Toofers and Fevers and Droolers- OH MY!

    This week has been a long one. Smaller Child has been trying to cut his top teeth for SEVERAL days now. This has resulted in snot, drool, ear pulling, appetite loss, nasty diapers... the WORKS.  It has also resulted in Mama not getting as much sleep as she would like to.  By the time he would decide he was ready to give sleep a try, I would lay down, get nestled in bed, close my eyes and juuuust be about to drift off when -- the shrieks of pain and frustration would begin again.  After a while, I started having a hard time discerning which one of us the sound was coming from! 
     Last night, it seemed like I might be able to get some rest. Smaller Child had a decent day, and didn't seem to be as affected by the teething as he had been.  I was excited to catch up on some rest. That is when Larger Child decided to mysteriously spike a fever of 104.8! He has never run one that high! Tylenol, cool rags and ice drinks helped to bring it down a bit, and he managed to get to sleep.  But, as any seasoned mother knows, when there is concern in the brain for the health and well-being of the child, our sleep is sparing to say the least.
    We were woken up around two in the morning by Larger Child crying, and unable to explain why.  The only thing that seemed to relieve him was to crawl into bed with us.  I could hear the fear and frustration in his voice, so I was more than happy to accommodate.
     So, as I reach for my afternoon cup of coffee, (the cup that allows me to stay vertical for the next several hours until that glorious time known as "bed") I sigh and say, "Small price to pay for a life this good... small price to pay." I mean really, how glorious is it that there are two lives in this house that find their comfort and support in my arms?!?  How magical is the power of Mom to be able to provide calm, peace, safety with just the stroke of a finger on a cheek, or a squeeze of a hand?  What an amazing gift!
     I will try to remember this the next time I am dragging myself out of bed at 2am, wistfully remembering the days of sleeping through the night, beds with room to spare, and waking up past noon.
     Motherhood Rocks!