Giada went through a phase of being extremely fussy and only wanted me to hold her. She would try to communicate, but lacks the ability to actually share what she wants and we found ourselves frustrated each day. In addition, she had a slight case of the stomach bug, which enhanced the fussiness. She would wake up in the morning crying and the same thing would happen when she woke up from naps. Besides all this, she is 20 months old and finding her personality. On top of all that, she refused to eat and would only drink milk, which did not help with her attitude. Multiple times a day she would have extreme meltdowns and scream to the point of choking herself. I found myself almost in tears because I was exhausted and just as frustrated with the situation. In the midst of all this chaos, Jocko was not sleeping through the night and I was sleep deprived. (Thank goodness he is now sleeping from 10:30 - 7:00) I would count down the hours until Anthony came home from work to help. I am lucky that I was able to hand Giada over to Anthony the second he walked in the door and take a moment for myself. The struggle of being at home with a newborn and 19 month old felt like a never ending battle.
As we made it through the LONG three weeks, Giada now feels better and her bubbly personality is back. However, the tantrums still come and go.
As we made it through the LONG three weeks, Giada now feels better and her bubbly personality is back. However, the tantrums still come and go.
Some days the feeling of defeat is hard to overcome, but we move on and do our best the following day. I am still waiting for the baby/toddler manuel, but until then I will give it my all. Thank goodness for reality tv, girlfriends, wine and bedtime at 8:00.
With all the tears, screams, hitting and unanswered tantrums, being her mom is the best job in the world. I look forward to all the years to come and understand the "hard days" and disagreements have only begun.
