Tantrums

This past week has been interesting. Rachel's tantrums are picking up gusto. Monday morning Rachel woke up fussy as could be. Nothing would make her happy. Food, drink, toy, pacifier, blanket, toy. NOTHING. I finally managed to get her in the car and off to day care, then called later in the day to check on her. Apparently she was happy as a clam when she got to day care!

That evening she and I went up to visit my Grandma and she suddenly broke into tears that would not stop. We figured out it was her 1 year molars coming in. They were really bothering her. So I finally had to hold her down and barely managed to get some ora-gel on her gums before she started her alligator roll. She calmed down a bit and I let her bite on an ice cube, which seemed to help. Once we got in the car she calmed down even more.

Tuesday went okay, but last night we got home, were downstairs watching tv while she ate her dinner, and when I picked her up to put her in her gated play area she melted to the floor howling and would NOT stop. Nothing consoled her. I finally gave up trying and gave her a bath (boy did she need one) and managed to get her into her pj's. While she was on the changing table she had a pacifier and blanket and closed her eyes. I figured she was tired. So I gently moved her to her bed which started the crying process all over again. This lasted for about an hour. I finally just sat her on the floor and let her flop around crying. As a last resort, I dug into the laundry that hadn't been folded yet and pulled out her waffle blanket with the sating lining. Instantly her head fell on my shoulder and she began rubbing the blanket on her face. I think the transition she's making at day care to be on the toddler schedule is getting harder for her. I looked at her sheet from day care once she was asleep and realized she'd been up for 5 hours. She was way over tired and just couldn't handle it!

This morning when we were getting in the car to leave for the day she REFUSED to let me strap her into her car seat. She dug in her feet and slid herself out of the car seat as best she could. Thinking if I just let her get the fit out of her system I'd be able to buckle her in, I left her alone. She rolled over and stood in the car seat looking around. When she'd calmed down I tried once again to put her in the seat and she threw a fit again. I had a really hard time restraining her to get her in the seat. Once she was in the seat, she was fine. But she's bucking and trying hard to show her independence as much as she can.

But then when we get to day care she'll cry with a completely broken heart when I have to walk away. *sigh* I know this is a phase that will pass, but it sure isn't a fun one. And from what I've read, heard and experienced.....it's going to get worse before it gets better!!