Hey y’all. I wish that I could say that this weekend was a super fun one given that my mom is with us and it’s the holiday season but the truth is that it was kind of hard. I had a cold earlier in the week that I tried so hard not to spread but my mom ended up coming down with it on Friday. Ugh, why is it so hard to keep your germs to yourself!?
Also, my sweet Finn has just been all out of sorts. He’s in a clingy phase AND he’s teething canines. I also suspect he’s been fighting off some sickness himself.
All that being said, the weekend was not without good times and laughter…and just having my mom here is enough even if we weren’t able to get out and do a ton. <3
In my 18 month post about Finn I shared that he has been extra snuggly lately. Well, snuggly has morphed into clingy and while I am here for all of the closeness, it’s been overwhelming at times. Currently, Finn wants to be held constantly and will have a full-on meltdown if I don’t pick him up when he says, “up, please.” On top of that, he cries if I leave the room or walk outside. The worst is that while my mom has been here, he won’t let her hold him or even read to him unless I am out of the house and gone.
Just a month ago when we were in Florida, Finn would constantly reach out to my mom for her to hold him even while he was in my arms. And you’ve seen all of the photos of him sitting with my family and reading books. I asked about this sudden clinginess and separation anxiety on Instagram and everyone assured met that it’s super normal for his age and is a passing phase.
Once again, I adore that he wants to be close to me and I am not complaining but this is an intense phase that leaves me completely wiped out at the end of the day. Every night I tell myself that I’m going to pull my holiday decorations out and then I just run out of steam.
Oh, and Finn has also decided that he needs some one-on-one time between 3 and 4a. We’ve gone from regularly sleeping through the night to waking at least once if not several times. I cannot really complain about this one though because here I am writing a blog post at 11p when I could be sleeping. 🙂
Update: he was up every two hours last night and inconsolable. I ended up sleeping in the glider in the nursery holding Finn all night. We are heading to pediatrician as soon as they open. Something is not right.
One highlight of the weekend was making this big pot of turkey noodle soup for my mom to help with her cold. I based it on this turmeric chicken soup recipe on my blog but made a bunch of modifications to make it leftover friendly. I skipped the whole making your own stock thing and just used boxed low-sodium organic chicken broth. I also added lots of fresh small-diced ginger and some small potatoes. It was delicious, and comforting.
Zoey has also been on the needy train with her cone status. Her hot spot was completely healed and then she somehow scratched the soft, new skin which opened up a new wound. I ordered her a new soft cone from Amazon. While this cone is more comfortable than the plastic, I cannot wait to get her out of it…and I know she’s ready too. I’ve been focusing on getting her plenty of exercise through walks and runs. I’m also going to call her vet on Monday to ask if she might benefit from allergy medicine. I have no idea what makes her keep going back to this spot but it has GOT to heal!
First, can we appreciate Finn’s Santa shark PJs? I’m so sorry I cannot link but they’re already sold out!. Second, here are these two in my lap in full-on need mama’s attention mode.
Today my mom told me that personal space is a thing of the distant past. She should know, she raised me and just this afternoon she was telling me about baby wearing me in all sorts of various situations when I was Finn’s age.
We did get out of the house today. Our big adventure was supposed to be to the zoo but instead it was running errands to the pet store to get Zoey dog food and to Home Depot to get Christmas supplies. Home Depot was a fun outing for Finn and he loved looking at all the inflatables and holiday stuff. (Although he was NOT on board with the life-sized realistic Santa.)
Virginia met us back at home and we went out for a 3.5 mile run with the stroller and Zoey. Thank goodness it was very mild today. The fresh air seemed to make Finn so happy. While we were gone, my mom cooked the most incredible Moroccan chicken dish.
We ate it served over steamed rice and it was just perfect. I am so grateful to have the leftovers in the fridge. Anything chicken + rice combo is comfort food in my book.
Our weekend ended on the couch with Grace and Frankie (I introduced my mom to this show…so good!) and dessert. We were both feeling burn out on pie os we stopped by Villani’s Bakery while we were out this afternoon to get some cake. As I’ve said before, my love for sweets comes directly from my mom, and I appreciate this influence she’s had on my life. 🙂
So there you have it! A very low-key, home-based weekend recap. I’m not complaining about it one-bit. It was hard but perfect all at the same time.
QUESTIONS
Tell me about your experience with toddler clingy/separation anxiety stages.
Cake or pie?
Do you do the holiday pj thing? This is something I never thought I’d get into but here I am obsessed!
Hi Jen,
You’re really “in” it. And I don’t want to sound like I’m so evolved, but while it’s good you’ll get it checked out, it’s always a new phase w these little ones. Never get too comfortable bc some new behavior – good or not so good – is right around the corner. I know when you’re in it, it feels awful like something is seriously WRONG. This, too, shall pass. Lots of self care in the meantime. ❤️
Hey Alicia! Thanks so much for your comment, and perspective. You are right, I am “in it.” I am trying to be as fluid as I can though this whole process of parenting but I also *know* Finn and he has not been himself, especially last night. It was the worst night we’ve had EVER (even when he was newborn) and he was so miserable. I’m glad I took him in this morning because he has a double ear infection, a virus causing him to have ulcers in his mouth/throat and he’s teething on top of that.
It’s a daily practice discerning what is a “phase/stage” and what’s not normal for your child. <3
Ahhhhhh! There you go.
It’s always something! Phase, sick, teeth, time change, growth spurt!!!
Feel better ❤️
Love the kid, dog, food pictures! I personally found the baby wearing worked best when we were in this phase. We also used the same Ergo and I’d often carry on my back while I puttered around the house, cooking and cleaning, even working on the laptop standing at the counter. Also, something that really helped me was the realization that any ‘routine’ or ‘normal’ was going to change about every 6months or so until kids hit school, then it will change about every 9months with the school calendar! Acknowledging and releasing my desire and comfort for routine helped me. But man, it sure IS exhausting! Also, preschool germs are no joke – Feel better soon!
Thank you! I have heard so many great things about back carrying and I’m excited to try it. <3 You are so right about routine and normal. Trying to embrace that and go with the flow. It's a daily practice of letting go! 🙂
My dogs have allergies and I always stock Benadryl and Claritin in the house. The vet has given me the dosages for each of my dogs so that they get an appropriate and safe dose. I hope everyone is feeling better soon. Hang in there.
Hey Jen, when I saw the blog post title “Close” I thought maybe you were shutting down PBR, and I was so sad!! I quickly scanned the post, and phew…I was so happy that wasn’t happening. All of your experiences over the years have given me tons of comfort and inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. Sending hugs and prayers that Finn jets through his ‘Stage 5 Clinger’ stage FAST!! 🙂 And that Zoey’s hot spot will be gone for good and she can lose the cone! On our vet’s suggestino we used Benedryl w/ our Goldies and their various skin issues and it helped. Our vet always said as long as we were dosing appropriately w/ their weight, it was safe. xoxoxo to all of you!
So sorry to hear about Finn! It’s always such a rough time when kids are sick…and just the anxiety of “is he sick? is he not?” and all of the watching is so exhausting. (I currently have a 3 year old with a cold and a nasty cough and it’s just the pits! Solidarity, mama!)
So glad your mom was in town. Bummer that she got sick, but sometimes even if it’s not a party, it’s just nice to have your mom around 🙂 Sending healing vibes to sweet Finn!
Sounds like an ear infection! When my guy was Finn’s age (he is about 6 months older) he REFUSED to lay down 3 nights in a row and was screaming for ‘mommy!’. My parents ended up taking him to the doctor while I was at work because they were convinced he was acting strangely. Ended up being an ear infection! I felt like such an idiot because i’m A nurse and my husband is a physician and this didn’t even occur to us!
I’m also guessing that Finn has an ear infection. When our son had them, he slept terribly. I hope he sleeps much better for you tonight! That is a tough night!!
Our son is 21 months and he is still really clingy… it’s worst when other people are around. When it’s just my husband and me he is usually just fine but if someone else is in the house he just wants mom. We had a bunch of family over on Friday and he was so clingy that I ended up putting him in the carrier for the first time in like 6-8+ months! But he wanted to be held and I had stuff to do to get dinner on the table. Usually my husband can console him/entertain him, but not on Friday! We had about 12 people in our house, though, so there was a lot of commotion. He will rarely sit with my parents or MIL anymore either. He’s been going through that phase for about 3 months, though! it breaks my mom’s heart although she does understand it’s not personal. But she would LOVE to hold him more!
We’re rapidly approaching that clingy phase in my house, too. My son is 13 months and reeeally doesn’t like it when I leave the room, and forget about drop off time at daycare! I love the closeness, but hate that he gets so upset when I leave (even though I know it’s a normal phase!). Just saying, I’m right there with ya!
Have you tried bitter apple spray for Zoey’s hot spot? We’ve used it with our pitbull in the past and it seems to help.
A tell tale sign of an ear infection or other sickness for my kids was when they would be up all night or just totally inconsolable in the middle of the night. Poor Finn, hope he feels better soon!!!
It’s funny because we’re kind of going through the same thing with my 12 month old. She just had her one year doctor’s appointment. They think she’s a little advanced since she’s already saying a bunch and that she’s hitting her 18 month separation anxiety phase now. We’ve had very similar experiences – screams if I’m in the room but not right next to her/holding her, difficulty at daycare, screaming while going to bed (she used to go right down) and the other night she woke up inconsolable for 2 hours which hasn’t happened in months!