The Tenderness of a Toddler

Sometimes I am simply blown away by how tender, gentle, and understanding children can be. Amidst the tantrums and the "BUT I WANT IT, IT'S MINE!" moments are the instances that are forever etched in my heart. I am so grateful for these etchings.

I have been dealing with some wicked side effects from the Cipralex my doctor just put me on. I am also dealing with a sinus & tonsil infection, which I have been put on antibiotics for and may also be throwing some side effects at me. For the past 3 days I have been vomiting, dizzy, weak, and constantly dripping from the nose. Last night was the worst because I couldn't get any long stretches of sleep. It's been rough, I'm not going to pretend to be superwoman. I'm barely managing to stay upright long enough to feed and clothe my child, and everything else is pretty much on the back burner.

Beaner is well aware of how sick I am. She's vomited before, she knows how much it sucks to "have the puke-ies", as she called them. So, when I went running for the bathroom this morning, she was hot on my heels. "Mommy! You puke-ies in the toilet please! I'm here Mommy. It's ok, I got you, you're safe". She patted my head and back, handed me a towel and my water bottle and gave me hugs when I was done. Here is my 2 year old daughter comforting me as I sobbed between heaves, telling me that it was ok and would be over soon.

Maybe I'm not doing such a bad job with her, after all.

And Then There Was Thunderdome

At some point between the coughing and the fever subsiding, thieves made off with my sweet, easygoing Beaner. Now, I'm left with a short fused, contrary fiend who has an epic meltdown at even the slightest perception of not getting her own way. Of course, with a meltdown comes flailing, and with flailing comes smacking the head on whatever object tends to be in the way. Namely, the floor.

This coincides with us weaning her off television. Not only was I tired of watching Dora and Wiggles for hours on end, but it was getting far too easy to turn the tv on and let her watch while I got some work done, or cleaned the house, or just tried to catch a breather. While her mood might not be caused by the lack of her favorite shows, it sure isn't endearing us to the little drama queen.

It's a rough go of it as she screams for Dora, but it's worth it to break the habit now, instead of battling her on it later. Good thing I have lots of craft ideas and art supplies! I may not be Dora, but there's lots of awesome things in my backpack.