#MMM Now, I'm Annoyed

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday! Feel free to link up with us and share your own brand of Mania every week! You can also join us on Twitter with the #MMM hashtag!

Job was going great. Really, it still is. I got a raise and have been making very high marks on all my QA. The only problem is that now I am pretty much back to a single doctor. That doctor has 6 days off this month. In addition to that, the doctors don't work on Sunday, -5 days.  Then, they didn't work on Labor Day, -1 day. That makes a grand total of 12 days that I am without work! Thankfully, I have been asked 2 times already this week to help fill in with another doctor, but I am not sure how we're going to manage this. Our child care expense has gone up since Fuss is now going to the sitter 3 days instead of 2 a week. *sigh* I guess we will see what happens in the coming weeks. Hopefully, I am asked to consistently fill in.

Fuss goes to her first dance class this week. She is SO excited! I had her try on her leotard and she didn't want to take it off to go to bed! LOL. I am excited for her. I loved dance and I hope she will too. She also gets to do tumbling. Depending on how things go, she may end up in just tumbling down the line (she is definitely our little gymnast).

I also have to go to the dentist on Wednesday for a cleaning, but I have to take Fuss with me because she is still complaining of her teeth hurting. All of her 2-year molars are erupted, but it looks to me like she has an extra tooth coming in on the side of the last molar. She has a lot of inflammation and is saying her ears and teeth hurt. That is exactly what she said when she was teething in the first place! I took her to our pedi and all he said was "watch her and if she is uncomfortable give her medicine." First of all, I wouldn't have called him if I hadn't thought it was necessary. Secondly, that is not an answer! And third, I don't want my 2-year-old running around half-dazed because she is on pain killers all day! Our solution has been Hyland's Teething Tablets, Orajel, and THEN pain medicine if she continues to complain. And ONLY if she complains. I don't get it. She has inflammation and there are 6 points on this molar instead of 4, but all I am told is her ears are clear and to watch her? Sometimes doctors are irritating. Normally, he is one of the good doctors too. He even asked me if I was still breastfeeding (last appointment with him we were)! He is supportive of an extended/altered vaccination schedule as well. Most of the time, I love him. Last week he just pissed me off! I just hope my dentist can shed some light on the matter and get all of us some relief.

So, next week, we'll have an update on the teeth if I haven't posted about that sooner, and we will have an update about Fuss's dance class! I can't wait!

We Have a Tooth!

Fuss has been screaming all day about even the tiniest things, but we FINALLY have the tip of tooth #15 through! Of course, she's still telling me  her teeth hurt and cuddling because she doesn't feel well but at least we're getting there. Only 5 more to go now! Four of those are molars, so I'm not sure if the worst is over or not! Right now she is sleeping peacefully and I plan on attempting to relax a bit. (On top of Fuss being cranky and clingy, Mother Nature decided to throw her hat in the ring too. Blech.)

Good evening everyone and have a quiet night.

The Teething Monster Returns

Ugh! I'm ready to pull all my hair out! I hate resorting to keeping Fuss on medications like Tylenol all day long, but at this point, that's all that's helping! Granted, I think we were a little worse than normal recently because I took her amber necklace off for a bath and forgot to put it back on her for a couple days. That definitely makes the teething worse (at least in my opinion). Poor thing has been waking up at night 3-4 times, sometimes crying, sometimes screaming, and often NOT going back to sleep on her own with or without her pacifier. She then wakes up between 8 and 10 a.m. and is up until 9 p.m. WITHOUT a nap. After 2 days of little sleep during the night and a non-napping toddler, I'm exhausted!

I have used every trick I know of to help her pain. She's eaten Popsicles, soft foods, and cold foods. She's chewed on everything from her hands to a vibrating teether. We have used Hyland's Teething Tablets and Gel - These seem to give a little relief because she'll go play after getting one or the other. And we've used Orajel. My last resort (aside from the amber necklace) is the medication. I hate feeling like I'm one of those moms who continues to wish away their kid's childhood, but I really do wish teething was over! I only want the next 4-5 months to be done so we get more than a week's break from the agony I know Fuss is experiencing. It is very heart-wrenching when your not-quite-2-year-old comes to you and says, "Hurt, Mommy." You ask, "Where?" She points to her mouth and says, "Teeth." The worst part is there's nothing more you can do to help her. :-(

Naps, Be Gone!

That is what my Fuss has said the last 3 weeks. She has apparently decided that she's "too big" to have naps now that she's passed the 18 month mark. I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I no longer have to work my daily schedule around when she's going to be ready for a nap. However, I have had to deal with a VERY cranky Fuss lately. She gets to the point at around 1-2 p.m. (her normal nap time) where she is so tired she's completely out of control. Jumping, screaming defiance ensues and Mommy is ready to pull her hair out by the handfuls.

The worst part of this isn't the defiance or the crankiness...it's the fact that Daddy is on night shift. That means he needs to sleep during the day. This is not an easy feat when you have a screaming Fuss in your home. *If you don't believe me about the screaming Fuss, just ask my mom.* Fuss has one scream we like to call "the Banshee". It is a high-pitched shriek that could nearly shatter glass and it is done as loud as humanly possible. Seriously, if she does it right by your ear you may have permanent hearing damage. At least you usually have a warning before hitting "Banshee" and complete meltdown.

This week has been better because during the mid-afternoon, we have been visiting my friends' house to babysit their little ones: a spunky 4-year-old girl (Princess) and a laid-back 16-month-old boy (Charlie Brown). One might think having 2 kids nearly the same age and a third, older child would be more complicated. In some ways it is. Overall, though, it is easier since they entertain each other. The entertainment alone is enough to satisfy my Fuss and keep her from being, well, fussy! It also gets us out of the house for a while allowing Daddy some much needed time for sleep.

The biggest thing that has helped with Fuss, by far, is an earlier bed time. With a 1- to 2-hour nap in the afternoon, she often stayed up until 9 or 9:30 p.m. Since we are now negating naps, Fuss goes to bed closer to 8-8:30 p.m. That gives me more time for school work and just time to relax. The only drawback is that she likes to try to sneak in cat naps in the car. If that happens, we can expect an extra hour of fighting before bed. Fuss will scream like no other! She cries like we have beaten the living daylights out of her and then begs to get back up. Some nights Mommy gives in. I do know that her teeth are also part of the issue. The few nights she didn't sleep well, she actually took a couple of good naps for me! LOL. I am not sure which I would rather have. The nap or a full night of uninterrupted sleep...scratch that! I want the uninterrupted sleep!!

What was the hardest part of nap transitions for you? Any advice to try to make this one easier on all parties (especially poor Daddy)?