Broken Hearts and Sore Throats

So we have strep...again. This makes like the 7th or 8th time for Landen in his very short 2 years of life. He pretty much cried all night last night. He's NEVER slept with us so trying to get him to when he is sick is nearly impossible. As a mother you just want your babies close when they are sick.You want to feel their breath on your face or neck. You want to see the rise and fall of their chest. It's therapeutic for everyone, but I think more so for us moms. We can't fix them and having them next to us somehow makes that easier. Even when I was "just an aunt", if I had any of my nieces or nephews when they were sick, holding them just made it better. I remember when Christian, my brother's oldest, was a baby we had to sleep holding him in the sitting position on our laps. The minute he laid down he couldn't breathe. And he was like a furnace!! He still is. Anyway, we finally got to play this afternoon some and I got to sleep a couple of hours thanks to my husband. Then it happened. The meltdown of the century. Nothing was making happy. No one was doing what he wanted and he had no idea what he even wanted. I want a bath, no I don't. I want to go to the playroom, no I don't. All the while I'm trying to distract him so Brian can eat dinner. Finally when the screaming and kicking and hitting started, I made the decision for him. He went to bed. 4 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period is not ideal for a 2 year old, but I'm sure that's blatantly obvious! Generally I don't have a problem with the cry it out method. Sometimes they just need to cry and scream, but I don't think it's fair for the rest of the household to have to listen to it. So, you can have your moment in your bedroom. That's your space to do what you want. When they are sick it seems cruel and unfair though. They can't help it. He certainly couldn't, but the fact was he just needed to go to bed. Period. He cried for 5 minutes then laid down, put his thumb in his mouth and drifted off to dreamland. We'll see how long it lasts...

It has undoubtedly been a rough day, but I have to remember that I am blessed to be the one to comfort my child when he is ill. There are babies who don't get to sit in their mother's laps because someone decided that it was their place to play God. A friend lost her life this week and a baby lost his mother. My heart is broken. For her baby, her parents, for her friends. Hold your children close, tell your parents you love them, and remind your friends why they hold a special place in your heart.