teeth times two!

The title says it all - Miss Maya is sporting the beginnings of her first teeth! They're coming up right in the front on the bottom. At first I thought there was only one, but then, a few days later, I saw the other one working its way up. They're sharp and jagged little things, and I'm so excited to see here sweet toothy grin when they finally arrive in full force.

I was so surprised to find them one evening when I was washing her mouth out with a washcloth. Sure, she's been drooling like crazy for last last few weeks and really chewing on all her toys, but she's been in fine spirits and hasn't complained for a second. I've heard nothing but horror stories about teething - the crying, the sleepless nights, the misery. So far, we haven't seen any of that. I'm not sure if we're getting off easy here or if the worst is yet to come.

Of course, it should be noted that Maya now knows how to bite, and she kindly lets me know that she's done nursing with a gnashing little chomp right on my nipple. Not so fun. I have a feeling this is going to become quite an issue in the days to come.

Speaking of biting, the challenge of solid food continues. Maya still doesn't really like eating per se (she prefers the boob on every occasion), but we are getting better at it. It was a real battle there for a while, even getting her to have a couple of spoonfuls of anything was like pulling teeth (pun intended). I have pureed and mashed everything under the sun, hoping to find something she likes, all to no avail. Then I decided to just relax, celebrate what she does manage to eat, and not get frustrated or force her. Mealtime has been much better since. We just keep trying at it, twice a day. I was pleased that today she ate quite a few pieces of banana and some Veggie Booty. And when she shuts her mouth tight and turns her head at the very sight of the spoon coming at her, I just have to keep reminding myself that no child has ever willingly starved themselves and that Maya will eventually "get it". So we just keep trying.

In other news, I've been (slowly) getting my shit together with regard to packing. It's been really hard and very, VERY slow, but I've now got something that resembles a "take" pile and a "give away" pile. I try to get as much done as I possibly can while Maya takes her naps, but it generally doesn't amount to much and I really need to get cracking if I'm going to get all this stuff packed in time. I'm no good at doing the dirty work, I'm definitely more of a supervising kinda of gal. In other words, I need a staff.... and while I'm dreaming, anyone wanna make me a cup of tea and give me a foot massage?