Growing Pains

We haven’t been sleeping too well at our house lately.  They say that some babies get new teeth without much of a fuss – one day they are all gums, the next day teeth, and there’s no drama.  Other babies, not so much.  Ours seems to be in that latter category.  He’s a little slow getting teeth, and when they start coming in, they take their time.  He got two teeth several months ago, and another one last month, but has had three trying to break through this week.  Three.  At the same time.

If the fact that vulnerable humans are born with soft little gums and then have to experience the feeling of sharp bony pieces piercing through them one at a time is not evidence of the brokenness of humanity, I don’t know what is.

But I digress.  Anyway, so Carter’s getting three teeth this week (please, Lord, may they all come in this week), and as a result, he doesn’t want to eat or sleep – he just wants to be held.  And to cry.  Or, as his sister so aptly told me this morning, “He’s not really crying, Mommy, he’s just whining.”

At the same time, Caroline is experiencing growing pains.  Now I didn’t think this was a real phenomenon until I had this little girl, but every few months she wakes up several nights with very real pain in her legs, and all we can figure is that she is growing very quickly and it’s hard on her little body.  Sure enough, she’s been waking up this week, so last night I had her stand next to the growth chart in her room, and she was a full 2 inches taller than when she stood there a few months ago.

So almost every night this week, she’s woken up during the night with pain in her knees or shins, and all we can do to get her back to sleep is ice her little legs and rub them down, lying with her in her bed until she falls asleep again.

Last night, growing pains had us up at 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., and teething had us up at 4:00 – then the kids were up for the day at 7:00.  It’s almost like having a newborn, except that a newborn still smells delicious and stays put when you put it down, unlike our children, who can create chaos in a split second whether they’re feeling good or not.  And when you have a newborn, you’re likely on leave from your job, so you can catch a nap during the day.  Not the case here.

So we’re tired.  I apologize in advance if one of us snaps at you in the next few days, or if we aren’t at the top of our game.  It’s all part of the drill, and should be better in a week or two.

In the meantime, we’ve got this:

which is not bad at all.  In fact, it’s worth it, sleepless nights and all. :)