Crazy Time

5:00 pm until 8:00 pm has been renamed "Crazy Time" at our house.  I know I should think up something wittier and cute but I'm just too tired.  

It starts around 5:00 or 5:30.  Violet gets tired and takes like a five minute snooze.  She is grouchy when she goes down for her nap and even grouchier when she wakes up.  She wants to be held.  She doesn't want to sleep... no, no.  She doesn't take kindly to napping.  She just wants me to sit and hold her until 8:00, which is when she finally gives in to the exhaustion.  

Only I can't just sit and hold her.  This is dinner time.  I need to cook.  And usually finish up the last odds and ends of the boys' school work.  And do some laundry.  And feed the boys.  And clean up the kitchen.  And eat myself.  When Chris is home, it's more tolerable but still pretty stressful.  

Crazy is what it is!

Violet is getting more dramatic as she grows older.  For example, today she wanted to be held but I was in the middle of cooking dinner.  I had raw chicken all over my hands and just couldn't pick her up.  Before I started I set her up in the living room with her favorite toys and a couple of her little puffy snack things.  I started a movie for her and gave her a her sippy cup.  She looooves her sippy cup.  Except at 5:30, when she doesn't like anything.  

All of that wasn't enough and pretty soon she'd crawled into the kitchen where she followed me around wailing with big crocodile tears streaming from her eyes.  And let me tell you, she is LOUD!  At one point I did wash my hands and pick her up for a minute.  Of course she stopped crying immediately.  I had to put her back down to finish the chicken.  When I did, she threw herself facedown on the kitchen floor and kicked, screamed, and cried.  

I've gotten pretty good at blocking things out over the years, but this is getting to me, my friends.  Nothing will settle her except sitting in my arms.  I admit that I love the fact that she loves me.  That makes it a little  better. 

Finally, when everything is done I give her a bath and she starts being happy again.  After the bath she takes about half of a bottle and then falls into a deep sleep and she's out for the night. 

It seems as if this little routine has been going on for weeks, but it's only been a few days.  

The weird thing is that if we're out and about she will take a nap. 

Maybe she's teething, and I know her allergies are bothering her.  She's just so pitiful when she does this.  

I know it will pass.  Looking forward to the day when we'll laugh about it.