As of this week, I am 20 weeks into my 2nd pregnancy! Half way there! This pregnancy is much different than the last one (as described in an earlier post), but overall it's been great. I'm feeling the baby kicking and moving a lot more, which is great at this stage because it just feels funny...it's not like you have a foot in your lungs yet.
However, I am having a heck of a time with Vivienne and her freakish strength (which she apparently gets from Doug's mom) during fits/tempter tantrums. You moms know what I'm talking about: the arching of the back, locking the legs straight, and arms up in the air fight as you try to get said toddler in their car seat or high chair. Oh, and during diaper changes and whenever she just doesn't want to do something. Before, these fits were much more infrequent, but also not as big of a deal because she was smaller and I was much stronger.
Well, now she is bigger and I am much weaker...and off balance, no muscle tone, loose joints, etc...because of the pregnancy bit. It's very frustrating to have such a hard time physically making the little angel you brought into this world do what you need them to do! I can barely force her to 'un-arch' her back by pushing on her belly, which I don't really want to do because I don't want to hurt her. Forget about getting her to force her to bend her legs; her leg hereditary (and inevitable) leg strength is a source of pride and anger. And who knew a 25 lb toddler ended up weighing 75lbs when they decide to go limp and give you dead weight to deal with?
I've finally resorted to swatting her on the butt when it comes to the car seat (because I can't exactly put her in timeout while we're in the car) and that has been affective for now because I don't normally spank her, so it's got the shock factor (I don't even have to spank her hard). However, when that stops working and in other circumstances, what am I supposed to do? It will only get worse before it gets better as I get more pregnant she gets deeper into her 'terrible two's' (which can also be they very sweet and loving twos, seeing as today she almost tripped me as we walked into Safeway so she could hug my legs and say "Love you!").
Doug is great at helping when he is around, but he's not always here when she acts up and fights back. Do you have any ideas besides putting her timeout (we call them 'bummers') and swatting her on bum when necessary? I just don't know if I can physically keep up with her much longer!
1 comment:
Having "been there" recently, I can tell you what worked for me... It isn't anything a parenting book would support. But I used bribery. In the last few months before Elsa was born, Reagan was given a lot of ice cream, in exchange for agreeing to sit in her car seat; dum dum pops to keep her quiet on our trips to the grocery store, I am sure you get the picture.
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