Facebreaker

Harmon seems pretty set on trying to bust his face open this week. Sunday just before church started he was crawling around on the floor and suddenly started crying and looked up and blood was spewing from his mouth. I whisked him off to the kitchen where I rinsed his mouth. He had a nice fat lip and a big cut on the gums right above his two front teeth. He stopped crying pretty quick, but Aaron and I were pretty traumatized. Especially since he kept re-opening it all through church. It looked better later in the day and we decided we'd just keep an eye on it and if it looked bad then we would go to the dentist. It seemed to be healing fine.

This morning he was playing like usual, crawling around, pulling up (successfully) on everything, until he got cocky and was carelessly pulling himself up on the coffee table. It's usually so easy and it seemed he thought he could just use one hand. Turns out he slipped and crashed his face right into the coffee table. Top front teeth. Again. Blood. Again. Lots. Parental freak out, as the crying was pretty intense. After a mouth rinse and a calm down we looked and he has a scab/blood blister under his top two left teeth. It's pretty big. So again we begin to watch it, and maybe go to the dentist. Ugh.

For some reason babies breaking their teeth out of their head is one of my biggest fears. You know, arms heal, bumps and bruises are fine, but teeth seem to be hard to fix. So I'm nervous, but I'm sure we will get it worked out...

No Thank You Napping

Today I put Harmon down for his morning nap, and as often happens he fussed for a while until I came back in. As I opened the door he was in the middle of pulling himself up on the side of the crib, something he has yet to figure out he can do (despite pulling himself up on EVERYTHING else (like Aaron's leg hair) for the past several weeks). It was so funny that I laughed and Harmon looked up and saw me and stopped fussing and laughed too. We called for Aaron and all had a good laugh. Aaron will be lowering the mattress this week.

Black Tooth Spot

Yesterday morning I noticed a black spot on Harmon's bottom middle tooth/in the gums. I didn't get a good look at it at first, and assumed it was just food or something. Later Aaron and I pinned him down and took a better look. A weird black spot in his gums right below the tooth. Surely it wasn't rot, because we brush right?

There was the possiblity of damage from the day before when he fell on his face and split his lip (not badly, just enough to notice but not bleed. Face plants are pretty common these days.) Aaron and I freaked out at this possibility, and vowed to watch it for a bit then take him to the dentist. Maybe it was just a blood blister from the fall?

Then even later we pinned him down again and I massaged his gums and it came out! I thought perhaps it was pepper from the corn on the cob Harmon was eating the night before, but Aaron claims it was too big. That's still my best guess.

Pulling to standing produces tears. Of parents?

Today Harmon was playing in a laundry basket while Aaron and I were eating lunch, and he pulled himself up to standing for the first time. We both rejoiced while he tipped over, being caught by Aaron right before his face would have met the floor. We then further rejoiced, almost to the point of our own tears. We are such freaks.

Pre-Dinner Torture

Yesterday I made the unfortunate mistake (just like last week) of going to the grocery store right before dinner. Now as we all know this has dire consequences on the bill, because suddenly everything including that tub of ben and jerry's on sale is necessary instead of possibly quite enjoyable. But I digress. I have heard the trauma and plight of other parents taking their children to the grocery store, the kids begging for things and putting things in their cart, opening packages, etc. But I thought I had a while before this started. You know, at least until Harmon could point or recognize what the Lucky Charms box looks like. I was wrong. The worst part is always the end in the produce section. I put in bananas, he hollers for them. I grab a cantaloupe and it's like I'm pinching him. I put in the holy blueberries and it appears to those around me that I have just smacked my child upside the head for all the screaming he has started.

Two lessons learned:
1. I am grateful my child loves (and can apparently recognize) fruit
2. Don't go to the store before anyone's mealtime, even if they are only 9 months old

Here Comes Trouble

Long Bean is using his skills for evil now. And when I say skills I mean he still uses his arms locked together to drag his body, but in the back is up on his knees propelling him forward faster than his arms. It's quite silly really. But now he is using his skills to crawl through the entertainment center and get to the cords, quickly get to and try to eat plastic grocery bags that have yet to be emptied, and tip over any laundry basket or bin he can get his hands on. And we love it. I don't think I've seen parents so excited about their child's destruction. I will just have to remind myself that when he is destructing and I have another child to tend to as well.

Thanks for the reminder

Harmon often reminds me to do things I forget:

Scratches me to let me know it's time to cut his nails.

Knocks over/kisses/hits with toys the framed pictures leaning against the wall to let me know that 2 1/2 months is long enough to not put them up.

Gets poop on his changing pad so I remember to wash it.

Finds cheerios and pieces of plastic on the floor to help me see it's time to vacuum.

He is a good helper.