At 5:15 this morning, I was very sharply awakened by Annabelle's piercing scream. She was terrified. This wasn't a lonely or hungry cry. This was fear. I literally ran into her room where she was waiting with arms up for someone to rescue her. When she finally settled down, she was able to tell me what was wrong: "A green dinosaur chouched me. He chouched me on my neck." A nightmare.
I explained that there wasn't a dinosaur anywhere, that it was just Mommy, Daddy, and Lydia in the house. But she was sure. She looked around her room for the green dinosaur and told me again and again that the green dinosaur "chouched" her neck. I took her into both Daddy's and Lydia's room to show her that they were safe and sleeping. I gave her some milk and told her she was safe. When I put her back in bed she started to whimper and cry and frantically begged me to go see Daddy "so he won't fall."
I took her into our room, where she got wrapped up in a two-sided snuggle and assured that Daddy was okay, that there wasn't a green dinosaur, that she was safe in our snuggles. Wrapped up in Daddy's arms, she was able to fall back asleep. But only then.
When she woke up a few hours later, I didn't mention the dinosaur, not wanting to remind her and figuring she would have dismissed it from her sleepy memory. Not so. About an hour after she woke up, she suddenly recalled it. And she recalled more details: "The green dinosaur was on Lichelle's {my mom} stairs. He was in a box. And he was crawling like this. He said, 'Ggggrraaawr!' and I cried at its face, and it chouched my neck. I said, 'Don Don.' I was looking for Don Don {my sister, to save her I assume}." And she keeps telling me about it. No amount of persuasion will convince her that the green dinosaur does not exist: "No, Mommy. I sawd it! It chouched me!" She keeps mentioning it, and we keep talking about how she's safe and I will never let a green dinosaur get her.
It kind of breaks my heart that she knows how to be afraid. We do our very best to protect her and shield her from the dark things of this world. She'll get to them soon enough, and honestly I don't think a two year old can be too sheltered. But something* crept into her mind and turned into something scary. I hope she knows that as long as we are able, we will protect and defend her. I hope she knows that there will be scary things in life, but that we will always always be there to hug the scariness away.
I explained that there wasn't a dinosaur anywhere, that it was just Mommy, Daddy, and Lydia in the house. But she was sure. She looked around her room for the green dinosaur and told me again and again that the green dinosaur "chouched" her neck. I took her into both Daddy's and Lydia's room to show her that they were safe and sleeping. I gave her some milk and told her she was safe. When I put her back in bed she started to whimper and cry and frantically begged me to go see Daddy "so he won't fall."
I took her into our room, where she got wrapped up in a two-sided snuggle and assured that Daddy was okay, that there wasn't a green dinosaur, that she was safe in our snuggles. Wrapped up in Daddy's arms, she was able to fall back asleep. But only then.
When she woke up a few hours later, I didn't mention the dinosaur, not wanting to remind her and figuring she would have dismissed it from her sleepy memory. Not so. About an hour after she woke up, she suddenly recalled it. And she recalled more details: "The green dinosaur was on Lichelle's {my mom} stairs. He was in a box. And he was crawling like this. He said, 'Ggggrraaawr!' and I cried at its face, and it chouched my neck. I said, 'Don Don.' I was looking for Don Don {my sister, to save her I assume}." And she keeps telling me about it. No amount of persuasion will convince her that the green dinosaur does not exist: "No, Mommy. I sawd it! It chouched me!" She keeps mentioning it, and we keep talking about how she's safe and I will never let a green dinosaur get her.
It kind of breaks my heart that she knows how to be afraid. We do our very best to protect her and shield her from the dark things of this world. She'll get to them soon enough, and honestly I don't think a two year old can be too sheltered. But something* crept into her mind and turned into something scary. I hope she knows that as long as we are able, we will protect and defend her. I hope she knows that there will be scary things in life, but that we will always always be there to hug the scariness away.
* I'm guessing the green dinosaur came from Toy Story. He's not even a scary dinosaur, yet her mind knew to change him into one. So interesting as we don't have TV or dinosaur movies or even dinosaur toys.
Photos by dc photography.
Photos by dc photography.
1 comment:
I would've been there if I could! Poor baby!
and funny how pictures I took keep showing up. ;)
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