I forget she’s allowed to have hard days, too.

Whenever she’s not herself and being particularly fussy I run through the list of things that could be “wrong”.

• Does she have a temperature?
• Is she hungry?
• Does she need changing?
• When did she poop last?
• Is it nap time or past nap time?

A lot of the time it’s a simple cause and effect.

• Shit nap? Fussy.
• Fussy? Shit feeds.
• Shit feeds? Overtired
• Overtired? Meltdown.

Overtired baby and an exhausted mama? Tears all around.

But then other times it feels like an actual guessing game.

• Is it trapped wind?
• Is it her teeth?
• Is she teething or is it an ear infection?
• Is her foot itchy and I’m trying to feed or burp her?

And then sometimes I just have to sit back and remember that we all have our off, or hard, days.

Some days there isn’t anything particularly wrong or perhaps it’s a combination of things that can’t be fixed with anything other than a fresh start on a new day.

Until then, we’ll soak up the extra cuddles and take a few extra walks and pass the time in a way that works for each particular day. And for me? I’ll treat myself to an extra coffee and some chocolate too.