Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Phantom Cries are real.

Last night we went to some friends' house for dinner and games. 


(We're game people. Not everyone enjoys playing games, but we do, and that's good because our friends do also.)

Usually when we're over there, Liam will end up taking a nap on a bed in the apartment at some point in time. We kind of lay him in the middle of the bed with pillows making a fortified wall all around the unfamiliar blanket he is plopped down on. Crying is definitely expected. But sleep, most times, will come around eventually.

Not this time.

The crying would not cease. I interpreted his screams as, "I'm not taking this anymore! Put me in my own bed! I refuse to sleep anywhere where the sheets don't smell like drool!!!!"

So, after much of this kind of dialogue -- "Should we go get him?"  "But I feel like he's really tired and just needs to sleep."  "Maybe we could put him in the Moby to help him fall asleep."  "I think he'll calm down soon."  "He's not calming down."  -- I went in and got him.

He was completely fighting sleep -- his eyes were red (probably from the crying as well), they were droopy, and he was all-around cranky. And the one saying in our household (that we have so far) is "Cranky babies go to bed." But, like I said, he wasn't having any of it.

Even all wrapped up and close to Mama, he still refused to miss out on any possible action. His watery eyes were wide open and staring.

Later that night when we got home and finally put him to bed, sleep came like it usually does: quickly and peacefully.

But at 3:49 am......

I was abruptly awoken by very loud crying.

Liam had flipped himself over in his sleep, which is something he's been doing lately, and he doesn't exactly love it. So I went in and quietly turned him back over. He kept crying for a little while, then finally found his thumb and took a trip to dreamland.

I, however, found myself craning my neck and ears once I got back into bed. I could have sworn I heard him crying. And I would tiptoe out to the living room, being very still so that I could hear for sure.... and.... nothing. He was completely silent. So I would go back to bed, and there was that incessant crying again! Tiptoe, nothing, back to bed.

This went on probably four times before I reassured myself that it was just "phantom cries" in the end. My mind was playing tricks on me. I have encountered phantom cries many times before, and it's so weird how I really think that my child is crying. It's quite annoying because I can never relax until I'm absolutely positive that my brain is just being ridiculous and playing jokes on me. "Ha ha! Amy tiptoed again... let's do another cry." *giggle*

Have any of you experienced these phantom cries with your children?

2 comments:

Julie Alvarez said...

Hello, I heard from you from maya*made. I just read this post. And I can assure you that phantom cries from your own child are the most real thing to a mother. I heard them millions of times over the past three years, since my girls was born. I got up from my bed many many times, and then learned to listen carefully from my own bed, without waking up, and to recognize the sound of the phantom ones different from the real ones. But they sound so real too! Now, I often hear them when I am in the shower, even if my girl doesn't cry at nights anymore... funny, huh? But you know, sleeping has never been the same to me since I have a child. I sleep fine, but not perfect. But luckily, the little one does...!
Good luck.

~amy joy~ said...

@Julie -- I'm glad I'm not the only one! Thanks for the tip - I do need to learn how to distinguish between the real cries and the phantom ones. I'm getting a little better at it these days, so I have hope for the future! Glad that your daughter is sleeping well at night, what a blessing, huh?