Some Teething Questions

Is it true that teething causes runny noses? I was wondering about this phenomena, since I've found out that almost 100% of mothers I know believe that snot and new teeth have some correlation...but why? My now seven month old beauty began teething during midterms (what perfect timing!) and cut her second tooth two weeks ago, but there were no signs of any booger infiltrations, so I was curious to find out if there was any truth behind this myth. It turns out it may just be a myth after all!

I looked in LCSC's online library for some scientific journals that may have published some sort of findings about this curious correlation--or non correlation--and found an article entitled, "Experience of Turkish Parents About their Infants' Teething." There was a test conducted around a group of Turkish parents and their toddlers. They had to be less than 18 months of age, with at least one tooth. There were 335 families, who were given a face to face questionnaire about the symptoms they attributed to teething.

"The most commonly reported symptom was increase in biting, followed by irritability and fever."

Some of the children were taken to the doctor while teething, and of those, 78.8% of the symptoms were 'teething related' while the rest was actually a bacterial infection needing antibiotics. The conclusion was that before attributing cold or flu symptoms to teething, other things need to firstly be ruled out.


Check out the article at:

There He Is!

I never knew Him,

though they said He was there,

I never felt his presence...

I never knew He cared.

Such a powerful person would never

Shun my moms, you see,

And no God anyone can worship

Will have so much power over me.

He wouldn't start these holy wars,

He could never watch babies die--

My uncle left me last year

And only God knows why.

A God won't ask for charity,

or pass around a hat;

I will never ever--

No, I will not fall for that.

A spirit calling for worship

Shouldn't exclude a single soul

from his membership-only club

since they couldn't pay a toll.

Lesbians could frolic

In my Heaven, too, you see,

This is why God

Never made much sense to me.

From the very first day

I held my daughter in my hands,

And she looked at me with such love

I never thought I'd understand;

The moment she first smiled

as she peered into my eyes

There was no turning away from it;

It was then I realized:

God could be a synonym

For precious, priceless love,

God is just a safe place

A name for waking up.

God is not a person,

A place or a thing,

But it's true He lives in all of us,

I hear Him when I sing,

I see Him in my daughter's face,

In my husband's loving tones,

I know Him when I dream at night

And I never am alone.

To Better Days

Today was a very rough one, as sometimes they are when you're a mother: I have my gorgeous baby girl who needs me to be at her becking call, of course...and don't get me wrong, it is the most rewarding job anybody could ever have; though, it is often times overwhelming. I am also a full-time college student at Lewis-Clark State College, and against the advice of my parents, numerous professors, and my advisor, I have fifteen credits--all online. My husband works in the woods ten to fifteen hours a day, so most everything (housework, baby, meals, family, shopping and bills) is left upon my shoulders while he struggles to make money to keep us afloat.

I hope you don't think of me as whining, I just want to get out onto paper the way I sometimes feel that nobody knows except me. I am shot. At my last doctor appointment my OBGYN diagnosed me with Postpartum Depression, which roughly affects about 25 percent of women.

The worst part about the depression is the way I relate my stress to my husband; I take it out on him, I get irrate with him for no reason, and I feel secluded from him. My daughter sometimes weighs on me like a burden, which breaks my heart, because she is the most precious thing in my life, and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. I talked to an older woman I know recently about it, and she helped to put things into perspective for me. She said that when she had her children from her first husband that she, too fell deep into a depression. The difference here, however, was that her husband was abusive and cruel, calling her fat and lazy, punching her in the face and cowering over her as she curled up in a corner. She stood up each time, dusted herself off, and took care of her magnificent babies.

When finally she gathered the courage to leave this man, three years after the birth of her second daughter, the clouds seemed to disperse and she again flourished like she once had. She met her new husband, Wayne, and he supported her and showered her in the long-lost love she knew she did deserve. Eileen is her name, and she was on Prozac for three whole years before her symptoms cleared up.

My doctor has me on the same medication, and I am happy to have realized that I truly am blessed to have a husband who ceaselessly supports me, loves me and would swim through a river of alligators to be by my side (his words not mine). When I feel like all of the school, all of the stress and pressure is too much, I should know that I can ALWAYS turn to my Ian and tell him how I'm feeling. And if that doesn't work, I can come right here, and spill my heart out through my fingertips for anyone who cares to read!

Life is tough. Life is beautiful. Life is stress. Life is pleasure. Life is tragic. Life is magnificent.