Alder's Tone

They're here....Well, looking back at the previous post on the subject, it has been a long and drawn out process. 6 months of signs, the bulk of those 6 months were rather uneventful in the teething respect.

Bumps and ridges have formed over time, nothing quick, just slow growth. Until this last couple of weeks, which have given us rather dramatic and rapid change.

I would have put good money on one of the top teeth coming out first. Last weekend there was a marked change in the appearance of his top gum. No longer was it a little rise, but two super-stretched pieces of plastic looking blistered bits of gum. But, this weekend the rank outsider, just like at the final turn at the Grand National, came from out of nowhere and made a race of it, taking it all the way to the photo finish. There was HUGE change in the bottom gum over the last 2 days. Two days.

MOTS had a false alarm earlier this week gievn the rapid change. But there was no mistaking this morning's appearance from the bottom gum, a shiny white enamel tooth. His bottom middle left tooth is out, showing off to the world. And it looks like the next three will be close behind.

GnashersIt's not the only development we've seen this last 10 days or so. Far from it.

• Mobility
No longer do we get the odd roll here and there, sometime a double-roll. Oh no, now it's the crocodile death roll. When added to the new-found ability to push backwards, get up onto knees (albeit with face buried in the carpet) any form of movement is just about possible.
• Dexterity
He's not getting any Mr Men stories just lately. I have tried to pick them back up again this week, but he just wants to play with the book and won't let me read it. The process is the same, hold in right hand, grab with left hand, let go with right hand, turn through 180 degrees (top away from, bottom towards himself), grab with right hand, and repeat. And repeat, until daddy starts to think he'll be cack-handed like his mother.
• Awareness
He's much more aware of objects around him, and they if they are not bolted down then they are fair game for grabbing. Oh dear lord, it's started... The magic eye for the Sky box is the new favourite toy.
• Posture
While playing with some blocks the other day, I gave Junior at shot with them too. The session we had together was really good, with him sat on the rug. He was really stretching out for the blocks in all directions, and not toppling over. This 15-20 minutes we had is the longest he's gone without toppling, and given the amount of stretching and the multi-directional stretching he was doing I was quite impressed.
• Speech
I was most pleased with speech, and the number of words that are almost legible. After a heavy night on the beer after work last Friday I managed to order my steak pie supper at the chippy on the way home without any issues. Fantastic!

This last 10 days or so has been the biggest change I've seen to date, and not just because of that little tooth. But, it can't all be good, can it?

... he's really going to stay a happy and content baby and that he's going to be the freak that pops his gums overnight with the blink of an eye.

I could, of course, win the lottery this weekend.

That's what I wrote last time about his teething. Well, I can safely say that one out of two aint bad. Sadly, I'm not typing this from a yacht in Marbella, so it's a fair guess that I didn't win the lottery, and that it wasn't really a rough ride cutting the first tooth. He has been a little off his food, not wanting all his bottle, not wanting his supper at all, but not all the time. Disturbed sleep, turning in his sleep, all new things to us all. But, there's not been a great amount of disturbance through the night, usually just a single cry. One night last weekend though, MOTS was up 4 times, the first times in months. And she's been a star taking the nightshifts again as she gets the chance to catch some more zeds after his breakfast (he goes back to bed after breakfast, lucky git).

We have been, and clearly continue to be, so lucky with him.