Making Time for Extra Cuddles (Day 16)

Today’s post will be the briefest yet.  The baby is struggling right now, and as many parents know – when the baby struggles, the entire family struggles!

The word for today is:

Sickness.

I started drafting this post in my head in the middle of the night, as I was rocking and holding a slightly feverish little girl struggling to go back to sleep.  Technically, her heat doesn’t rise to the “clinical” definition of a fever, but the baby has a hot head, and a mood to match.  It could be teething, or it could be something else – she did this a couple months ago, too, and no teeth popped out.  She was fussy for days, ran a low-grade fever, and then about a week later, was back to normal.

After the first hour of holding Little Miss last night, I realized that, as much as I hate seeing my babies struggle, and as difficult as it is for them to be in pain or hurting, their being sick allows me a chance to hold them, cuddle them, and take a step back from an otherwise quick pace of life.

Their sickness allows me to overlook all other duties in my life, and all other obligations, and focus on nursing the littlest ones of our household.

Knowing how quickly these two little ones are growing, changing, exploring the world on a daily basis, and how fickle their attention and affections may be as they age, their being sick forces their bodies to rest, and allows me to shower them with needed cuddles.

I don’t wish sickness on my children!

However, last night, I began to relish the middle of the night hours I have spent rocking them, playing nursemaid to them, and showering them with extra hugs, love, and kisses.

And, while I can’t wait for Little Miss to feel better, I will enjoy the extra cuddles and ways of trying to make her comfortable and cool until she no longer needs them!