Free to a Good Home: 1 Toddler

Ellie is currently going through a bit of a feral stage at the moment... She is very defiant and really isn't into listening when we tell her 'No'. She's good at the whole tantrum thing, stamping her feet, putting her hands on her hips or folding them in front of her (which is cute), throwing herself on the floor, biting and sometimes screaming. She has also become real good at turning away/moving her arm just at the right time so we can't catch her!

My favourite thing, of course, is her hitting. Yesterday and today have been the worst. If I say "No" or if I don't understand what she wants when she points and babbles I get hit. I don't know where this has come from. We don't smack. Granted there have been little taps on her hand (very rarely) in the past but we have stopped that. For me, I felt that if I wanted Ellie to not learn to vent her frustrations by hitting then I wasn't prepared to teach her that a tap on the hand was okay. She doesn't know the difference between hitting and tapping and I was worried about what might happen once Bubby arrived on the scene. Obviously, not tapping her hand hasn't stopped her developing this annoying habit but I want her to hear me saying that it's not nice and see that I don't say one thing and do another.

I am grateful, however, that she is continuing to go down for sleeps/naps well. She no longer wakes for a bottle, the only reason I have to get up is that she will crawl to the side of her bed and cry (while still asleep) because she is uncomfortable. I would leave her but I am scared of her falling out! I just lie her back down next to her doll and tuck her in - no issue :D It's so great to finally see a positive change in her sleep.

The worst thing about her sudden spate of 'feral' is that it coincides with me being sick! I have been quite sick since coming home from our visit to Bathurst on the long weekend - this week has been the worst for both my sickness and Ellie's behaviour! I am finally feeling like I am on the mend but I still feel pretty crap. Pregnancy just really doesn't agree with me - lucky we get something wonderful at the end that makes it all worth it! 

Edit: Also, there is only 7 weeks until we meet our baby girl!!! Not long at all!