Holy Hormones Batman!

This has been quite a week in our household. On Monday, I woke up feeling awful. AF (Aunt Flo for those who aren't familiar with her) showed up on Sunday and I was crampy and crabby. I also had a horrible headache that got worse and worse as the day grew longer. Elliot complained all morning of an awful tummy ache and ended up staying home from school. Then Marleigh called around 11:00 to say she felt bad so I had to pick her up from school early.

The three of us lay around the house most of the day, nursing our ailments and hoping it wouldn't last long. By 4:00 my head hurt so badly that I thought I would hoark. So off to bed I went. The kids came in periodically to check on me and ask about dinner. Finally at 5:40 I told Marleigh to come get me at 6:00 when dinner would be done and I'd come get it out of the crock pot.

When she came to get me up I went into the bathroom and she followed me in and sort of hung around. As I was washing my hands she finally spoke up with, "Mom. I think I may have started my period." If not for my horrible migraine I probably would have had more of a reaction. As it was, with my head bowed so not to disturb the pain I moved my eyes toward her and asked her what made her think that she'd started. I was doubtful that it was truly her time. After all, I was at least 12 if not 13 when I started and here she is just 11.7 years old. I figured she'd had some discharge that she just wasn't used to.

She told me that the day before she went to the bathroom and had some "stuff" in her panties. She didn't really think anything of it until just then though because she'd gone in to the bathroom just before waking me and it was there again. Still doubtfull, I asked her to show me. Sure enough, my little girl had started her period.

That was 3 days ago. We've made it through her wearing pads for 2 days and then deciding she wanted to give tampons a try. I am so thankful that she feels comfortable enough to come to me with questions and isn't trying to figure things out on her own. Let me tell you, helping your daughter...the same one that you nursed and changed diapers for...insert her first tampon is quite a wild ride. It doesn't seem possible that I have a daughter old enough to me going through this. Apparently I do.

This evening those awful hormones got the best of her. I picked her up after school (where she was supposed to stay late for a choir practice but didn't because her tampon leaked all over the place) and we went directly out to shop for clothing for a wedding this weekend. It was several hours before we made it home and then she got started in on her homework. Of course, she chose the busiest room in the house to work (the living room) and after acting frustrated with the noise I told her she could go to my room and work on my bed. Several minutes later when I went to check on her she was sitting on my bed sobbing. I asked her what was wrong and she responded with, "I don't want to be 11. I don't want to go to school. I have so much homework, it's just too much! I can't do it!" I finally got her calmed down enough to take a deep breath and realize that the changes she's going through are making her feel completely overwhelmed. Now 2 hours later she's just about finished and ready to call it a day.

Heaven help us when all 3 girls get their periods. Hubby may as well take Elliot and run away for at least a week every month.