We need a little warmth

The week is already is running on empty in our house, with fifty percent of us sick with a rotten cold. Shira sounds a bit like a cross between Kathleen Turner and what I imagine a baby donkey might sound like. I'm nowhere as sick as she is, but I'm complaining a lot more. We ended up having to cancel our first night of Passover plans (with a friend and her family in Baltimore) on account of one very sick baby (to confirm that we made the right decision in not going, Shira began projectile vomiting at bedtime last night. Poor wee babe). I'll be taking her to the doctor, again, this afternoon. I'm sure he'll roll his eyes and tell me, again, that it's just a cold, but no matter. This is what we do.

It's a strange thing to have sick baby (and by sick I mean run down with a cold or flu. We have been blessed to the moon and back with two healthy kids). I've become accustomed to being physically attached to my babies. Between the nursing and the wrestling to get them dressed, we always seem to be in close physical contact. My children know no boundaries when it comes to their mama, and as much as I can feel irritated at times when I'm nursing one with the other one climbing on my back (a regular occurrance these days), I've come to appreciate and depend on this closeness. But when they are sick, an entirely new no-boundaries relationship is formed. Over the past few days with this bug, Shira has insisted on being held, snuggled, and rocked at all times. And yes, she's up nursing every two hours at night again. But I don't mind getting up this week. It's in our contract that I'll bring her into bed with me when she's sick. So for now she is attached to me with a very strong glue (and vomit!) until she feels back to normal.

It's a bit cold and rainy today, and as much as I love the rain, I wish it were more warm and rainy. I'm tired and chilled and I would love a little warm on my skin. The forecast seems pretty set on the cold and the rain, so my only option is to relive a day from last week, when it was 80 degrees, sunny, and the perfect opportunity for a backyard picnic. If it's cold where you are, I hope this makes you feel a little warmer.