omg my kids are exhausting!

[majormajor]

i just need to vent, please feel free to chime in.

i'm so tired! i have a 4.5 yo DD and a 1.5 yo DD. they're wonderful, but they are SO exhausting. i know that it's normal for kids to have a lot of energy, but the 4.5 drives me nuts sometimes. i was googling hyperactivity disorder in kids, and the internet says they all have it at this age, so i guess that's good... in that i can expect her to outgrow it eventually. and the 1.5 yo is STILL nursing half the night (i'm trying to cut down, but she's so persistent), and she barely naps, and she also has a ton of energy (but not as hyperactive as her sister).

my body is exhausted by the end of the day. and, silly me, went to the CNM for a checkup and TOTALLY forgot to ask her to check my iron. i guess i should call and see if she'll order bloodwork for me without another visit, because i pay for those out of pocket (adn the bloodwork), and i don't want to pay for another visit. i'm not sure my iron is low though, because it's not like it's a mystery why i'm so tired!

waaaaaaaaaaah.

my misery loves company though, so please come join me! ohh and if you have any tips about getting the baby to nightwean, bring them on!!

[Jes'sBeth]

hey there. I can join your 'misery loves company' party. I ALSO have a 4.5 yr old and a 1.5 yr old (actually she's 22 months so perhaps a bit older?) My 22 month old is also still nursing at night and we just discovered some big food intolerances so she's nursing like crazy as we take her off 80% of the food she's been eating to help her.

Yeah, I'm exhausted! (given, I'm ALSO not eating 80% of my regular diet... I have to eat what she eats so the exclusion diet works for her...)

i will say that as the baby's language gets better they play better together but sometimes my eldest just DRIVES ME NUTS! I just feel sometimes that I expect so much from her because she's so much more verbal and capable than the little one and I don' t see her as a baby but do see the little one as a baby. But yay, 4 has been a hard year. I'm hoping 5 will be better. I see glimpses of a maturing big kid.

[utahmama]

Wow. I am in the same boat too! Glad to know I'm not alone. I have two boys, 4.5 and 22 months. They completely exhaust me. I came on here looking for advice too. My 4.5 yo is the main culprit. He is constantly making his little brother cry. One minute they are playing and laughing, the next minute YDS is crying. ODS always claims he didn't do anything. His behavior has gotten so bad in the last couple weeks and he has started having accidents again! I'm at my wits end and have found myself yelling at them way too often. I don't know what to do and I am tired, frustrated and just want to crawl into a hole somedays!
Wish I had advice, but wanted to let you know that you are not alone!

[majormajor]

wow, maybe it's some kind of perfect storm of age pairings! my younger DD is 20 months old. very interesting!

my 4 yr old is definitely regressing too lately. she keeps asking to nurse (she hasn't nursed in 2.5 years!), or imitating what her sister does. i know she's somewhat jealous of her little sis being the baby, but i feel like whenever i try to give her extra attention (and feel so proud of myself for really putting out that extra effort), she ends up having a god-awful tantrum, and i feel like why do i bother?

and now, it's 10:30, and the 4 y.o. just woke up!!

here's to hoping 5 is easier!

[IntuitiveJamie]

Another tired mama here to a 4 year old and 2 year old. They are completely exhausting me. Disciplining is the hardest part right now. My four year old has hit some kind of tough patch (tough for me that is). I find him difficult more often than not.
No answers, just commisery!

[aran]

Don't despair. There's hope. I have a 5.5 yo DS and a 2.5 yo DS and it *IS* much less tiring now than it was a year ago!!! DS2 is not nightweaned still, but is less demanding at night than a year ago (except when he's sick, of course). They play together well very often (it's heavenly - they tire each other out instead of tiring me out!). DS1 has better self-control and negotiates better when DS2 is annoying him. It is still tiring - don't get me wrong - but it is better.