I really need some help/support. I have been a stepmother to my stepdaughter since she was 1.5 years old (she is now 5). It hasn't been easy by any means but we've managed to get along and as we have full custody, she views me as her mommy. She does see her bio mom on weekends, when her schedule permits it (sometimes it will be a few weeks before she sees her again). I've worked hard to make her a well-mannered child and she behaves quite well, far better than most kids her age that I observe. I am the primary "parent" in her life, especially now that I stay at home. I get her ready everyday, take & pick her up from kindergarten, do her homework with her, etc... My husband is always very grateful for what I do. I do tend to end up being the scheduler & disciplinarian while he ends up seeing her for about 3 hours a day and is the "fun one". He likes to play with her and is very affectionate towards her. My mother never played with me and my father wasn't in the picture much so I have a difficult time playing with my SD. I do find other things to do with her such as read books, go to the park, bake, etc... I do love and care for her a lot but I am now pregnant with my first child and I feel like my attitude towards my SD is changing. I am 9 weeks along so I am dealing with nausea, fatigue, and mood swings so I'm sure that is also a factor but lately I have the hardest time showing affection to her and my patience wears extremely thin. I'm extremely excited for our child and my SD is very much looking forward to having a sibling. I just am beginning to feel like I have more love for this unborn child than I do for my SD and it's causing problems. My husband can tell I have less patience for my SD and I barely want to be around her. I hate that I feel this way because she really isn't a bad child, she just tends to bug me a bit too much and because I spend the most time with her, it's hard to brush it off. I feel like she wants so much attention and I just wish she would entertain herself more than rely on us to provide that for her. When I was her age and younger even, I was always playing by myself and I didn't have half the toys she has now. My mom had a horrible childhood and never really learned how to play so I had no one to entertain me. She was extremely loving so I'm not lacking anything in that department, she was just robbed of her childhood. It just seems like when I am affectionate to my SD, she tends to want more and more and after a while I'm just tired of it. She draws me hundreds pictures that barely make use of the paper, comes out every five seconds to tell me something, wants to cuddle all the time, wants to talk all the time, tells me she loves me every five minutes... I just don't have the patience to give her all this attention when I'm trying to clean, do laundry, make meals, and deal with all my pregnancy issues as well. I often am so tired that I can barely finish one task before I am hit with a wave of nausea and can't keep my eyes open. I don't want to push her away but I feel like when I am less affectionate, she tends to give me more space and I am able to manage my day a lot better as a result. The problem is, she then goes overboard when her father gets home because he is affectionate. Until she goes to bed, she is constantly trying to get him to play with her, talk to her, and almost holds him hostage. She'll ask him questions when she's not even interested in the answers, she just wants to keep him in her room. It drives me nuts because I missed him all day and want to see him as well but by the time she's in bed, we have about an hour together before I can't even stay awake. Any words of encouragement or advice are much appreciated.