I guess my mommy instincts were sleeping this morning! - UPDATED 7/20

I am sure that I have mentioned that Katie has a special blanket. It is one of the two precious loveys that she has had since she was adopted in China. One of the loveys is a small stuffed baby that we sent to her in China and when we met her on forever day it was still with her. That baby was lovingly named "Snotty Baby" in China as Katie would rub it all over her face while she was crying (grieving) and of course since her nose was running, the baby became wet from her snot as well, thus Snotty Baby. The other lovey is a small ladybug taggie blanket that I purchased for Katie and her BFF Mia while both families were waiting for our girls to come home. Both girls immediately took to their blankets and had strong attachments to them. Katie Starr still loves to sleep with her blanket and when she is ill, she drags it all over the house with her. The rule is that she has to keep it in her room unless she is ill and that has worked for us. Believe me, Katie would look like Linus in "Peanuts" if that was not the rule.

OK, now onto the story about my "mommy instincts' being asleep at the wheel this morning...

Last evening, we came home quite late with the DD after a 4th birthday celebration with Mia and the "P" Family. The children went to bed quickly and I thought that since they were so wiped out that we would be lucky and they would most likely sleep in this morning. We had set the alarm a little later than usual to administer Marc's IV and so when Katie cried out a bit at 6:45 we were quite surprised to be awakened by that sound over the monitor. The DD sleep on the opposite side of the house, so in order to hear if there is an issue we still need the monitor.

The crying stopped as quickly as it started so we chalked it up to Katie crying out in her sleep, which happens when she has vivid dreams. I got up and gave Marc his IV and then laid down to go back to sleep and all was quiet. About a half hour later I heard the same noise and again it stopped quickly. Not one to ever wake a sleeping child, I decided to let it go and wait until I heard them wake up "for real." We fell back asleep and on and off a couple of more times I remember hearing the same sound...finally at 8:15 we heard a "real" cry that sat me straight up in bed. We ran to find Katie very upset and crying with her lady bug blanket up by her face. I asked her to please calm down and tell me what was wrong and then she sputtered out that the blanket was stuck in her earring. I gently pulled the blanket a bit away from her face and saw that one of the taggies that edge the blanket was crammed through the very tiny baby hoop earring that she was wearing and it was pulling the hole quite a bit. It really looked like it was painful and I am sure she was scared. Marc and I had to maneuver her and the earring a bit to get it unfastened and free her from the blanket. It was really kind of a freak thing but I am thinking it may be time to wean her from the blanket.

I felt just awful! She must have been drifting in and out of sleep and every time she realized that she was stuck to the blanket she would cry out and I am guessing fall back asleep when I did not come. Finally, she was awake enough to really be a bit more persistent. I explained to her that mommy thought she was just dreaming and that she needs to yell "Help!" to us it if she needs us. If there had been any crying for more than a second or two we definitely would have checked on her but I still felt awful that she was so upset for quite awhile. Of course, it did not help that we are both quite exhausted lately, since Marc is still getting better and I have a lot more on my plate.

No excuses though...next time, no matter what...I will check the first time I hear a cry.

UPDATE ~ There were a couple of comments and many private emails imploring me not to take Katie's blankie away. Fear not...I was just thinking the whole situation through while I was writing, which I really find like a therapy of sorts. When it was all said and done, I knew that there was no good reason to take her lovey away as under normal circumstances it has never hurt her to have it. Katie and her blankie will not be parted. On the other hand, the baby hoop earrings have been removed as last night they got caught up again on a beaded necklace that Katie made for herself. We are back to posts for now and so there will be no more to worry about......at least in the earring department!