Nightmares?

Thomas has been crazy-wild the last couple days, I thought it was just Clay being gone, but now I'm not so sure. I put him to bed tonight and he was all upset for me not understanding whatever he's been saying (still haven't been able to figure it out from the first time several nights ago). I left him to scream a bit because it wasn't going anywhere and I can tell a lot of it is a delaying device (he's good at those). Well, when I went back in and sat him down to rock, I asked him what was wrong. I didn't offer him ideas, no "Are you x? y? z?", which I would have thought I would have needed to in order to get an answer. He looked up at me, thought for a bit, and told me "Thomas scared." !!!!!!! Lots of mommy hugs at that, I held him and rocked and we talked a bit. I asked him what he was scared of, I gathered that he must have had a bad dream and is now scared of sleeping, which would explain the horrible nightmare lack of napping the last 2 days - no pun intended. That and he's scared that our cat will go into his room. Sometimes she pushes his doors open at naptime or when we're in there rocking before bed, though mostly that is fixed by shoving the "Nemo Pillow" in front of the doors before sitting down. I did some googling, this is around the age that nightmares start showing up as imagination really sets in (he started playacting with Bear a few weeks ago, so I know it's started kicking up). That and stress from things like potty training, switching to a "Big Boy Bed", other big life changes, etc. In the last 3 weeks we've ditched both sides of the crib in favor of bed rails, Clay's been gone for 2 1/2 days each week, I'm getting more pregnant (38 weeks today!), and we've been pushing the potty training. Poor guy. I think more than anything though it's the potty training - he was ok last week with Clay being gone; the baby is in fact not here yet and he doesn't really have a concept of what will change (everything) when the baby comes, or what the baby coming even means; we did the bed rails at different times and he wanted the second one, didn't really care or bat an eye. Which leaves potty training, which we've been sort-of doing for a while, but really started pushing hard on a few days ago. I'm going to wait and watch again tomorrow, see how he's doing once Clay is back, but if he's still a mess we are SO going to the pediatrician. Unfortunately, we've never seen this pediatrician, so they'll have no background idea of what he's normally like, but Clay's seen the same person (they have specialties in peds and ?allergies?, I think it is) and they sound like they're the listening/comprehending type that's not making sudden/unfounded assumptions. So right now I'm in a holding pattern but am not willing to wait long to get out of it - it really rips your heart in two to have your toddler son tell you he's scared. Out of nowhere. Anyway, now off for a big hot fudge sundae. Pregnancy heartburn sucks.