My wonderful daughter (ranked as the 11th cutest four year old worldwide in the latest US News ranking) has been sick for a week (and the rest of us are a mess too). What started as a cold became projectile vomiting the other night. We went to the doctor. Among other issues, she’s got ear infections in both ears and, while she is (thank God) taking fluids, has barely eaten and is an all around winter flu season poster girl.

This morning, while trying to take her medicine (under maternal pressure) Lucy unleashed her gastrointestinal fury once again. We gave her a quick bath to clean her up. The fair Jessica brought her down stairs, put her on the couch under her princess blanket and, shivering from crying and fever, Lucy mumbled something, thumb-in-mouth, to her very concerned mother. “What’s that?” mommy asked, worried there was something else wrong. The ailing Lucy responded with more miserable mumbling. Pulling the thumb from Lucy’s mouth, my wife asked again: “What is it sweetie?”

“I want to go sledding.”