First Teef

This evening, while probing Olive's mouth with my finger, I discovered two teeth poking through the upper gumline!  Since she'd been drooling and sticking her fist in her mouth for months, I kind of abandoned the idea of teeth appearing, and now here they are!  I'd imagined the breaking-though period to be somewhat less pleasant for all of us, but she weathered the discomfort like a champ.  I realize that there are varying degrees with which babies experience teething pain, but I was preparing for the worst.  We'd gone through the bottle of Hyland's homeopathic teething tablets a few weeks ago; I'd taken to using them to calm any fussiness, particularly before bedtime, and had been meaning to get more, but she seems content without them.  There had been a good bit of telltale ear-tugging going on, but she seemed unfazed biy it, otherwise.  I just find it interesting that her first pearlies appeared on the top, as I've read that most first teeth come in on the bottom.  This is an exciting time for me, but it also makes me a little bit sad; I'm not all that ready to let go of that toothless, gummy grin I so love.  It's what makes babies look even more like babies.  Rob has reminded me, though, that these are baby teeth that will fall out in six or so years, giving way to another endearing look: the snaggletooth.  

Also, we just watched the Focus Features documentary, Babies, the other night.  The verdict: I loved it.  It was so well-done, and really shed good light on the difference between babies across different cultures.  Particularly interesting was the back-t0-back footage of the Namibian and San Franciscan babies; one shot would show the African boy face down in the dirt, gnawing on a bone, followed by a scene of a parent vacuuming the floor around the American baby.  Kind of makes me less paranoid about germs.  I highly recommend this sweet film, especially to parents.  

Oh, and I had a second interview at the co-op yesterday.  I wonder if they put all of their employees through such a thorough pre-hire process.  I heard from my old buddy, Chris Ordaz, who said they'd contacted him for a reference (he and I met over eleven years ago when I started working at the Common Market, the co-op in Frederick, MD, where he was a volunteer), and he said they'd be making me an offer soon.  Whew.  I'd interview yesterday, just before I went to the co-op, at an art supply store, but the starting wage was piddly.  I start tomorrow at the olive oil company, and I'm kind of looking forward to it.  It will be my first day of work in over seven months, and knowing that Olive will be at home with Rob makes me less fretful about leaving to work for eight hours.  I hope I like it!