Thanks Mom

I have made it through my first week with a sick Brody. At my insistence we took him to the Dr. on Monday morning and found out he has bronchiolitis. The good news is, that on a scale of 1-10 he's only a 2. The bad news, it still takes about two weeks to run its course and I ended up getting sick too!
I think I always took for granted that my mom would take care of me when I was sick as a child. No matter how she felt, no matter what time of a day or for however long, my mom was always there. Making me soup, getting me a damp washcloth, rubbing my back. Taking care of me until I was better. Not until this past week did I realize the toll a sick child takes on a mother. Brody's needs always come first, but with him sick it seems even more so. He's more easily irritated. He's not sleeping through the night. I've done steam rooms in the bathroom (dad helps when he's home), set the humidifier up in his room, and used the boogie sucker more times then Brody would like. He cries at the sight of it.
On top of trying my best to meet Brody's needs even though he can't tell me whats wrong, I'm trying make sure that the diapers get washed, stuffed and put away. I am trying to keep up on the laundry, make sure the house stays in a somewhat "clean"state and make sure I get dinner on the table. I'm not even good at that when Brody's not sick.
Finally, last of all, I am trying to take care of myself. After everyone else is taken care of and looked after, if there's time left in the day, which is usually an hour or more after I would have liked to go to bed.
I never saw that my mom was putting herself last. Her needs came after our needs were met. I am exhausted taking care of one baby, a fiance, and myself. I seriously have no idea how she did it with three kids! After this week I appreciate my mom even more because I have finally had a taste of what she has been doing for the past 31 years. I say 31 because I don't think a mother ever stops caring for her babies, whether they are sick or not.