the ceiling is falling.

Tonight, the kids opted for a campout. This is actually the second night in a row we've tried this method. Last night didn't work, and both kids didn't go to sleep until almost midnight. Here's the background: On the night before New Year's eve, Hudsen came into our room in the middle of the night. He was acting very strange - it was quite clear that he had some kind of nightmare or was experiencing night terrors. (Actually, that wasn't clear because I didn't even know what night terrors were until this whole deal.) Back to the explanation: Hudsen was pointing at the ceiling, scared, acting as if he could see something. Then, he would start crying if we didn't hold him and keep his feet from touching the ground or bed. We thought for a few minutes that he was maybe hallucinating. I even checked his bed for bugs, spiders, mushrooms (ha), etc. to see if maybe something bit him. He lied awake the whole night, staring at the ceiling. Not crying, just staring.

The next day, Nicole had to carry him around so he didn't touch the carpet. She finally convinced him near day's end to wear flip flops.

So, this has been going on for five days, sporadically. During the day, he seems to forget about it. Come night, he begins to convince himself that the ceiling is "going to fall." Hence, we tried the campout-fakeout to maybe take his mind off the falling ceiling. Tonight, he seems to be doing okay.

Anyway - at 3AM that first night, we researched on the web and it sounds like other parents have experienced similar symptoms through "night terrors", but I'm leaning toward a nightmare.

Here's to a good night rest and keep your eyes out for any falling ceilings.