The Different Stages Of Teething

This morning my youngest came into my bedroom really excited that he had something important to tell me, and once I had managed to open my eyes and reach a relative conscious state of being I could see that his finger was stuck in his mouth and he was proudly showing me his first wobbly tooth. By the time we got down to breakfast there was pain, he couldn't eat on one side of his mouth, and he was worried that the tooth would fall out in school and be lost, meaning no money from the tooth fairy. However as the movement was so minimal there was no chance of this happening for at leat 2 or 3 weeks so i was able to reassure him.

This is his second stage of 'teething'. I can clearly remember the first stage which started from around 6 months. There were red, rosy cheeks and again lots of fingers and fists stuffed into mouth. There had been a vast quantity of teething gel bought, and everytime there was a bad night, an unexplained temperature, a disgusting nappy or any grumpiness it was put down to teething. Whether or not this was actually the real reason will never be known but it made me feel better as a parent to have an answer for all ailments. Weeks of symptons would pass before the first tooth was spotted and it seemed forever before all 20 teeth had appeared.

Fast forward a few years and after all that effort, my son wants to lose those teeth! Now there are 20 to come out and even more to replace them! This will undoubtedly lead on to stage three where my eldest is currently suffering. A couple of years ago the dentist recommended him seeing an orthodontist as he had a few concerns and it transpired that two of his top teeth were growing sideways rather than down. As this can be genetic his brother was x-rayed and they both had the same problem. Each of them needed their milk teeth removed to allow the adult teeth to grow properly and they both continued to see the orthodntist until the day he said one was fine and didn't need any work. Five minutes later the second was told he would be starting treatment that afternoon/. Naturally this did not go down well. Over the past 18 months he has full braces fitted to top and then bottom teeth, regular six week check ups to have the wires tightened and now elastics to align the teeth. These are changed daily to ensure they are tight and my son believes also to keep the pain levels to a maximum!

So I go back to my youngest who I am convinced will also be needing orthodontic work, but thankfully not for a few years.  I do however worry that by the time I am finished with him I will be at an age when I have moved onto stage four myself, the losing and removing of all my teeth!  On the plus side, at least with dentures there will be no more fillings!

Obsessive Weather Disorder

Today my life went back to normal after a few days of hype, a bit of panic and a general sense of "Why do we always get it so wrong?"  I am sure that you will have guessed that I am talking about the recent snowfall.  I can only go by my own experiences and as a softie Southerner I know these are nothing compared to those living further North, however this feels like the perfect opportunity to talk about the British weather, and specifically the snow.

People have very different views about it.  Children of any age seem to love it with the beautiful, crisp, white, clean blanket they can attack with snowball fights, or use to build snowmen or sled on, but we adults have more of a love/hate relationship.

Whilst it looks very pretty, however much notice is given the country NEVER seems prepared.  Gritters were out at midnight on Saturday night but the snow began falling at 6pm, and with the weather forecasters talking about it for at least a week before why didn't they get their act together sooner?

 Facebook was inundated with pictures of snowy gardens, which were pretty but why are they more special than a beautiful summer's day?  No-one ever puts up a picture to show the trees have blossom on them as spring begins, so why do we need to look at the snow when it makes every garden look the same?

As it got to the end of Sunday there was much excitement in my house as discussions began on whether there would be school the following day.  Needless to say my thoughts were not the same as those of my boys!  As it becomes colder at night any snow on the ground will not melt so I would think it sensible for schools to make a decision the evening before, but maybe they are waiting for something that parents do not know about?  The result is that the phone rang on Monday morning just after I had woken the boys up and got up myself.  Don't they understand that either parents need to ensure children are old enough or have provision to be looked after if they are working, or perhaps they are just lazy and would have enjoyed a Monday morning with a lie in?  You will be pleased to know my eldest (Duvet Boy) was able to go back to bed and sleep until midday.

This morning there was only some slush left, and this had disappeared by the afternoon which means the wellies have now gone away, but I still don't understand our obsession with the snow and all things meteorlogical.  For days everyone talked about the impending snow, when it would arrive, how long it would last, how deep it would be, how much disruption it would cause, etc, etc.  This had followed on from how mild it had been and how early the daffodils have come out, and I guarantee that within a few weeks you will read or see that this summer we will have a heatwave and we will soon be obsessing about that.