Night Wakings

Charlotte's had nightmares, or at least upsetting disruptions in her sleep, for over a year. We went through a spell between 18-24 months where they were much rarer than before, but then we took the pacis away & they came back with a vengeance. Charlotte would wake up screaming & crying 5 times a week.

It's seeming to get a little better lately. Now she's *only* doing it about 3 times each week. Most nights she calms down right away as soon as someone goes in to comfort her. But very rarely does she offer the plot of her nightmare or the cause of her sudden screaming at an unreasonable hour. When asked, the two most likely answers are that shadows scared her, or the big giant did. There's one episode of Super Why with a les-than-friendly giant & Charlotte has been blaming him for nightmares for probably just about a year now. I'm not sure I believe her every time, but I have seen her get spooked & ask to watch something else when she thinks the giant episode of Super Why is on. 

Last night was a little different. Around 2:30 I woke to the familiar sounds of her frantic cries. I got to her bed & smoothed the hair out of her face & asked, "what's wrong?" Through big sobs she told me "I forgot my puppy!!" I immediately remembered her bringing a stuffed puppy upstairs at bath time, excited to cuddle with a new friend that night. I also remembered moving that puppy off of Natalie's recliner after Charlotte had gone to bed. I went to Natalie's room to retrieve the puppy, and as soon as I came back with him, Charlotte hugged him close, petting his head, and smiled as she said, "I'm so glad you 'bringed' my puppy, Mommy." 

(Charlotte & puppy this morning) 

This little girl, with her big heart full of compassion, was concerned about the puppy being alone all night. 

After over 2 years of either rocking her to sleep or laying/sitting on her bed until she dozes off, we are finally able to leave her room while she's awake and she'll go to sleep on her own without tears. That milestone & the pictures I sometimes sneak when I creep back into her room to turn off her projector remind me of how big she's getting. Especially with little Natalie now to compare in size, Charlotte's no longer a baby. And every day she seems to even be growing out of the toddler phase as well. 

She's been potty trained for almost 3 months now, dry overnight for 2 of those months, and last night was the first time she woke me up to tell me she had to go potty (about an hour after the puppy incident). Another sign she's getting bigger, more mature, more independent. 

It's been a long 2 years+ with her sleep troubles. But I just know that in a few years, I'll look at my kiddo & remember nights like last fondly. Smoothin her hair, wiping tears off of her cheeks, and telling her how much I love her in the soft glow of her nightlight.