It's a spooky story perfect for Halloween: Maritza Cibuls was home alone with her two small kids late at night last week, when she noticed a phantom presence in her 18-month-old son's crib.
As baby Lincoln was curled up, sleeping peacefully, Cibuls could see a second baby in the video monitor. And it was right beside Lincoln.
"I spotted the ghost baby right after putting my son down for the night around 8:30 p.m.," the Chicago mom told TODAY Parents. "At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I tried to ignore it, but it was really starting to creep me out."
So Cibuls texted a photo to her husband, Corey, who was working late that night. The 32-year-old mom also reached out to her mom, best friend and a Facebook moms group, asking if everyone else saw what she was seeing. Everyone offered theories on what the ghostly apparition actually was, from a spot of drool to a stain only visible in the monitor's lighting.
"Even though the first thought that popped into my brain was 'ghost,' the rational part of my brain told me there must be some logical explanation," said Cibuls. "So I grabbed my flashlight and went to check it out, but there was nothing there. All night, I stared at his monitor just waiting to see if the ghost moved, but, of course, it never did. And every time I started feeling myself relax and get drowsy, my son would roll over and I'd be on high alert again. I probably checked on him three more times that night, but each time he seemed completely fine."
Finally, Cibuls fell asleep. In the morning when she investigated further, she saw that when her husband changed the sheets in Lincoln's crib, he did not put the mattress cover on. In the center of the uncovered mattress was a sticker with a baby's face staring back.
"I was so embarrassed," said Cibuls, who also has a daughter, Avery, who's almost 3. "I always use a mattress protector so I never see the sticker."
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Cibuls posted about the ordeal on Facebook, and it went viral.
"I could kill him," Cibuls said of her husband in the post. But now the mom of two says all is forgiven.
"I changed the bedding again — the correct way — and I told my husband he's not allowed to change sheets anymore," said Cibuls. "I haven't seen the ghost since!"
