Tallulah's sick and I'm working on getting sick. When Tallulah was a baby, the routine was simple: I make myself comfortable on the couch with plenty of snacks, videos, and beverages within arms reach and settle in for a nurse-a-thon. Tallulah would literally nurse until she got healthy, sometimes days in a row.

Usually it would be a one to two day event and then she would be healthy enough to be crabby, but for one or two days I had a mini vacation. I actually enjoyed it, once I figured out the time involvement and cancelled anything I had planned. It was kind of a lovely way to reconnect with my very active baby, then later, toddler. She was sweet and cuddly and I got to watch hours of romantic comedies-- win-win! And since she only weaned last fall (yes, she was three when she finally decided to give up the tits. I know, gasp! horror! But she just loved them. More than anyone in my life has ever loved them-- including me-- I just couldn't say no. Lately she's had some reservations about that hasty decision, but more on that later...) this is the first big illness since the tits stopped working.

Its a whole new world.

She still wants the closeness of cuddles and attention, but since I don't have to be physically attached, I'm not as happy on the couch. Maybe its the hugeness of my belly and her not so insubstantial size-- we don't fit as comfortably as we used to-- or maybe its just that its harder to put down my to-do list when the physical imperative of nursing isn't there.

Other changes:
*I have to take her temperature. My nipple used to work as a thermometer-- I could tell when a fever was coming.

*I have to worry about dehydration. Before, staying hydrated was a side effect of the oh-so-comforting boobies.

*I worry about immunity boosting supplements. I always gave her some kind of echinacea or vitamin c, but it was a failsafe-- I knew she was getting nutrients and immunities from my milk. Now if she complains or resists, have to really work on changing her mnd.

*She gets to watch her movies. It probably would have happened at a certain age anyway, but when she nursed, that was her primary entertainment and focus. Now we've got Blues Clues playing all day instead of When Harry Met Sally.

I've got to admit, this kind of parenting is making me feel like a mom. I hover, I fuss, I feel the forehead and push fluids. I tuck blankets around her little feet and respond quickly to each demand of "Mama, I need you!" Its how I was taken care of when I was a child and what I always crave when I feel under the weather. Its a pain in the ass-- definitely more time and energy consuming than nursing all day-- but it feels nice to so actively take care of my baby.