Our World Starts to Wobble.

As I stood there watching, Jessica was definitely experiencing something rather odd.

If I had possessed a phone like I have now, I would have shot some video. It would have been great to have it clearly documented. It was like a phantom passing before me and then vanishing. ‘Did I really see that?’ I wondered to myself at the time.

Instead of shooting video, my thoughts did turn to the events on Halloween night, just two weeks before. I had taken the kids ‘trick or treating’ and since Renée had a choir practice, she had taken Jessica to church.

Later that evening when we all got back together, I remember going out to the car to carry Jessica into the house, and the first thing Renée said to me, with a slight tremor in her voice was, “Something is wrong with Jessica…” her voice trailed off in the dark, but I could see the look of alarm on her face.

I looked at Jessica. She was sleeping like an angel, nothing seemed amiss.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong?” I said, feeling puzzled.

What a Difference a Day Makes.

Apparently, Jessica had cried all evening in the nursery, and although several of our friends tried to comfort her, she was unconsolable. Finally they came and found Renée. Eventually Jessica had gone to sleep in her arms and Renée came home.

It was puzzling, although Jessica had received her first DPT vaccination that morning and they said she might be fussy. That was probably it we decided, and that seemed like a reasonable explanation at that time.

The next day after that Halloween night, I had left early for work and so I didn’t see Jessica at all until later that evening. It was my habit to play with her as soon as I got home. I would sit her on my knee hold her little hands and bounce her and make noises and she would watch me intently and coo back.

When I picked her up on that day she had seemed distant, almost like a stranger to me. It had been disturbing and I felt rather uncomfortable. Something had seemed very different.

‘Babies do all kinds of funny things…’

Now as I stood over her crib clutching my camera, as the dawn light flooded the room, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection between what I was now seeing and that Halloween incident. I couldn’t shake my uneasiness. Cute photos were no longer on my mind. I decided to ask Renée about it.

When I mentioned to Renée at breakfast, what I had seen, she confirmed that she had seen the jerky movements as well. I said nothing more about it, but I didn’t feel very good about what I had seen and I was determined to pay closer attention in the future, to Jessica’s not so random movements.

In the days ahead, Renée and I became increasingly convinced that something mysterious was happening to Jessica. Renée had mentioned it to our family doctor in a phone call, but he had not been concerned. “Babies do all kinds of funny things…” he calmly reassured her. As the weeks passed, the strange pattern became more and more apparent.

Our ‘Normal World’ was Starting to Change.

Determined to solve the puzzle, we decided to enlist our friend Charlotte, who was a nurse specializing in newborn care. She agreed to come over early on the next Saturday, before Jessica woke up, and observe the twitching and twisting that had by now become a normal part of her waking routine.

Sure enough, right on schedule there was the subtle twitching and twisting with a slight head turn and stiffening at the end. Charlotte was very quiet as she took notes.

“I don’t want to frighten you, or alarm you, but what I am observing would, or at least could be considered, some kind of seizure activity,” she said to us gently, “…that doesn’t mean it is anything to be concerned about at this point, but you need to keep an eye on it.”

She smiled reassuringly.

Next Week: ‘Time Standing Still.’

I will continue to share the answers to the question “What happened to Jessica?” every Monday in the weeks ahead. When I have received sufficient feedback and questions, I will add a Thursday episode, as needed, to this blog, focused on answering your questions and comments.

Thanks for your interest.

Jim, Renee & Jessica