Hard Candy

My mom must've shared some tidbits from daily life being Oma to Rhea and Lucia with her sister, Tante Pfeffer. These tidbits must not have all been peaches and cream, because in the latest e-mail from Tante Pfeffer to me, she wrote: "Sorry Rhea is having such a tough time. Your Mom told me she is quite a treat right now. Poor little gal!" I read that to David, and he said: "She IS quite a treat. Just... a HARD candy." The more I think about that, the more I like that analogy. She is VERY sweet, and... a jawbreaker.
She's been waking up from teething again during the night, and we've finally graduated from blood-curdling SCREAMING when I go in (and ONLY when I go in) (because she wants me to take her out of bed and cuddle with her) to at least docile lying back down. So there's some major improvement and I'm feeling newly empowered. Thank the Lord! I can actually help out again in the middle of the night as opposed to just making things (10x) worse.
Mealtimes are another battle. Rhea has decided that she won't eat anything at lunchtime, but then requests CHEES or cheewiowios. 30% of the problem may be that her gums are hurting and she's just not feeling well, but 70% of it is her strong head, and her ability to turn her head emphatically and say, "NEIN!" or ... "NO!" Whichever suits her better at that moment. We're slowly working on adding a "danke" or "thank-you" (which she's mastered beautifully when she's in a good mood. When she's not, you can remind her and she'll still refuse.) I could go on and on. I love my daughters to pieces. Both of them. And God knew when He made Rhea that she needed an extra portion of absolute cuteness to get me through these sorts of times. They are both so very lovable, wonderful, and fun girls to have around that I don't know where to begin. But since the past few days have been a little more on the HARD side than on the candy side, I'm going to go to bed now. Who knows what the night might hold. And I need a few extra minutes to search for some gray hairs. They've gotta be coming in... :)