The end of October

Wow - it's been a while since I last wrote. So much has happened. We moved out of one house, into another. The Breedorfs came for a visit. Charlie started preschool. And my mom is coming tomorrow to help me decorate the new place.

I've been updating my Facebook page way more often than this blog. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the "keeping up with" technology these days.

Charlie has a habit of calling everyone "Sir." Like me. If I say, "Don't keep banging that truck into the wall," he'll respond, "Sorry sir!" Or I say, "Do you want some more milk?" He'll say, "Yes, sir!" It's disconcerting.

He's also developed fears and started having nightmares. I made a bottle of "Good Dreams Spray" - water in a spray bottle - and since then he hasn't had any nightmares. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if it worked. But something strange started happening. A year ago, in the middle of the night, we drove to Jason's parents house to help them evacuate from the wildfires. We got off at our normal exit and we were confronted with a wall of fire. A fireman turned us around and we drove over burning embers to the next exit and managed to get to his parents before the roadblocks were installed.

Now, a year later, suddenly Charlie started freaking out when we use that exit. The first time he said, "No turning left, go straight, go straight." I totally turned left because I was on my way to Target and uh, he's three and he's not going to tell me how to get to Target. So he freaked out crying hysterically and the only thing that would calm him down is getting off at the next exit (coincidentally, it was the exit I needed to get to Target, so there). The tears stopped and we went on our way.

Today, Jason was driving Charlie and Boo over to pick up his mom while I worked and the cleaners cleaned the house. They went the long way, over the mountain and by Lake Hodges, and he had a great time. They picked her up and Jase went to get onto the highway on the same exit. He was instantly hysterical. "Turn right, Daddy! Don't go there!" For the entire 20 minutes of the drive he was screaming "No, we have to go back. Stop! Watch out!"

He went straight to his room when he came home and I went up after him to see if I could figure out the problem. He was talking like he does after his nightmares. "We can't go there, Mommy. Stop! Turn around!" He was talking as if he was reliving something. In his mind, it was happening. I figured out he was talking about a dream so I started rubbing his back and telling him that dreams are pretend, not real. "It's dangerous," he said, quieter now, his sobs turning into sniffles.

I then realized that the nightmares he's been having have been of the night of the fire. I could test it again, and drive down that exit ramp, but I think I'll just go to the next exit. 30 extra seconds out of my way isn't going to hurt anyone, and will probably help my child to not relive the first traumatic experience he ever had.

I wonder what else he remembers?