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This little buddy fell asleep on the couch yesterday, amidst piles of clean laundry, on the couch.  I took a picture because I thought it was so cute.  He woke up and was miserable…high fever and sore throat.  And last night he had what we have always called “night terrors”…but these were worse.  Four different times during the night he woke up screaming and crying…sweating, and saying things that were heartbreaking.  The first time we brought him downstairs and he touched my face and screamed, “They’re behind you”, “Mom, I’m scared” and “I’m gonna die”.  Needless to say, he slept in our room last night.  The next three times were much the same…sometimes saying “they’re going to eat me” and “I don’t want to die”.  Sometimes it’s jibberish, but mostly his words are clear and frightened.  He’ll try to hold our hands or feel our face in an effort to come out of it.  We have to just hold him and rock him and speak in calm tones, trying to wake him up with a wet washcloth, juice and blowing on his face.  As a parent, it is AWFUL.  I can’t tell you how heartbreaking it is.  He stares at us and recognizes us, but is still stuck in his nightmare…living it out in front of us.  He’s had these since he was two…but he never remembers them afterwards, and he’s never very descriptive…just a lot of crying and wild eyes.  But these have been different…my pediatrician called them “febrile hallucinations” (associated with high fever).  We think he must be susceptible to them, since he also has occasional night terrors (which have become more rare for him).  This morning as he slept on the couch, I was in the study working.  I heard crying and went out to find him trying to negotiate with his antagonist and defending himself with a light saber. Derek gave him a priesthood blessing and blessed him with peace and calm, and prayed that the nightmares would stop.  They have, gratefully.  We’re hoping tonight he’ll sleep peacefully.