Annabel hasn’t had a diaper blow-out or vomit incident since Sunday. THANK GOODNESS. I have not been so lucky. A respiratory bug and stomach flu are both crappy enough on their own, but together? Really super crappy…no pun intended.

Any time that isn’t spent in the bathroom is spent laying in bed or (when my mom makes me move) on the couch. Which means I am an easy Target for a suddenly energized Annabel. But to my surprise, she seems to have developed empathy. Maybe puking matured her? I guess we’ll never know.

I was laying in bed, half under the covers (the only way I can moderate my fluctuating temperature) when I heard her walk into the room. She appeared next to me, silently staring at my face.

photo.JPG
a not-so-dramatic reenactment

Before I could say anything, she stuck her face in mine and said, “Mama, whaaaaat’s wroooonnnnng?”

Then she patted my face with all the gentleness you can expect from an almost-two-year-old.

All the coughing/wheezing/bathrooming has made sleep very hard. After one particularly icky episode, I was crying to Mike about how tired I was. Of COURSE Annie picked that moment to walk in.

“Oh no! Mama sad! Mama! Why you cry Mama?!”

Then she patted my face with all the gentleness you can expect from an almost-two-year-old.

This new-found empathy is adorable, if slightly bruising. I’m hoping I can use it to my advantage when I’m feeling better. You know, the whole, “Mama is so sad because you didn’t eat all your lunch,” routine. Or the, “Mama is crying because you WON’T TAKE A NAP,” routine. It’s worth a try, right?