Oh, the screaming...

Holy guacamole, this kid can holler. A few people had warned me that Benjamin might have a time where he cried at a lot for no apparent reason, but I didn't really think that would happen. Now I'm not so sure. Last week was the crying from constipation. A few days ago he started crying a lot because he's teething. I thought I was so smart a couple days ago when I discovered that a wet washcloth chilled in the fridge was something that he could chew on to sooth himself. Hah. The past two days he has been crying and screaming a majority of the time, and it's very hard for me or Mike to calm him down for any decent length of time. All the usual tricks are out the window. In case it's teething that's bothering him, I've tried the chilled washcloth, hard plastic teething rings, teething rings filled with water that are chilled in the fridge, a teething pacifier, cold formula or juice, even letting him chew on my finger (which sometimes is the only thing that works). I don't want to dope him up on Tylenol every time he cries, either. He screams when I put him down for a nap, and when he does sleep he's taking short naps and is very squirmy. He was up several times last night, which is unusual for him. It's very difficult to get him to eat his normal amount of food, I'm assuming because it hurts from the teething. A few times I have just put him in his crib, walked away & let him cry for a few minutes, because if I held him any longer with him screaming like that, I could lose my hearing. Crying, I can deal with. Shrieking, that's a different story.An indication of his mood lately.
Last night I was trying to cook dinner while Mike cut the grass, but our precious angel didn't like that plan. (Did ya catch the sarcasm?) So, I have to confess, I plopped him in front of the TV and played a Baby Einstein DVD. Two and a half times. I didn't like doing it, but you know what they say about desperate times...
Anyone with hints on crying and/or teething, I'm open to suggestions!