Teething?

It's been a rough couple of days although you wouldn't know it from looking at this video:

VB has been home from daycare for two days now.  My wife has been taking most of the responsibility by taking time off work to be at home.
   VB was running a high fever Sunday night and wakes up pretty miserable with a hacking cough that scares me into thinking she's going to vomit all over the world.  Every hack I squint my eyes dreading what might come up.  So far, though, she's managed to calm back down before it gets to that point.
   The temperature is normal now and based on the stuffy nose, runny stool and jamming her fist down the back of her throat, I am assuming that those 2-year molars are the cause of all our torment.  I looked in there with a flashlight today but sadly, there is no sign of enamel.  I think this means we have a long way to go.  Ibuprofen to the rescue!  She reliably perks back up for a few hours after administering a dose.  Maybe I'll try to get a video of her waking up so we can compare and contrast.
   I love that the ball swishes right through her legs at the end of this video.

37 Weeks Old

Unless you missed it, there was no 36 week updates for VB.  I apologize for those of you who noticed and are missing your (now) weekly dose of cuteness.  I'll try to make up for it with lots of pictures this week.
   I spent the last week working late.  I did not get home until after my family was asleep which was difficult to say the least.  It wasn't as difficult before VB's arrival, which makes me a bit of an ass because why should I have an easier time coming home to a sleeping wife than a sleeping baby and wife?  Alas, we have discussed this and it is due in part to my wife being home alone with an 8-month old from the end of work until bed time.  This means she is solely responsible for picking up VB from daycare, preparing dinner, bath time (if necessary) and getting to sleep.  This is all much easier with two of us.  This again makes me feel awe for those single parents out there.  Props to you all.  
   So not only have I missed a week of posting, but it was apparently the most exciting week to date as this picture shows.

That's right.  Those are teeth.  2 of them.  And there's one on the top as well.  It hasn't been as hard as I've heard some people say.  Here's a link to a graphic showing levels of pain experienced by a teething babe. (Thanks for seriously freaking me out, howtobeadad.com)  We are still on the first of 5 levels.  I'll let you know how it is when we get to molars.

   Here's what I call her Elton John look thanks to a pair of fashionable sunglasses given to her by a great aunt.

    It's still a little hard to tell if she's got the musical talent to back up the look.  But she can be quite loud so Opera Singer is not an out of the question career option.
   Neither is carpenter.  She is her father's daughter after all.  But if she ever brings home a Makita screw gun, we'll have to have words.

   And here are her first words (if you can call them that) that VB has ever typed on the computer.  (It's not Shakespeare)

 And here is her zombie face in front of the sickening light of the LCD display.  Might have a future in IT as well.  Or programming future Mars landers.

As you can see, it has been a wild two weeks and continues to be an exciting ride.  Being a dad is still the most awesome thing in the universe.  
   Working almost 60 hours last week left me feeling like an absentee father at times.  But I would probably feel that way working only 40 hours a week as well.
   The best part of my days continue to be coming home from work.  This is true even when I come home and my family is fast asleep in bed.  I don't understand those fathers who come home from work expecting to relax and watch TV while their wives bust their buns taking care of their children.  But maybe those fathers don't actually exist.  Maybe that's what I see and hear on TV so I assume the majority of dads are like this.  Time to stop watching Mad Men.  Talk about a bunch of asses.

16 Weeks 2 Days Old

   Here’s how I’m an ass this week.  I exposed my daughter to something that produced an allergic reaction in the form of a rash over every square inch of her body.  Not once, but twice!  (It took us that long to figure out it was something in the crib)  And I know I shouldn’t be so hard on myself because it’s not like I knew it was going to happen or what was causing it.  That still doesn’t make it any easier to watch her suffer.  Knowing she is experiencing discomfort and knowing there is not a gosh darn thing I can do about it just plain stinks.  I can only imagine how I’ll feel if there is ever a broken limb or a tonsillectomy.

 On top of this, we suspect teething pains are adding to her discomfort.  She’s been so vocal that her voice went a little hoarse.  Listen for yourself:

   At first we were so proud of her for exploring her vocal range.  Then we realized that no, she’s just raspy.  Poor lil’ girl.

   We’re still not sure what the allergy reaction was to specifically.  We narrowed it down to a waterproof pad that goes under her in the case of fountaining pee episodes.  Not sure what is in the pad that made her break out so bad.  Further investigation is required.  And hopefully no more full body rashes.

12 Weeks Old

And learning new things every single day.  Like teething, for example!  Now, I’m not a complete ass.  I KNOW all babies go through teething.  But (and this may show my ineptitude or lack of foresight), I had little idea when it started or how long it would last.  Much to my dismay, I just yesterday discovered that signs of pre-teething start around 3 or 4 months.  (Right now for Von Bebe!)  These signs include excess saliva production and chewing on fingers and hands.  However the first tooth may not erupt until month 9!  So we have 5 to 6 months of saliva to expect. 

   Can’t. Wait.

Here’s an example of a fraction of what I expect to be in store for the coming months.

Fortunately, an aunt made a couple of these awesome Starwars bibs which make me want to drool so I can wear them myself. 

   Unfortunately, I’m afraid she’s going to outgrow them before she’s done teething.

Such is the life of a father trying not to be an ass.