It seems, five days into antibiotic treatment, that Dan and I have stumbled onto a new wrinkle in the whole 3-year-old behavioral pattern.
If you take an already strong-willed 3-year-old (is there any other kind?) and add a raging ear infection you get the human equivalent of a thermonuclear device.
I imagine, when you are a toddler/little girl, chronic ear pain is like having a beehive in your head. The incessant buzzing of pain must just short out all the circuits. So when, on top of the pain, things don’t go your way (i.e. your mom says ‘no’ or your dad asks you to say please) you just lose it. And that buzzing makes you a crazy, screaming monster for, oh, if you’re Kate, 30, 40 minutes. Until you’re pooped out, and still in pain, and you just want a big hug.
Thank goodness for Alexander Fleming.
Kate is sleeping through the night again. As a matter of fact, on Wednesday (two days into treatment), she fell asleep while I was singing lullabies. That is unprecedented.
The epic tantrums have tapered off. There is still some pouting and stomping, but much (much) less screaming and hitting. I haven’t had to put myself in timeout in days.
She is cheerful again. A tad overactive as bedtime approaches (I think that’s no naps + cabin fever), but laughing, not flipping out. She’s eating well again, too.
I don’t know how Dan feels, but I have been breathing a big sigh of relief. It looks like we’ll survive Kate’s terrifying 3s after all.
Knock wood.
Red Pen Mama 
Being in the throes of the threes, add an ear infection into the mix, and you and your husband are candidates for sainthood. Glad to hear she’s feeling better and you’ve avoided time-out.
(Just found your blog. Good stuff!)
Oh, no, we’re not. Unless you also factor in that we haven’t left her on the side of the road to fend for herself. If that factors in, then I guess we’ll take it.
(Glad you’re enjoying it!)