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Is this teething?

Bennett is *writhing* in pain. Screaming, grunting, crying so hard he sometimes is choking on his own spit.

It's a been a rough week. Irritability. Off and on discomfort. Some drool (normally he doesn't drool at all.) He's hitting his head and yanking on his ears. He has no fever. He had his well baby check up (no shots) and the doctor peeked in his ears and they were fine. Bennett is exhausted. His sleeping has been crappy. He slept for two hours, woke for an hour and a half - started out fussy, went to playful, turned to screaming. Fell asleep after tylenol, orajel and nursing. And after an hour he's up again. Adam's got him, walking him around the room.

Is teething really this awful? Or is this something else?

Today was a much better day

Thanks to those who pitched in about Bennett's horrid night. I think it must have been gas, because today he was fine. Just tired and recovering. No signs of fever, so I am ruling out an ear ache. He's been eating solids regularly and had eaten some brown rice yesterday. Perhaps he was having a hard time digesting it.

Bennett had three solid naps today AND went down at 7.30. Seriously, I should throw a parade. He's still down three hours later. I think the key to good sleeping is making sure he gets more stimulation and excitement in his day. Adam stayed home today since he's working on Sunday, and he suggested we all go for a walk around Lake Merritt. A great idea!

We hopped the bus on our street that takes us with in a block of the lake. We snooped in a magic shop and then had sushi for lunch. Bennett sat in a booster seat scooted up to the table. I was skeptical since he loathes high chairs, but this worked! He fed himself sticky rice from a plate, making an enormous, delightful mess.

Next we walked around the lake commenting on the architecture and me fiddling every 5 feet with B's sun hat. Adam wore him in the still-too-big backpack carrier that he picked up at a swapmeet last weekend. Bennett didn't seem to mind. He took 3 naps in it! We stopped at park and met a friend who needed a break from her law firm. Then we went and looked at birds at this bird park on the edge of the lake. We saw mostly sea gulls and pigeons, but lots of ducks and geese and two Black Crowned Night Herons, which are larger than you might think. We also saw this amazing pelican-like bird, but I can't find it online anywhere.

We stopped in at the brand new cathedral for the Catholic Diocese of Oakland, The Cathedral of Christ the Light. This place is spectacular. It seems to me to capture the history of Catholicism in a single building. The spare, cold stone reminds me of the earliest, simplest churches, pre-romanesque style cathedrals. The wood added warmth and some how reminded me of the Celtic influence of nature based Christianity. The side chapels, also spare, have original paintings of the holy family, that look to me like late-medieval in their rich colors. The shape of the building is in the shape of the fish, but strikes me as a mandorla, the curves almond shape that often surrounds Mary and sometimes Jesus. The mausoleum downstairs is also breathtaking. The whole thing is incredibly modern and quite thrilling, frankly. Except for the crucifixes. I can't stand those.

The last excitement of the day was taking B to the children's play ground near the lake. He went in the swings for the first time ever and loved it!

Lastly, I was able to help a friend tonight. It feels good to offer tangible help, rather than just sympathize. I am tired and plan to crawl into bed with my sleeping boy.