Gabriel gets night terrors - maybe once a month or so. Sometimes his eyes are open and he's still asleep, sometimes he's awake. Sometimes he wants nothing to do with anyone and freaks out if I try to touch him. Sometimes he clings so tightly to me that I couldn't pry him off if I wanted to. However, up until yesterday, they were *night* terrors.

Yesterday he fell asleep for a nap around 2:45pm. About five minutes later, he was screaming. I scooped him up and put him on my lap and he stayed there for two hours. Clinging to me, inconsolable, and screaming. The poor thing. Nothing I tried to do for him worked, so I just let him stay on me the whole time. I had a Netflix movie on the laptop because I knew I wouldn't be getting up anytime soon and he didn't even notice it. I made sure it was one I had seen before because there was no way I was going to hear it. So, for 2+ hours I was trying to consol Gabriel. What worked? The damn credits. When the movie credits came on, Gabriel snapped out of it. He looked at the computer screen with a huge smile on his face. He said "I like credits" and let me finally blow his nose. When the credits were over and done with, he was fine and back to his usual spaztic and happy self.

He's never had a night terror during a daytime nap, but I guess they can strike at any time.

We spoke to his pediatrician about this at his 3 year check up. They're normal and there's nothing you can do about them other than to try and consol them when they're going through it. They can be a result of a traumatic birth, which he definitely had. My poor little sweetie. I wish there was something I could do to make him never have to go through that again.

By the time Rob got home from work last night, I was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. We ate dinner, I took a bath, Rob bathed the Poopchuck, and luckily Gabriel fell asleep early since he missed his nap. Which meant that I could go to sleep early. I was in bed around 9:30pm.

Of course, that didn't mean I got decent sleep. Gabriel sometimes would let out a whimper or a cry that would wake me up. Cuddling him made it better. And I had several bathroom runs as well. I'm still tired today, but nowhere near as exhausted as I was at the end of yesterday.

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