Overwhelmed, Overtired Mama

I was out of work last month for 3 LOOOOONG weeks. I was home with both boys all day when I was not out looking for a job. They were little poops! When Dad would get home they were saints. I started freaking out too. I was practically running out the door when he would get home. "gotta go pick up something at the store...ANYTHING at the store!" As soon as I went back to work, DH injured himself and has been out of work since Memorial day...same thing is happening with him. I get home and he says "we need anything at the store?" I know with 2 it is alot of work, and it is SO much easier when there are 2 parents. Both our boys act out, and when DH asked their speach therapist if they thought there might be something wrong, they told him it is just their age and that the will grow out of it. I feel for you...it will get better!

I know how hard it is to NOT take it personally, but don't. You are both sleep deprived and for me, that is enough for me to take a hostage. Judging from your picture he is at the 'me me me' stage. He sees nothing except that everything is different than it usually is and someone is going to pay. That someone is you. Get some sleep while you can and pray that he does too!

Bless you both for your responses. I'm feeling somewhat more sane.ALSO: my MIL (dental hygenist) was just poking in his mouth and found that ANOTHER two year molar has poked through the skin (partially erupted) and another one is just waiting in the wings with swollen gums.All of a sudden the sleep deprivation and crankiness makes sense. He doesn't hate ME: he hates teeth.But it's still hard not to take personally, isn't it? Sigh.I'm going to escape to choir for an hour. God bless my MIL. Bless her little heart to pieces.

First of all, your not a failure.[FONT=Georgia]Nicholas's world has been turned upside down (daddy gone,AW and new teeth) and he can not communicte his emotions, so he's acting out. [/FONT][FONT=Georgia]I say this with experience. When my husband deployed for the 1st time, my son was 1, we were living in Hawaii at the time...... My son acted out the exact same way that you say Nicholas is acting (no mom, I had no one). My son has always had a very close relationship with his daddy. Everytime my husband deployed, my son would act out.......He even acted out at the ripe old age of 7, when my husband deployed to Iraq for 7 months. My mom flew in that time, from Texas to California, because I too needed a break. Thank God you have your MIL....take your break, relax:hypno: ....and know this too will pass.[/FONT][FONT=Georgia]Have a nice rest!![/FONT]

AWW! Sorry you're having a rough time. Loren was also a handful for about a week when we got home from our vacation. We've had hitting and screaming here also....:eek: Things WILL get better! I'm sure Nick got TONS of attention on vacation and he is probably missing that, not to mention getting a new tooth and missing daddy. Makes me cranky for him just thinking about it. Try not to stress out too much and ask for help when you need it. I'm sure your MIL was tickled to death to lend a hand. Get some rest and take care of yourself!

As I read your first post, I wondered if it could be teeth (plus all the other disruption of vacation and Josh's absence) Poor Nick, and poor mama. You're not alone, and you're not a failure. Can you have MIL take him overnight one night so you can get some rest and get things straightened up before Josh gets home?

I'm joining this thread, as I was just getting ready to create my own to vent.... My son is (what - 2 months older than Nick, if I remember correctly?) going through some similar things. These dang molars take FOREVER to get through. He's been "off his feed", fussy during the day at times. Bedtime is NOT fun. And I keep second guessing myself that it's something else. Our son doesn't talk yet, so he can't tell me if it's scared of monsters, his teeth, ears, just not wanting to separate from us.... He has been the BESt sleeper and going - to-bedder until the last 2 1/2 weeks. And I'm miserable when he's miserable. Thank goodness he's sleeping all night once he goes down, but the going down part is going down THE HARD WAY..... And now several times we've laid down w/ him in our bed then taken h im back to his crib when he's either asleep or almost asleep (I can't stand to hear him scream, so he gets a 15 minute cry limit when we put him down - if by then h e's not calming himself down, I go get him). I am afraid we're starting something, but I'm hoping he just needs the extra comfort, and once the teething subsides, he'll go back to his old easy routine.... But I feel horrible. Jenna, I"mhoping this week is better for both of us! With Josh home, you ought to get some rest. this week for us is back to our normal daytime routine after a couple of weeks, so I'm also hoping that helps.

I must admit, he was less whiny throughout the day yesterday with Josh home. But last night was still a challenge and sleepless as he was having teeth issues again. (Definite teeth issues as the slobber was just POURING out of his mouth.)We're kind of tired today. :(

First, big ole ((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))) of empathy. And second, you are NOT a failure at all. From my limited parenting experience I can say that our family is a much calmer place when Hubby is here. I really have to work hard not to feel like my kiddos are rejecting me because alot of time I feel like I'm just the caregiver until Fun Daddy gets home. Esp with Bug, who prefers her Dad over me for bedtime and cries for him often during the day. All I can do is acknowledge that she misses her Daddy and go on with our day. And I know it is 10 times harder since Josh isn't able to come home in the evenings right now. That is just plain hard on all of you. There was about six months when Bug was around Nicholas's age when Hubby was working a job with some pretty weird shifts. He would come home to sleep but that was about it. He was rarely there when Bug was awake and if he was, he was usually asleep. This went on for six months until things changed a bit and all I can say is that alot of that time is just a blur. We just stayed busy doing our own thing, but then, I was pregnant and didn't have that added stress and drain on my body. It was just plain hard for all of us. Besides being the age he is (which isn't fun at times in and of itself) and you being tired for caring for the little one in your belly, Nicholas's little world has had alot of different experiences these weeks, including extended travel and being separated from Daddy. All that to me, makes for a cranky little man. I've learned to not take it so personally (which is very, very hard) as most of the time, when I am gone, if even for a couple hours on a Saturday, and Hubby has the kids, they are crying for me. But it's hard to get through it that is for sure. All I know to say is be kind to yourself, find people to help so you can have time just for you to rest or do something separate from Nicholas, and try to keep him busy. THat's sometimes the only way to get through it. Hugs to you Jenna... I hope you can get some rest soon...

Ahh Jenna, not much advice or anything, just wanted to send you hugs and prayers. It can be rough. We are working on teeth numbers 5 - 8 right now (all at once), and although I'm not pregnant (you're a good woman and good momma!) we are starting the paper pregnant journey for #2, so I am starting to think 'Wow, how will I do it with two'.I just take a breath, say a prayer, and thank God for our blessings and for helping me in the rough times.

Seriously though? That's why I really like this place: you other (great!) mamas share your stories, your worries, your similar concerns with me... and I don't feel completely insane. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.That said, with Josh home (as of yesterday), I'm finally getting some work done today. WHOODATHUNKIT?!Though I'm half-tempted to drive all the way to Columbus and buy some camilia drops (homeopathic teething stuff that I just heard about) because they're only sold in Whole Foods stores. (Though I might just order from Amazon because I need to order a guard for the buttons on the front of the TV, too... hmm)

Geesh, Jenna - I was serious about sending them to you! Oops - maybe I should have checked my email! You could have had them by today...... Okay, so at the libe today I found some good things:Finally, 1-2-3- Magic that I keep hearing about - the copy was in. I grabbed it. I'm a Dr. T.Berry Brazelton fan (anyone else?) and got today's MUST HAVE - Sleep - the Brazelton Way. I haven't read it all yet, but the preface alone made me feel MUCH better. In it, he reminded me that many children regress just before they tackle another great developmental milestone. Well, I was thinking of a certain skill that might regress, not sleep. But maybe that's what is causing all our issues. Perhaps he'll be talking by next week!!!! On a very good note, we went to a mommy and me time at a friends house (my first social thing like that). It went very well! We got home past babe's (former) bedtime, so he stayed up a bit longer to play with us, then went down WITHOUT A PEEP with his blankie and now we've started to put Baby Doll in with him. Thank God. I was saying some serious prayers about it on the way to work today - I hope they helped!