Babies, Beauty and Jumping the Broom: Teeth and Tears

Just when you think your sweet little one is settling into a nice sleep schedule and you can finally catch up on MONTHS of lost zzz's, it happens. Teething. I bet you never thought that such teeny tiny little things could disrupt your life so much. Well, they can and they will. Suddenly, your darling little giggle monster has turned into a drooly crabby pants. Her poor little gums hurt and sometimes she'll get ear infections and diaper rash from the "loose" poo's teething can cause. My poor Emily has trouble falling asleep for naps and then becomes so overtired and irritated its literally impossible to get her to go down.
I've found that giving her a cold wash cloth to play with and suck on helps alleviate the soreness a bit and sometimes I'll even offer the cloth with my (freshly washed) finger to chomp on a bit. I don't like the idea of putting orajel in her mouth because the doc told me it can actually numb their throats too and cause them to choke. Also, before I feed her I'll pop her spoon in the freezer for a bit so it cools as she eats.
I feel Emily's gums everyday when I'm cleaning her mouth with a soft cloth and I think I can feel a little ridge where *fingers crossed* one of the chompers is finally coming through. Ahhh, the light at the end of the tunnel. I know it won't be long until I'm surrounded by the dark of the next one but knowing my little ninja will have even just a short period of relief makes me happy. I know we all hate seeing our sweet ones in pain and unhappy AND we all just need some proper shut eye. *sigh* Every day I find a new appreciation for my own mother and the things she had to while raising me, my brother and sister.