Existential growth spurt

Last night Millie wouldn't sleep. Sleeping has always been her Achilles heel-- we figure she's so engaged with the world she doesn't want to let it go. Sometimes it's also teething, or a tummy ache, or a cold.

Last night she cried out at 11pm and was really inconsolable- night terror? I don't know. I couldn't get her to settle back down. Then her dad came in to try to help and he took over. I heard her babbling away with him. At 12 am I went in and took her back from him to see if nursing would help. I'm trying to wean but it's hard if it's the only thing that will console her on a night like this. She settled down peacefully but didn't want to be alone. She was upset if I put her back in her crib so at 1am I brought her in to bed with us where she fell happily asleep until 7:30am.

This morning my husband said, "What do you think it was last night?" "I don't know," I said.
He said, "Well, there was a bizarre moment when I was holding her last night. She kept trying to settle down on my lap but at one point she sat up and said,

"Where did I come from?"
Wha??
Then she asked, "Where did I get my eyes?'"

"What did you say?" I asked him, in shock. "I told her she came from Mommy and Daddy. And you grew the eyes when you were inside mommy's tummy," he said.

She seemed to accept that and settle back down but not to sleep.

So now we can add to the list of things that keep Millie up at night: existential angst. It's like she went through a physical and psychic growth spurt last night. She seems taller this morning too.

I don't think I'd want to sleep alone either if I were her and all that was coursing through my little brain.