Get Well Mommy!

I came down with the creeping crud last week and spent the whole weekend inhaling steam. Monday, just when I felt like I was rejoining the living, my stomach started to feel very, very off. My head was also pounding very badly. I took to bed. Mark brought me up some ginger ale. I sipped half the can. Bad mistake. I felt even worse.

Iris came in after dinner and asked me how I felt. I told her that I felt very bad. Mark told me to let me rest so she left. She came back 10 minutes later to ask if I felt any better than 10 minutes ago. (She just learned how to tell time and is very proud of that.) I told her that I felt worse. In fact, I thought I was going to throw up. She said, "I am not going to watch." and left again.

I sort of made it to the bathroom in time. Mark came in as I was finishing heaving everything I had and then some. Mark left and returned with cleaning supplies while I showered.

When I got back to bed, Iris bounced in with this card. She asked, "Remember that time I threw up in bed and you had to change the sheets in the middle of the night?" (Oh, yeah, I remember that night. She threw up 5 times. I changed the sheets twice. When she was done heaving and crying, I held her the rest of the night. Mark slept through the whole thing.)

"I drew all the animals I thought you would like to make you feel better. I used the drawing book you got me." And this is why we do it. All those sleepless nights. Because, that comfort comes back to us when we most need it.

(The animals are from top to bottom: dog, unicorn, tadpole, bat, cat face, porcupine and ostrich)