If you've seen my sweet Ellie, please send her back to me. The new Ellie tests my patience to the point that I have to practice deep breathing exercises several times throughout the day. The new Ellie screams at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason. I'm pretty sure that the new Ellie may cause my hair to fall out and my face to age prematurely.A lot of people say that it just keeps getting better with age (the joy of parenthood). I find this to be true for the most part. Ellie gets more entertaining by the day. She has a funny and sweet personality that brings us endless delight. Our love for her is overwhelming.
With that being said, I thought we had some time before those "Terrible Twos" hit. She's not even 17 months yet. This weekend seemed to have no end in sight. It was one temper tantrum after the next. This involved screaming at the top of her lungs and kicking at the floor. Just when she would calm down and her mood would stabilize a bit, another tantrum would come on like a tornado for what seemed to be for no reason at all. I ran through my list of things that could be wrong. Was she thirsty, hungry, tired, bored, constipated, hot, cold, sick, teething, etc.? I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I've come to the conclusion that it may be a nasty stage she's going through. I desperately need it to be short lived. If I put her shoes on, she wants them off. If she's inside, she wants to go out. If I feed her, she wants something else. If I pick her up, she wants down. If I read her one book, she wants a different one. I think you get the picture. Cry me a river you're thinking? I just might.
As I was rocking her to sleep tonight, I think I had glimpses of the old Ellie. She touched my eye and proudly said "eye." She gave me Eskimo kisses and snuggled into my arms. I hope my sweet, smiling Ellie greets me tomorrow morning (preferably after 6:30 am). I promise not to take her for granted.
