Cutting Teeth

It's been a big week for the baby. The first part of the big week is his adventure into our local indoor playground. Did you know such a thing exists?? An indoor playground for babies to romp around in and a place for them to steal toys from each other. We normally bring him outdoors, and Caleb "enjoys" sitting and crawling and eating grass, but he's still pretty useless when it comes to climbing any jungle gyms. Promptly after discovering this indoor playground right across the street from us, I convinced Jon that Caleb needed to be signed up for this "Baby & Gym Class": Caleb, the climber and searcher and explorer, would love a chance to explore new grounds! That are baby proof! No open dishwashers doors to climb on top of, no cabinets of laundered and folded sheets to pull onto the ground, no re-discovering fallen blueberries on the ground missed by the dog. Two days before the class, I figured I would bring him in so we could get the lay of the land. I think I was maybe harbouring wistful dreams that it would be like bringing Super to the dog park, that the baby would come home totally wiped out and sleep for the rest of the day. It wasn't quite like that, although I think I needed a nap after. Caleb's a bit shy, but not so much shy as he is an observer. He does a lot of watching of people in the shop, but he's in there so often that it's basically home. At the indoor playground, we spent around half an hour sitting on the sidelines, watching the other babies crawl and climb around, chasing balls and each other. It took a bit of encouragement, but he eventually crawled around over some blocks, but soon enough, it was time for lunch back home. The second part of the baby's big week is his first tooth. Caleb, the baby, has always liked to chew on things, ever since he figured out how to hold something in his paws, I guess around two months old. He never quite figured out how to suck on a pacifier, but he has a real thing for holding something with one or both hands and giving it a go with his gums. Anything he could grab, pens, chopsticks, books, strangers' fingers - and he could sit and suck for minutes at a time (which is a pretty long time for him). It used to be that people, family and friends and customers, would say, "Oh, he's teething!" and I would always have to say, hmm, no not yet...I mean, soon, but not yet. It started at three months, four, five, and he just turned ten months in early July. Weeks and months passed with no teeth in sight. In the early months, I was sort of okay with him not teething so early  - I figured there was no need to rush him into childhood, and who knew how this belligerent and stubborn babe would handle the process. The baby has this toothless grin just makes me want to grab those cheeks and squeeze, and possibly take a bite out of. After months started passing, though, we began to wonder if we should be concerned that he was "slow"...I mean, we don't want him to go into kindergarten with dentures. Somehow, every time there was an odd moment with the baby, it turned into Jon and I saying, "Oh, maybe he's teething!" Enjoying a bit of that ice cold watermelon?? Maybe it's because he's teething! Woke up once in the night?? Maybe he's teething! Chewing "extra" hard on that toothbrush (you know, preparing him early for the cumulative hours he'll spend polishing up those chompers)?? Maybe he's teething! And, at long last, though, he's got his first tooth. Just barely, but it's there. I wouldn't have even noticed if it wasn't for digging some scrap of paper out of his mouth, so I guess he's handling it alright so far. The teeth are coming at last, but oh, how I will miss that toothless, full mouth, eyes closed smile.