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Bumps in the Night by Shana Galen



When I think of our topic this month, things that go bump in the night, I don’t think of ghosts or goblins or vampires. I don’t think of any horror-type things at all. I have plenty of real things that go bump in the night, and most of them are due to my own little goblin, Baby Galen.

I will preface this by saying that until 6 months ago, Baby Galen was not a good sleeper. She was usually up once a night at least 3-4 times a week. I don’t know about you, but if I anticipate my sleep is going to be interrupted, I sleep very lightly. In fact, I would often wake in the middle of the night and not be able to go back to sleep even if she was sound asleep. It was like my body was ready to be jolted awake, even when there was no need.

Finally, Baby Galen has started sleeping consistently, and my body has gotten back on a regular sleep schedule. But there are still occasional “bumps in the night.”

Like the other night when she’d been in bed for about forty-five minutes, and all of a sudden I hear her screaming. I ran into her room, and she said, “What’s wrong?”

Well, that was my question. So I said, “Why are you crying?”

She pointed to the floor. Her stuffed pink sheep had somehow (read: she threw it out) escaped the crib. So I had to give it back, and all was right with the world again.

Except, of course, my heart was galloping in my chest.

Another thing that goes bump in the night is Baby Galen’s feet. She likes to kick them on the sides of her crib when she wakes up. It might be six in the morning, and I’ll hear this thump, thump, thump. It's not a hook-armed man coming up the stairs for us, it's Baby Galen lying in bed, drumming with her feet. You wouldn’t believe how loud that can be in a silent house.

So I have enough bumps in the night without horror films making me imagine any more, thank you very much.

What about you? Have the kids, pets, or spouses ever jolted you awake in the wee hours?

Comments

  1. Shana,

    Baby Galen is adorable!

    I'm a fairly light sleeper, so practically anything will wake me up in the night--husband snoring, puppy switching positions, wind howling, coyotes yipping, etc.

    Can't remember the last time I've slept through the night! LOL

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  2. Beloved Offspring took three fun-filled action packed years of adventure before she slept through the night. I saw more E-van-jellical preaching at 2 am (my how television has changed--and that was the last TV I owned) than I have chic flicks. Because I'm a single mom, though, this was the time I got to spend with my kid and I tried not to resent it.

    Sleep later, love the kid now.

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  3. Sweet, sweet post, Shana. Nothing can make the heart pound like a baby's cry in the middle of the night and you have no idea what is wrong.
    Amelia

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  4. Twinkle Toes - my second child screamed for the first year of her life. My husband and I took turns sleeping, one night I'd walk her, the next night he would. It was nightmarish. Then I had my 3rd child and she was so sickly, no one slept for her first three years. I've learned to survive without it--or much of it at least.

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  5. Hey Tracey, one thing that helped me was taking melatonin. My doctor actually suggested it. It's over the counter. I took it for a few weeks and it got me back into the habit of sleeping through the night.

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  6. Oh, my, Grace. When I hear stories like that I feel very fortunate! But you're right. It's a short time in our lives comparatively.

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  7. You are so right, Amelia. There's nothing as terrifying as the baby's cry in the night.

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  8. Baby Galen is so sweet! Love that hair-do!
    My first born was a non-sleeper. The first time he slept all night when he was two years old I woke up with my heart pounding. It was six o'clock in the morning and I'd slept eight hours so my son must have died in his sleep. He was alive and well and my heart stopped racing a couple of days later!

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  9. Wow, Robin. It's always good to hear from people who have come out the other side.

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  10. Cute baby! My kids wake me up on a regular basis. My son usually sleeps through the night but tosses and turns and kicks the wall as he goes - he is very active - even in sleep! My daughter often wakes me up in the middle of the night. If I don't come fast enough she just comes to me. Many a morning I wake up to find her sleeping next to me and have no memory of how she got there!

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  11. LOL! My stepdaughters were "thumpers" too. Everyone in the family has jolted me awake at one time or another. The worst was when my Siamese cat was in heat. It sounded like a creature from the depths of hell!

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  12. It always amazes me, Carolyn, when people have more than one after the first one doesn't sleep. Two years is a long time to be up every night.

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  13. Amanda, I know that day is coming. Fortunately Baby Galen is still in her crib and hasn't figured out how to escape yet.

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  14. Brooklyn Ann, I know the exact sound. It's just awful. Why do cats like it?

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  15. I'm a light sleeper too, and our daughter was a wakeful baby that usually ended up in our room at night. It felt like I didn't sleep well for seven years. Once she got past that I had my hubby's schedule to contend with.He works shifts and sleeps really odd hours. He also falls asleep in his recliner watching TV and comes to bed in the middle of the night.Doesn't that sound romantic?

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  16. Actually, Gayle, that sounds like a lot of guys! I know my dad does that all the time. Seven years of not sleeping well. Wow. I'm sure you cherish it now.

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  17. Thank goodness my kids are mostly grown, Shana. Although I do have two tiny chihuahuas who can make more noise than I thought possible. :}

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