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Sebastian's nightmares
Sebastian had nightmares two nights in a row, a few days ago. The first time he let out a shriek of absolute terror in the middle of the night. I woke up (Teri slept through it somehow) and asked him what was wrong. He ended up coming over and sleeping in our bed.
The same thing happened the next night, minus the shriek.
Then he begged me to sleep with him all night. Have I talked about this? Maybe not. I read to Sebastian in bed every night. For quite a while, we've been reading the Doctor Dolittle books. Sometimes he falls asleep quickly, sometimes he stays awake for half an hour or more, and sometimes he gets sleepy and asks me to stop reading and sing to him.
Singing almost always puts him to sleep very quickly.
Anyway, he often asks me to sleep in his bed all night, so he won't be "lonely". Recently, he begged so pathetically that I agreed (with Teri's approval, of course). His bed is small, and the canopy-sheet that we rigged up makes me glad that I don't have claustrophobia (it's literally inches above my face; I push it up when I'm reading to him), and Sebastian tends to turn sideways in the bed. I didn't sleep that well. But in the middle of the night I woke up and looked over at him. He looked over at me, smiled, turned over and went back to sleep. He had no nightmares, for the first time in three days.
Then he begged me to sleep in his bed again the next night. I sort of half-agreed - he really does beg in the most affecting way - and read him to sleep. Then I went to bed with Teri...and lay there. I felt guilty. I'd let him think I'd sleep in his bed, but here I was in my much-more-comfortable bed with Teri! How would my poor little boy feel when he woke up?
After fifteen minutes I got up, went over, and got into his bed.
He woke up in the middle of the night and told me (without sounding too upset) that he'd had a nightmare. I passed over his cup of water; he thanked me, took a drink, handed the cup back and went back to sleep.
In the morning when he woke up the first thing he said was "I had a wonderful dream!"
The next night I slept in my own bed, and Sebastian had no nightmares.
The same thing happened the next night, minus the shriek.
Then he begged me to sleep with him all night. Have I talked about this? Maybe not. I read to Sebastian in bed every night. For quite a while, we've been reading the Doctor Dolittle books. Sometimes he falls asleep quickly, sometimes he stays awake for half an hour or more, and sometimes he gets sleepy and asks me to stop reading and sing to him.
Singing almost always puts him to sleep very quickly.
Anyway, he often asks me to sleep in his bed all night, so he won't be "lonely". Recently, he begged so pathetically that I agreed (with Teri's approval, of course). His bed is small, and the canopy-sheet that we rigged up makes me glad that I don't have claustrophobia (it's literally inches above my face; I push it up when I'm reading to him), and Sebastian tends to turn sideways in the bed. I didn't sleep that well. But in the middle of the night I woke up and looked over at him. He looked over at me, smiled, turned over and went back to sleep. He had no nightmares, for the first time in three days.
Then he begged me to sleep in his bed again the next night. I sort of half-agreed - he really does beg in the most affecting way - and read him to sleep. Then I went to bed with Teri...and lay there. I felt guilty. I'd let him think I'd sleep in his bed, but here I was in my much-more-comfortable bed with Teri! How would my poor little boy feel when he woke up?
After fifteen minutes I got up, went over, and got into his bed.
He woke up in the middle of the night and told me (without sounding too upset) that he'd had a nightmare. I passed over his cup of water; he thanked me, took a drink, handed the cup back and went back to sleep.
In the morning when he woke up the first thing he said was "I had a wonderful dream!"
The next night I slept in my own bed, and Sebastian had no nightmares.