Where or where has my angel gone?
What terrible twos? Parents should fear those terrible threes, where every little thing is a battle of wills. I'm just plain worn out from it all. The last week or so has been better, but for like a month before it, my nerves were completely frazzled. For everything I need her to do, the answer is a resounding "NO!". No, she doesn't want her diaper changed, No, she doesn't want to eat anything, No, she doesn't want to brush her teeth and go to bed, NO, I DON'T WANT ANYTING, MOMMY! My husband and I thought maybe she was finally getting her last 2 molars. We needed a logical reason for her sudden personality change, but sadly, that is not the case. She's just asserting her independence every chance she gets.

Bedtime, particularly, was a disaster. We weren't getting her to sleep until almost 10 every night. We were all so worn out from the experience, we would just go to bed right after that and not spend any time together as a couple. We would dread the evening and the 2-hour long ordeal of getting her to take a bath, brush her teeth and go to sleep. Then, she skipped her nap a couple of days in a row and passed out by 8pm at night. She was a little cranky in the evening, but for the most part, was cooperative enough and passed right now. Could this be the key? Yes! No more naps! I have extremely mixed feelings about this. I'm sad, because this is a sign that she's not a baby anymore. I feel sorry for myself, because I treasure my own Sunday naps on the weekend with her. On the upside, our family life has flourished again! She's sleeping 12-13 hours a night and is a joy to be around again. We no longer have to plan everything around her 1pm nap. We have our evenings to ourselves again. And, we get to sleep in on the weekends until almost 9AM sometimes! Life feels almost normal. I'm no longer walking around like "miss crotchety pants!"

Of course, we still battle about other stuff on a daily basis, but my patience is improving and she's being a LITTLE more flexible. The battle du jour is getting her to try new foods. She's so picky right now. But, one battle at a time please or I will never conserve enough energy to win the war!