A Tale of Two (Sets of) Teeth

This week was the worst of times and, well, the worst of times. 

Look at that smile.

Have you ever seen such an adorable mini vampire before? Those two little terrifying fangs hanging down? Marshmallows everywhere are hiding in fear.

As adorable as those teeth may be, any parent will tell you that their formation has been anything but cute. Those two guys in the front -- and their five or six friends -- have created late night tears, public tantrums, random fevers, and hours and hours of whimpering.

Belle was a late bloomer in the teeth department. She didn't sprout chomper No. 1 until she was 15 months old, which according to the all-knowing Internet is about eight months late.

Apparently, her Dad was a late bloomer, too:

Look at that smile. (I think that's a smile?)

Have you ever seen such a terrifying face? Those hairy, swollen cheeks? Women everywhere are hiding in fear.

At the ripe old age of 34, I had my wisdom teeth out this week. Most people have them removed between the ages of 18 - 24. I didn't necessarily drag my feet; I just wasn't really champing at the bit to get it done. My dentist mentioned it a couple appointments ago and, finally, he said it was about time.

Like most everyone, I'd heard my share of horror stories and "it wasn't so bad" stories. People screaming into pillows from the pain. People back at work the next day. People losing 10 pounds because they couldn't eat. People who ran a 5K the following day. My experience was somewhere in between. It hurt quite a bit and I still can't fully open my mouth, but I got to eat a bunch of delicious ice cream and I'm here to type the tale.

Still, what will forever be known as "teeth week" in the Briddon house has been pretty exhausting. The result? Lots and lots of rest for me and Belle. Or, in the words of Charles Dickens, "... it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

The 25 Ways Annabelle Has Changed Our Lives …

Annabelle has changed our lives in countless ways since she was born 109 days ago. I mean, how couldn’t she, right? We’re now responsible for another human being who relies on us for everything 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But countless is a stupid word. If you think about it, everything can be counted. So, this morning, I did. In honor of the impending merry holiday, I counted 25 ways Annabelle has changed our lives since September 4. Here goes:

1. It’s much harder to have a bad day. Annabelle can turn negativity around in seconds with one of her adorable, toothless grins. 
2. It’s harder to watch TV and movies. Annabelle makes a lot of noise and is frankly not very polite when we’re trying to watch Breaking Bad. 
3. The exercise/baby soothing ball is the greatest invention ever. Calm baby, tighter abs, amazing. 
4. We’ve watched A LOT of streaming shows. You think you’re excited for new episodes of Sherlock and House of Cards? Shoot, I’ve watched Behind the Mask. It’s horrible! 
5. Free will is a thing of the past. Simply put, you can’t just grab a nap, go for a run, or take a shower when you feel like it. This is a difficult adjustment. 
6. We clean up human poop now. It’s pretty gross. 
7. We get peed on. Also gross.
8. It’s much harder to go for walks, especially in the winter. Strollers aren’t exactly easy to maneuver over bricks and cobblestones. 
9. People like us more now. We’ve hung out with family and friends more time in the last three months than we had in the past three years. (Whatever. We can see right through all of you.) 
10. We’re more careful with our money. (Duh!) 
11. We’re more aware of the challenges of living in a 725-square-foot apartment. I’m speculating here, but I think Oscar is mighty aware of it, too.  
12. We sing and dance a lot more. (If you know Bridget, you know she’s always loved putting people’s names into song lyrics. This has now reached epic proportions.) 
13. We have excuses for social events we don’t want to attend. (Oh, you’re cousin’s first birthday? Gee, yeah, we’d love to, but you know, Annabelle …) 
14. It takes much, much longer to leave the house for anything. 
15. We’ve realized we need a bigger car. 
16. Baths, which tend to be relaxing, are now stressful. (They are getting better, but it’s still no picnic.) 
17. I now read books about women leaders and feel inspired for my daughter.  
18. I don’t immediately change the channel when I see WNBA highlights. (I change it, of course, but it takes a few seconds longer now.) 
19. A good night of sleep means something completely different now. 
20. Bedtime on Saturday night is no different from bedtime on Tuesday night. 
21. Our iPhones are basically just glorified cameras now. 
22. This year’s “family vacation” was spent in Cambridge. I was going to buy a souvenir, but I realized I already owned everything. 
23. We talk about daycare more than you talk about food, beer, music, and sex. Combined. 
24. We’re happier people. I know there’s a lot of debate about having kids vs. not having kids. There are certainly pluses and minuses on each side. For us, though, good God she’s awesome. 
25. It’s going to be the best Christmas we’ve ever had.

The Futility of Spending Limits at Christmas

This is the third Christmas Bridget and I have spent together. And every year, the same question gets tossed around starting in early November: How much should we spend on each other this year?

In our three yuletide seasons, I've learned two very important things:
1. We are great at setting spending limits.
2. We are absolutely horrible at sticking to spending limits.

Now, we always have the best intentions. And we're both fairly resourceful and careful with our cash. But for whatever reason, we really, really suck at this.

Take last year, for example. We set our limit at $200, which seems completely reasonable for a couple. Think of all the great stuff you can get for $200! A little weekend getaway in the winter. Lots of nice, warm, stylish clothes. Tickets to a Celtics game or a concert. There are plenty of options. So, of course, we went with diamond earrings and a vacation to Ireland. The trip, obviously, was way more than $200. And so were the earrings -- that is, until Bridget finds out they are cubic zirconia.

This Christmas, the same thing has happened. Realizing that we took several big trips this year and, you know, got married, we were going to take it easy to the tune of a $100 limit. And we really tried. At least I know I did. I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I looked around online for hours. Heck, I even went to a couple brick-and-mortar stores. (Imagine!) In a nutshell, I failed. Miserably. And while I haven't unwrapped her gift to me, I know she failed miserably, too.

This all leads me to a simple question: Why? Is it because we are greedy people who love material things? No. Is it because, as my friend Jesse said the other day, you really can't buy anything for 100 bucks nowadays? Maybe. Is it because this is the last year we're going to have extra disposable cash? That could be it. (Read: Mothers, Bridget is not pregnant. I repeat: Not pregnant. We're just assuming life will be much different next year. Again, not pregnant.) But I think the real reason is -- and get ready for the corny line here -- we're really, really in love. Getting a gift that is "good enough" just isn't good enough. We both feel the need to go above and beyond.

Will there be years when we can't go nuts with gifts? Probably. Will someone need braces or money for a hospital bill or a college education? Most likely. But those years, when we actually stick to a limit, we'll look back at these years and smile. And then probably find a way to break the limit again.