Kleenex and Kisses

Well, we've all been sick. Again. I can't imagine why we tend to get sick so often. It couldn't be because Lucas thinks the top of a garbage can is the best place to put his sandwich down for a moment during lunch at the park, or because Ethan has a thing for trying to drink stagnant water from puddles. I guess I should be glad we haven't come down with some sort of third world plague as a result of my two year olds' interesting habits.

As a mother, I certainly would be thrilled if my children never got sick. However, because this is unlikely to be the case, I will resign myself to loving the tender moments that arise when they are in fact under the weather. These are actually some of the "best" moments about being a mom.

For instance, Ethan woke the first night of our most recent scourge with a high fever, crying for me. After stripping him down, I laid with him in bed, stroking his head and telling him it was going to be okay. He was trying to stop crying and said, in the sweetest voice, "Mommy, run away with me. Hold my hand and run away with me." I held him and said "I'll go anywhere with you, baby. Anywhere." He stopped crying, and I think I started.

A couple nights later, as Lucas struggled through his fever, we cuddled together in bed. Anytime he heard a noise, he would open his eyes and say "No go in crib. Stay in bed with Mommy." Crib? What crib? I wanted him there with me as much as he wanted to stay. All night long he would just try to cuddle closer to me, which was hard on my back, but wonderful for my heart.

Again, I'd rather they stayed healthy, but since that cannot be, I will appreciate the incredible gift it is to be able to make a little human being feel better by simply being there. I've accomplished some pretty cool stuff in my life, but nothing can touch the joy and pride I feel in the fact that I have made my children feel safe, loved and comforted by something as simple as my touch, my voice, and my presence.

Now I must go to sleep, since being there for them has given me a cold.