Purely bitching to be bitching here -- FSD3 got up at 4am WAILING from a nightmare and could not be consoled for a solid hour. Then, she was a troll this morning on account of lack of sleep. And now I am troll -- I just wanted to SLAP her this morning while she was giving FDH lip about everything from breakfast to whether or not her socks actually matched.

At least FDH has been stepping it up about getting her into her bedroom by 9pm every night. Last night she threw a tantrum because I refused to read her a story unless her head was on the pillow -- and when she tried to cheat by making FDH's back the pillow while sitting up in bed, I picked her up and laid her back down... "WAAAAA! MISS KNOW IT ALL PUSHED MEEEEE!" She also threw a fit mid-nightmare incident because FDH refused to let her sleep in the living room.

Bless FDH for taking my side on both counts: "FSD3, she was putting you to bed. She did not push you. It's not a big deal..." and "No, you can't sleep in the living room. You've got to sleep in your own bed."

He's had it up to here with her, too. In addition to fighting him on everything, she got written up at daycare yesterday for biting a kid that took her spot in line. FDH marched her in the door and straight to her room for a talking to before dinner -- and he must've done a bang-up job, because she was as meek as a mouse throughout dinner and actually complimented my cooking: "It's just like my mom makes! Yay!"

Ragu spaghetti sauce, uniting BMs and SMs since 1937...

Anyway, I'm having myself a grouchy day and luckily have an excuse to not see FSD3 as friends are coming into town tonight to stay at my place. I'm trying not to stress about 4th of July weekend -- it's always blended with my birthday, so I feel obliged to have some kind of shindig. But I'm not excited about getting older this year, and the custody arrangement with BM makes 4th of July itself a logistical nightmare and my actual birthday, which is a FSD3 night.

Originally, I wanted FSD3 to join me at a birthday/3th of July BBQ at my place and then I could do a 4th of July parade with her and FDH the following day -- like we did last year -- and then get FDH all to myself on the eve of my birthday when FSD3 goes back to BM. Now, though, things are looking complicated and too many people have multiple 3rd of July BBQs to go to. So I probably won't be having any kind of party -- and FDH has been staunchly NOT planning the 4th of July custody exchange. I broke down and requested that he ship FSD3 back to BM the night before the 4th so that I get an entire day with him in lieu of my actual birthday. But they just got into a snit about alimony, so he's not feeling especially generous...

*sigh*

I wish I were excited for this birthday like I was when I was a kid. Maybe that's why I originally wanted FSD3 around -- to siphon some of her enthusiasm for cake and presents. But when you're turning my age, you don't really do much of either...