Karina and Tommy: All Things Oral

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Karina was getting her fifth and sixth teeth...two more teeth on top...so she'd have her four top front teeth. Apparently, I didn't know what I was talking about because the fifth tooth, the right upper tooth finally came through March 27 (not March 13 as I'd thought) and the "sixth tooth," the upper left tooth still isn't through!

On March 30th, Karina had the worst fever she'd ever had and I was quite sure that she was getting sick. Grandpa Jim had come to visit that day...with Grandma Joy...and suggested that if we weren't seeing other signs of illness that perhaps the fever could be related to more teeth eruptions. So I felt around in the areas where I thought she'd be getting them (the front bottom teeth or any of her "eye" teeth) , but I didn't feel anything. Interestingly...and thankfully...the fever lasted less than one day and she did not get additional "cold" symptoms. Since there weren't any new teeth, I wasn't sure what to think. But today I was rubbing Karina's gums and not only felt a new tooth, but a new molar tooth! I was shocked...I thought all of the teeth in the front would come in first. Apparently...as I admitted earlier...I have no idea what I'm talking about! If I was smart I'd consult with Dr. Opa, our own dental expert!

On the culinary side, Karina continues to improve at feeding herself...which is perhaps made possible by Mommy's dedication to keep trying new foods and new preparations of foods that will be safe and easy for Karina to eat. It's really challenging to find foods that are soft enough to "gum" but not too soft pick up, but our repertoire is expanding. One of the most notable successes came with oranges. After a good sized meal the other day, I cut an unpeeled orange into slices figuring the rind would give Karina something to hold on to while she ate the orange flesh. It worked! She was able to manipulate the slices fairly easily and she absolutely loved the taste. I couldn't believe how many slices she ate...she just wanted more and more and more! As a mother, it made me very happy to see her enjoy something so much...especially since she was able to feed it to herself!

Orange eating techniques, according to Karina Eliese:

"First open your mouth really wide, like this..."

"...then shove it in there as hard as you can so you can get all of the orange juice..."

"Yummy!"

This it how many orange slices Karina ate the first time she tried it!

Karina's also done well with cantelope...

...spaghetti (actually marinara sauce on rotini because spaghetti noodles are very hard to pick up) ...

...and she's really gotten better with independently using
the sippy cup.

Lastly, I just had to show you these pictures of what happened after Karina "asked for" (read said "Uh...Uh!" and pointed at) a stale loaf of Italian bread sitting on our counter and I handed it to her...

(Her expressions are just too funny!)