Shall I Say, It Was a Difficult Day????

Have you ever had one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days?  I know we all have, but today was one of those for me.  In addition to that, I have a question for you moms out there in blogland that I'll get to in a bit.

Today wasn't all bad..... My mom took me shopping and I guess you could say that is probably where things took a turn for the worse.  You see Jackson and I are a slave to the schedule.  I know for some people this is perfect and helps things to be predictable.  I too love the schedule, but would love to have a baby who was a little more flexible with it (on occassion).  Pretty much like clockwork he needs a nap 2 hours after he gets up in the morning.  That nap should be 1.5-2 hours long.  Lately because of teething and pooping (both of which I cannot help), he's been getting up after 45 minutes to an hour.  On any normal day this isn't a terrible thing.  It just means that nap #2 just needs to be a bit earlier and hopefully longer.  Well, today my mom wanted to take me shopping for some new clothes and who am I to turn her down:)  I told her we would be over after nap #1 and nursing that follows.  Of course, nap #1 was only 45 minutes today.  I knew I was in for some rough times later on.  My mom, Jackson and I had lunch at Rubio's and then to shopping.  We only went to one store, but by this point Jackson was already fussy.  He wasn't happy in the stroller, but he was tolerating it.  My mom walked around with him while I shopped.

*As a bit of a side note, Jackson has had almost no stranger anxiety.  Sometimes when he sees my in-laws who he doesn't see often he gets the pouty lip, but no melt downs.  I keep waiting for it and so far, so good.  However, lately when he sees my mom he lights up and wants her to hold him the whole time he's there.  Of course, like most grandmas, she does whatever he wants and holds him or lets him go where he wants.  The past few times she's been over or we've been over there, Jackson doesn't want me to take him from my mom.  She was over to babysit on Wednesday and when she handed him to me as she was leaving he cried for her.  I know this makes her feel incredibly loved, but I do not feel loved!

Now, we're done shopping.  It's obvious that Jackson is exhausted, it's time to go.  My mom gets him out of the stroller to say good bye and hands him to me, the crying begins.  I buckle him in the carseat and he's still crying.  He cries for another 20 minutes in the car.  She told me today that it makes her feel so good that he cries for her.  I keep thinking, must be nice!  I definitely don't want Jackson to pitch a fit for an hour when I leave, but it would be nice to at least know that after having his grandma watch him for a few hours that he wants me.  He normally only sees her once or twice a week and it's normally not for more than a few hours.  I need to ask her if she feeds him french fries and chocolate when I'm away:)  I absolutely love that I can take him to my mom's and know that she loves him and he loves her, but I have no idea where this "grandma anxiety" has come from.

My question for you other moms out there is this:  First of all is it normal for my son to have stranger anxiety with people other than me?  Secondly have you ever felt like you baby doesn't like you?  Jackson gets excited to see my husband and his grandma, but not really for me.  I know, he sees me all day everyday, but I thought it was normal for babies to cling to their moms.  I feel like Jackson wants anyone BUT me!  I should add that he does get excited to see me sometimes, but not like when he sees his daddy or grandma, and he only cries when my mom hands him to me.  We leave him in the nursery at church and he never gives us a second glance.  I'm sure this is some how a blessing in disguise, I guess I'm just not thinking of it like that right this minute.  I know he loves me and I love him dearly, I just wish I could explain to him that mommy needs you to show her you love her:)  I sure hope I'm not the only mom that has gone through this and I'd love to hear your thoughts!