeth came in?  I don't, but from what I've recently experienced with Quincy, it's the worst of all Teeth Stuff.

Tiger Teeth on their way, Rarrrrrr...

A few days ago, Quincy felt a bit warm, which turned out to be a low-grade fever.  To be on the safe side, we brought him in to see the doctor, and it was simply a viral thing that would take time and a bit of Tylenol to clear up.  No ear problems.  No stuffed up nose.  Honestly, not too bad.  I spent the next few days (and nights) cuddling and consoling Quincy as best I could, and it wasn't so bad.  He was generally happy, just a bit fussier than usual.

Despite last night's marathon of waking up every one to two hours to feed him or rock him back to sleep, he woke up this morning as a happy, babbling, sweet little baby.  He was so ready to play, in fact, that he didn't nap well.  As a last ditch effort, I pulled out my secret weapon: The Mommy-Quincy Nap.  After feeding him, we snuggled up on the couch and he fell asleep, literally, like a baby.

The Classic, Mommy-Quincy Nap

Two hours later, he woke up screaming.  I know I've woken up on the wrong side of a nap before, so I laughed to myself, mumbling how he must still be sleepy.  But, he continued to scream quite fervently, so I went through my Crying Checklist:

1. Tired?  Well, he just slept two hours so most likely not.

2. Wet Diaper?  That can be fixed!  Amidst continuous screams and crocodile tears running down his cheeks, I changed his diaper.  Still screaming.

3. Hungry?  That can also be fixed!  But not if he won't eat.  Despite all of my attempts, he wouldn't eat.  It actually just upset him more.

At that point, I started to worry.  His screams weren't his typical hungry cries, or bored cries.  They were Mommy-I'm-Missing-A-Limb cries, and Mommy-My-Arm-Is-Broken cries.  Thirty minutes into the episode, I'm crying along with him, not knowing what to do.  You see, I'm The Consoler.  I'm The Fixer.  Fussy baby?  I can solve that - just a few pats on the bottom, or rocking side to side - and poof, all better!  But I was failing.  He was just crying more and more.

I ran through the Crying Checklist again - tired, diaper, food; tired, diaper, food.  None of those.  I checked his temperature, and it was fine.  Then it hit me:  TEETH.  It's gotta be Teeth Stuff.

I had learned a few weeks back that teething can happen at a young age, but doesn't necessarily mean teeth are coming in; they can move around a while before actually making an appearance.  Quincy had had a similar reaction to nursing at that time, and I had found this helpful paragraph in What to Expect: The First Year.

From What to Expect: The First Year by Heidi Murkoff

I ran and got a teether and a wet washcloth.  No luck.  Still screaming.  His pacifier worked for a few seconds, but then he was inconsolable.  Brad was at work, and the neighbors have kids that could catch whatever horrible screaming sickness Quincy may have, so I went into the other room and called the doctor's office.  While on hold for a nurse, Quincy's screaming stopped.  Just stopped.  I rushed into the room, and there he was gnawing on the washcloth and his fingers.  Happy as a clam chewing on sand.  Yahtzee: It was Teeth Stuff.

For the next forty-five minutes, I rotated washcloths from the freezer with teethers and a pacifier, but he still cried most of the time.  I called the doctor's office back to see if there was anything else I could do, but the nurse said I was already doing all that I could.  If he continued to cry, I could bring him in to get checked out.

Green Teether, Teal Washcloth, Mommy's & Quincy's Fingers

Finally, after the entire dramatic episode of screaming, crying, washcloths and chewing on fingers had reached an hour and a half, he was slightly calmer, so I tried nursing him again.  He ate for a little while, and then cashed out.  This time, The Mommy-Quincy Nap worked.  He slept for another two hours and woke up my sweet, babbling baby from this morning.

Cashed Oooooooooout

This post may not be interesting for everyone out there, but I wanted to share my anxiety, my helplessness, and my triumph.  Sometimes, you can't always fully fix the situation so you just have to power through it and help them as best you can.

I've mentioned my Motherhood Toolbelt, but now I have an addition to make.  I would add a Teething Kit to the lot, and strap it to my thigh like a spare weapon I could reach for quickly.  It would contain:

Frozen Washcloths (FWC'S) - I have a plate in our freezer now with ready to serve FWC's and teethers.  Quincy is especially fond of washcloths with Mommy's fingers tucked inside for chewing.

Freezer Stash

Washcloth Heaven

Tylenol - use as directed!  Infant dosing should always get checked with your pediatrician, as often times it is dependent on the baby's weight not age.  Also, the bright red medicine is a pain for clothing so keep a wet paper towel on hand to wipe up the drips that don't make it in their mouth!

Children's Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Teethers - find out what works best for your baby.  We liked these rings that have different textures on them and are made of silicone (safe for baby's mouth and the dishwasher!)

Teether Ring

Distance - don't be afraid to step away when baby is super duper upset and you've tried your usual tactics.  Obviously, be sure to inspect them to make sure they don't have an injury that needs addressing first, but it's okay to take a breather.  Call for help, too.

Quincy is now sleeping soundly in his room, pacifier in mouth, teether close by, and I'm breathing easier.  He's been fed, has a clean diaper, and is set on Tylenol for a few hours.  He could very easily wake up and get upset again at any time, but I feel a bit better knowing that we made it through today, and I am stronger from it.

Enjoy your teeth - be thankful they don't have to come in for the first time ever again!

~M