Nothing but the Tooth

On June 28, 2005 at about 1:15pm, Jeremy sprouted his first tooth. A lower left incisor. The razor thin ridge cut through the gums with laser precision. We had been "sure" that he would sprout dentures any day, for, oh, at least four or five weeks now. The drool. Oh the drool. And how he chewed on anything. His shoe. Mommy's shoe. Mama's arms. Concrete patios. But finally, it was gnawing on his Nanny's nose that served him well, and there, out it popped, unmistakeably, enamel!

Ironically, the night before he had slept through the night for the first time in maybe a century. It's exhausting, growing teeth.

But he is now officially toothed. And will no longer be able to suck with abandon on Mama's chin. No more hickeys there. Nosiree Bob!

Seven Months Old!

Jeremy has crossed the threshold, and no longer seems like an infant. Today, I held an eight-week old little girl named Madeline who made me remember how Jeremy felt when we first brought him home. All of her energy was in her core, and it was very still and calm -- until she got hungry anyways and then she dug deep for an unmistakable demand for her mom's boob. Jeremy's energy, on the other hand, has moved outward from his very strong core to his limbs and his head and beyond. His curiosity is outward, his intentionality is outward, and his ambitions are big even if his gross motor skills are still very raw. What is most amazing about this age is how hard he is working at understanding the world around him. It's as if he is beginning to understand the basic chain of events from cause to effect, and he observes and interacts with people and things in a way to experience more of the cause and effect, even if he doesn't fully grasp the concept. Most amazingly, he is definitely showing signs of selectivity and a sense of humor. It cracks me up to see him actively suppress a laugh. Like, I can tell that his instinctive nature would be to laugh at something goofy that I am doing, but then his sweet little lips actually suppress the laugh just microseconds after it might have slipped out, resulting in a silly pursed expression that just barely restrains a broad grin.

At seven months, Jeremy is:

1) Walking around the house, holding onto his mommies' fingers.
2) Creeping and slithering around the floor on his tummy, moving sideways and backwards usually.
3) Flipping over from back to front and front to back whenever he likes.
4) Sitting upright very solidly for as long as he likes.
5) Enjoying oatmeal, spinach, green beans, peas, carrots, rice, watermelon and mango, but eschewing apples and pears.
6) Still all gums, and very soggy and drooly.
7) Grabbing the dogs' fur and then laughing (with open mouth) when they lick him in the face with their big, pink labrador tongues.
8) Playing by himself with his toys happily.
9) Sleeping through the night about once in a blue moon.
10) Giving his mommies lots of kisses, hugs, belly laughs and even an occasional complaining brow.

Jeremy Paul Webster-Hawkins, an awesome work in progress.