Maeve. My precious MaeMae. She's driving me bonkers. If her teeth don't rot out by the age of three I will call it a true miracle. I TRY. TRY. TRY. TRY. to get this kid to eat healthy and brush her teeth. I am failing miserably. Is this normal??? Is it normal for a two year old to suck the toothpaste off her toothbrush instead of actually brushing the teeth? Is it normal to then throw the toothbrush across the room if the parent tries to assist with the brushing? Please tell me.
And then there's the actual source for her teeth rot: Her eating habits. They are atrocious. And I am to blame. I won't even start to try and put the blame on anyone else. I have let her get away with snacking on CRAP for too long and now its truly out of control. All day long its fruit snacks, pringles, goldfish, COOKIES, OMG. I am going to have one of those obese children you see on "Maury!" I TRY and cook her healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners- but she throws them to the dogs. And to be quite frank, I'm sick of it. I'm to the point where if she is going to choose not to eat the food I serve her, she goes to bed hungry. I WILL NOT have an 80 lb. two year old with rotted teeth ruling this house. NO WAY. Today I made her "PINK PRINCESS" pancakes made out of whole wheat baking mix. She ate them (AHHHHH! :) But within seconds (literally SECONDS) of me taking her out of her high chair she was pounding on the cupboard door, whining for "SNACKS!!!!!!" WTH??? I chose this battle. I let her scream. and scream. and scream. and scream some more. UNTIL I finally called my mom and begged her to come over. Why can I not handle this two year old on my own????
MAYBE....
It's because I have an 11 week old baby who screams all day unless he's being held??? Yes. There it is folks. THAT is the reason all order has left my house. I am not blaming Henry for this chaos, but I AM saying that Henry's colic has left me with very little patience for Maeve. It's rough. From the time Henry is up in the mornings to the time I rock him to sleep at night, he is fussing. Yes, we get his smiles here and there and he does take a short nap in the afternoons as long as I'm holding him, but MY GOD we go pretty much all day long with fussing. Therefore, my patience with Maeve has gone out the door. It's not fair- its not fair to Maeve and I realize that. But something's gotta give!
To add a little salsa to my already FIRED UP few days here, I have been biting my tongue to the point of literally biting it off. I AM STILL sitting here trying to hold back my fingers from typing the letters I so desperately want to spell out into words and put into this post... I.CAN'T.STOP.MYSELF. Remember "word vomit?" From that movie, "Mean Girls?" it's kind of like that.... watch out- "SHE'S GONNA BLOW!"
I WANT to move. I WANT to get out of this city. This state. I will be super sad to say goodbye to some great friends here, but for the sake of our family- OUR FAMILY- we NEED out. We're praying Florida is the answer and Ryan gets his much desired job in Jacksonville. Both Ryan and I are in agreement that this move will be what is best for our family. And ultimately, what I WANT, is the best for our family.
So.... there you have it. A condensed, hopefully not as brutally honest post about what I want "these days."
To sum it up in case you last track somewhere in this sordid mess of a post, I want: a healthy, happy, clean toothed two year old... an excema/gassy/colicky-free, smiley faced baby and a move to the sunshine state. Not too much to ask for, right?
-and just for the record- please no comments asking me if "I'm okay?" because I am. It's just been one of those days/weeks/months. A simple "My 2 year old is the same way" kind of a comment will do just fine ;)
10 comments:
Ashley, I am sure you ARE okay. :) I would go out on a limb and say you are NORMAL. :) I have had more days like the ones you describe than I care to admit and all five of my kiddos are still kicking I promise. And for the record not one of my kids at two would let you brush their teeth in any kind of competant way. I assure you I had the exact same battle with Teague today and he is now three. Luke is 9 and has never *to my knowledge* eaten a healthy snack of his own free will. You do your best, it's all you can do!
Okay first off, Max barely ever brushes his teeth, there you have it, I'm one of those Mom's!! I've never forced my kids to brush their teeth because honestly I wouldn't like a someone 10 times bigger than me stabbing something in my mouth!! He brushes them when I do sometimes, or I'll pull up the stool and he'll yes suck on the toothpaste, and I even give him seconds and thirds!! I want it to be a very positive thing, and none of my kids have had rotten teeth!! I know this is not the way everyone approaches it, and some people will probably freak out hearing this, but this is what I think :)
Also I've been there with that super cranky baby-Olivia-, that child screamed day and night!! I feel for you, and her problem was mostly due to what she was eating we had to put her on Allumentum (I think that's how you spell it) anyways we called it liquid gold :) It did the trick and I soon got a happy baby!! We've all been there and it totally SUCKS, but it passes I promise!!
Food, I was like you and I bit the bullet and said "this is what I made, this is what you will eat"!! It was hard for awhile, but now we have no complainers!! When you have a few kids you can't make everyone happy all the time!! I also limited my kids snacks a long time ago (before Liv) and it really does help make them eat their meal. Good luck, start it on a weekend when Ryan's going to be home!!
And moving, I completely understand :) and I can honestly say it did make our family life better!! We are healthier and much, much happier!! It was a very hard thing to do, but I don't regret a second of it!! It was 64 and sunny here yesterday, we spent the entire day walking the kids to the park, the pavilion and playing catch and soccer!! I don't miss the kids being cooped up in the house AT ALL!! I don't miss the winter blues, I am so much happier!! There's so much for the kids to do and see down here, I just LOVE it!! So if Ryan can't get a job in FL, NC isn't too bad ;)
Okay that was way too long...sorry!
Teeth brushing in our house is a nightmare! I was so glad to read this and see I'm not alone. It always ends one of two ways: he sucks all the paste off and then hands me the tooth brust OR I try to help, he freaks out and either throws the stuff or hits me and ends up in time out. Let me know if you come up with any great tricks :-)
I think every mom has been through each of these stages...you are NOT alone! As far as teeth brushing goes, both of my kids suck the toothpaste off and want to brush their own teeth, so I let them. BUT when they're done I get to "help". That way we both win.
As far as eating goes, Riley is wonderful. She'll eat anything I put in front of her. Lincoln USED to be the same way until about a month ago, now he refuses everything I give him. Once he did that for a while I cut out snacks completely. Then, he ate. He was hungry and he won't let himself starve. Neither will Meave. She can only eat what you give her. It is hard and sometimes Lincoln goes from eating breakfast, refusing lunch but eating a BIG, healthy dinner...but I suppose you choose your battles. You have a hard time with Meave eating well, I have a hard time keeping Riley in her bed!!
As far as the fussiness goes, Riley cried for 3-4 months probably a good 8 hours a day, wheather I held her or not. So I feel your pain. When you need a break just make sure you can get one and maybe you'll just have to let him cry in another room and walk away so you don't pull your hair out--I had those days!
If it makes you feel any better, I'm TERRIFIED to have a 3 year old, 2 year old and a newborn!! So when I post about wanting to pull my hair out in a few months remind me things do get better :)!
Ash Griff is the SAME way with eating and crappy snacks, candy you name it! I give him a multi vit and an Omega 3 vit everyday. That's gotta help, right? LOL. I honestly suggest you get colic calm for Henry, dead serious. I have friends it has worked for. There is also formula by Enfamil that is supposed to help with colic. Nutramigen, I think. I wouldn't be surprised if something you are eating is causing the colic :/ ugh. I am doing the whole no dairy thing and it is sooo hard. I have a friend who is doing no dairy and no wheat, grains etc. Poor girl can eat practically nothing!! Oh and I also sit and stress about Griff's teeth rotting out of his head so I am with ya there. He lets us brush pretty good but not good enough I am sure. Ughh. Kids are so hard!!!! Anyway, maybe limit your dairy intake and see what happens. Like eliminate the basics..milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt. I drink almond and rice milk and it's so yummy! Good luck, Love ya! Oh and crazy about maybe moving!!!!!
My second was a fussy baby too, actually now he's a fussy three year old! Here are some ideas you might like to try: let Maeve pick out her own toothbrush and toothpaste at the store. Then when you are brushing, have her open and then say, I see some sugar bugs! We have to get those sugar bugs!
My kids had a snack problem too, and then I set specific "snack time" at 10:00 and 3:00. Another thought is to get rid of the foods that you don't really want her to snack on. It's like me and chocolate chip cookies- if they are there I want them. If I don't see them than I am not tempted.
As for Henry, it is sooo hard having a baby and a toddler. It took me a long time to adjust and balance having two, especially a fussy one. I think a lot of it is not being able to get outside! How nice would it be to go for a walk when your having one of "those" days!
Austin is SO the same way with his eating habits!! I cannot for the life of me get him to eat a real meal with us. Keep hanging in there!! You are doing good, loving your kids, and they love you back :) She will get over the food thing, but seriously, do the go to bed hungry thing. She understands when you tell her if she doesn't eat it, shes not getting anything... it will only take once and she will learn.
Just a little note....Kerith hates brushing her teeth and won't even eat the toothpaste...she rinses it off in the sink and plays in the water with her toothbrush :) You're not alone!
You're not alone, Ashley. I have a dear friend that always tells me "this parenting thing is not for sissies!" It is a rollercoaster for sure.
I can tell you that my Billy was the *worst* baby ever- he screamed nonstop for two years straight. And he's turned out to be the easiest kid and it is so much fun to be his parent.
Hang in there!
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