5 PM - the witching hour

Our daughter is amazing. There is no other word to describe this beautiful being that loves to play, hang out with us, be read to, and sleeps well. She is on a somewhat of a schedule due in part to us and mostly due to her. She eats breakfast at about 7 AM and then plays for an hour or two. She naps for 30-45 minutes (sometimes an hour if we are lucky) and then eats lunch around 10:45 or 11 AM. Within the hour she crashes for a good 2 - 2 1/2 hour nap. Snack at 3 PM and plays nicely until about 4:15- 4:30 PM. Usually she needs a nap again at this time for about an hour. THEN we hit 5 PM.

For the last week she has become a different child at the stroke of the clock at 5 PM. She begins crying and fussing and flailing and being really really mad. Nothing we have done helps. She can be fine at 4:55 and turn at 5. She refuses the pacifier. She kicks her legs if you try to cuddle her. She screams if you read a book. She wails if she is put in the carseat. She can't stand her room nor her beloved changing table that just 15 minutes before made her smile and giggle! We have had quite a few days of the little Miss!

We know that she might be a little hungry (she eats 6 oz every 3 1/2 - 4 hours) so 2 hours after a huge bottle, she should not be starving enough to wail like she does. We are trying, sorta unsuccessfully, to figure out her nighttime routine. We were determined not to give in to her screaming and pacify her with a bottle last night. She had a fantastic day and was happy as could be until the clock struck 5. So we tried everything again.... to no avail.

After 45 minutes of off and on crying and tears... we decided to that maybe we should change her diaper and start "fresh." Well, that was it. She had a pretty wet diaper and was her usual happy self when she was changed! I cannot believe it. She loved her mobile that only minutes before had set her off. She smiled, laughed, hung out, and was our amazing beautiful daughter again. So we are going to hope that we have solved our bewitching hour and we are going to go for the diaper change at 5 o'clock again today. I can certainly handle that better than screaming and crying for an hour!

Now if we could just get her bedtime pushed back to 8:00 PM again...