To date, I've diagnosed Nicole with seven serious diseases and rushed her to the doctor "just in case." Six turned out to be a common virus, and one was extremely dry skin.

So what's a mom to do?

My husband urges me to stay calm and doesn't understand why I'll stay up until 2 a.m. debating whether that rash on her leg was a heat rash, an allergic reaction or the harbinger of some freak disease that hits only 1 out of 145,000 infants.

He was particularly disappointed in me this week when I sneak-attacked Nicole in her sleep, taking a rear-end temperature in the middle of the night. I just couldn't sleep until I knew that fever had come down.

In those late-night moments, I turn to my husband and say, "Leave me alone. I'm a mom. It's what I do."

And it's what all moms do.

Even my mom, who is now a grandmother and lives 2,000 miles away from me, still does it. When I was diagnosed with heart disease last year, she had faxed, e-mailed and overnight expressed a small novel to me about the condition by the next day.

She probably didn't sleep that night.

So I guess WebMD and I can look forward to many more late nights together. Even though Nicole will grow up, I'll still have a little piece of me that hurts when she hurts and cries when she cries.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

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Erin Stewart's blog, Just 4 Mom, can be found Tuesdays and Thursdays at our Web site. E-mail: estewart@desnews.com