Teeth. Duh.

Isaac uneventfully cut his eighth tooth back in October -- a solitary tooth wasn't a big deal compared to the six teeth in six weeks he endured in June -- and then I didn't think about teeth for the next two months. Even when this month's sleep disturbances began, I didn't think about teeth.

He went from sleeping through the night (besides one 20-minute nursing) to being awake for two or three hours in the middle of the night. Or if he did fall asleep, he woke up screaming as soon as he was set down in his crib. Or if he could be set down, he woke up a short time later in hysterics. Several different friends asked if he was teething, and each time I said I didn't think so -- I hadn't felt any teeth. Even after ten nights of poor sleep, it wasn't until I actually looked in his mouth that I realized it was, in fact, his teeth. The two top molars were partially emerging from battered and bloodied gums.

While I had previously felt around in his mouth with my fingers, I hadn't noticed the new teeth because I was checking at the rear of his gums, as if I thought he was going to get his wisdom teeth. The one-year-old molars are located only half way back in the mouth!

We had three good nights of sleep after that, perhaps because the worst of the teeth had already cut through. Then Isaac began the frequent night waking again, and this time it only took me one and a half nights to figure out it was his teeth again. (You may think that's pretty dense of me, but it's a lot better than ten nights!) Now he's getting his bottom two molars -- and a dose of Infant Tylenol before bed.