Silver Lining

I hate it when my kids are sick. (Of course, who likes to have sick kids?!) Over the past couple of months it seems we have all been battling one illness or another. Just when one of us is feeling better, someone else comes down with something. However, Emmalee is usually able to recover quickly and doesn't seem to get as sick as Tyler or even myself or Brent. Unfortunately that's not the case this time. Last night she started running a fever and when I took her temp it was a whopping 104.2! YIKES!! She was on fire. I gave her some Motrin and did all the things you do; cool washcloth, lots of juice, etc. Once the medicine kicked in she was doing pretty well. She was obviously not feeling well but she was playing and doing alright. I gave her a dose of Tylenol before bed along with some cold medicine. I woke her in the night to give her another dose of Motrin. I finally got to bed after being up with our sweet Tyler who was also not feeling well. This morning Emmalee was crying when she woke up. This is very unusual for her. When I went to get her, she was burning up. Even her skin was red. It was obvious by her eyes that she was miserable. I took her temp again and it was 104.5. That did it for me. I called the doctor and made her an appointment. Luckily they were able to get her in pretty quickly. Poor peanut has a double ear infection and a sinus infection. Thankfully this is only the second time she's been this sick.

Okay, now for the silver lining. This illness has made Emmalee very, very cuddly. Unlike Tyler, she is not, and never has been, a really cuddly child. She has never been one to let us sit and hold her for long periods of time. Even when sick in the past, she is generally too busy to sit and love. Not since she was a tiny baby has she fallen asleep in our arms. No, I don't like having her sick and I wish I could make that part go away. But, I have to admit, this lovey, cuddly side of her is so appealing. When she looked at me today and said, "Momma, hold me," I could have just melted. Then I witnessed the sweetest sight -- I came back in from taking out the garbage to find her sleeping on her Daddy. That is fairly close to miraculous. Maybe we'll get lucky this time and the illness will leave and the cuddliness will stay. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.