Our little dreamer

Along with Orin's new found fears, he seems to have started having nightmares of some sort. For the last few weeks he's woken up three or four times at 3 or 4am, come into our room and said he's scared of something or another. Usually it's something sort of strange - like a bird or the lamp - but last night he came in and said he was scared of the butterfly. Normally our conversations begin pretty rehearsed with our standard "Don't worry, God will protect you." My first words are usually, "Orin, it's not time to wake up yet." (As Orin has come often come in at six in the morning ready for the day.) So when Orin came in last night this is about how it went.

Orin: standing by our bed "It's not time to get up yet."
Me: "Baby, it's the middle of the night, the sun is still sleeping, go back to bed."
Orin: "It's not time to get up yet" (reassuring me that he had another reason to be there.) I'm scared of the butterfly.
Damien: "It's ok, don't be scared, God will protect you." something we've discussed on end with Orin and he often repeats to himself when he's feeling scared. When we're half asleep it just comes out...
Orin: "But I'm scared of the Butterfly!" getting more exasperated
Damien: finally being awake enough really talk and realizing that "God will protect you" wasn't going to cut it this time "Ok, where is the butterfly?"
Orin: "In my room; throw it away Daddy."
So Damien and Orin go into his room. Orin stands on one end of the room and points to his bed on the other side - not want to get close. So Damien, thinking that one of his many stuffed animals on the bed may be the culprit, begins holding each one up and showing them to Orin. Orin says no to all of them. Finally, it's just the pillow and Orin finally says, "It's on the pillow, throw it away daddy!" So Damien picks up the pillow, pretends to grab something that is on top of in and subsequently throw it out of the room.
Damien: "Okay it's gone. You can get back in bed now." Orin gets back into bed and goes right to sleep.

This morning I was asking Orin about it and he excitedly repeated the story. "I was scared of the butterfly, but Daddy THREW it away!" (mimicking how Damien thew it in the air).

I had to laugh when Damien came back to bed an told me what happened. I'm glad it was so easy this time, but I'm not counting on it always being that way. I'm trying very hard to be patient in the middle of the night with the new found fears and not try to reason with him that there is no "butterfly". Luckily Damien is very sensitive in this area and makes up for my lacking. But I'm trying!