Halloween reeked havoc on the mind of our little boy. Boo is a firm believer that a ghost, monster and the occasional dinosaur enter our home at night and cause the creaks and squeaks that can be heard once the lights go out.
AJ’s no help because he continues to make booing and howling noises in our dark bedroom when he comes up for bed. Boo knows that it is AJ and looks for him announcing the ghost to Joe and me but is convinced that there is another one in his room.
With the introduction of the big boy bed, we have had a number of sleepless nights with Boo in our bed or one of us in his. We have searched the room, looked under the bed, told them to go home to their moms, added a ton of stuffed animals to his bed and put in another night light.
Now he is finally sleeping through the night, mostly, and is eager to go to bed. It is a major step up from a week ago but I am feeling a vague similarity to the sleepless nights with a baby. Thank goodness this won’t last as long.
Joe and I were talking and remembered AJ having visits by a big bear and a dinosaur that refused to go home to their mommies. At the time we thought that he was trying to stay up later but in hindsight he may have been afraid of a shadow or sound. To cure his anxiety I made him a paper shield and hung it on his wall. Since it was a dinosaur I resorted to the protection of the shield to guard against his nemesis the dinosaur. As for the bear, I sternly told him that it was not ok to be out so late and that his mother would be worried. I told the bear to go home, RIGHT NOW, and he did. AJ slept soundly after that and has ever since.
Today my mom brought over a stone frog that is said to sing at night to keep away bad dreams. I read the story to the boys and put the frog in Boo’s room. Both boys were intrigued and eager to hear the songs that the frog would sing. I told them that they would have to be really quiet and try to sleep because the frog would only sing when dreams were coming. The songs of the frog would only allow good dreams to enter our home and keep bad dreams firmly outside of our windows and doors.
I am optimistic that he will hear the sounds of the singing frog and know that he is safe to sleep soundly tonight, I know that I will.
Off to make another Mommy Milestone.