sometimes i wish there was a manual...

I think I've mentioned that we really have been struggling in the sleep department here lately.

And if I haven't and you're dying to hear about it, well then follow me on Twitter because I know I've whined talked about it incessantly over there.

BG is an excellent sleeper. So when she's not? I cannot deal.

The last few nights she's been screaming her head off at bedtime. She doesn't want to go to bed and then when she does, she's not happy about it. Not only that, but she wakes up multiple times screaming at night. Once you go in there, she latches on like a spider monkey and will not let you put her down.

I mentioned this at her eighteen month appointment just two weeks as well as her tendency to pull on her ears and scream at getting her hair rinsed in the tub.

Everything looks fine my ped told us.

So no biggie. So why the screaming??

It's gotten worse in the past few days. So much so that at one point I yelled out "just let her scream! I've got to get some sleep" (yea, not proud but I was exhausted).I've spent a lot of time with her in the bed with me or sitting up sleeping so she can lay on my chest. It hasn't been ideal but at least it helped. Then yesterday, she woke up screaming her head off at four am.

I had a meeting that morning so I had to be up early but not that early. So I pulled her into bed with me. She wasn't having it. We tried to feed her; not having. Tried to get her dressed; not having it.

At this point, my Mama's intuition was kicking in. Something was not okay.

Mr. P made the remark about her having some "separation anxiety" but at this point I knew it wasn't that. We checked her temp. Normal.

While I got her dressed, she cried. She cried while I got her some milk. She wouldn't stop unless I was holding her to my chest.

I finally got her settled on the couch with her blankie, Wubbie and some cartoons. I hurriedly got dressed and made plans to go to my meeting and then leave early.

I left her at the front desk at school with the head teacher while I ran to the meeting (I would NEVER have left her if she had a fever or seemed contagious, but that was not the case. She just wasn't happy). I called to check on her as soon as it was over and they said she was just sitting by herself in a corner.

I knew something was up and flew to pick her up.

I made her a doctor appointment while I drove. I halfway thought I was overreacting. But I was out of ideas on what could be bothering her. I was stumped.

When I picked her up, she was a barrel of energy and greeted me with a big 'ol "Mommy!!". I was so confused. Where was my lethargic kid?

Well, she showed back up.

At the doctor, she sat in my lap and just looked around with those sad, sick eyes. How did I miss something?? What was going on with my kid??

A double ear infection. That's what.

As soon as the doctor told me how bad it was, my heart sunk. How had I missed this? How had I let her scream for over a week? How did I not know?!?

I felt like such a Mom fail as I walked out of there. But I just didn't know.

There were none of the "signs". She was checked two weeks ago and given a clean bill of health. She had no fever, wasn't pulling on her ears; how would I have known?

She slept all day yesterday. And just one day of meds later, she's feeling better. And we're all sleeping again. Thank goodness.

I'm licking my wounds over my horror at not knowing this. I know it happens. I just feel bad.

You know, they really should make a manual for these kids.