And she does not like it one bit!
There are so many factors that it's hard to point to just one as the cause. And none of what is ailing Bailey can be fixed by anything except time. We talked about how this would effect Bailey. "This" being a new baby, a new school, new stressors and less time with her parents all as she is hitting a very difficult developmental stage. We knew that it would be tough for all of us. But boy, oh boy. The reality is so much harder than the conversation.
She is just a mess right now. She is spending 98% of her time yelling "no", throwing herself to the floor in protest, screaming and generally being an ass. Timeouts don't work on this, because the issue isn't behavioral. We know this because we've tried. She's not doing this stuff because she's doing something wrong, she's doing it because she doesn't know what else to do. She's completely thrown. I'm certain that she is feeling very uncertain and isn't sure how to get what she needs. I am equally certain that what she needs is not going to happen.
Bailey likes predictability. She needs to know what to expect next and really thrives in an environment that is clearly defined at the edges. By it's very definition, early infancy parenting is not definable. Add to that a new crazy schedule that we are trying to juggle and make work and the complete lack of schedule on Connor's part and we are all just tired and wore out.
I know that this is temporary and that we will all, Bailey included, get through this. Connor will eventually define a schedule for himself and eventually we will be able to draw him into the routine of our life. It will stop feeling so challenging and will start making sense.
Unfortunately for Kelly and I, we cannot nurture ourselves through this transition. We must nurture Bailey through it, leaving no time to relax and blow off our own steam.
Ahhhh...the joys of parenting infants. I do adore my children...but I don't enjoy early infancy. I really don't.
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