These last two weeks, Ingrid has been uncharacteristically discontented with life. I put her in her dev chair; a few minutes later she’s not happy. I put her on the play mat; moments later she starts whining. I turn her on her tummy; soon she is crying again.

Part of the unhappiness seems to be due to frustration. It looks like she wants to move around and see new things. She seems quite frustrated when her attempts at crawling-like movements lead to nothing. And sitting in a high chair has been more popular than being stuck in the dev chair: she’s upright and higher up, and gets a better view. Being carried around the house is even better.

But I’m starting to suspect that some of the fussing may be due to impending teething. No teeth are visible yet, but Ingrid drools like a St. Bernard and suddenly LOVES to chew on things. Everything she gets her hands on has been going straight in the mouth anyway, but now she prefers hard, chewable things, and chews vigourously. Unfortunately she hasn’t yet learned to hold on to things very well, and definitely cannot pick them up. My fingers have therefore gotten a fair chewing – they’re practical because she doesn’t need to hold them in place.

But getting baby drool all over my hands, arms and sleeves is getting tiresome, so today we’ve practiced holding on to things. I tease apart her clenched fist, put a toy in place, and guide her hands to a position that keeps the most chewable part of the toy pointed towards the mouth. It’s going to take a lot more practice, but at least my fingers get a break.