I am a horrible sleeper. I remember in second or third grade laying awake, staring at the bunk above, listening to my sister’s rhythmic breathing, and stressing out about the speed math quiz in school tomorrow, hoping I would get 100% again and not tarnish my perfect record. Yeah, I’m a dork, I know. Although I’ve gotten better through the years (Africa helped), I still haven’t been able to shake the occasional stress-induced bout of insomnia, especially now that I’m a mom.
Both my girls (20 months and 4 months) have their first colds of the season and about four nights ago, I fell into bed after a long day as a stay at home mom thankful for a comfy bed and a dark room. Within the first hour I was awakened three different times to comfort crying babies and by the third time, I was done. Brain wired open. Oh joy. I lay in bed for an hour and a half hoping it wasn’t so before I got up to surf the Net and pray for sleep. That’s when I heard the thumping.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard thumps in the night. It actually started three or four months ago. I have laid in bed many a night thinking I heard heavy foot falls down the hallway, but dismissed the idea as postpartum paranoia about child abductions (not sure if that really exists, but it was easier for me to think this at two in the morning than to really believe someone was breaking into my house and pacing the hallways every night).
Anyway, from my insomnia induced perch at the computer, I could clearly see down the hall and no one else was there, yet the noise continued and it wasn’t in my head. It wasn’t an intruder at all, but my baby raising her tiny legs and thumping them down again against her mattress over and over again to the rhythm of heavy foot steps. My own little Thumper. Who knew babies can also have restless leg syndrome? Or that I would ever be glad for a little insomnia? Mystery solved!
