Tooth!

Joy abounds, usually with much flapping of arms in this household. (Now that it is hot here - 85 degrees today - I'd like to mention my new found adoration of little tank-style shortie outfits. Chubby thighs, lots of skin, cuteness abounding.)Pequita's first tooth broke through sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday. I have been checking her gums daily in disbelief that, at 7.5 months, she hasn't cut any teeth yet. Wednesday afternoon, upon picking her up from daycare, we were having our usual discussion ("Bah bah bah?" "Da da da da da da" ad infinitum) while I strapped her into her carseat and lo and behold, she has clearly cut a tooth. I couldn't photograph it very well, since she is quite opposed to holding still or pausing her tongue explorations (that phrase ought to garner a couple of new visitors to the blog; won't they be disappointed with the context!) long enough for a nice clear macro lens shot. It is there, her lower right tooth, the sharp edge just emerging from her slightly swollen gums. I was both thrilled at the milestone and already mourning the loss of her perfect little gummy smile. Homestead Mama is mourning the loss of safe nursing.

We haven't seen any of the symptoms that I expected to precede this event - we were prepared for fevers, sleeplessness, behavioral changes, all sorts of awful things. She has had her first persistent diaper redness over the last couple days, but it hasn't even been a rash. That and she has wanted to stay up later with us playing, but I attributed that to her learning to crawl. So much is happening so fast. I wish fourth grade could have passed this quickly.