Elyse crept into our room today a little earlier than normal.  She climbed in bed and settled between us.  As soon as I snuggled into her a few minutes later I could feel the heat radiating from her small frame.

100.8 is where we started, 103 by the afternoon, 102 as I tucked her in tonight. 

Several times today she asked me to gently tickle her arms, back, or as it was at bedtime, her cheeks and right around her tiny mouth.  She has always been a sensory child and simple, soft tickling will stop her immediately in her tracks from play and she will just sit and absorb the touch.  The flip side is that lights are often too bright, noises too loud, tags in clothes too itchy, edges of a waffle too scratchy, a friend's legs too prickly (her pointing that out to fellow moms has embarrassed me on more than one occasion).

She notices everything.  A new dish towel, different packaging on a box of pasta, when my toes are painted a new color. 

Today, feeling sick, I noticed her trying not to express how much she wanted me next to her, near her, touching her.  Perhaps it's because we've worked so hard on the whining and crying for no reason lately, that she didn't feel comfortable expressing herself.  Maybe it's because she's nearing her 3rd birthday and she doesn't want to need me so much.  Either way, I read her and I climbed into her bed, sat next to her on the couch, or softly tickled her when she asked.  She hardly left the couch all day. 

Don't get me wrong, without the pitter patter of her little feet everywhere I also took advantage and swept, mopped and did some laundry, but overall she led the day.  When she wanted to rest, eat or drink, how and what she wanted to play.....it was nice to break out of our routine and be housebound, but next time maybe we'll do it on our terms, not the terms of a illness fighting fever. 

As I stroked her cheeks in her bed tonight, I couldn't help but think one day she won't want me to touch her at all.  One day her husband will tickle her cheeks.  One day she will tickle her child's cheeks.  As her eyes grew heavy and her breathing deepened, I longed for a pause button.  As fast as it all goes by, there simply is no way to take it all in.  Both girls were asleep by 7pm and the house has little to clean up. Instead of finding some chore to do, I'm going to enjoy the extra downtime and let the feel of her soft, hot skin linger on my hands.