Skip to main content

The Monster Within

Nope, not Baby Deuce.  This little person still isn't causing any trouble at all and I feel fantastic.  Cute bump growing quickly, no symptoms still, lovely pregnancy hormones giving me that "feel-good" feeling.

I'm referring to my little 18-month-old monster that has taken control of my home.  She's broken every rule I've made.  She's changed my opinion about everything that I believed to be true.  She's taught me to never, ever judge another parent for any decision they make unless I've walked in their shoes.

And this week has taken the cake.  First of all, Paisley does not believe in dental hygiene.  She went through a short-lived phase where she was curious about the toothbrush.  Mainly mine.  And she'd chew on it for a while, but mostly loved rinsing it in the sink.  Anything with water.  But at least the toothbrush was in her mouth.

She now hates anything to do with the teeth.  She doesn't want the toothbrush near her.  This child clamps her teeth shut, seals her lips like Fort Knox, and shakes her head like a wet dog.  We would literally have to have both of us to hold her down and force her mouth open to get a brush on those chompers.  Like that wouldn't traumatize her.

So, besides the problem that I'm going to have to let her teeth rot out and buy her dentures at the age of 2, we have also encountered a new and disturbing phenomenon.

Paisley also hates bedtime.  I mentioned that she's a bit hard-headed and strong-willed.  Well, she reserves 90% of this for bedtime.   We've tried bedtime routines, rocking, schedules, reading, baths, etc. to no avail.  Most of the time, we have to just let her cry for a couple of minutes in her crib until she surrenders and goes to sleep.  Keep in mind that this usually happens about 11 p.m.

And now she has found a new way to delay bedtime: she makes herself vomit.  And somehow does it like she's a sprinkler system so as to hit everything within a 4 foot radius of her.  Oh, and it always gets in my hair which I wash at night before this occurs.   I thought it was accidental at first, but I've actually seen the look of intent in her eyes.  She means to do it.

In summary, bedtime sucks.  Tooth brushing sucks.  And to everyone who thinks that adding a 2nd child means that things get so much harder, you should try to care for this child for one day.  I haven't had free time in 18-months.  This house is always chaotic.  And my baby is a bundle of craziness.  So, bring on another!!!

Comments

  1. Ohhhh wow! That's a toughie. And I have no advice. Because it sounds like you have tried everything haha Although have you tried like yummy tasting..bubble gum like kid toothpaste? But yikes, the on cue puke fest. No fun. I wish you luck my friend :) I wish you luck...

    ReplyDelete
  2. paisley sounds like my son. tonight he literally BIT his toothbrush so i couldnt brush the teeth. all while screaming hysterically. somedays i'm pretty convinced he's giving me hearing damage. i am not as strong as you [ie a child #2 would put me under].

    ReplyDelete
  3. My son was like Paisley and the toothbrushing when he was her age. Every day we would ask the question "do you want to brush your teeth the easy way or the hard way" and everytime it ended up being the hard way....laying him on the floor, straddled over him to hold his arms down and limit squirming with one hand on his forehead to hold his head still and the other to brush his teeth. That was a good day, other days we needed the two of us. Anyways, he is seven now and doesn't have any indications of being traumatized by that. I can't remember how old he was when he finally figured out that the easy way was better than the hard way though.....hang in there! I COULD NOT imagine intentional puking.....This will be quite the story when she gets older!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh geez! I've always feared baby/children bedtime, even before I was a mom. I just saw friends and siblings and other people struggle with keeping their child in bed, getting them to sleep etc. Once we got Roman I thought I had read every book on bedtime and how to make it "easy and comfortable" - ya, all those books are full of crap!! He'll be 8 months old this week and he JUST NOW started sleeping all night ON OCCASION. It's so tough, I'll probably be in your shoes when he's her age. On the other hand, sorry, I have no advice, you've tried all the things I would try and would know to try. I have read a good book on discipline that may give you some ideas for this area (worth a try) It's called Love and Logic.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't know if I'm excited for that phase and all the hilarity that ensues or terrified! Paisley is clearly a smart one, though...I might steal her vomit trick while at a conference table!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet Our Little Miracle, Paisley Kate

The post I have been waiting 2 years to write is finally here and I can't really believe it. On Saturday, I woke up at 8:30 a.m. with BAD contractions. By the 2nd one, I knew I was in "real" labor. They were SO different than the braxton-hicks. I got out of bed and decided that I'd take a bath, until water ran down both legs. The pain after that got pretty unbearable immediately and I was having contractions every 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. So, I called Aaron at work to tell him it was "the big day". He decided I was kidding until I nearly leapt through the phone to wring his neck. :) We got to the hospital an hour later and I was dilated to a 4 and having very active contractions. They quickly got me moved to an L&D room. I got my epidural ( AMAZING - we'll talk about this in its own post soon) at a 6 and then my doctor broke my water. (Apparently at home, it had just leaked a pocket of fluid). After he broke my water, labor started picking up

The Resurrection

 So here we are.  It's now a blog graveyard.  The followers have long since moved on and infertility is something that I've somewhat put in the past (only considering I don't want any more kids).  So why am I here and writing again?  What's the purpose?   This was my safe place.  It was where I came when everything seemed much too hard and I needed to feel comfort.  I wanted to express myself in a venue that others would reassure me and even understand me.  I still love and have always loved this blog.  It guided me during some of the hardest years of my life, dealing with infertility and miscarriage. And you know... I guess it will help me again now.  Because life is freaking TOUGH.  You know the phrase "I've went through Hell and back"?  Yeah, I feel that in my soul now.  I could have a blowout in the middle lane of the highway during rush hour traffic, manage to pull over my car on the side and call for roadside assistance without my pulse increasing ev

I'm Going to Let You in on a Little Secret

My dear blog readers, Those of you who know me well know that I do not keep secrets. It's actually physically impossible for me to keep a secret. So, it's going to really surprise many of you to find out that I've been staying silent about something pretty big. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the little miracle that came into our lives 13 weeks ago: We wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while to make sure things went okay this time. It's been a very terrifying 13 weeks and we are just now starting to feel that things could actually go well. We feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant with this baby and we are so grateful for every minute. To my friends who are still battling infertility , I'm not even sure where to start. You've been there with me through it all. You've held my hand and given me a shoulder to cry on when times are tough. You always know the right things to say because you've been there before. And you pray and