Show me your toofers

One night last week, my normal 7-7:30 to bed baby stayed up until 10:30.  Not even joking.  I felt like we had our newborn back, except this time around he weighed much more and liked to crawl all over the place instead of sleep.  10:30 is still relatively early in terms of my bedtime, but grandma mama was not overly enthused about her new budding night owl.  Thankfully he finally went down, but then decided he wasn't completely done with the show and graced us with his presence several times in the middle of the night.

The reason behind the shenanigans?

The culprits ... these pearly whites ...

Ugh, teething.  Definitely near the bottom of the "Reasons Why I Love This Age" list.  G didn't pop his first tooth until right at 8 months.  He now has two on the bottom and one on the top.  I think he has two more on the top trying to come down simultaneously (yes, that is pure joy).  Since then, he has been drooling buckets and chewing on anything... including his crib.  It looks like a beaver took up residence, and while I know it's non-toxic, I still had to hit up A*mazon.com for some crib rail protectors.  I also looked up teething online to get an idea of what we had to look forward to.

Fortunately, we don't remember the pain as babies because it sure seems miserable.  Unfortunately, we pay the price for it as parents and definitely will always remember teething from now on.

And just like anything else, every mama swears by some different remedy to cure those teething blues.  And, of course, everyone wants to get in on the game and make some benjamins by targeting the poor, crazed mamas who are sleep deprived and on the verge of losing their marbles.

For mamas who want the medical, no fuss route, you've got your standard OTC orajel, motrin, etc.

For mamas who want the more organic route, you've got your all natural teething tablets and drops.

And let's not forget the water filled teething rings you can freeze, the specially made pacifiers JUST for teething, the toys that have all kinds of nubs, ridges, etc. for those sprouting little teeth...

It can be kind of overwhelming with so many choices out there.

My advice?  Stick to your guns.  Trust your instincts.  Try different things - if it doesn't work, try something else.

And?  Give lots of extra hugs and kisses.  That's my #1 go-to cure all.

Oh, and I'm also crossing my fingers that these sweet little teeth don't require braces down the line.