Baby E's First Tooth

Hooray Baby E has his first tooth. It arrived on Tuesday 23rd June 2009, and I simply can't stop looking at it!



His first tooth to come through was the bottom middle on the right side. I am amazed by how sharp it is, and how little fuss he made as it came through his gums. We had a few restless nights (aided by Calpol or course), and a few days where he had a red bottom, but nothing worrying. He was so relaxed I hardly think he noticed.



First the gum looked like it had a little indent on it, as if it were parting to let the tooth come through, then after a few days we could feel the tooth, but not see it. This was very frustrating for me as I was so excited to see what it looked like.



Now just over a week later there is a lovely white tooth shining out for all to see. It looks a little crooked, however I am sure it will straighten up when it has lots of other teeth to keep it company. Next his little tooth is another indent as the gum is preparing for it's neighbour to break through also. I think it will still be a few days until we meet the next tooth, as we are yet to see a sore bottom, but it is definitely on its way.



Both myself and my Fabulous Boyfriend have no cavities, and have never had a filling. I will forever be grateful to my parents for teaching me good dental hygiene, and am now feeling the pressure to pass this knowledge onto my son. I know I would feel a failure as a parent, and that I was not looking after him properly if he were to have poor teeth and heaven forbid a filling. So the day his tooth came through I set off on a mission to get the best toothbrush and toothpaste my wallet could buy. I went to my dentist and chatted to the receptionist who had been trained in children's nutrition and dental hygiene. She explained what snacks were safer to give him through the day as they are sugar free, and recommended some toothpaste and toothbrush. We (Baby E and I) left the dentist feeling satisfied with our purchase and a handful of leaflets on children's dental hygiene.



So now we have added teeth cleaning to our daily routine. Baby E has his own little toothbrush which he cleans his one tooth as I am cleaning mine. I must admit he mainly chews on the wrong end, but we help him out by turning the brush around and positioning the bristles over his tooth helping him to give it a little wiggle in the right spot.



Along with the tooth we have a new sound. Baby E is exploring his changing mouth and discovering he can make little clicking noises. They are so perfectly crisp and clear and very cute. This is a very exciting time, and he is changing almost every day, new noises, new teeth ... what will come next???

There's no place like home.

We have been away from home for three weeks now while the house is being rewired and the loft is converted into a third bedroom. Whilst some of my time away has been fabulous i.e. trips to the beach, visiting relatives and friends, I am now starting to get frustrated at not being in my own home.

I am very grateful to have relatives that want to have us stay with them, and know how lucky we are that they have large enough houses to accommodate all three of us. Baby E does not travel light!

I really miss toasters that have a high lift function so I don't have to burn my fingers getting my hot toast in the morning.

I really miss a smoke free house, where I can wash my clothes and they smell more clean after I have washed them than before.

I really miss my wireless Internet connection, where I can log onto my laptop where ever I am in the house.

I really miss my T.V. where I have many hours of programmes series linked waiting to be watched.

I really miss some privacy, where I can play with, feed, change Baby E without running commentary.

I miss my lovely big comfortable bed, with my fluffy pillows and marshmallow like duvet.

Hopefully we are coming to the end of our nomad existence. I want to return to living in my own home this week. I return to work in two weeks and would like Baby E to be settles in his own home once more before his world is changed once more by spending his days with the childminder. Before that is possible, I need to clean and tidy a whole house that is still in the middle of being developed. Fortunately I have a strong will, and the determination to see this project finished.

I can't wait for our little family to be back in our own home.

Baby E is crawling

Baby E is now 7 months old. After a month of rolling around to get to where he wants to, this week Baby E has started crawling. Nothing is safe that lies in his path. So far we have had;

* Magazines ripped up (Baby E was caught enjoying a copy of OK magazine)
* Shoes being chewed (Baby E loves flip flops and the rubbery soles of trainers)
* Cables being chewed (Baby E likes to eat black cables and especially loves the black box of the laptop lead)
* Tables being pulled over (Baby E attempted to pull himself up on his Grandads fine legged coffee table. A big crash followed but no harm was done to any babies in the process)
* Buttercups in the garden (Baby E loves to pick the flowers)

So now we have to baby proof the house. This is proving hard as we are staying at relatives for a few weeks while the builders are re-wiring and converting the loft into a master bedroom for me and my Fabulous Boyfriend. The only time Baby E is out of trouble is when he is strapped into his car seat on the long journey between his Grandma's house in Dorset and his Bonne Maman's in Staffordshire.

Soon we will be home, and Baby E can explore in a new exciting way.

Are you pregnant? ... Let me give you some advise ...

Why is it as soon as you tell people you are pregnant, they start offering you advise? It is normal to wait until you are 12 weeks pregnant before spreading the word, however people seem to forget that you have spent the last 3 months swotting up on all things pregnant and they start offering helpful hints. I was told both the bizarre and the obvious.

Here is the First Are you pregnant? ... Let me give you some advise. This falls under the bizarre advise category. Here it is ...

'The best thing I ever did when I had a baby was buy a second kettle. That way I could always have cooled boiled water to hand when I needed it. I found my husband/boyfriend used to either use the freshly boiled water for his tea, or just when the water was at the right temperature for me to use he would click the kettle on again and ruin the whole exercise. I was then left with no cooled boiled water for the baby. Nightmare!'

The polite response is always to say 'Thanks that is great advise, I will remember that'

What you want to say is 'Whaaat! Why??? It is surely cheaper just to buy a jug, or use the lovely blue Thermos jug I have in my pantry, but never used. I knew it would come in handy'

My lovely blue Thermos jug is perfect. We fill it full of boiled water every night, and there is the perfect amount for the next day. When I was feeding Baby E at night it was perfect for keeping next to the bed for the feeds. If we filled it the correct amount of time before going to bed the water was the right temperature to make up a bottle just when he needed it. There was no waiting for a bottle to warm, or for a kettle to boil.

Thanks to my fabulous friend 'Are you staying for dinner' for the night-time feeding idea. It saved loads of time and stress from Baby E.

Thanks to the person who gave me the double kettle advise ... I would rather save my money and use a jug!