Tantrums: A Dialogue

My daughter is only 6 months old and she's already having tantrums. Many of them. For no reason. When I sit her in the play pen. When I put her in the stroller. When I lean her back a little for her bottle feeding. You know that moment, when you are dressing them and you are putting their arms through the sleeve, that moment she hates. She throws a fit. Is there any reason to feel this could be a game changer? Can I be raising an impertinent child who has tantrums just to test me? Maybe I'm putting too much into this. But, I can't help but wonder...

Here she is right at the beginning of a tantrum wave.  I just happened to be using the phone.  If you've been reading this blog, you know by now that Emilu has been a high needs baby since her newborn days.  Maybe it's time for me to surrender, and stop over-analyzing her moods. I shall have to embrace that my daughter is special.  In her own little world, I'm special too.  It's the reason why she's so honest and open about her feelings. She wants me to accept that. 

And I'm slowly learning .  I'm discovering her intensity, her resolute ways.  And one day she'll discover mine.. We are beginning to understand each other, hear each other out.  This is the beginning of a lifelong dialogue. This is ground zero for us both.

The First Tantrum

Don't be fooled by the puppy lovey cutie face in this picture.  She had just had her first tantrum.  And it caught me by surprise.  You see, we were taking a stroll and she suddenly decides she no longer wants to be in the stroller and starts crying.  To calm her down, I succumb to the give--them-whatever you have in your hands technique, which works like magic every time.  I give her my cellphone and she puts it in her mouth, so I take it away from her and she snaps and bends her body backwards in a strong jerky movement, which makes her slide off the the seat all while wailing. Scary and funny at the same time. What's a mother to do? We are 4 blocks from home, so I give her my next best item, my sunglasses. 

This could turn into a small preview of what's to come or it could just be an isolated event.  What's your experience with tantrums and infants?  I know it's a challenge since you cannot rationalize with an infant, or can you?