Tantrums, TMJ, and Pregnancy

Ok - so the title should have been three items that start with "T' and it could have been really catchy, but I couldn't come up with a way to refer to pregnancy with a T.  Trimester is a t-word related to pregnancy, but this is my second trimester not third...so no T.  Anywho, T or no T, as I already mentioned this pregnancy has been different than the first go around with Jayson.  Chalk it up to my age or the fact that I've already got a contentious child at home to deal with, it's all different and I can say I'd be appreciative of some better days.

These last few days I've been suffering from TMJ.  I've never had TMJ before, but thanks to google it appears it can be a not-so-pleasant side effect of pregnancy hormones.  My body right now is pumping out a lot of whatever helps joints be more elastic and it apparently has impacted the hinge of my jaw.  Joy.  Not something I experienced while pregnant with Jayson, but I guess each pregnancy is different.  I was at the dentist last week and was given a clean bill of health, so rather than call the dentist for a seemingly temporary thing I called my OBGYN and was told I could address it in three ways: tylenol, a heating pad, and/or a chiropractor.  We'll see how this plays out.  In the meantime I'm enduring a whole different type of pain.  One that walks and talks and weighs about 33 lbs.

That being said, Jayson has reached the Terrible Threes.  Everyone said that two was going to be problematic.  I call BS.  Two was easy.   Two was full of learning manners, starting to really understand what he was saying, lots of "yes mama," "please," and "thank you."  I didn't think two was a bad age.  Age three however can go to hell.  Three is full of tantrums, defiance, not listening, and the need for discipline.  I'm not a huge fan of this.  I'm frequently left to be the "bad parent" who enforces the rules and the timeouts and all the least fun parts of parental duties.  I've tried suggestions like "give him choices," "use the art of distraction," "ignore the tantrum" and "be firm - don't end sentences with 'OK?'"  The end result has still ended with much of the same frustration: repeating myself fifty times and tapping out with the husband before I go homicidal.  

Now add in the fact that I work full-time, have a forty minute commute each way to work, and by the time my pregnant self arrives home at night I'm TIRED.  I don't feel as though I'm any more tired than I was while I was first pregnant with Jayson.  If anything, having already had a child I've adjusted to being tired all the time.  However, being tired doesn't lend to an over abundance of patience.  So our household has been a whole lot of fun lately.  I'm being sarcastic of course, but I'm tired of feeling like a monster of a mother.  I've been reading "Toddlers are A**holes: It's not your fault" by Bunmi Laditan and I've also recently followed her on facebook.  Other sites like Scary Mommy and Hahas for Hoohas have offered some comedic relief and a sense that I'm not alone in my recent struggles.   Don't get me wrong.  I love my son, but most days he's lucky he's cute. 

Now that I've pretty much unloaded on you... any stories to share?  Mamas out there - can you relate?   Misery loves company.