Night terrors.

When Trevor was a baby he had horrible night terrors.  He would wake up screaming and thrashing around in his bed.  We couldn't wake him and I had to hold him so he would scratch himself up. He would wake up all scratched up and bloody until we figured out the problem..  So I took him to the dr. and they had me lay in bed with him and after every 15mins I would have to wake him up to stop the dream cycle and break the pattern.  It was MISERABLE especially being pregnant with Josh. And it took several weeks.   The poor kid was so aggressive and always afraid that someone was out to get him.  He still struggles with that!!!   He always thinks there is someone lurking around the corner ready to snatch him at any time.  It's so sad.  I don't know how to reassure him.  Every now and then he still has these horrible nightmares and the next day he's just unruly and unbearable to get along with.  I've tried all sorts of things and unfortunately for me the Dr.'s just say put him on Ritalin (he doesn't have ADHD) or he will grow out of it.  I feel like my hands are tied sometimes in not knowing how to fix this.

And now the problem is starting in Gavin.  I haven't slept in months.  He wakes up SCREAMING and can't be consoled.  His eyes are wide open but he is still asleep and can't be woken up.  His is worse because he's afraid of a giant hand.  Not sure why but he thinks a hand is grabbing him.  So he screams for me to hold him and when I reach out to pick him up he just loses it.  At least with Trevor sometimes just jumping in bed with him holding him reassuring him it's ok he can go back to sleep and sleep peacefully.  The other night Gavin yelled at the top of his lungs from 3:30-5:15.  I was out of my mind when I finally got him calmed and back to sleep.  Gavin is a really easy going kid he's been in time out maybe 5 times  and he's super sensitive when he gets into trouble.  So he doesn't act out too often. Well after our exhausting night he's being a stinker today and the last straw was when he threw about 100 marbles down the stairs resulting in several of them shattering.  I told him he was in time out and had to sit at the top of the stairs until I got them all cleaned up. ( I didn't want him to walk in the glass.)  But he was in big trouble and needed a time out.  He began to hoot and holler crying about how mean I am.  Then he said "that's it mom you are on the naughty list."  I couldn't help but laugh at that one. 

I'm about to lose my mind with these night terrors.  I'm so super grumpy and a zombie.  I need some sleep desperately.  Not to mention so do my cranky kids.  I sure hope they grow our of them soon or I figure out a solution to this I feel so bad I can only imagine how frightening it must be to be to have such vivid terrifying dreams. 

Luckily Josh didn't have them.  But when he sees something that is scary he wont go to bed and I usually have to sleep on his floor for days and days. 

The other day I told Josh that sleep was my best friend.  He then said to me.  "Mom I'm so sorry, we need to find you some real friends"   He's always looking out for me funny boy.