The 2 main reasons of this post are one, to complain, and two, to ask for help!
The lowdown is this: Talia has been sick off and on for about 2 months now and has been teething severely. Then on top of that she's entered the Terrible Twos early and has become so rambunctious that I can't keep up with her. She's constantly moving, won't ever sit still, and always wants her way. There's lots of these things that are definitely positive and I am so thankful for this stage because it is really a ton of fun. I absolutely LOVE feeling my heart leap when she gives me that cute little, almost sheepish, smile or when she wants to play Point or Baby Race down the hallway. But I am exhausted. My back is actually hurting because of having to chase her around constantly, move her from danger to safety, and calmly try to calm her down/"explain things to her" when she's throwing a tantrum. I need some good, practical help!!!
Her latest shananigan is refusing to eat. She won't eat! She refuses pretty much everything (except for yogurt or sometimes cereal in the morning) and then merely sips at her bottles and juice. It's a miracle if she finishes her dinner! I caught her today mushing up her food in her mouth but she refused to swallow it! Ai-yai-yai!!!
Right now she's on her third set of antibiotics due to ear infections. She's on tooth number 7 (she has gotten all of them within the past 2.5 months) which adds to the crankiness. Please pray that God will heal her little body and give Nick and I the energy to deal with all this. Speaking of energy, I am so exhausted from working and then having to take care of her in the evenings by myself. I feel like I can't even enjoy my baby because I'm so tired! I know, I wrote about being a stay at home mom the other day, but we're still not there yet. But I guess with all these other things Talia's going through that God is trying to tell me that working isn't working (hehe, no pun intended there...). I think I'm trying to do too much. There's too much on my plate. I don't have time or energy for the things or people that really, truly matter. I spend it all during the week on people who, most likely, I won't ever see again but then have nothing to give to my Lord, my husband, and my daughter. I should be flooding those three with my energy, attention, and love, but I have it all backward... I am draining myself, but rather should be seeking God. I need Him to help me with these situations and for Him to show me the way, but I only seek Him for some things, not all things, which is not good... Okay we're getting off topic here, but that's okay. I needed to write all that out stream-of-consciousness style to help me on a therapeutic level. Sorry for the detour... :)
So, fellow mommies, here's the list of things I need help with! Comment below with any/all advice!
1. Teething
2. Sickness/Infections
3. Not eating
4. Tantrums
5. Diarrhea/Rashes
Oh, girl, I so empathise. When I was working when Nick was little, it was so hard to be a good calm mom. You will stay in my thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteAs for the help, the best advice I can give is take it slowly and try to stay calm. For the teething, we've used the teething tablets with all three kids, and that seems to soothe without the "drugged" affect. Is she on a sippie cup. I know the boys liked to bite down on thier sippie, with ice water, and that seemed to help. For the not eating, it's probably a stage she's going through. And the teething thing isn't helping. Try to make meal time fun, and offer a variety of food. As for the tantrums, that's a harder one. Every parent is different. But, at over a year old, she know's and understands the word no. With the boys, we just didn't put up with it. If we were home, and they decided to have a fit, then they went to time out for a minute of their age, or when they decided they could be nice. They didn't get any toys and the tv went off. Now that they are getting older, we still use time out, and we've started taking away privledges with Nick since he is now 5.
And, finally, with #5, if she is eating a lot of fruit/veggies, this will cause diarrhea. (or the infections/sickness.) Try offering a viriaty of cheese. My boys love sliced and cubed cheese. And also bread or crackers.
I wish I was closer to give some comfort for you. I'm having a rough time, here, by myself too. If you need to talk, please give me a call. Loves to you!!