The Joys of Parenting

Baby P is going to be eleven months old tomorrow, much to her father's and my dismay. Where did all the months go? Why do the sleepless nights seem so long, but the days fly by? We began to run through all her developments last night to make sure she was 'where she should be' at her age. Crawling? Check. Pulling herself up? Check. Putting consonants and vowels together? Check. Teeth? Um...no.  Not a one, not even the tiniest speck of white for as long as we've checked (which is obsessively every morning and night).

The little monkey feeling around for pearly whites.

For a while now, I've been musing about how odd it seems that she still remains toothless. I've consulted the doctor, other mothers, books, etc. The answer is always the same - all babies develop differently. This answer makes rational sense and it's hard to argue, but I still experienced the same feeling that I've felt A LOT since P was born - fear. Being a parent is hard - it's a lot of responsibility, stress and financial strain. It's also the best thing ever and I can't imagine life without her in it.

I can handle all the ups and downs of parenting, but the element of fear is something I hadn't anticipated. There are so many 'what ifs' and close-calls. It's not just an adrenaline rush that I feel if I'm cut off in traffic when P's in the car - it's gut-wrenching, piercing, painful fear that rips through my body and doesn't go away for longer than I'd like to admit.

G always reminds me that being afraid of P not getting teeth should be the least of our fears, and I have to agree. There are legitimate things about parenting to be afraid of and then there are the things that you just have to let go of and realize that they're out of your control. The best we can do is give her the best life possible and then let her soar. Which, at this rate, is going to be here before we know it.

So, after story time, a bottle and some hugs for Daddy, I picked P up to put her to bed and felt along her gums - just in case. And, sure enough, poking up through the drool and gummy smile was a pearly, white, perfect little speck of a tooth. That little tooth assured me that it's going to be a wild ride, but everything's going to be OK.