Feeling a Little Discouraged

Here's your warning before you read any further...this is definitely going to be a blog post for me to vent!

I have never felt so tested as a mom and with my parenting skills as I have for the past few days. I'm not sure if it's teething, growing pains, or just Avery being in a difficult stage...maybe a combination of all three, but shew...I am worn out. When we went for her 12 month check-up the pediatrician did say he could tell she had some more teeth about to break through (when he was looking in her mouth & at her throat), and I think it's her 1 yr molars...which are giving her some big time trouble. She's gnawing on EVERYTHING, fussy, and just wants you to hold her and not leave her side. Maybe I've just been spoiled...I mean, she has always been such a laid back and good baby. She's never had a problem playing by herself and she's, 90% of the time, in a great mood.

I think a huge part of my discouragement is me not knowing, a 100%, what the problem is...it's easy to just blame it on teething. She does calm down when she lets me rub orajel on her gums, but unfortunately the orajel doesn't last long. She HATES, and I mean HATES, to take medicine (even though it's bubble gum flavored). So, just trying to give her some children's Tylenol is a fight.

The second issue we're having right now is eating. For some reason Avery has decided that she doesn't like to sit in her highchair to eat. She wants to be able to roam around free and then just take a bite here and there as she pleases, as opposed to sitting in her chair and eating all at once. If she is in her highchair, I have to feed her because if I don't then she just throws all of her food on the floor to Max....grrrr! I voiced my concern to the pediatrician at her 12 month check-up and he said the best thing to do is just set her in her chair and give her her food and if she chooses not to eat than OK, but not to give her anything when she gets down. Eventually she'll get hungry enough and cooperate. He made me feel better by telling me that it is a completely normal stage, and he had even had this exact same conversation with another parent earlier that morning. Seems a little harsh, but I may try it here soon.

My final issue right now is bed time! It is ALWAYS a fight these days. It's like she gets a second wind right when she should be winding down for the day, and just wants to play. I feel like I've tried everything (although I'm sure I haven't), and nothing seems to work. Maybe she's sleeping too much during the day? She's still, most days, taking 2 naps...1 in the late morning, and one in the afternoon. Sometimes each one will only last 45 min to an hour, but some days she'll take 2 - 2 hour naps! Should I be intervening with nap time if they last too long, so that she goes to bed at a decent time? Should I just put her in her bed when I think it's bed time, or wait until she's actually tired? The whole cry it out thing scares me. I've tried it...trust me...and each time I feel like it's a losing battle. She just stands in her crib and cries, and cries, and cries. How is she supposed to go to sleep standing up? I'll go in and lay her down, give her her blanket and paci, and rub her head for a little bit, but it's just a viscous cycle. HELP! I feel so awful doing that. And every time I try and google what to do (I'm big on googling things), I read such different view points that I'm even more confused than ever.

I know I shouldn't be beating myself up, but I can't help but feel that I'm doing something wrong. I know there's no one way to do things, and what works for one child isn't going to work for all children. I know deep down I'm not a bad mom, but dang, this has been tough! So, any advice is welcome and appreciated :)   Thanks for letting me vent...I feel a lot better (weird how that helps). I promise my next post will be more upbeat and positive!