mom hands

I could not tell you exactly why, but growing up, it always really annoyed me when somebody would ask me "do I feel hot to you?"

My answer was always "I don't know! I'm not a thermometer."  This was usually said in an annoyed tone accompanied by an expression that my sister once described as my "annoyed-cat-with-flattened-ears" look.  If you've ever owned a cat, you probably know that look.

Perhaps it had something to do with not wanting to be the one to determine somebody else's illness.  Or maybe it had more to do with the lack of actual data involved in that determination.  I never understood how you could tell if somebody had fever by touching them.  I mean, maybe they just ran up a flight of stairs and are warm from the work out, maybe my hands are a little cold today and you seem hot just by comparison, maybe you're always a little warm - how am I supposed to know what's normal for you?  Or what if I say the wrong thing?  If I say "yes, you feel warm." Then are you going to start getting all sickly and pathetic on me?  If I say "no, you feel fine" Then you're probably going to say "man, I just don't feel well"  Because, really?  Very few people want you to tell them if they have a fever when they feel just fine.

Anyway, point is.  I was never comfortable with that roll.  As I grew older, I became less annoyed and would just tell people "Sorry, I'm really no good at telling that"  And I meant it.  I really couldn't tell.

And now, that's all changed.

I have mom hands.

This is one of those things that changed for me.  One of those things where there is a very clear line for before I was a mom and after I became a mom.  My hands are now, not only able to detect fevers, but are able to detect the degree of fever...I'd be willing to bet they're pretty accurate too.  And, this skill is generalized.  I can tell Kyle if he has a fever or anyone really.  I have mom hands.

I think part of it is a superpower that you get when you have a kid.  But, the other part probably comes from all the holding and touching involved in being a parent.  My hands know what Abby feels like healthy and not.  It is simple to know when she's sick. In fact, with Abby, I don't even need my mom hands to detect a fever.  I can see it in her eyes.  Sometimes I think I can feel it.  Mom senses.

Kind of like how you grow eyes in the back of your head.  Same deal. :)

Anyway.

Abby woke up around 4:30am whimpering.  I was already up, Kyle went to rock her and texted me that she was hot.  She was. We gave her some Tylenol and put her back down.  Around 5, I heard her barely whispering/whimpering on the monitor "mommy? mommy?"  I went to her and her fever was breaking.  She was soaked with sweat.  I got a cold rag and wiped her face, head, neck, back.  A few minutes later, she was cool and comfortable again.  She whispered to me, "I wake up?" and I told her that it was still night time.  She laid down, grabbed her blanket and whispered, "night night, sweet dreams. thank you mama"

and my heart melted into a little puddle in my chest.

She's still puny today.  But, she ate - so that's an improvement.  I imagine that 2 days from now, she'll be fine.  Kids get sick, it's what they do...and they need to get sick so they can learn to fight off other things.  In the meantime, while she gets better, I'm keeping my mom hands at the ready.