The Nightmare Before Christmas
/**aka Snakes in the Crib**
_______________________________________
Note: picture from 2015 ... there were no stockings this year, teddy pulled them down, too
'Twas four nights before Christmas and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even Rudy and his mouse.
The decorated tree gave off a warm glow,
adorned with ornaments from long ago. [really there are no ornaments on the tree, Teddy took them all off]
Teddy in his crib drifting asleep slowly,
Snuggled and dreaming of RoboCar Poli.
I in my new Lulu joggers and Papa in a charcoal mask,
we had just settled in for a long winters nap. (i.e. we were in bed reading and falling asleep at 9pm)
[at 12:09am]
When out of the monitor arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter!
Up! Up! - the stairs I went like a SWAT team.
All while my husband continued to dream.
_______________________________________
And thus begins the saga of Teddy's first nightmare (which we now have learned was a hallucination brought on by an extremely high fever). **cue the I feel like a horrible mom moment here**
_______________________________________
When I opened the door to his room I could hear a weird noise, not crying, not wheezing, more like moaning. I dimly turned on his light and looked into his crib and saw him wrestling with one of his stuffed animals. His eyes flashed open, he jumped up, and lunged at me, wailing, "Mamma, Mamma, out, uppie, uppie!!!!!"
I grabbed him, more correctly he grabbed me. and I tried to calm him down but he was nearly inconsolable. Finally, he started whimpering, "Snake, snake in crib." He had had a dream that snakes were in his crib.
From that point on I tried rocking him to sleep in his rocker and then putting him down - nope, he'd fall asleep and then pop up in terror when he hit the crib. Zach tried putting him down - same reaction.
We tried magic snake water, to make the snakes go away - nope. We went on a snake hunt to show him there were no snakes - nope. We gave him "go away snake lights" (glow stick bracelets) - nope.
Finally, at 3am, Teddy and I went downstairs and he played cars until 5am when he finally fell asleep for 45 minutes. He was determined not to sleep in that snake infested crib.
So determined that he wouldn't even NAP in his crib so what did we do? We walked 8 miles - 2 hours and he slept. We walked to the airport, down through Old Town, got coffee, chatted. And he slept, but not in his crib.
But while he slept he started to look really, really, sick. And had a temp of 104 ...
A quick doctors visit later, a double ear infection was discovered, Along with a fever that wasn't reacting to Motrin. When we told the pediatrician about his dream she said, "Oh, he probably hallucinated because of his fever. That can happen with kids. It's scary but OK."
Here I am, sitting in the corner of the exam room thinking, I didn't even think to give him Motrin last night, he was hot and I thought it was because he was worked up. Gah, could I have helped him. Oh the mom brain and guilt!
Now 7 days into his antibiotics the fever is gone and but the snakes are still a problem.
We rearranged his room so that he has a "new room" different from the one the snakes were in.
We still have a fear of the crib, and crying every time he goes in "no like snake!!", but he has started settling quickly and at least sleeping in it.
Snakes are a frequent topic of conversation in our house now, where are the snakes, do snakes live here, snakes are scary, we no like snakes. Needless to say, I don't think we will be visiting the reptile house at the zoo.
I try to be the strong parent and say, snakes are OK, blah,h blah, but lets be real. Snakes are gross. I don't like snakes. If I had a dream about snakes I'd freak out..
So, kiddo, I've got your back. Mamma no like snakes either.
