Routine

Ever since the day he was born, our little genetic wonder has always had a strict routine. Even when he was teething or our home was being torn apart, his routine was pretty stable. With me there for almost every waking moment of his, he was living the life (as far as newborns and toddlers go).

Now the routine has changed. He was okay knowing that mommy wasn't there some nights, but at least he had daddy. He did give daddy a hard time when it came to eating, but he was still a happy little boy. Unfortunately, mommy has taken on some other priorities, like school. She has decided to stick it out for the next week and a half at work to help close the doors to the store. That means for the full month of January, our little boy has only and will only see me from the time I get home from class to the time he has to nap. On those really lucky nights, he gets to see me right before dinner time when I have to go back to class. He does get me on the weekends, which he takes to his full advantage. Still, this is a really big shock to him.

My actions have shown their consequences. He is now, more than ever, moodier, crankier, and all around unhappy. I knew this was going to be a big stress on him, seeing as how he is such a mama's boy. Never had I thought his measures to letting me know how unhappy he was be this extreme. He will out of nowhere throw a tantrum for no reason at all. He attacks the dog, which our dog thankfully has no negative reaction to. His attacks and tantrums can last a good 10-15 minutes. Now, that may not seem like a lot of time, but when you are trying to calm down a child that just won't, it seems like forever. Sadly enough, daddy has been through all of this worse than mommy. He gets so frustrated, because there's no rhyme or reason to the tantrums. This frustration only leads to the little one being more irritable. The only advice that I can give to my husband is to let him cry. Let him get out all of his anger without hurting anyone or anything. I know there's not much that will change until I can start being at home with him a little longer in the evenings.