A Serious Case of Bitchy

This week was full of tears, whining, whimpering, more tears, screams, drool, lots and lots of drool, sleepless nights, more tears (both mine and my toddler's), ... getting the picture?

No? Well, let me show you what I mean ... oh, my poor baby ... and what kind of mother takes such a photo?

Apparently, my newly two-year old is getting her two-year molars ... imagine that!

This has not been a fun experience. All other teething has gone fairly unnoticed with the help of Hyland Teething tablets and a little extra cuddling. These two-year molars have put us in a stage very similar to being colicky (or what I know of that affliction). As a result, I've been saying that NHV is bitchy, the toddler version of colicky.

Allow me to run through the symptoms with you ...

Not Sleeping

Since last Wednesday, when she spiked a quick 102 degree fever, poor NHV hasn't slept well. Let me explain what that means. I put her down at 8:30. She first woke up whimpering at 9:39, and I rocked her back to sleep. I heard from her again at 11:04, and again rocked her. Then at 12:30 I put her in bed with me, she took about 45 minutes to fall asleep, woke up again at 2:00. She went back to her bed, and this time managed to sleep until almost 5:00. She woke up for good (using that term loosely) at 6:50 am ... a good hour and a half shy of her usual 12 hours of sleep per night.

I am feeling like I have a newborn again. Considering the fact that I will indeed have a newborn again in just about 5 months, I am not pleased with this little prelude.

Not Eating
To add to the grumpiness factor, Natalie hasn't been eating either. Just like her momma, when she doesn't eat, she's an emotional wreck. I have tried everything I can think of ... but every bite would make her cry. Up until yesterday, even milk was making her wail. I tried changing the temperature of the milk. I tried putting the milk in a different kind of cup. She's been surviving on yogurt, some milk, and oatmeal. Tonight, she couldn't eat any lasagna but did manage to scarf down a piece of funfetti cake. I wouldn't normally allow this, but she was just so darn happy - for the first time in 5 days!

Not Herself

Everything, and I do mean everything, would send my normally happy, easy-going baby girl into a spiral of tears and frustration. Even at the park - like the night I took that adorable photo up there - she suffered from full-fledged bitchy! The smallest things would set her off, which made sharing with our two house guests (ages almost 4 and 18 months) seriously, ridiculously challenging.

It makes me so sad to see her so miserable, but at the same time, my patience has worn a little thin a few times. To make matters more frustrating (for me), NHV doesn't want anyone but me. Ugh! She has been stuck to me like glue, and I have some seriously drooled and snotted clothes as a result; reminds me of the spit-up days, but it doesn't smell nearly as bad!

And that girl has had her darn binky in her mouth every chance she gets. Again, not something I would usually let her get away with (I am pretty hardcore about only having the binky in her bed), but it was the only way to calm her and have a moment's peace.

Bye-Bye Bitchy

After taking a 4 hour nap this afternoon - much needed and appreciated - it seems like Natalie had finally turned the corner and kicked the bitchy to the curb. She was playing and laughing and being her usual happy self. It brought tears to my eyes! I am so glad to have her back! Just hoping tomorrow is more of the happy, less of the bitchy!