Tooth and nail

By Published On: May 7th, 2015

Vicious monsters have big scary teeth. Vampires have sharp menacing […]

Vicious monsters have big scary teeth. Vampires have sharp menacing teeth. Rabid animals have teeth. Werewolves have crazy teeth, too. You know what else has teeth? Yep, that’s right, our little guy does. Well, he has one tooth, but it’s obvious that more are on the way.
photoHe’s been working on these teeth for a while now. It’s satisfying to see the fruits of his teething labors finally paying off. His already too-cute grin just got even better with the addition of a single snaggletooth. I’m sure this tooth has been coming in real handy as he slurps down the fruit and vegetable puree mom has been feeding him lately.
Speaking of eating, this kid loves food! Sure, he’s still nursing plenty, but he almost jumps out of his seat when he sees mom bring a little dish of applesauce to the table. He squeals with delight and reaches for the bowl with all his might. After emptying one bowl of food, he then looks expectantly at us as if to say, “Hey, why are you just sitting there? Get me more.” So, we get more, and sure enough he crushes that bowl, too. We have to cut him off, or else he’ll eat himself to overflowing.
He’s turned into a monster! He eats voraciously. He bares his tooth at us. And he’s even grown some pretty intimidating claws lately. Just a few days ago, I was holding him on my lap and tickling him. He carelessly threw his hands up during a particularly intense spell of laughter. His hand found my cheek, and that grasping reflex kicked in. His little razor-nails dug right into my cheek. Oh how the blood flowed. OK, maybe I embellish a little, but the point is that he has the baby equivalent of Wolverine’s claws. The boy is vicious, I tell you.
I hesitate to think of what it will be like several years from now when he’s much bigger and much stronger. Considering the damage he can do at 8 months old, I can only imagine the destruction he will unleash at 8 years old. Watch out world, there’s a new Tasmanian Devil headed your way!
I joke about the terror of teeth and nails, but the truth is that life with the little guy is really fun right now. He grows and changes daily. He’s rolling and scooting all over the place, smiling like crazy, playing, giggling and constantly learning new things. What an amazing time of life this is. We are enjoying it immensely, and I don’t wish for any of it to pass quickly.