Throwing Fits

Aiden has GOT to be teething. Every day I keep waiting for a tooth to spring up and every day I am disappointed. I just feel like if the dang thing would come out, then maybe he could calm down for a day or two. He has been a cranky mess off and on for two weeks now. The most stressful part is his new ability to throw a fit. I'm talking about throwing his head back repeatedly and forcing out a cry. He does it every time I place him in his high chair and whenever his bottle is finished.

At first I was worried that he might still be hungry. But I would think after 7 ounces of milk, Aiden should be fairly satisfied. His eating has been hot and cold. One day he will finish an entire bowl of rice cereal, the next he will take one bite and then throw his head back screaming. When he cries after his bottle I have found that if I distract him for a minute or two, he will completely forget about his fit and begin playing with his toys.

He has also started biting everything. It's not a mean, get-back-at-you type of bite. It's more like a I've-got-an-itch-I-can't-scratch type of bite. He will vigorously attack toys - toys that don't even fit in his mouth, like his activity table. Who bites a table? I mean unless they have a shard of enamel trying to force it's way through the tender skin of their gums, right?

I keep getting anxious because I can't quite figure out what is wrong with him. Aiden has always been very easy to read. If it's not his diaper, then he is hungry or tired. Even then I usually know when he is hungry or tired because that happens like clockwork every four hours during the day. If it's not time for bed or a meal, then he is probably just bored with his toys and we do what Chrissy calls a Station Rotation. Problem solved. Or at least problem used to be solved. Lately, none of that helps. Usually he just wants a teething ring and for us to hold him.

I worry Aiden is getting spoiled, what with his fits and all this holding. I do not want to reward his anger with attention, but I do not want to limit these things if he is sick or hurting. He cannot speak to describe his anguish, so I just have his cries to decipher.