Emily's First Cold

Emily's sick for the first time.

Not last night but late the night before (Monday night/Tuesday morning), she started coughing a little. It seemed a bit strange to me, but I didn't give it further thought until the following morning (yesterday), when I heard the decongestion, heard her coughing and sneezing continuously, and just "saw" the cold in her eyes.

I realize that this is just a taste of things to come. I know that there will be many, many more nights when I'm aching for my baby, wishing I could take the sickness and pain away. She just looks so pitiful -- her eyes weepy, her nose runny half the time and stuffy the other, her breathing labored.

I called the advice nurse yesterday and she told me that the pediatricians don't like to give babies too much medication if it's not necessary. She said I could give Emily some PediaCare at night if I felt Em needed it, but other than that, I should try to stay away from the stuff. Instead, she recommended treating her by suctioning the mucus out with a syringe and blowing a saline solution (like Little Noses) up her... uh... little nose.

The good news is she's doing remarkably well, considering. She only gets fussy at night, and even then, it's nothing like I would've expected. She's a real trooper, this kid. Stephen & I have always noticed what a tough cookie our daughter is. Even when she falls or hits her head or get some kind of coco, it's really not a big deal to her. This cold is no exception. I did notice, though, when she was napping today, that it was very difficult for her to breathe, and her cough kept waking her up. I think I'll go ahead and give her some PediaCare tonight. She needs some good, solid, uninterrupted rest so she can hurry up and recooperate.