A Long Day
Today was "one of those days," but we made it to the end...at which point I was ready to fall into bed.
Emory is giving me a run for my money; today she decided she was going to test me at every turn. I handled things calmly for a good portion of the day, but ultimately, I failed...miserably. And yet, no matter my level of frustration, she was happy as could be. At nap time (and bed time), she has been slowly getting aggravated that she can't get her blanket just right. She wants it covering her shoulders and her toes, and it is just barely long enough to do so. Once I get her covered just right, she moves, and all is lost! So she struggled with this problem for quite a while this afternoon; I tried to help her, but as soon as I "fixed" it, she moved, and it wasn't right anymore. I tried helping her fall asleep, so that she wouldn't notice the imperfection...but to no avail. Not knowing what else I could do, I let her cry about it (or more accurately, scream about it) hoping she'd wear herself out, which she didn't. Unfortunately, this meant she'd keep Alanna (and Aidan, supposedly) awake with all the ruckus. I have offered bigger blankets on several occasions recently, and today it sent her into orbit...she didn't want them in the room with her, let alone in her crib. She turned beet-red, tears filled her eyes, she screamed at the top of her lungs and pointed vehemently at the door, and though I couldn't understand all the words coming out of her mouth, the message was clear. "THERE WILL BE NO SUBSTITUTE!!!" (or even a supplement, for that matter!)
I called Jason to blow off some steam, and we agreed that we would need to get her a bigger blanket that she would accept. I sat down with Emory, and I "informed her" that she would be getting a bigger blanket that she would need to take to bed with her. We talked about her being a big girl, and she could still hold her (precious) purple blanket, but she needs a big blanket. So, she looked up at me with her chin on her chest and frowned as she agreed to this new scenario...clearly not happy about it. "Okay," she said, so very dejected. So after Alanna finally woke up, we all went off in search of a blanket for Emory. I can't take another day of this...as it's been slowly escalating over the last few weeks. I gave her three choices of blankets that were the softest and coziest I could find, and she chose a pink blanket with a big ladybug in the middle. (I chose not to direct her attention to the Lightning McQueen fleece throw as we walked past it, and no one else saw it! phew!) She wouldn't let it out of her hot little hands until we got home.
So at bedtime, I had thrown her new blanket (that she was so excited about ) into her bed. She looked down, pointed at it and said "I want that out my bed" or something like that. I reminded her about our conversation, and she acquiesced. She actually looked so pleased as I tucked her in with a blanket that covered her all up...I couldn't believe I'd been at my wit's end with her. Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy!
Fortunately, Aidan was an angel all day...save for the few times that he and Emory got into a tussle over a toy. Alanna had a few meltdowns, but was fine for the most part. After everyone had gone to bed, I checked in on Alanna, who "had to go to the bathroom" I don't know know how many times. I apologized for being grumpy...she apologized for her meltdowns...and I told her I would pray for patience (as I do daily...and nightly.) She then told me that I should pray for patience at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I asked if she would help me, and she agreed to...and with all that praying, it just might be enough! :)
