Is that a tooth? No...wait, maybe it is!

It's been over a week since my last post. I have been super busy with work and was out of town a few days last week. When I left last Tuesday I was discussing with a co-worker that Collin still didn't have any teeth coming in yet. I know the doctor said it could be up to 15 months before his teeth started coming in, but I have never met anyone with a baby that old who didn't have teeth. Collin is 7 months old, slobbering like crazy, and trying to "gum" anything he can get his hands on (including one of Yukon's toys---ewww!), so I just figured we should start seeing signs of a tooth arriving any time now. I have been checking his gums everyday to see if I could see anything --- nothing. Of course, I was starting to wonder what was going on and how long it would be before he finally got teeth. He is already big for his age, so I know when people see him (that don't know us) they probably wonder why he isn't walking and why he doesn't have any teeth. Okay, so I know I sound a little paranoid. :)

I arrived back in Memphis on Thursday and headed to my inlaws house to pick Collin up. His granddaddy was kind enough to pick him up from daycare Thursday since Chauncey had to work and I wasn't arriving back until after 6pm. As I sat at their house talking for a little while we got on the subject of teeth -- imagine that. I think it has consumed most of my conversations lately. :) I was joking around with my mother-in-law about whether or not Collin was ever going to get any teeth. And we both were poking around a little in his mouth to see if we could see anything --- still nothing. Collin and I left and headed home. Once we got home I decided to unpack and get a few things done before it got too late. When I finished I went into the living room and sat on the couch with Chauncey and Collin. I put Collin in my lap and started tickling him. At one point he was laughing and his mouth was wide open. When I looked down I noticed this tiny little white thing on his bottom gums. I guess Chauncey noticed it at the same time and in unison we both said, "is that a tooth?!?!" It's like that little tooth came out of no where! I put my finger in his mouth and sure enough it was sharp. Thank goodness! Now I can stop worrying about his teeth! :)

If I was worried before about his teeth now there is definitely nothing to worry about...he exhibits all the signs of a cranky, teething baby. What is so odd is that he usually doesn't get cranky until the evening time. During the day he is perfectly happy playing and doing other things. I don't know what it is about the evenings, but that is usually when he gets a little fussy and grabs everything in sight to "gum." Don't get me wrong, he keeps something in his mouth all day, but it's not until the evening time that he shows "frustration," as if he is hurting and nothing will help it. I have given him Tylenol, Baby Orajel, homeopathic teething tablets that dissolve under his tongue, the whole nine yards. I can't seem to soothe him. I believe the Tylenol and the Baby Orajel help the most, but he fights when we try to give him the Orajel and I am just a little paranoid about giving him Tylenol on a regular basis. Thankfully, the "crankiness" doesn't last too long before he falls asleep. During the middle of the night he will wake up pulling my hair, pillow, the sheets - anything --- he just wants something, anything to gnaw on.

Other than the excitement of his first tooth coming in, there isn't a whole lot going on with us. He is growing and developing every day. I know I have said it a million times, but he is so affectionate. He will reach for us now when we get near him and I just love that!!! It's so precious. His personality is coming out more and more. Physically, he is getting around a lot faster! He's still not crawling completely on his knees, but he gets on his knees more frequently now and will move just a little on his knees. He has figured out that he can go a whole lot faster if he just lays on his tummy and uses his little feet to push and his arms to pull himself where he wants to go. It's the funniest thing to watch -- when he sees something he wants, he will just take off.

Last story and I will wrap this post up. Last week, when I was getting ready to head out of town I kept him at home with me until around noon because my flight wasn't until 2pm. I had Collin on the floor of our bedroom with several of his toys and the tv was tuned to the cartoon station. He was having a good time playing. I was going in and out of the bedroom doing different things. At one point, I left out of the bedroom, down the short little hall outside of the room and turned left into the kitchen. Once I was in the kitchen I turned again to the left to go towards the laundry room. Well, when I came back to the kitchen Collin had scooted himself down the hallway and turned left in the kitchen. He was in the middle of the floor looking all around for me. I guess he saw me leave the bedroom and decided to follow me out. He didn't make it down the hallway fast enough to see which way I went, but I thought it was so funny that he made it that far. :-)

Okay, well that is enough for now...a couple new videos are posted below.


Collin trying to get to me from the living room

Collin playing with his Leap Frog music player from Uncle Mark & Aunt Tangela