The Amazing Memory of Nicholas

Part One:
A few weeks ago, the children and I were rushing through Walmart. The boys had a birthday party to get to, and I had to pick up my mom from the airport. In a moment of insanity, I stuck our little Houdini in the cart basket for a second. . . Sensing freedom, Nicholas tried to climb out, but ended up falling onto the concrete floor. Unfortunately, his head caught the fall. I watched in horror as a bump the size of a golf ball grew on his forehead. Sobbing, I rushed him to the ER, where they did an MRI and pronounced him nothing but bruised.

His bruise four days later

Part Two:
Nicholas has always been a mother's dream when it comes to sleeping. At 7:30 every night, he asks to go to bed. He'll also ask for a nap occasionally. He has no problem going to sleep by himself. And he'll sleep till 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. A few days after his fall, he freaked out when we tried to put him to bed -- he did not want to be left alone in his room. He woke up multiple times in the night crying and would not go back to sleep unless someone stayed in his room. Josh and I just thought it was because of the many changes in our house, and hoped he'd grow out of it.

Part Three:
A few days ago, Nicholas and I were playing in his room. For a brief moment, the room was silent. I heard a faint beeping noise. I wondered out loud, "What is making that beeping noise?" Fear appeared on Nicholas' face. He climbed into my lap and screamed, "No beep! No beep!" Strange, I thought. So we did a long search to discover what was making the noise. Hidden in one of his drawers was a toy running out of power. I turned off the toy and told Nicholas no more beeps. He looked at me for reassurance and asked over and over again, "No more beeps? Beeps all gone?" I repeated over and over again, no more beeps, until he was satisfied and went back to play. That night, before bed, he asked again "No more beeps?" "Beeps all gone," I said. He slept through the night for the first time in almost three weeks.

I told Josh what I thought was a funny story about the beeps. Josh told me that when Nicholas had his MRI, they told him he would just hear a few beeps and then he would be all done. So my poor boy has been hearing beeps for three weeks, scared that he would have to go into the machine again! I was shocked that he had remembered it! But the mystery is solved -- the beeps are gone and night time is peaceful again.