Some days are like this...

So we all have terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days. (Yes, even in Australia.) And yesterday was one of those days for Hannah, as I probably don't need to tell you because really, this picture says it all. She's been working her way through a nasty cold with a hacking cough for a few days now. It's the kind of cough that makes her wake up crying in the middle of the night, so we rock her and she falls asleep in our arms, so we put her down and she immediately starts coughing, which wakes her up crying...and repeat. Not fun. For anyone.

By yesterday she seemed to be feeling better but still much more out-of-sorts than usual. There isn't much of the above red-faced screaming in our lives, and after her nap she was just inconsolable. Then, by chance, I discovered that she's about to get tooth #3. (Aha!) It's a top tooth and a tiny part of it has popped through, but the rest of it is just swollen and apparently very painful. My best efforts at applying baby Orajel only made the situation worse- I think I accidentally smeared it on her lip and poked her in the very sore tooth bud with my finger. So then her lip was numb and her mouth hurt worse and I'm sure this won't be the last time I can't do anything right.

As an aside, I sort of wonder if I'm a horrible mother for taking a picture like this (ok, several pictures). But it is part of her babyhood, and I don't think it's bad to have things like this as part of the permanent record. What really makes me wonder if I'm a horrible mom is that this picture horrifies everyone...and makes me giggle a little. I don't know quite why. I think it's because I know that 10 minutes after I took this she was scooting around laughing and playing, and I know these moments, even added all together, are a very small part of her life.

There's just something in me that finds it humorous to see a picture of my normally beautiful, smiling baby looking like an angry, posessed banshee. Plus, she isn't so old that having me take a picture while she's upset makes her more upset. Trust me, when I had the camera out, I had already tried everything to improve the situation. And I don't think she had the capability to get any madder. (Or produce any more snot. Yeeesh.)