Temper Tantrums

Lately Ella has been very sure of what she wants and if we take it away she throws an absolute fit. Today we got back from running errands and she was playing with a thing of baby motrin that she pulled out of our shopping bag. It was still sealed so I let her play with it for a minute while I put everything else away but it was time for a diaper change and nap, so I took it away. And she absolutely freaked out! She actually wasn't even holding it at the moment, she had dropped it on the floor and was playing with something else. But when she saw that it was going away she started her tantrum. Then all through her diaper change she was screaming and trying to get up and arching her back so it was nearly impossible to change her diaper. She drank her bottle well but when it was gone she started screaming again. I rocked her for a bit and laid her down like I always do before naps and she started screaming again. Normally I would let her cry in her crib for a bit because she falls asleep so quickly but this screaming was more than I could take. So I held her and rocked her some more. It seemed like she fell asleep so I tried to lay her down, and more screaming ensued. I gave her some more milk thinking it would calm her down, which it did until it was gone and she started screaming again. So I gave her some more thinking she was just extra hungry. At this point she had drank 12 ounces (she normally has 5) and had been screaming off and on (mostly on) for an hour. I rocked her some more and rubbed her back until she calmed down. Then I laid her down again, she cried some more and she is finally quiet after 1 hour 15 minutes of craziness.

I really don't know what to do about these temper tantrums she is having lately. Normally she freaks out over diaper changes but stops as soon as I am done. If she gets mad because we took something away she usually stops as soon as we give her something new. But this time she was already playing with something new when I took the motrin away. So what gives? Was it just extra aggravated because it was nap time? She slept fine last night and actually napped well yesterday at my parents, so I don't think she was overly tired. She hadn't even shown any signs of being tired before I started this whole process. I have been reading online and everything is saying to just replace the object you took away or remove them from the situation and they will calm down. Give them a hug and everything is just dandy. But you know what? That doesn't always work. So when it doesn't work what do I do? I am glad that I didn't give in to her screaming and give her the motrin back because then she will think she is in charge, and in essence would be. She has been testing me a lot lately to see who has the power. I have not given in and she has been doing better, but today really caught me off guard. She woke up happy and was in a good mood all morning. She was her normal friendly self at the bank and Walmart. I don't know what happened. She continues to be a mystery to me...