For the past few days, my Beanie-Belle has been sick. And I mean, sick. The whole she-bang: congested, snot-nosed, teary-eyed, feverish.
And…I loved it.
Here, you can have the Mother of the Year Award back for that confession. Sorry it’s so sticky.
But it’s true.
My little Bean needed me. Okay, so she’s ten months old, I get it, she needs me. But feeling crummy? Oh, how she needed me!
The sickly germs rattling around her little chest and dripping out of her nose weren’t so horrible when I was holding her close. And she wanted so badly to sleep, but sleep was only so sweet unless she was curled against my chest. Her favorite foods and toys just couldn’t do the trick like a snuggle from mama would. For the past three days, no one else would do.
But.
Now she’s on the mend. Now she’s on the move. I can’t hold her fuzzy head against the small space below my neck for longer than a fraction of a second, because she just caught sight of something colorful and noisy. I’m so glad she’s feeling better, but…
I thrived on a needy Beanie. Le sigh. My days are numbered.
Bean All Better
Meet the Buttrams 
She’ll always need you!
Thanks, I hope so!
I get that. This morning, William crawled in with me at 6, saying he wasn’t feeling well. He is the world’s best cuddler: nestles right in, cheek to cheek, then relaxes, relinquishes, and is still. Pretty sure our hearts beat together.
I sent him to school anyway.
It’s like a cruel joke – kids make the best cuddlers, and yet they have the need deep in their wee tiny bodies to be in constant motion. Bah.
Oh, she will still need you. Forever. In different ways.
But you know that.
My daughter, all 11 years of her, still crawls into my space on the couch. Every night.
She takes up a lot more room than she used to.
Sometimes I even groan a bit because I have to shift and she’s blocking my view of Survivor.
But then she says, “Will you tickle my back?”
And I think: Yes. Yes I will. For as long as you will let me…
Awww…my mom used to tickle my arm. When I try to do that to my six-year-old, he gets all fidgety and grumpy. “Mo-om! Sto-op!”
I lost the ability to stretch one-syllable words out into many sometime around high school.
Our daughter (now 20) has always been very wiry and active. The only time she willingly settled in and cuddled as a baby was when she was sick. It wasn’t very nice to know that she was sick, but it was wonderful to have her snuggle!
That is a great pic!
Thanks!! Sick or overly tired…that’s when my kids’ defenses are most vulnerable and I can cuddle away!