Well, we had a few good weeks there. But this week has brought a high fever and a little bit of nasal congestion, so Curly has stayed home from daycare the last two days. He’s not really showing any other symptoms, and the fevers are responding well to ibuprofin. He’s sleepier than usual (as if that were possible) and a quick trip to the pediatrician gave him a diagnosis of: a virus. Hopefully he’ll be better after this weekend.
On a lighter note, we thought it might be a good time to share one of the crazy things that parenthood has done to us- hallucinations. Mine are primarily auditory, whereas Strawberry’s are visual/physical. Starting from the very first night we had Curly home, I’ve been hearing him cry or scream sometimes when he’s completely silent. I’m certain this was exacerbated by sleep deprivation and hormones early on, but I can’t really blame it on that now. It can wake me from a deep sleep, but I’ve learned not to trust my ears. When we are downstairs and he’s in his bedroom, I can double check the lights on the baby monitor (we keep it silent) and Strawberry will catch me doing it and reassure me. When we’re upstairs asleep, I sometimes get out of bed and stand at his door to make sure he’s not crying.
Meanwhile, starting very early after his birth and lasting a few weeks, Strawberry would have occasional nightly episodes where she was frantic that Curly was in our bed and suffocating in the blankets. I would wake up to her throwing back the covers and patting the bed (and me) looking for the baby while only half awake. This is especially odd because we never had him in the bed with us, ever. He was in the pack n’ play bassinet for the first 3 weeks and then in his crib. There were 4 or 5 episodes like this which subsided. But just two nights ago, I was startled from a deep sleep when Strawberry smacked me repeatedly on the chest. Apparently her dream state had convinced her that Curlywas choking so she thought she was smacking him on the back.
Parenthood has obviously turned us into paranoid psychopaths. Anyone else experience similar craziness?
1 In Vermillion 
ah yes, i have the auditory hallucinations too. they have definitely decreased, but i still have occasions that i make my wife be very quiet while we’re in the living room so i can listen for arden. 🙂 hope miles gets better soon!
Me too! Those first couple weeks, I would lie in bed and “hear” the baby crying even though she was fast asleep next to me in her bassinet. I was so terrified of getting the kind of PPD that makes you suicidal and/or homocidal that the hallucinations scared me and I kept telling the boy to watch me that I didn’t do anything crazy.
Poor Miles, I was hoping he’d make it through the end of flu season without catching anything else!
I used to do the same as strawberry. I was waking up all the time thinking I was suffocating holland or he was stuck under the covers. One time I woke up thinking I was pumping in bed!
I woke up once digging through the blankets looking for Ryan. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I was convinced he had suffocated in the blankets.
I wake up paniced like Strawberry, thinking the baby is in bed with us and suffocating. What is that!?
Hope Miles feels better soon – poor baby!!
No hallucinations, but I haven’t had to shave my armpits since I gave birth. Nice, but strange.
Wow, that sounds crazy! I hadn’t heard of that before, but by reading your comments, it sounds kind of common. Bizarre…
Poor little guy has had a rough winter, hasn’t he? Hope he’s on the mend. 🙂
The other day I punched Mama Jae in the chest when I am half asleep, thinking she was the alarm clock. I don’t have the excuse of the baby though. I’ll have to warn her about what’s coming.
Hope Miles feels better!
I totally do all of those things. I’m always patting Mark down in the middle of the night to make sure he’s not laying on top of Olivia.
I think I hear her cry constantly. At work, even.
Bat shit crazy.
Oh, and I hope Miles feels better soon.
Oh yikes! Sounds like we have a lot to look fwd to ;).
Big hug to Miles.
I had terrible dreams about you drowning after you were born so I learned how to swim, sort of. When I was pregnant with you I had all kinds of nightmares about Dad getting killed. Being bitten by poisonous snakes and there not being any anti-venom in Shelby to save him was just one of them. Glad Miles was better today.
Yep, I’ve heard of that before and I’m sure it’s something that will hit us too – K already has crazy realistic dreams so I’m sure there’ll be some baby related ones!
By the way, I love your ‘watch Miles grow’ page too, great idea!
Oh my gosh, I do both those things! I always think I hear the kids when the house is dead silent. I also dream that something is wrong with my kids -that they’ve stopped breathing or are choking.
You know, humans are the only mammals that don’t co-sleep with their infants as a rule, so I wonder if Strawberry’s hallucinations about him suffocating in bed aren’t some kind of subconscious biological thing dating back to the dark ages, when all humans probably slept with their babies for warmth?
I totally hear Lucas crying all the time– and he’s usually not. I am forever looking up from my pillow at the monitor all night long…
We should schedule a play date!
I was on a road trip once and I kept thinking I was smelling my baby’s poopy diaper! It’s very bizarre. I’ve also been driving and thought I had the baby in the back… actually talked to him before remembering he wasn’t with me.
Chuckle, chuckle. Sorry ladies but the visual of it makes me smile. It must be maddening and a little destressing though, especially in the middle of the night.
Thanks fer prepping me for what’s to come!
PS – feel better soon Miles!