Clik. clik. clik-click… clik

September 28th, 2004 · 6 Comments

Last month after Trixie’s top teeth had come in and the swelling and pain subsided, she discovered she had something new up there to bite against. I can’t imagine what a weird sensation it must be to not have opposing teeth (although I’ll probably get a taste of it in about 50 years.) Conversely, it was a curious situation for Trixie as she realized she was no longer biting against soft, wet gums. They had been replaced with hard, enameled, little chisels. And these new things make noise.

For almost a solid week the most horrible, terrifying noises came out of Trixie’s mouth. clik, clik, clik. clik. clik. grrrrrrrind. griiiinnnd. clik. These are faint noises, and you can’t easily pinpoint their origin. Trixie also doesn’t betray herself as the source. She just sits there the whole time, quietly, eyes huge, lips locked shut. clik. clik-click. clik. clik.

The noises are reptilian or maybe insect-like. They are the sounds you hear in science fiction movies right before something very awful happens to a little-known actor. These are the sounds that pierce your brain because they were hardcoded in our primitive ancestors as signs of danger long ago. These are the sounds that make you want to throw on the light after you’ve softly tiptoed into the nursery at 3am because you thought you heard Trixie cry out, but now you just sense some faint movement and feel a pair of giant black eyes watching you out of the gloom. clik. clik.

clik-click… clik

clik

Tags: Behavior

6 responses so far ↓

1 Maddie's Mom // Sep 28, 2004 at 2:30 pm

Aargh. If the sound wasn’t bad enough before, now I’ll have these lovely images in my head when I hear it.

Good writing.
2 Diane // Sep 28, 2004 at 6:51 pm

I remember that sound. Crap, that sound is annoying. I hope for your sake that she doesn’t do it too long.
3 Charlotte // Sep 28, 2004 at 8:29 pm

Oh yes. The grinding. My God, the grinding. I would stick a binky in Jack’s mouth just to make it stop. All the hair would stand up on my arms and back of my neck. I can not think of a worse sound unless it is the sound of a cat getting ready to throw up. (anyone with a cat knows exactly the sound I mean)
The good news is that phase didn’t last long. of course, we don’t have molars yet so who know what terrible sounds are coming up. I’m just used to the 8 teeth he has so far!
4 aidens momma // Sep 28, 2004 at 8:54 pm

aidne does the same thing!! and it drives me NUTS!! hopefully they both outgrow it soon!
5 Leslie // Sep 28, 2004 at 11:58 pm

Ben, there’s no reason to be scared, Trixie is just trying to communicate with you using the clicking sounds of the Ju/’hoan language:
http://www.san.org.za/san/03_orth/orthog.htm
6 Camille // Sep 30, 2004 at 11:27 am

My 8 month old son, William, is doing this. Yeah…

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