sick day

For nearly a month, today has been earmarked for a special outing with friends. We emailed and arranged; coordinated babysitting and driving.

And I’m home with a sick little boy.

Gabriel announced his illness quite spectacularly Tuesday night at the launch party of the new Fablehaven book by Brandon Mull. Right in the middle of the hallway, he emptied his tummy until we were sure he had nothing left in him, and then he emptied it some more. Surveying the 6 ft. wide puddle the boys were horrified, but I said, “Awesome Gabe. Thanks for not doing that in the car.” And then we went home.

My sweet boy was still pretty queasy yesterday, but I thought he’d surely be fine by this morning. He’s not. I’ll spare you the details.

Erik was sympathetic and said, “I’d stay home if I could- but I have a day in front of me.”

to which I replied, “It’s OK, this is my job.”

In that moment I felt a deep and rare satisfaction– this is my job– I have the luxury of staying home with my little people, of reading them stories, of finding the Duck Tales video and tucking in blankets just right.

Mary was delighted to have her old companion back(since before this year Gabe was home most of the day) and she eschewed dance lessons, her planned playdate and tearfully kissed him goodbye before preschool.

As a patient, Gabriel is pretty low maintenance. He simply wants a little bit of Harry Potter, a drink of water and lots of cuddling. As we lounge in the red chair, I admire his long skinny legs, his beautiful mop of white hair and his perfectly shaped eyebrows. In turn, he traces the line of my jaw and says, “You’re the prettiest, bestest mommy in the world.” And I know, I know, that the theme of my blog should be “It All Goes By Too Quickly” but I can’t help but wonder how much longer he’ll let me hold him.

It’s no secret that I’ve longed for more education, that I wish I’d started a career before having children, but on days like this I am completely and wholly at peace.