Frustrations

Today we were THAT family at Chick-Fil-A.  You know the one.  They've got the toddler who refuses to sit in the high chair.  He wants to sit in the big kid chair.  They've got the toddler who is screaming "MINE!" at the top of his lungs as he clutches the applesauce pouch.  They've got the toddler who wants to open the applesauce pouch on his own, but he can't, because he's not skilled enough yet.  They've got the toddler who is screaming because he can't open the applesauce pouch on his own, and he wants to eat it, but he refuses to give it to his mommy or daddy so one of them can open it for him.  And so he continues to scream.  And scream.  And scream.

Yup.  That was us.

There is probably not much that is more exhausting than trying to take care of a stubborn, cranky, grouchy toddler.

It's been a rough week.  Jacob hasn't been feeling well.  Monday night, he had a horrible time sleeping.  We were up with him every hour or so until about 3am when I brought him into our bed.  Then he slept soundly until about 6:45.  The rest of the nights this week he's had trouble falling asleep, and he's also been waking up crying at least once late at night.

Jacob also passed on his cold, or whatever he has, to me.  I stayed home from school on Wednesday because I felt so awful.  I think I'm getting better, but I still feel pretty awful.

I've also just been feeling down in the dumps these last few days.  This week would have been baby #2's due date week.  So it's been hard to know that if things had worked out and gone well, we would have been bringing home a baby brother or sister for Jacob.  But we aren't doing that.  And just when we think that maybe we have some hope that another baby could be on the way, we find out that we're wrong, and my body just hates me.

Sorry for being a downer.  Erik tells me that I don't write about enough happy and positive things here -- that all I do is write about sad things and complain.  So a little bit of happiness: you know that toddler who was a horrible mess today?  Well, he's also hit the amazing stage of recognition and communication.  This afternoon, before his dinner time melt-down, we spent a few minutes at the end of our street, watching the "mix truck" do its thing at the library renovation.  We watched the excavator scoop up dirt and put it into a dump truck.  And Jacob was the happiest little boy you could ever see.  Sometimes, a construction site at the end of the block is a curse.  But more often than not, it's a blessing for a family with a curious little boy who loves "gucks."  And tonight, as he was going to bed, he talked about seeing the mix truck, and that it was green (it was), and the loud noise it made, and then how it went home for night night.  And in those moments tonight, rocking my little boy before he went to bed, listening to him tell me about what he saw, I was happy.  And content.  And proud.  And we forgot about the day's melt-downs and struggles and disappointments.

Morning milk with some of our friends