My Three-nager

My baby is a three-nager, or bi-polar. Goodness gracious, he has been difficult since he turned three. While he can be a total doll some of the time, you do not want to p*ss him off! There is no happy medium with Little B. He is either bouncing around the room, saying "Mommy, you're so cute," or "Mommy, I like you," or he is whining, tantruming, being completely non-sensical about the silliest things.

I have been verbally abused, hit, and had my hair pulled for giving Brayden the wrong cup, parking in the wrong spot, picking him up from preschool after I'd already picked up Matty, and the list goes on. I love this little boy to pieces, but man, he has been tough lately. He rules the roost. We all walk on eggshells at times so as not to upset his moments of happiness.

He still takes great naps, but it is sometimes a struggle to get him down for the naps. Bedtime is generally a struggle every night. Brayden has been refusing to sleep on a bed and prefers to "camp" on the floor. He still uses a paci and lovey. I know I need to call the "Paci Fairy," but I do not have the energy to fight this battle while I'm on crutches. I'm sure the dentist will give me a disapproving look when we go to get his teeth cleaned later this month.

We made great progress with potty-training around Brayden's birthday, but he has regressed since the holidays. He went from wearing underwear all day (and some nights, without accidents!) to wearing a diaper all day today. Yesterday, he wore underwear all day but asked me for a diaper around dinner time. I obliged and put the diaper on him. He disappeared to the playroom (his preferred room for "privacy,") and returned a bit later with a load in his pants.

I know this phase will pass. I am not wishing any moments away. But I'm not sure I'll look back on age 3 and feel nostalgic.

But I sure do love this little boy!