cuddly sickness

Ada has never been very cuddly. Even with nursing she started out cuddling up to me because she thought she had to, but by the end she was much more aggressive about getting her mookie and didn't so much as ask before she decided to latch on. Just about the only time she gets cuddly is when she is REALLY REALLY tired and she wants to go to bed. In this case she'll crawl up into your lap, wrap her arms around your neck and squeeze. This is her way of saying, "In case you didn't notice, it is well past my bedtime and I'd like to go to sleep now." And even in these instances the cuddling really only lasts a few seconds and her body is still sort of stiff and deliberate.

Well yesterday she had a little bit of a fever, enough to stay home from daycare, and according to Elliot she was very cuddly all day. She just wanted to be held, because no matter how old you are, that just makes you feel better. I didn't really believe it - not until I got home and Ada immediately jumped from Elliot's arms into my arms. I wasn't prepared for the cuddliness that Ada had in store for me. She was relaxed and soft in my arms, she laid her head on my shoulder and burrowed her head into my neck, and she wrapped her little arms around me and squeezed just hard enough to let me know that she wanted to be right there, in my arms. It was one of those moments that make your heart melt. That is when I turned to Elliot and asked if he was going to be able to stay home with Ada again today, because if she was so sick that she didn't mind cuddling, there was no way she was going to be well enough to go to daycare the following morning.