Question day
Yea, and she did declare that Wednesday was a day for questions.
Question 1. Lately--over the past couple years--I have begun having trouble with my hands falling asleep when I sleep. It started out innocent--I would wake up in the middle of the night to find a hand painfully asleep due to my sleeping position. While at first it was completely understandable, over time it became worse. Previously comfortable positions would cause my hands to lose blood flow. If my hands were resting on the pillow above my head I would wake up with pins and needles, even though nothing was resting on them or otherwise blocking the blood flow.
Recently I have not been having as many problems with the pins and needles (though I suspect that it does not wake me up as readily; I probably just shift without waking), but I've begun having problems with bloating. My fingers swell during the night, enough that I now take my rings off every night before bed to prevent uncomfortable tightness. This is demonstrably new, as I used to be able to sleep in both of these rings without trouble.
A few notes:
Question 2. Is there some kind of second phase of toddlerhood, and does it hit circa age 8? Lately stickybear has been ohmygod so cranky. It almost feels like he's testing his boundaries again, and while I know that childhood is about testing boundaries and building independence, I really don't need him to suddenly refuse to eat foods he likes and throw tantrums claiming his stomach hurts or he's not hungry at, oh, every meal. Example: last night bear did not want to eat a bowl of corn (a food bear normally likes) before his spaghetti, so he alternately claimed his stomach hurt and he was not hungry. This escalated until ishaa told bear to go do something else and come back in twenty minutes. Fifteen minutes later bear returned, all smiles and requesting spaghetti. He still refused to eat the corn. We let it drop. Then this morning, according to ishaa, bear did not want what ishaa made him for breakfast (though he regrets this now, ishaa reheated the @%*$ corn), so he claimed he wasn't hungry. Since they were late and ishaa was irritated, he said fine and they left. In the car, of course, bear started throwing a temper tantrum about how ishaa didn't CARE if he STARVED TO DEATH because he hadn't had breakfast.
This is exhausting, and honestly just strange. stickybear simply hasn't refused to eat things like this before, or thrown so many tantrums. They are emotionally appropriate tantrums (they don't have an edge to them suggesting depression or emotional issues), but they're driving. us. crazy.
It's possible that bear is finally going through a stage where he resents me and the attention his dad pays me. It often happens in blended families, and it's something that ishaa and I are perhaps too complacent about. The three of us have blended into a family unit very well, I think, and I've filled a role in stickybear's life that, frankly, needed filling. (Not the mother role--he loves his mom very much--but the stepmama or bonus mom role. I am strict about this--I am not and will never be his mother, though I perform motherly duties and love him like a son.) While none of us will ever forget that I am not his mother, it is easy to forget that he may still suffer conflicts and phases that children of divorce go through. (Feeling out of place, jealousy towards the stepparent, identity conflicts, acting out, loss of love fears, etc.) And yet...it doesn't seem to fit that he's going through that stage. He's recently become so affectionate towards me that it is hard to think he could be struggling with jealousy towards me or worrying about loss of his father's love.
So, anyone? Is there a secondary "NO!" phase that hits about this time? I thought this was our idyllic downtime of childhood, when they are old enough to be reasoned with and interact intelligently but still young enough that hormones haven't yet turned them batshit insane.
Question 1. Lately--over the past couple years--I have begun having trouble with my hands falling asleep when I sleep. It started out innocent--I would wake up in the middle of the night to find a hand painfully asleep due to my sleeping position. While at first it was completely understandable, over time it became worse. Previously comfortable positions would cause my hands to lose blood flow. If my hands were resting on the pillow above my head I would wake up with pins and needles, even though nothing was resting on them or otherwise blocking the blood flow.
Recently I have not been having as many problems with the pins and needles (though I suspect that it does not wake me up as readily; I probably just shift without waking), but I've begun having problems with bloating. My fingers swell during the night, enough that I now take my rings off every night before bed to prevent uncomfortable tightness. This is demonstrably new, as I used to be able to sleep in both of these rings without trouble.
A few notes:
- I do not have a problem with my blood pressure. If anything I have a tendency towards hypotension, despite eating a great deal of salt, and I off and on deal with orthostatic hypotension (when your vision blacks out upon standing up rapidly).
- I was checked for diabetes over the summer and don't have a problem, although I don't know my actual number
- While I've frequently wished that I could blame my problems on hypothyroidism I've never dinged on blood tests. Last ones were awhile ago though, I believe, thought within one or two years
- I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
- I have been successfully, if painfully slowly, losing weight, mostly due to biking for an hour six times a week.
Question 2. Is there some kind of second phase of toddlerhood, and does it hit circa age 8? Lately stickybear has been ohmygod so cranky. It almost feels like he's testing his boundaries again, and while I know that childhood is about testing boundaries and building independence, I really don't need him to suddenly refuse to eat foods he likes and throw tantrums claiming his stomach hurts or he's not hungry at, oh, every meal. Example: last night bear did not want to eat a bowl of corn (a food bear normally likes) before his spaghetti, so he alternately claimed his stomach hurt and he was not hungry. This escalated until ishaa told bear to go do something else and come back in twenty minutes. Fifteen minutes later bear returned, all smiles and requesting spaghetti. He still refused to eat the corn. We let it drop. Then this morning, according to ishaa, bear did not want what ishaa made him for breakfast (though he regrets this now, ishaa reheated the @%*$ corn), so he claimed he wasn't hungry. Since they were late and ishaa was irritated, he said fine and they left. In the car, of course, bear started throwing a temper tantrum about how ishaa didn't CARE if he STARVED TO DEATH because he hadn't had breakfast.
This is exhausting, and honestly just strange. stickybear simply hasn't refused to eat things like this before, or thrown so many tantrums. They are emotionally appropriate tantrums (they don't have an edge to them suggesting depression or emotional issues), but they're driving. us. crazy.
It's possible that bear is finally going through a stage where he resents me and the attention his dad pays me. It often happens in blended families, and it's something that ishaa and I are perhaps too complacent about. The three of us have blended into a family unit very well, I think, and I've filled a role in stickybear's life that, frankly, needed filling. (Not the mother role--he loves his mom very much--but the stepmama or bonus mom role. I am strict about this--I am not and will never be his mother, though I perform motherly duties and love him like a son.) While none of us will ever forget that I am not his mother, it is easy to forget that he may still suffer conflicts and phases that children of divorce go through. (Feeling out of place, jealousy towards the stepparent, identity conflicts, acting out, loss of love fears, etc.) And yet...it doesn't seem to fit that he's going through that stage. He's recently become so affectionate towards me that it is hard to think he could be struggling with jealousy towards me or worrying about loss of his father's love.
So, anyone? Is there a secondary "NO!" phase that hits about this time? I thought this was our idyllic downtime of childhood, when they are old enough to be reasoned with and interact intelligently but still young enough that hormones haven't yet turned them batshit insane.