Even God Rested, For Crying Out Loud
May 30th, 2007 by FiddledeedeeOne night, a couple of weeks ago, I was commenting to Fiddledaddy how wonderful it was that Jensen was finally sleeping through the night, and how much better I was feeling with, well, actual REM sleep. I mean, WOW, what a difference. I wasn’t so jumpy anymore, or as irritable, and those dark circles under my eyes were just beginning to fade, and I no longer had that glazed, crazed expression anytime anyone asked me “How are you doing?”, which almost always elicited a knee jerk reaction, “HOW DOES IT LOOK LIKE I’M DOING?”
I curled up into my customary fetal position with an ice pack on my head, and blissfully put the day behind me. Then at two in the morning, we were awakened by a blood curdling scream, in stereo. And it was drawing closer to the Master Suite. Fiddledaddy had to peel me off the ceiling, while I was still wearing my black zorro mask.
Cailey had a bad dream. And then gave it to her sister. When my heart started pumping blood once again, I was able to understand the series of events that lead to my two girls running and screaming like small bats out of a hot place. Cailey, who is never one to keep her emotions close to her vest, awoke from a bad dream. And began The Sobbing. Which in turn, woke Emme. Now, Emme is not one to hide her anger, and she was justifiably peeved at being awoken way before breakfast was to be served. So, she yelled “Stop it!” (a bit too loud) which in turn scared the sobbing sister. And then Cailey, much like her mother, who can’t handle being scared, screamed at the top of her lungs. Which scared Emme back, so she screamed at the top of her lungs. That’s when they both jumped out of bed and ran shrieking down the hall in search of the safety that can only be found in the Master Suite. (I stubbornly continue to refer to it as the Master Suite, because that’s what the builder called it. The only thing that makes it “suite” is that it has a functioning bathroom. Which is handy in case someone scares me in the middle of the night. I’m just sayin’.)
It took three hours to get everyone calmed down and back to their respective beds. And for me to clean the ceiling tile from under my nails.
Jensen slept through the whole thing.
I wish I could say it was a one time occurrence. Sadly, no. I’m once again jumpy as a cat in a dog pound, and there isn’t enough concealer in all of the state to help me with the circles. We were able to determine that the bad dreams had something to do with moving shadows on the wall. And Cailey’s bed was up against the wall. While Emme’s was on the other side of the room, behind a bookcase, used as a room divider. About a week ago, during a caffeine overdose, I rearranged the entire room so that Cailey was not up against the wall, and her sister’s bed is now visible to her. Lest she think that she’s all alone. It seems to be helping. But really, I hesitate to admit it out loud. Not that I’m superstitious, knock on wood, and cross my fingers.
Last night, I asked Cailey if she liked being able to see her sister’s face in case she woke up in the middle of the night. She said, “Yeah, but sometimes I stand up by her bed and stare at her, and she doesn’t really like that.”
Who would.
Getting my children to sleep at night, all night, has been my prime directive for the last 7 plus years. And I know that when they are teenagers, I’ll be griping and complaining about having to blast them OUT of bed.
Which will likely be about the same time I’m in the throws of menopausal night sweats. Perfect.
Posted in My Life as I See It |
May 30th, 2007 at 12:39 am
Oh. My. Word. LOL! I’m still sitting here chuckling to myself. A similar thing happened to my sisters and I when we were little resulting in all three of us screaming at the top of our lungs with my parents not knowing whose room to go into first (we were to scared to run anywhere - overactive imaginations run in the family instead…). Too funny, in retrospect of course.
May 30th, 2007 at 6:17 am
The only thing worse than being waked up in the middle of the night is being startled out of your mind when you’re waked up in the middle of the night! I am so sorry for you, because I feel your pain. Mine will scream like that just because his covers came off a little, which wakes the two year old he shares his room with, which means a bottle in the middle of the night ( i know he’s too old, but anything for a little sleep!) And then you have to get your heart rate back down before you can sleep. That is one thing I’m looking forward to in the teenager days!
May 30th, 2007 at 6:40 am
You must have some long strong fingernails girl! And yes, it won’t be long until they will never get out of bed. That’s exactly where I am right now and it is driving me insane. Actually yelled at my 20 year old yesterday at noon to get her hind end out of that bed. I figure if I don’t get a good nights sleep than why should she? ;o)
For the future you might want to put some plastic underneath your sheet in case this happens again. I’m just sayin’!
May 30th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Blasting them out of bed is SWEET REVENGE!!! I so enjoy it when my 18 year old decides he wants to stay up til 2am and sleep til 10-11am, I clean the kitchen, loudly, vaccum, loudly, talk, loudly, slam drawers and doors, loudly…
It is so much fun considering that he sleeps on the living room couch most of the time. I consider this a mother’s “right of passage”.
Just wait, your time will be coming…ENJOY IT!!!!!
May 30th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Boo is still in a bad dream cycle. He also has taken to just waking up and coming in and standing by MY bed and staring at me…geesh I don’t wake up well to that–How old is Cailey? Are you considering an arranged marriage? They might be perfect for each other.
May 30th, 2007 at 9:41 am
I seriously need to remember to potty before I come over here!!!
SERIOUSLY…I’m still laughing…with you, not at you…well, at least not at you too much. I’m a firm believer in the fact that if you get too much enjoyment out of other’s kids shenanigans, your own will turn around and do the same to you!
May 30th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Sorry you are lacking rest. Praying it returns home.
May 30th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Good Lord! The thought of someone standing at my bed staring at me while I sleep creeps me out! Poor kid!
May 30th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Those nights are so horrible - I remember them well.
Our son started night terrors at the age 7. He’d wake up screaming like someone was murdering him and it would get worse when he couldn’t open his bedroom door(it would seem he couldn’t figure out how to open doors in this state).
One time we were staying in a motel and in the middle of the night I heard this blood curdling scream. I thought someone must have broken in the main floor windo and was killing someone. No, it was just my dear son in the throes of a night terror.
Thankfully these happen less and less but it happened enough to make my daughter terrified at night. She was sure he’d come in her room and scare the heck out of her.
May 30th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Try MELATONIN!!! It’s natural… works wonders. Helps the kiddos sleep thru the night…
Amanda
May 30th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
THREE hours??? Bless your heart.
My kids aren’t even three yet and we’re having issues. We are desperately trying to move Youngest upstairs so that she and her sister can share a room. But she hates it and cries (or screams, rather) at the top of her lungs until we “rescue” her from the horrible, awful, monster that is her adorable little toddler bed and reutrn her to the guest room. In the basement. Which is where she’s been sleeping since she was an infant and she and I slept down there together becuase she had colic and we didn’t want to disturb Oldest and Hubby.
How one earth did you get Cailey and Emme to share a room??
May 30th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Oh, how I hate to wake up to screaming and crying. E. does this sometimes to report there is a gorilla in her room.
May 30th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I hear you, loud and clear! My 5-year-old tried to walk in the other night at an (ahem) inconvenient time (thank goodness for door locks). Why can’t they just sleep?
I’m going to start a separate blog for just homeschooling stuff and I’m making a section with links to homeschool mommy blogs. I’m putting you on the list, if that’s okay.
May 31st, 2007 at 7:17 am
Preach It!
Oh, wait, you weren’t. But I’m right there with you!!
I’ll testify!
My 16month old has yet to sleep the night - and there are nights that the 3 year old doesn’t either. Today was one of those days - which might explain why I thought you were preaching. *L*
nice to know there are others who are grateful for the “master” bath - and for very similar reasons.
Sleep is good.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:02 pm
LOL Try having teens who won’t get out of bed paired with little ones who won’t sleep at night! Man, I’m tired! I live on caffiene, even late at night. I need caffeine just to make it to my bed, lol.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:22 am
I realize it’s not funny to have that happen, but the way you describe things is pretty doggon funny! My son is 15 mo old. He sleeps through the night 95% of the time. Last night, he started crying, but then I heard him hitting his head on the mattress which meant he was trying to go back to sleep. It’s too wild hearing such blood curdling screams at night……after being asleep for an hour or 2 or 3.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Sorry to be the one to tell you this….but by the time they are teenagers (I have two daughters) you will no longer be able to “find” so called bed because, depending on how many articles of clothing they own…..it will be so dispersed throughout the bedroom, the bed will cease to exist!
I blogged about it a while back.
http://good-knights-news.blogspot.com/2007/03/deal-with-your-stuff.html