out of sorts

dear little leah, 

this weekend was great. and it was awful. both at the same time. 

we spent the extended weekend with family in the l.a. area. you met your great aunt karen and your new cousin, cannon, and you got to catch up with cousins kenz and e, uncles dan and ed, aunts kelli and heather and grandma and grandpa hauley. we were only missing the csk's. 

you did okay in the car. you didn't really sleep, but you were happy to look out the window, i guess. and then when we got to their house you turned into a monster. really, you did. you looked like a sweet little girl, but you behaved non-human. see?

there was much screaming and thrashing and drooling and yelling. your poor mouth is a train wreck of sores. we had to double brace you the entire weekend. we've barely seen those things in a month and you had them 24/7. you flailed your arms and food went flying at mealtimes. we went on lots of "walks" just to get away. daddy has a bite mark on his arm as a memento of the weekend and you're lucky i didn't hit you back for as many times as you swiped at my face. oh yah, and you pooped all over my shirt. thanks for that.

maybe you did it to get us some sympathy? you were trying to let others see how amazing mom and dad are for dealing with you all day long? but that's not really fair to you. you have your moments, sure. but we know you're a sweet little girl at heart. you like to giggle more than scream, smile more than slobber and behave more than tantrum - i know that. 

maybe you wanted room to roam? quarters were a bit cramped, but we can't expect d and h to rent a bigger house just for us to come visit them once a year. ca rent is pricey, friend. plus, it was our stuff that was cramping everything. 

perhaps you were just behaving like a regular old three year old? that could be very true. and if so, i'm sorry for calling you out on it. you deserve to be three.

problem is, i'm pretty sure i'll never know why you were so ill-behaved this weekend. i didn't like it one bit - let's make that clear. and i think you're now back to your regular self. we just checked on you in your bedroom and you were sleeping on the floor right next to your bed. that seems pretty normal to me. let's hope normal is the case. 

otherwise we might not be invited back to visit. and those cousins of yours are much too cute to not visit ever again. 

i {still} love you. 

love, 

mommy