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"Is your baby sick?" asked a very nice farmer we know at the Farmers' Market.

I looked into the stroller at Baby J, who peered shiftily out from beneath his blanket. He was fine, but his right eye was encrusted with gunk.

"No, he's just getting over a cold," I explained.

"Oh, okay," she said, "he sure has a lot of hair." She's definitely right about that.

When we got to Starbucks, I pulled Baby J out of the stroller.

"Does he have pinkeye?" asked SC, examining the same eye.

"I hope not!" I said -- and I do.

The real issue here is that Baby J is getting over a cold. The worst is done -- he can sleep, he can eat, he's no longer miserable. But as his system clears itself out, we get to deal with all sorts of disgusting emissions from all parts of his face. I'm choosing my battles on this one, and find it of paramount importance to clean his nose when it runs.

He hates it.

So I'm trying to keep my swipes at other facial features to a minimum in the hopes that I can catch him off-guard and occasionally get his nose.

It's an interesting life.

The more people commented on the eye, though, the more I started to notice it, too. It really does look gross.

But it's also getting better.

The other nice thing is that if you leave the eye alone, eventually the gunk dries and just falls off on its own. Which doesn't happen with the nose.

Anyway, now that I've probably ruined your appetite for the next week, I'll sign off.

But not before telling you that Baby J has the tips of two teeth.

For reals, now. This time, I don't think they're going away.