The Tooth

I knew that I would change as a parent with child #2.  I figured I would be less careful about schedules and routines.  I assumed that no matter what, this child would put more in his mouth than June ever did because seriously, she never put anything in her mouth that didn't belong there.  Since June didn't get her first tooth until she was 13 months old, I assumed that baby #2 would get them at least a little faster. So I should be surprised when for the 13th time today I've fished a tiny hair band out of Ruben's mouth. Or when I realize as I'm nursing Ruben that he's had a leaf in his mouth since we were outside...2 hours ago. 

I remind myself that I'm not a bad parent.  Ruben is a very different child than June was.  June loved to pick up little things from the carpet and inspect them visually then hand them to Mom who was hovering nearby anticipating that choking hazard.  Ruben on the other hand likes to experience things tactically and therefore puts everything in his mouth. And I definitely do not hover over him as intently as I did with June.  Here is a list of the things I've removed from Ruben's mouth in the last 18 hours.  

leaves, weeds, grass

June's hairties, June's shoes, June's face

rocks, cheerios from under the table, Nova's hair clumps

unacceptable toys like Nova's squeaky, beer bottles from the recycling container, napkins from a restaurant, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Amazingly, he has yet to swallow anything that could be classified as a foreign object.  And even more amazingly, when I put cheerios on his tray for him to eat, rarely does one make it into his mouth.  He only seems to get the things in his mouth that I wouldn't deign food.  

On Friday, the game changed as well.  Now Ruben sports one nice little sharp tooth on his bottom jaw.  Now foods that used to be acceptable teething toys like apple slices risk being the next choking hazard since he can break off little pieces.  Also, his favorite kissing method, open mouth cheek biting, is a little more dangerous.  Also, he's going to have to find a new way to go to sleep because before this tooth I didn't mind the little gnawing that happened after nursing as he was in the early stages of sleep, but that is no longer going to work for me.  

I often wonder how it is that God can create to such different human beings from the same sets of DNA. While it would be nice sometimes to be able to anticipate what Ruben will do next based on his sister's track record, I understand that life would be much less exciting.  

You have to look closely, but trust me there a tooth in there on his right hand side. Try to appreciate how difficult this picture was to capture.