Sydney’s normal bedtime routine is: bath, book read by Daddy, have Mommy watch me go to sleep, sleep for 4-5 hours, wake up, holler for Mommy, hear Mommy say I’m OK and go back to sleep, wake up at 5:30 am and climb into Mommy’s bed, sleep the rest of the morning with Mommy while Daddy gets ready & leaves for work.
We’ve not been sure why Sydney would wake up after 4-5 hours. Typically, she’ll go back to sleep with out much of a fight but not before she’s woken up the whole house. Last night gave me a clue to what might be going on.
Sydney woke up crying and screaming. I told her she was ok & to go back to sleep. Normally, that works. Last night…not so much. I then noticed that she must now be standing in the floor of her room because the sound was too close. That told me that she must be scared enough to get out of bed. So, I told her to come to me. When she did, I asked her what was wrong. She pointed to our bed. I said, “Yes, I know you want to get in bed with us, but why? Why don’t you want to sleep in Sydney’s bed?” Her reply, “There are spiders in Sydney’s bed. They bite my fingers and it HURTS!” Followed by frantic crying. I then scooped her up, held her until she settled down, and felt a little guilty for not going to her in the first place.
Evidently my daughter is having nightmares. She was still scared this morning. When I told her to climb up on her bed so I could change her diaper, she was hesitant. I picked her up and showed her that there were no spiders. She was convinced enough to stay at the end of the bed but was not willing to go close to her pillows. Tonight might be an interesting night. We’ll see…
My Wonderful Life 
Okay, you’re going to think I’m nuts, as my daughter already does . . . HOWEVER, take Sydney off of ALL dairy products for a few days and see what happens. I’m betting “no more nightmares”. PLUS, if I’m right, I can say, “See, I told you so!” to Kacey! :o)
That is too funny! Two weeks ago we went to the Dallas World Aquarium and the girls were having a great time until we got to the Mayan exhibit and saw 2 people all dressed up. One had a head dress like a cheetah, and Reagan screamed and called him the cheetah man. She is scared to go to bed and wakes up 3-4 times a week screaming about him!! This past saturday she wanted to go back, but only to see the animals, no scary people. I hope she sleeps for you tonight.