Dan the interpreter.

Evelyn woke up with a fever this morning, and was fussy on and off all day. I suspect it is a tooth (molar, to be specific). Not only can I see a big bulge of her 2nd molar-to-be under her gums, but she has been taking long naps, which is another sign, at least with Evelyn.  Anyway, she wasn't fussy all day but when she was fussy, they were large, drawn-out tantrums. She was not pleased, and she wanted everyone to know it.

After a three hour (yes, three hour...she hasn't napped since she  like that since she was 6-9 months old, unless she is teething, and even then a 3hr nap is rare) nap, she woke up and was okay. She had some peaches as a snack, then we watched some "Big Bird in Japan". The beginning of a fit began when she stood at a cupboard, reaching up and wanting "Elmomo", or "Elbow" (Elmo). I decided to make her some Annie's mac and cheese while she was in the beginning stages of her tantrum, because she hadn't eaten much all day (another sign, for us, that her teeth hurt).

She came over and stood by me saying, "New-news! New-news!" I had no idea what she was trying to say, and she kept reaching up toward the mac and cheese box. I tried to give her the box - she was mad, that wasn't what she wanted. I tried to give her a noodle, showing her that they hadn't been in the boiling water yet, and that made her even more mad.

I had no idea what she wanted or needed, and told her to go sit down somewhere else, away from the stove. Dan looked at her and said, "You want noodles?" She nodded slowly. Voila - baby interpreter genius.

She was still cranky while we waited for the noodles to boil (I swear it took 20+ minutes, at least that is what it felt like) but she was less cranky since someone had understood what she wanted. Yay for Dan the interpreter! :)

She was so pleased when the mac and cheese was finally cooked, and really enjoyed a hearty portion. She was in a good mood for the rest of the evening - which was nice, because the fit leading up to the "new-news! new-news! NEW-NEWS!" fit had really started to drain my energy.

Also - tonight was a big night, as it was the first time we have been able to sit down with her, read several books, tuck her in, shut off the lights, and immediately leave the room. When Dan was gone, I did what was easiest for me and helped me get the most sleep -- which meant she co-slept with me for much of the time, but when she didn't, I would rock her to sleep or stay with her until she did fall asleep. I would say we are on the fast-track to breaking that habit. It made me so happy, yet so sad - she's a big girl, now. That is the most recent milestone we reached - and it feels pretty good.