Show me those pearly whites

I have a suspicion that Baby B may be starting to teethe. Yesterday I decided to feel her gums and think I might have felt a place on the bottom where a bud might be approaching the surface. But, it's hard to tell because I can't keep my finger in there very long before she gets upset from it, and I certainly can't keep her mouth open long enough to get a good look for red, puffy gums that might indicate impending activity.

But there were several other possible clues today. Her daycare teacher said she was a little irritible today--not super-fussy, but fussy for her normal, happy self--and hardly slept at all. She doesn't sleep that much at daycare but usually will take at least a couple short (less than an hour) naps. I brought her home after work, and she just seemed "off" all night. Minor things would upset her--very out of character--and her cries just seemed different than normal.

In testing out different things to make her happy again, I gave her a cool teething ring, and she went to town on it. She'll usually put things in her mouth for a few minutes, but she rarely keeps them in her mouth longer than that. But she held a tight grip on the teething ring and gummed at it for well over an hour tonight, which helped take her fussiness down a couple notches, and then eventually it passed.

I tried looking for other signs, which have included increased drooling over the past couple weeks (could just be her salivary glands kicking into gear), a slightly runny nose today (though, The Husband and I were both sick this week, so maybe it's just that, though she hasn't shown any other signs of having a cold), and sometimes grabbing at her ear (but I think that's just where her hand ended up when I was observing...I'm not reading too much into that right now).

One thing is certain: we'll find out whether or not it's teething before long.