feverish

wyatt, my five year old, has had a fever off and on for the past three days. he's home from school today, so we are trying to keep things pretty mellow, watching an assortment of animated movies and whatever is on the disney channel while he lies on the couch. seth, my four year old, is the only hitch in the "staying mellow" plan, what with his boundless energy and endless motion.

wyatt is so pitiful when he has a fever. since our thermometer is broken right now, i don't actually know what his temperature is, but i don't have to look at a thermometer to know that he has a fever. one reason is that when he gets a fever, he gets a really high fever. he radiates heat. also, i can just do the "mom test"--feel his forehead with my cheek and look at his eyes. when i was little, my mom could just look at my eyes and know that i was sick. i didn't really understand how she did that back then, but now i get it.

to tell the truth, it's kind of nice when wyatt is sick with a fever virus. as i told winn the other night, wyatt is so tame right now. that fierce, intense energy he carries with him has gone underground, is dormant for however long his fever lasts. instead, he is calm, affectionate, gracious even.

wyatt uses so much of his energy to argue and/or negotiate with seemingly every single thing i say. we gave him his name because it means "warrior," but somehow this kind of "warring" (with me) wasn't exactly what i'd envisioned. i'm hoping this is a stage, that some day in the future, this fierceness, which i believe is a really good thing, won't be directed my way quite so much. but then again, those teenage years will be here before i know it. . .

well, wyatt is asking for food. he's also starting to argue with his brother. that's a good sign.