Autumn is fairly self-sufficient. Give her a snack, her juice cup, crack the porch door so she can play outside and turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and she's good to go. She will bring toys to me that she wants to play with or books that she wants to read, but she is not clingy. She is happy to sit on the floor and play with me but does not flip out if I get up to load the washing machine or unload the dishwasher.
This was not the case tonight.
I knew immediately upon getting home that tonight was not going to be a good night. Autumn ran up to me as I walked through the door, like she usually does. I picked her up, walked around the house talking to her, and then went to put her down, like I usually do. This is when she pulled her legs up as if I was about to drop her into a volcano filled with boiling lava. She was not going to be put down. For the rest of the night.
Along with this clingy-ness came the tantrums. It did not matter what I offered Autumn, she did not want it. She didn't want to play outside, she didn't want her juice, she refused her snack, and she had no interest in watching Mickey Mouse. The only thing she did was sit on my lap and cry. I was at a loss.
This behavior is so out of the ordinary for Autumn that I knew it had to be her teeth. She has four teeth coming in, two on the top of her mouth and two on the bottom. This is the most she has had come in at once. As frustrated as I was, I knew she was uncomfortable and it wasn't her fault. I can't imagine what teething feels like and am glad that it is not something that I can remember.
After a dose of Tylenol, a cold teething ring, and some cuddle time on the couch, she seemed to be in a better mood. She actually climbed down and started playing with one of the dogs, which is always a good sign.
Even though it was a frustrating evening for both of us, how could I be upset with this at the end of the night?
