Umbilical cord - "need a new one?"

[leam811]

Mamas, this is just an odd little story I wanted to share. DD just turned two. She's been pretty intense lately, lots of sleep disruptions and challenging (normal) behavior. She's potty learning, doing magnificently with it at school (she goes to a Montessori toddler program full time, as I WOH FT), less so at home. She's still nursing. Waking a lot at night, and frequently with giant tantrums. She is highly verbal, complete sentences, many-syllable words, etc.

That's all just background. Yesterday she was apparently pretty traumatized by the earthquake (we're in VA, 34 miles from the epicenter); her teacher said she was crying and shaking and they almost called me to come get her, but managed to comfort her (I do wish they had called .

Cut to last night. 20 minutes after I lay down to sleep, she woke up. We did not sleep again for 3 hours. Lots of the usual stuff, demands for food, potty, dolls, etc, which I negotiated as best I could. But also, she was clinging to me kind of crazily - wanted to be standing or sitting ON me, but not necessarily be held by me. She did not want to nurse during any of this.

At some point, I was lying down and she had sat herself down on my pelvis, with her feet tucked up on my legs, and was just sitting there. She would freak out if I moved or tried to adjust her or set her on the bed alongside me. She was nodding and sleepy, but wouldn't fall asleep. She put her hand to her belly button, which we've talked about as the place where the umbilical cord used to be, and said, " 'bilical cord?" And I said something like, yes, that's where your umbilical cord used to be, attached to mama inside her belly. And she said, like she was about to cry, "Need a new one!".

omg

So I said, Well, after you're born, the umbilical cord is all done, but then you get lots of hugs and kisses and nursing and love from mama. And she said "Again." And I restated that exact same thing again. And she asked me to repeat it like 6 more times.

Clearly she is sorting through some major developmental stuff - the language explosion, potty learning, etc. It's like she's trying to work out how much of a baby she still is or still wants to be, or regrets not being anymore. I could weep. And do, since I am more sleep deprived right now than when she was a newborn.

And the earthquake was the icing on the cake.

Thanks for reading. If you have similar experiences with your little ones wrestling with change - as I'm sure you do - I'd love to hear them.

[sosurreal09]

AWWW that is the sweetest!

We are so there. DD is not yet 2 but is nursing every 30 mins round the clock and wants to be worn ALL DAY LONG. She is definitely going through some stuff. She is verbal but not that verbal so it's been hard on her.

She was out of diapers for a while but now back in them b/c she started refusing to go on the potty...

[neonalee]

Away, that is sweet, cute, and kinda sad all at the same time. My first thought was she was really looking for safety/security because of the quake. Sounds like you are doing great though, hang in there!

sent from my phone using tapatalk, please excuse typos.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

My DD is about to turn 3 and we are dealing with all sorts of issues right now.  She wants to be a baby and a big girl all at the same time.  She's been potty-trained and weaned for about a year now and she decided for a few days earlier this week that she was a baby and would not use the potty.  She proceeded to pee all over the floor all day until we put her back in diapers to which she protested that she's not a baby.  She has also asked to nurse a couple of times.  It lasts all of a few seconds, but she seems to be comforted by the fact that I will still let her.  I'm ready for this stage to pass!