It was a ridiculous work day from the moment the kids and I got home from Fancy Coffee Friday yesterday.

It seemed like I fought to work all day long. On top of the usual happy crashes and smashes from Phil as he played in the office, Joy just couldn’t seem to get it together. She fidgeted in my arms, she screamed, she fidgeted and screamed.

Like, all day long.

I got a quiet break when Josh and his mom took the kids to Lowe’s for a while. Then when it was time for dinner all heck broke loose. Joy turned the crazy level up to eleven, and I silently berated myself as I picked her up from her feeding table for feeling like I was losing patience all the time these days.

In an effort to calm the girl down, I took her to her room, changed her diaper, and put her jammies on. Thinking about how she’s been teething a lot lately, I grabbed the Orajel and put some on my finger. As I started to rub it on her gums, there it was.

Sudden ridiculous screams from Joy.

And her very first tooth.

Do you remember those old cartoons where Bugs Bunny would turn into the heel of a shoe when he felt bad about something he’d done? I totally pictured myself turning into a heel as I fully understood why the work day had been so difficult.

If I’d known she was in the process of busting out her first tooth, I would’ve taken the day off to rock this sweet baby and make her feel better. It’s just so hard sometimes when they’re so small to know what’s really going on.

Mother of the year.