Momma's Got You

Noah is sick today. He was up alot last night, which is, unfortunately, not all that rare.  Because he was so ornery the first time he got up, demanding things and just wanting to play, the second time he cried, I had very little patience left.  He wanted to go downstairs, but it was 4:45 am and definitely not time to get up yet.  So I put him back in bed, crying, and crawled back in my bed and told Darren we were going to let him cry it out.  He cried for 75 min.  And not just a whimper.  Full out crying.  I finally gave in and went into his room to pick him up.  He stopped crying (after demanding a drink and getting it) and just melted into my arms, kind of shaking with the effort of so much crying.  He slept there for a bit, then woke up again when I tried to put him back to bed, then slept again downstairs watching the early morning news.

He has had a fever much of the day and has been pretty miserable on and off.  I hope he sleeps it off during his marathon nap (he has been asleep over three hours now!) and that he feels better by tomorrow morning so we can celebrate my mom's birthday at the zoo in the morning and Toucano's in the evening. (The boys don't get to come to the restaurant.  They no longer get to do that because they are, well, young boys.)

I have a secret, though.  And I think alot of moms agree with me, too.  I actually enjoy it when my boys get sick (hushed ooOOoo goes through the crowd).  Not that I like them being sick and miserable.  But they are so cuddly and want their mommy and will sit on my lap and just be with me,  with no need for entertainment.  Some days, all I hear is complaining and whining and "That food is yucky!" and "No!  I don't want to!" and it kind of makes me wonder if they really need ME - except to provide everything they ask for and entertain them all day.  Surely, someone else could do that.  And surely, someone else could do it better and with more patience.  But when they are sick, they need ME.  No one else can take the place of Mom when they are miserable.

So, I hope Noah gets better quickly.  Today.  But I hold dear the moments I got to cuddle with him and hold my baby while he fell back to a fitful sleep.  And when he moaned a bit in his sleep, that I could quietly whisper, "Shhhh, baby.  Momma's got you."