First, let me apologize for the length of my account. I have been a regular visitor to your site since March of 04 and always look forward to new stories. I finally thought it was time to share some of the things I have experienced since my mother passed away in December of 2003. 

In the fall of 03, our family became concerned when my mother who was normally very sharp suddenly seemed confused. Concerned she may be having a stroke, we immediately went to the hospital. In a matter of 24 hours, we were devastated to learn she had an inoperable brain tumor. Seven weeks later, on December 21, 2003, she passed away surrounded by family. The funeral was held on Christmas Eve which means this time of year will always be tough for our family. 

Immediately after my mother's passing, we began to have experiences which can only be described as out of the ordinary. 

Christmas Day 2003 (the day after Mom's funeral)- At around midnight, I went into my daughter's room. At this time she was 14 months old. My mother adored her and they had an opportunity to spend a lot of time together up until her death. My daughter was awake and sitting in her crib talking and saying 'hi' to someone. I noticed the room was freezing; at least 20 degrees colder than the rest of the house. When I picked her up, she couldn't stop smiling and taking her eyes off the rocking chair in the corner. I couldn't help but feel  I was being watched and felt a breeze go up my back. I now suspect Mom may have paid her first visit that night. 

In the weeks and months to come up until spring of 04, we noticed odd sounds coming over the baby monitor in our room. Almost like an irregular beating or tapping sound. This would happen once or twice a week. On these nights without fail, my daughter would wake up and begin carrying on a conversation with someone in the middle of the night. My wife and I would just lay there and listen as she laughed and talked for several minutes and then would go back to sleep. 

For the summer of 2004, things were pretty quiet but picked up again in the fall. 

Canadian Thanksgiving is in early October and fell a little less than a week before my daughter's actual birthday. My entire family was to come to our house for a joint Thanksgiving and 2nd birthday dinner. One thing you should know about my mother is that she never forgot birthdays and always called the grandchildren to sing 'Happy Birthday'. The night before the party, we awoke at 2 am to hear my daughter singing 'Happy Birthday' to herself- a song she had never sang before. In the morning, she went running upstairs calling for Grandma. When I asked her where Grandma was, she responded 'in my room'. That tweaked my interest. Finally, as my wife cooked later that day and my sister and I set the table, we talked about Mom and wondered jokingly if she might pop by. We were instantly startled by a bang. We looked over to our fireplace to find a large painting had fallen straight down the wall and was standing on the mantle just behind a picture of my mother, father and my daughter. How this huge painting didn't fall forward and wipe out several priceless photographs still baffles me. Apparently the string holding the painting had broken. Why it did so at exactly that moment seems more than just a coincidence. 

In the winter of 04/05, the noise returned on the baby monitor and again our daughter began having restless nights. Even more interesting was the several nights we woke up to hear her toy piano playing music downstairs in her playroom at 4 or 5 am. The most amazing of these nights occurred when the piano started playing along with another toy at the same time in a completely different room. This started at 2 am and went on until we got up in the morning. I suspect Mom may have been ticked that we chalked the previous occurrences up to bad batteries and was saying 'Try to explain this one.' 

Just a couple of weeks ago, I awoke in the middle of the night to hear a different sound coming over the monitor. My daughter has a couple of toy cars on her dresser and it sounded in my half awake state that they were rolling back and forth. Immediately, I heard my daughter wake up and rather sternly say 'Stop, those are mine.' At which point the sound stopped and she went back to sleep. 

While we have had other instances of dreams and my father has had things appear in places he didn't expect, I believe these are the most noteworthy occurrences. Two years ago, I would have been very skeptical that any one of these is an ADC. However, the sheer number of strange events makes me think these are likely more than just coincidences. Regardless, it makes us all feel better to think that Mom is checking in on us to let us know she is not far away.

Was this experience difficult to express in words? 

No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?           

Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?         

No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?           

No

Did you see the deceased?        

No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?     

No

How long did the experience last?       

From an instant to all night

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?        

Sudden

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          

No

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          

Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:         

Because I was fully awake and know what I heard and wife and sister can confirm what they saw and heard

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  

No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:          

Excited, frightened, questioning, in awe

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?          

Uncertain

What was the best and worst part of your experience?     

The best was suspecting it was truly an ADC but the worst part is still having some level of doubt that it may just be a coincidence

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?        

Uncertain     

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Uncertain     

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?         

No

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          

Yes

I am actually relating several occurrences due to time but perhaps the most meaningful experiences happened on two occasions. 

1) Canadian Thanksgiving October 10, 2004 witnessed also by my wife and sister

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes