UpDown

5:30. That’s when she was up this morning. 5:30. On top of that she put up a fuss going to bed last night. We said our prayers. We read our three stories. We put her in the crib. She pulled the fleece blankets and Minnie to her side, and I covered her with a blanket. I was out the door for one minute when she stood up and began crying. She lay back down when I asked her to, we repeated the routine, and she was up again as soon as I was out the door. I had to sit outside her door for her to finally stay down and go to sleep. Thank goodness she at least doesn’t fight laying down when I ask her.

Following all of that, you can imagine what sort of mood she’s in this morning. She’s not terrible, but she’s being very particular. I ask her if she wants milk, she says no and goes after it a few seconds later (sometimes I wonder if no is her all around go-to answer). She indicates she has a wet diaper, but she doesn’t cooperate to have it changed. She’s in an UpDown sort of mood. (To clarify, UpDown is DH's word for times when Kathleen wants up and down at the same time.)

I don’t suppose last night was helped much by the nightly tooth brushing marathon. She hates it as much as always. Truth be known, so do I, but this is one battle where there is no negotiation: we don't want a five year old in dentures. She will not cooperate. She loves to suck on the toothbrush, but the moment I try to use it on her teeth, she clamps her jaws shut. We spend a good five minutes every night trying to get her teeth clean. She’s crying piteously by the end of it. I feel like a bully, but waiting for her to finally start crying is the only time her mouth is open wide enough to get that brush in. I could do this in thirty seconds if she’d only cooperate.

If I had it to do all over again, I’d have started using a finger brush on her gums before she was a week old. (Sigh) I saw that recommended several times. Did I listen? Nooooo. How foolish was I?