The Meltdown
Yesterday our normally sanguine child turned choleric; after an unusually long late-morning nap, Michael woke up howling and seemingly inconsolable. It was touch-and-go the rest of the day.
Put him down -- a diaper change, even -- and he'd become enraged, crying so hard I started to really worry.
Activities he typically likes were met with a scrunched-up face and more crying. He'd get so upset that even being carried didn't calm him. His mobile irritated him. His reflection in the mirror irritated him. Being read a story, being placed on his tummy, being stood up and "walked" -- all just made things worse.
"Touchy" is the word I kept thinking of. As in supersensitive; things seemed to get on his nerves.
The cradle swing helped. A stint in his mega-saucer distracted him for awhile, as did watching cars from the living room window.
He's pre-teething, but that's not new. I don't think it was the root cause, though it probably exacerbated his misery (one reason he likes the mega-saucer is the presence of gnawable objects). Separation anxiety? Maybe. This has happened before after holiday weekends. Factor in routine disruption and overstimulation, and then the anomalous morning nap. I'm just guessing here. It went on like that into the evening; he got mad at his bath.
Today it's the opposite -- he's almost too smiley. I'm still mystified.
3:41:54 PM 
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