Leia Issues

Let me start with a couple of cute things. First, Leia Rose really likes to ride on people's backs now. And she'll specifically request "Bucking Bronto." When we try to correct her by saying, "Leia Rose, it's actually 'Bucking Bronco,' like in rodeo riding," she'll have none of it. Her love of dinosaurs cements the "Bucking Bronto" game for her. : ) Second, Brian and I have made an extra effort not to mention skin color differences in different situations, choosing instead to focus on the everyone as children of God, you know? (Trying to raise non-prejudiced kids here. Hope we succeed.) Anyway, today at dinner was the first time I heard Leia Rose notice something very interesting. All she said was, "You know, Mamma, we all have blonde skin. All of us have the same color skin: blonde skin." Interesting! . . . But now for the problematic issues, . . .

Issue One: Abrasiveness at 4 PM
Leia Rose gets very grumpy/abrasive around 4 PM every single day. (I was reminded of this when Leia got into her frump a bit at the end of our playdate today.) Sometimes her grumpyness lands her in the thinking chair. Today while I was making dinner I decided to let Annie and Leia share a Baby Bach show together, but I told Leia she couldn't make a "house" with the bed pillows. And she started throwing things around when she said, "Mamma, don't make that bed! That's just terrible! That's just awful! I just hate it when you make that bed!" Sometimes we have a Thinking Chair experience for disrespect these days (like today). I am almost positive this aggressiveness has to do with low blood sugar. So tomorrow I'm going to try out a new plan: snack of fruit and starch at 3:30 every single day. That'll give her some natural sugars to help her make it through to dinner without ruining her dinner. We'll see if that works. Ironically, after the episode today, Leia appeared at the top of the stairs and said, "Mamma, I think I need a snack." Very telling!

Issue Two: Violent Behavior Coupled with Pain
However, the worst episode today was when Leia was getting ready for bed with Daddy. While she was being too wild at the sink standing backwards, she fell off of her step stool and hit her head really hard on one of the cabinet knobs. (The bonk was hard enough to give her a large goose egg there.) Anyway, she kicked and screamed, pushing everyone away. After this, the violence continued until Brian sent her to bed without books, prayers, or stories. Everyone eventually apologized (and Leia's head still hurt her), but it got me to thinking. . . . Leia Rose has always been violently abrasive when she feels pain. Often at about 12 or 1 AM Leia will wake up screaming that her tummy hurts. Her pull-up will be newly wet, . . . and we think that she can't recognize the uncomfortable sensation of needing to potty. And the discomfort puts her into violence again. It's scary to want to comfort a child when they push you violently away. I remember this when she was very young with reflux as well, . . . and with every sore throat. Then the other night when Brian was getting Leia ready for bed, I heard her say, "I don't like you Daddy! I love Mamma much more than I love you!" Of course she doesn't mean it, but how can my child say such a hurtful thing?!?

But then again, all this stuff does happen around 8 PM, . . . so could it be yet another low blood sugar episode? Leia Rose does often complain of hunger right before bed.