Tuesday, December 6, 2011

bright moments during the case of the cranky toddler

Fair warning:  this is a picture-heavy post.  My apologies for the photo dump, but I've got a bunch of cute ones from the weekend to share, and I just couldn't resist (I know, like always).

Let me start off by saying that my kid?  Has been in an absolutely foul mood for about 4 days.  Really, I can't blame her for feeling in a funk--she threw up randomly at daycare and just hasn't been herself ever since.  Every day has gotten a bit better, and there have been bright spots within each day to get us through.  But, oof, have we been struggling to keep the little budgie happy lately. 

She got sick on Thursday, but seemed much better by that afternoon.  We spent our day snuggling and sipping water and eating popsicles, until she finally wore us down with her begging pleas for milk.  She was able to hold down crackers and milk, so we figured we were in the clear.  Friday was a much better day overall--Mike stayed home with her, and my mom came down to spend some playtime at the Children's Museum in the morning.  We crossed our fingers that we had a fully-recovered kid on our hands.

Enter Saturday:  The Day of the Tantrum.  Natalie woke up earlier than usual, and spent most of the morning crying, kicking, rolling on the floor, and being generally miserable.  Our bright spot that day was a Mommy-and-Me outing to Rockport Harbor to watch Santa arrive by tugboat and then a trip to Aldermere Farm to see the cows for their annual Beltie Holiday event.  Natalie's fave moments were eating her first candy cane after getting a photo with Santa, and staying a safe distance from the cows.  Her least favorite moments were being too close to Santa or the cows.




After a solid nap we took her to the playground and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.  Our afternoon degenerated back into screaming & crying shortly thereafter.





Sunday was much the same:  cranky, early wake-up call followed by a mostly pleasant outing.  I took her to the local Transportation Museum to check out their Family Day activities, but we were there too early to see Santa and most of the workshops were not set up yet.  We had the place to ourselves, though, which meant that Natalie could run free without me worrying about her making lots of noise or getting trampled by other visitors.  We made a stop at Owl's Head Light State Park to collect pinecones and look at the water, which was fun until the random tearful squawking started up again.



Yesterday was an almost-normal day, as far as Natalie's demeanor.  She was still majorly cranky in the morning, but as the day went on she seemed to perk up and was quite nearly her usual charming self by mid-afternoon.  We took a walk to see the Lobster Trap Christmas Tree (she insisted on wearing my sunhat & carrying my purse--her new favorite quirky habit), and she was so sweet it hurt.





Our afternoon outing soon gave way to the expected tantrum, and we spent the rest of the day just trying to keep her somewhat happy. 

This morning was the first in days that the little peanut actually woke up with a smile, which I think is a sign that she is finally feeling like herself.  "Vintage Natalie!" as Mike exclaimed. 

I know that toddlers throw tantrums, and I know that this period of Natalie's life will always hold challenges, but it is such a relief to see my usual little baby peeking through this latest fussy showing.  While I don't think there has been anything really "wrong" with her, I do think that her little stomach bug threw her for quite a loop, and she is just now starting to fully recover.  I hate to think of her being sick, and I am so so glad that she seems to be coming back around.  Thank the lawd for these bright spots of happy time over the last few days, because otherwise this would have been a most unbearable weekend, fo' reals.

1 comment:

  1. really beautiful pics. I'm sure Santa will give him lots of presents this X mas

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