It finally happened. My sore throat has turned into a rich, gurgly hack of a cough. This means I’m on the mend! It also means my head is full of snot and my voice sounds like Harvey Fierstein. (In fact, when I called my friend Jenny in San Francisco yesterday, she asked, “Is this a drag queen?”)
I’m tempted to take a video of me hacking to prove it to you, but instead, I offer this photo of my bedside table.
The worst part about being sick is that I have finally infected Seabass, poor little guppy. As I write, he lays in his crib attempting to fall asleep, quiet for five minutes, fussing for one minute, quiet for three minutes, fussing for 30 seconds. Remember the recent Controversy Wednesday about “crying it out?” Yeah, that pretty much goes out the window when I hear my boy wailing from plugged nostrils and a hot little forehead. You anti-cry-it-outters will feel vindicated to know that we’ve already gone in once to do some serious Seabass-soothing, and we’re on the verge of doing it again.
If only someone would give us all the answers. Or even just create a Nyquil for nursing mothers. I never thought I’d miss an over-the-counter drug quite so much, but I do. Enough to write an ode.
Ode to Nyquil
Your hue, a bluish-green
As a syrup or a pill
You give us all relief
When we are feeling ill
My precious, precious Nyquil
The salve to soothe my brain
In earnest, I do wonder
When will we meet again?
I am Jaime, wife to Jacob. We are the smitten, stupefied, sometimes scared silly parents of a precious boy nicknamed Seabass and a darling girl nicknamed Sweet Chuck.
Higher Highs, Lower Lows 
There is only one answer, and you are not going to like it:
The answer is, there are no answers, just more questions. …and on that note, feel better soon.
you’re right, i don’t like it one bit
Hope you and Seabass feel better soon. Kudos to you for making public what the night table of a sick person looks like. I always gross myself out at what I create next to my bed.
My poor babies! I hope you feel better soon – wish I were closer to help. Nothing more helpless than not being able to relieve a suffering child.
Love you,
Oma
ps: I especially like the pump there on the table. nice touch.
Babies can’t breathe through their mouths, so when they get a cold, they get really upset (as they can’t breathe very well). Laying down intensifies the problem as the phlegm pools in their throats. The thing I find that works better than anything else is a vaporiser. I have a vicks vaporiser which is approved for use with babies as the steam is not as hot as other ones and won’t burn them if they get too close. There is also some special syrup to put in there with eucalyptus and some other niceties that work to unblock the nasal passages. That said, when my little one is sick and really upset, I still go in to soothe her, or let her sleep on me rather than my usual letting her go to sleep by herself methods. This does not in any way affect her sleeping when she gets better, she just needs extra love and attention when sick. Hope this helps!
It does help Sheri, thank you. Seabass is currently up and playing. Nice to see him smile.
aw, so sorry you are both so sick- agree about the soothing & sleeping with baby when he’s sick & the vaporizer!
i still have the one i searched for high & low for (or rather had friend search for) at 1am in the morning about 31 years ago when my baby boy couldn’t breathe well
hugs to you both
cool mist vaporizer, have him sleep at an incline- we always manuever some towels under the mattress, and a whole lot of nursing and love!