Truly Drooly

By Mommy

What’s plump and juicy and wet all over? Our very own teething Rowan! After having his two lower teeth since the end of last year, we finally have the debut of at least one upper tooth. It finally broke through Monday night, after two uncomfortable days when Rowan refused to eat or drink most of what he was offered. Incredibly, the only time Rowan cried throughout all of this was in his sleep when he would whimper or yelp in the middle of the night. It was very pathetic, and all Daddy and I could do was listen and run in if he woke up.

Rowan seems to have been born with Mommy’s disinterest in paying attention to pain, and I have to remind myself that even though he’s not acting like it, he is in fact in some level of distress and in need of extra comfort, which Daddy and I are always happy to give. We both know that one day soon Rowan will not want to be held and cuddled, so we take every opportunity to do that while we still can, and I’m grateful for every hug he gives us back.

Mommy, of course, chose this teething time to become the overprotective parent and stayed home yesterday (Tuesday) to make sure he did in fact at least drink something during the day. It turned out to be a better than expected day since Rowan, despite not wanting to consume anything, was still in a good mood. I guess he’s got enough baby fat on him that a day or two of minimal solids won’t do any harm. (Those thighs still make for plump and juicy drumsticks!)

Since the weather was nice, we spent the afternoon in the park, which we’ve been exposing him to more and more lately since he seems to have developed a fear of crawling on grass. Maybe he still has memories of last summer when we would take him outside and never let him off the picnic blanket. Inducements with rubber balls, mechanical toys and even a tasty orange hadn’t been working. But this time, after careful examination of the green substance underfoot, he did in fact wander to it on his own and crawled over to the fence for a better view of the pigeons on the other side.

Speaking of which, he had never shown an interest in birds before, but I made a point of directing his attention to any pigeon that landed near us, and after that he would always observe as a new one approached. He doesn’t seem to be as interested in dogs, though, perhaps because the New York ones are too tame and cat-like to be of interest.

Another new development is his use of a sippy cup, although he gets it right only about 1 in 20 times. It seems to be much more interesting if bitten at from the bottom. But yesterday I was drinking water from a mug when he crawled over to me and reached for it, so I brought it down to his lips and let him try for himself. And he came back to it a half dozen times for more, which was a good thing since I wanted him to drink more than he had the past few days. The only casualty of the experience was the magazine article I was reading to him about gravity waves. Luckily Rowan didn’t seem particularly interested in the details of LIGO anyway. He’s also showing an interest in our food and has sampled oranges, naan, and the infamous apple that way.

Oh, and last weekend when Rowan was sitting in Central Park with Mommy and Daddy, he finally heard the word “no”, and I think it stuck. He was playing with a stick for a few minutes and started to put it in his mouth when I very forcefully said “no”. Stick down, thumb immediately in mouth, and a very worried look on his face. I let him think about it for a few seconds and then let him know that it wasn’t him I was upset with but with what he did. After a bit of comforting he seemed to accept that and relax. And find a different stick to play with but not eat.

Daddy and I have also noticed that the “ewww” we gave every time he touched the stroller wheels seems to have sunken in. Now he’ll look at the wheels and either touch the brake (which is between the wheels and okay to touch) or look for something else to explore. Let’s see how long the lesson lasts.

And as a side note, I have to say that one of the biggest thrills I’ve been getting these past few weeks (and there have been plenty) is picking up Rowan from daycare. Seeing him across the room with his back to me playing by the toy rack and yelling out “Rowan! Where’s mommy?” and watching him jump up startled, turn around, give a huge grin, and crawl over every toy and baby in his way to run to me. It cracks me up every time.

And before anyone thinks I’m a terrible mother who is letting her child wither away, Rowan has been drooling incessantly since yesterday morning and is in no danger of getting dehydrating or malnourished.

But I still won’t let him touch my desserts.

Morning voice