A New Phase, or a Temporary Funk?

It has been a trying weekend. My pleasant, cooperative angel has been displaying new dimensions to his personality (I figure that if I put a positive spin on it, I won't sound so whiny and desperate). Daniel is suffering from a bad cold, and maybe even teething a bit. I'm guessing, of course, in my attempt to justify this drastic change in behavior. Mealtimes have become tense, to say the least. Daniel is eating less than usual, even when I make his favorite foods (Ellio's pizza, why do you fail me now?). When he does put something in his mouth, he finds it extremely amusing to spit it back out. Most of the time, however, he just smashes things between his fingers or feeds them to Ollie. Tonight, he seemed satisfied by a meal of pancakes, strawberries, and yogurt -- that is, until about halfway through when he decided he was finished and began to scream bloody murder. Why the freaking out? I have no idea!

Another ritual which has gone downhill seemingly overnight is bedtime. Daniel still enjoys his bottle and appears to be content with the idea of being carried to his crib. As soon as I try to lay him down with his blanket and walk away, he loses his you-know-what. He stands up and gropes at my arms, beginning to whimper and whine. If I turn and walk out of the room, he begins to cry and scream. Again, with the screaming. What gives? I mean, it sounds like the poor child is being tortured. Luckily, it lasts only a couple of minutes and he soon falls asleep (with a wet, snotty face, no less), but it's still very upsetting to hear. He has exhibited this behavior for two consecutive nights now, but I'm still hopeful that my happy, agreeable little guy will make a reappearance sooner than later.

Peter and I are leaving on an adults-only vacation in a couple of days. Daniel will be staying with both sets of grandparents. There are two possible outcomes: he'll either make liars out of us and act like a perfect angel, or he'll wear out his welcome and make his grandparents very happy to have finished raising their children! I'm hoping for the former rather than the latter.