Project 857- April 5

Austin and I went down to Gama and Gampa's for the weekend. Neal stayed home to work on our car's brakes... I think he might have had a better than I did.

This weekend was ROUGH.

Austin was in the middle of a really hard period... clingy to me, irrational, short temper, defiant, loud, misbehaving... just really difficult to handle.

Usually he's an angel around my Mom, but not this time. He was just as challenging and I ended the weekend being more strung out than I am after a week of work.

Things started out ok, and my Mom got Austin busy sorting cards.. which he loved! We should take the kid to Vegas!

Then I had the bright idea of "let's go to the mall." I needed some maternity pants and I figured with my Mom and Grandma in tow, the three of us could easily handle one toddler.

Ha.

Ha.Ha.

Ha.Ha.Ha.Ha.Ha........

Here is a picture of the empty car toy in the middle of the mall. The car toy Austin INSISTED on riding, then as soon as money was put in and started moving, he FREAKED OUT and started screaming.

Here is a picture of the other moving toy that Austin INSISTED on riding (after the car incident, mind you) that my Grandma is shelling out change for.

And... you guessed it. It started, and he SCREAMED. So we wasted almost $2, and had two empty toys just riding along while he threw a fit because he was determined to go on ANOTHER ride and we told him no.

We made it to some stores and my Grandma tried to rein him in and reason with him.

After very quickly finding some maternity pants (and my Grandma having to stay out in the middle of the mall to entertain Austin and I had to listen to him throw hissy fits while I was in the store) we decided to leave.

Well, we passed those damn ride on toys again and he wanted in them again and I told him "no" and I got my first experience of half-carrying, half-dragging a KICKING, SCREAMING toddler out of a public place.

Oh... the judgmental looks you get! Wow.

Yes, yes people.. I'm a piece of sh** Mom because my toddler who has a mind of his own is throwing a tantrum.

Look, I'm doing you a favor and removing him from the premises, ok??? Sheesh.

I actually HEARD a lady "tsk tsk" me as I walked by.

That made my day.

So I shoved him back in the car (still screaming) and we headed home. He passed out. Thank goodness.

After that refreshing 20-min nap (his only of the day) he was in somewhat better spirits and loved the bowling set my Mom got him.

That night was a challenge again though.... don't be fooled by the sweet naked boy who wanted to cuddle after his bath..

He insisted on me putting him to bed (he usually likes my Mom when we are down there) and he panicked and cried and clung to me like a monkey when I tried to put him in his Pack-n-Play.

So I tried putting him down in my old daybed instead and I had to lay with him until he fell asleep because he was coming down off his freak out.

That, never happens with my child. He doesn't need someone to stay with him while he falls asleep, so all of this all very new and odd to me...

I carefully left the bed and miraculously, he slept the whole night in the big bed with no issues.

By this time it was almost 9pm and I crashed soon after.

Toddlers are exhausting.