Jeff went to the dentist yesterday and they gave him instructions and a cute little toothbrush so that we could start brushing little Claire’s teeth. So we did it last night. It was so cute! I think she really liked the feeling on her gums. We have to do it twice a day now. It was easy last night with both of us, but we’ll see how it goes when we’re alone. Well, I guess it’s not that bad, because I did it this morning on my own, and she had fun with it. Too cute!! 
The teething thing is bothering Claire so much though! Last night was a bit rough for her going to bed. She just kept crying and crying. I think she finally got herself to sleep on her own around 8:30 (normally she’s down between 7:15-7:30). Then around 3:30 she woke up crying again! She never wakes up in the middle of the night anymore, so I knew that something was bothering her. I went in and held her for awhile trying to calm her down. She kept yawning and then would cry again. So, we went with a bottle and then I tried to put her down again. She started crying again. So I decided to bring her in bed with us. I just figured that when she’s this upset and in pain that she should be with us. Normally she doesn’t come into our bed until 6 am or so, but I wanted her to be able to sleep. I ended up giving her the pacifier because she was still crying even in our bed. Wonder what the deal is with why she starts crying when she’s laying down. What with teething makes her do that?? Weird. So needless to say, all of us are a bit sleepy today.
On a different note…I was reading the Baby Center bulletin boards the other day and one of them was about how much your 8 month old was eating. All the moms were writing out their schedules and what their LO was eating. Some of them were already eating fish, meatballs, sausage, hot dogs (!!), cheese, juice, etc. I started second guessing whether we are feeding Claire enough of the right foods. She’s only on veggies and some fruits. She just started soybeans this week (loves them by the way). I was just shocked to see what other 8 month olds are eating. How are they eating that food? Claire only has two little teeth and can only handle Cheerios. So anyway, when I dropped her off at daycare yesterday I asked Cindy and Priscilla if I was feeding her right (they’re kind of my resource right now since not many people I know have kids- let alone the same age as Claire). They said that she’s eating perfectly well and that we shouldn’t introduce those kinds of foods yet. Not that they’re experts, but they take care of kids everyday, so I kind of listen more to them. They were so sweet in saying that Jeff and I are some of the best parents they’ve seen and how we care so much about Claire and what she eats and does. Since we make all of her food for her we just want to be sure that we’re on track with things. They just made me feel so good by saying that. They’re always saying sweet things like that…they always say that Claire seriously is one of the best babies they’ve ever had. She never cries and is always happy. Makes me feel SO good! I always tell them that I’m sure they say that to all the parents but that I appreciate it anyway. They say they don’t, but whatever, either way. Love her daycare! So glad she loves it too.
Oh, and my girlfriend Sharron got me hooked on this new website/blog…www.safemama.com. I’m addicted! It’s all about using safe products and environmentally aware stuff for your LO. They talk about the BPA stuff and what types of products are safe to use on your baby. I wasn’t even thinking about some of these things like what chemicals are in products that are used on their skin. My mom has mentioned some of this stuff before, but I never took much notice and I’ve now started doing a bunch of research on all of it. I guess if I can help Claire to be as healthy as possible before she has the control of things, then I’m going to do it. It’s just thinking about cancer causing agents that go on the skin and are then absorbed into the skin. I’m sure I sound like I’m off my rocker, but that’s what happens when you’re raised by a hippie parent (thanks mom, I love you! now I get it!). So now I’m switching the wipes, diaper ointment, sunscreen and shampoo/body wash she uses. It’s just amazing to read some of the ingredients in some of these things. The only thing I’m not switching are her diapers. I know those are so horrible for the environment, but I just can’t get myself to go to cloth diapers. My girlfriend Jen was telling me about G diapers (they’re disposable and flushable but you have to touch more than I want to), but I just can’t do that right now. Plus, with the blowouts we just went through all last weekend, I’m not sure those will work for her right now.
Oh, one last thing…Claire is now standing (holding onto things of course) on her own. She falls down every now and then, but she’s getting the hang of it. She got a few bumps and bruises last weekend from trying to stand (I think her equilibrium was off), so she was a bit scared up this week, but that’s just the start of things to come I’m sure. She loves being able to stand though! Not much crawling anymore though. Wonder why that tapered off. Maybe her tummy was upset from last weekend so she didn’t want to do it much. Anywho!!!
So I just took this post in so many different directions. Blah, blah, blah. Until next time!
