. . .and Things That Go Bump In the Night

Mom's insomnia is getting worse. It started a while ago with her getting up around 11:30 or so and sitting for 10-15 minutes and then going back to bed and has progressed to where she now gets up almost every night, like clockwork, an hour and a half after going to bed, then another hour after returning to bed and then again sometime in the middle of the night to sit on the couch and read for an hour or so. As a result, she's been getting up later and later in the morning. Yesterday she didn't rise 'til after noon.

Last night was the worst. She promised, as she was heading off to bed, to stay there and not come out. An hour later, there she was comin' 'roun' the corner. When I informed her she had just set a new record, she turned around and went right back. Half an hour later she was out again. This time she stayed and read her book. An hour and a half later, when she had to go to the bathroom, I said "You really should be in bed. Don't come back just to keep me company." She said, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." And went.

Until. . .

Three o'clock in the morning. I hear noises outside my door. Lights go on. Lights go off. Bump. Bumpity-bump. I crack my door just enough to peer out. Bedroom lights on. Bedroom lights off. Bump. Bump. Hall lights on. Hall lights off. Bumpity-bump. Kitchen lights on. Kitchen lights off. She's apparently trying to fix herself a snack. In the dark. Using the lights just to get her bearings and then turning them off again and navigating by feel as her walker hits the walls.

And then silence. And darkness. I think she's gone back to her room. In the morning I find parts of the kitchen rearranged. By ten she's up, dressed and her bed is made.

She remembers nothing of her little walkabout.