Lewis now officially has 7 teeth. His 4th top tooth popped through over night, and he has 3 on the bottom. We still suspect a molar starting to sneak up, but we can’t confirm as we see no physical signs other than Lewis chewing on things really far back in his mouth.

I love his toothy grin. I remember feeling a little sad about him getting teeth because I didn’t want to lose the face/smile I knew. But now that the teeth are here, boy is he cute. He has a gap between his front teeth, and it is probably the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.

But I’m biased…. you know, as his mother.

I spent most of the day yesterday mad at him for being a pill, and here I am back at work today missing him and daydreaming about his funny smile. Being a parent is an exercise in extremes!

Some days are hard. Today was extra hard.

But it was also lovely because I have such a wonderful, supportive family. I want to put the tough parts behind me and focus on the lovely parts.

Like my husband who whisked the kiddo away on a drive when he wouldn’t nap.

And my brother who had some very wise words that I’ll never forget.

And my mom who gave suggestions but wasn’t pushy, and also just said it was OK to feel upset.

And my step-dad who is unwavering in his stance about me being a good mom.

And my dad who wasn’t even there but somehow knew he needed to send a sentimental, supportive text out of the blue, completely unprompted.

And my baby, who was the cause of the hard parts, but also some very lovely parts. He ate almost a whole banana today, tried smoked salmon, loved the lamb and the feta tart at dinner, and took so many steps with such joy and pride this evening.

It’s a good life, full of good people. And the hard parts aren’t the whole story. Or as my brother said, “sometimes you can’t see the whole story because you’re staring at one page”. Something to work on.