taking a bite

i'm pretty glad that Enzo didn't get teeth until this late in the game.

{BTW he looks too freaking cute with his teeth, just like his daddy at that age. love this cracker crumb face}

he is a little booger when it comes to biting while nursing. it's almost as if he does it on purpose. of course, i know it's not on purpose but he has those teeth cutting through that i can't even begin to imagine how frustrating it must be. pain? itching? discomfort? all i can say is thank goodness we don't have memories from this time, right? right.

teething really sucks. it started a few weeks ago and from one day to the next my boo stopped eating, got a fever and started cutting teeth.  he seriously stopped eating and barely wanting to nurse. i really freaked out and started getting all kinds of mama nervous. this only lasted a few days. he is definitely back on the food train now but is totally refusing purees. nope, he wants nothing to do with mushy food. this little boy wants bite sized everything. don't even think about trying to hand feed him anything, he spits it out and re-feeds himself. during the day we seem to be in the clear with food, nursings, and naps. i get the occasional bites but it's not as bad as the post bath evening nursing.

i know the boo is exhausted and eager to nurse but why is it that the teething gets worse at night? i've read that most biting comes at the end of feedings but Enzo prefers to bite at the start of a feeding. i'm talking grinding.. what? yup, ouch! i have teeth marks on my boobs. it's gotten so bad in the last few days that i've been considering giving up on breastfeeding.  this is why i'm thankful for it happening this late into his first year. i also thought maybe he could be weaning himself but when he tugs at my shirt and gives me the lechita* look i know he isn't quite done yet. i received advice on what i could do but Enzo doesn't seem to think he has to change anything. like i said... it sucks! {totally bad breastfeeding pun}

in walks the amber teething necklace.  i bought a necklace on BabySteals a long while back and it had been sitting in a drawer until two days ago. DUH! why didn't i think of trying it, i mean i had exhausted all/most of my options. it seemed too good to be true... how does it work? i have no idea. all i know is that since i put this necklace on him 2 days ago he has been the sweetest baby boy. he has been in the most amazing mood all day long. it's very possible that most of his pain/anxiety is gone because of an amber necklace. i know it's only been two days but i'm looking forward to seeing how things pan out the rest of the week and beyond. i would not mind a happy non-bitey baby. to Enzo's teething, my boobs thank you!

{just to clarify... he wears the necklace around his neck during the day under my supervision and around his ankle during naps and bedtime. we are taking all safety precautions}

*lechita = milk = mama's milk = yum yum