Tooth #6 just popped through, and #7 and #8 are on their way!

My baby girl is teething.  This is providing me with lots of awake time in the dark hours of the night as I comfort her. Last night’s party-in-the-crib lasted from 11:30pm-1:30am and it gave me time to think.

I thought about how much I love the way she smells; the scent of her freshly-bathed hair, her squishy little neck, and her chubby-bubby cheeks.

I thought about the excess of Halloween candy that I polished off over the past few days.  I thought about how my willpower needs to grow as the holiday treat season approaches.

I thought about how quickly my daughter is growing and how much I will miss this baby stage; cradling her little head in one hand and bum in the other, her big new-tooth smile, and her slobbery little hands.

I thought about my husband in our bedroom, listening to the monitor and ready to take a turn on baby duty.

I thought about how much laundry I have to do, and how I always use cold water when doing laundry with regular hot-water laundry soap and my clothes turn out clean and fresh, with less energy used.

I thought about how I was sitting with my girl in the rocking chair like we were watching football on TV, except we were watching her nightlight’s shadows in the blackness of her bedroom.  I thought about how she’s the best rocking chair companion.

I thought about the sleep I was missing out on.

I thought about the time change, and how inconvenient it can be for parents of young children.  I thought about how ‘Fall back’ meant an extra hour of sleep as a teenager and an extra hour out with friends as a University student.

I thought about how lucky we were to avoid the devastation of Hurricane Sandy last week, and the local weather warnings that ended up being overblown and excessive in my area.  I thought about those in New York and New Jersey still reeling from her impact, picking up the pieces of their lives.

I thought about what a good decision New York made to cancel Sunday’s marathon.  I thought about how many New Yorker’s were still without water and power.  I thought about what message it would send to have marathon water stations throughout NYC and a power-generated finish line in Central Park.

I thought about the patients I saw last week, who were geared up and injury-free, ready to race.  I thought about the great job Hamilton’s Road2Hope marathon did in opening up extra entry spots.  I thought about entering the lottery for next year’s NYC marathon.

I thought about the Sandra Boynton books I read to my son at bedtime.  I thought about ‘Moo, Baa, La, La, La’, ‘Horns to Toes and In Between’, and ‘But Not the Hippopotamus’.

I thought about what we’ll have for dinner the next day.  I thought about the juggling act my husband and I were going to have to perform to fit in four gym days each in the coming week.

I thought about the huge cup of coffee I was going to have in the morning.

I thought about how there’s no place else I’d rather be.