I think JB's been reading the blog

I've re-read the last few posts, and it's all fa-la-la and praise for our young son.
But last week, was different. I've heard more screaming and seen more tears drip out of his eyes in the last week than any other week to date (amounts are estimated.)
He either knows he's about to have surgery, or he's been reading the kind words I've written about the positive impact his existence has had on mine (and he's playing it for all it is worth.)

Telephone call from a friend with young children...
Her: How's JB?
Me: Well, he's good. He was doing great last week. But this week, he's being kind of an asshole.
Her: Yeah, sometimes they can be total dicks.

I appreciate having good friends. Most women won't engage me when I start conversations like that. They get freaked out. But fishes, please...* I don't blame him for acting out, but let's tell it like it is. I can empathize with the sharp molars growing out of your gums, but if this is going to be the excuse for bad behavior for the next 2 years, then we better come to some sort of agreement b/c you don't see your mommies falling to pieces every time we shed out uterine linings.

The kid is just having a shitty week. I understand. But it is hard on everyone. Believe me, I am feeling his pain. On Friday, JB bit Cameron at day care. When Kt and I heard about it, we went through all the stages of grief: shock, denial, pain, guilt, anger, bargaining, reflection, acceptance, hope. It might have been simpler had it not been Cameron that he bit... twice. If some other jackass had bit CamCam, I would have gone all Rebecca-Demornay-on-the-playground, but when it was JB, I was torn. "WHY WEREN'T THEY WATCHING HIM MORE CLOSELY?" Katy and I asked one another. (Avoidance)

The kid hasn't been a biter. One time he bit my finger and I gave it back to him to try to explain that he could have it in his mouth but not bite it. When he bit me a 2nd and 3rd time, Katy reprimanded me for teasing him. She thought it was like taunting a dog with a steak that he never gets. "If you don't want him to bite you, don't put your finger near his mouth," she mandated, complaining that I was setting him up to fail. I was only trying to teach him something worthwhile: Big effing deal if you're never exposed to fingers and don't bite!!! It's like memorizing the multiplication tables for 2 and 5, but no one teaching you shit about 3, 4, 7, 8, or 9. It's my job to make sure he's as good on the 7's as he is on the 5's, and if he feels a little bad about himself in the process, that's part of the tragedy of living my little pup!

JB went to bed on Friday night at a holiday party we were attending. It didn't seem weird that it took about 3 times longer than usual to get him down, he's pretty social and I just assumed that he didn't want to be cut out of the festivities. When we got home (had to drive separate cars to and from because of our starting points) Katy informed me that he had screamed the whole way home. Uh-oh. That's not like the little dude.

So, combined- between his bed and ours- he slept about 148 minutes between midnight and 6 am today. Just crying and yelling, shouting and whimpering all night.
It. was. awesome.
I had to assume that CamCam had strung together a curse with her ever-expanding vocabulary, but with the sunlight, came a ton of drool and 2 new teeth are racing to see which cuts through first.

It is much harder with this much crying and grumpiness. I feel bad for him, but it does make a person more tired and less sure of the point when he seems so miserable. Hopefully he will turn a corner soon.

*Not sure if I've mentioned it here yet or not, but the wife and I have started to replace the word, "bitch" in our vocabulary with the word, "fish". This will hopefully keep our kid's mouth soap-free for a little while longer; though it is likely to make him seem a little retarded when he comes out with a pithy but nonsensical: "Why's this fish over here givin' me so much attitude?"