And So the Season Begins

As if lice checks aren't enough, Lily woke up with a dry hacking cough and what my sitter has dubbed "snot whiskers" (that lovely smear after they wipe it across their little faces). She has hacked all day. I have read other moms posts about how certain sounds or actions (crying, screaming etc) from their children cause them physical pain. I don't mean their kids are spoiled. In my case, Lily coughing makes me want to jump out of my skin. It goes back to when she was so sick as a baby and I'd lay by her bed all night listening to her breathe. We ended up putting her bed in our room so I could hear her. Waking up to your child choking on her own phlegm is terrifying. She's healthy as a horse now, but every time she coughs, I'm right back to those nights.

She hacked so hard today she started throwing up and we had to cancel dinner plans with our friends. The last time we had dinner with friends it was in July, so needless to say I was bummed. I tried Mucinex which usually helps, but no dice. Her inhaler was expired (I told you she's much better) and I didn't know what to do. The killer is she was still running around being her usual nut ball self, just hacking and gasping. Caroline set up the vomit bowl on a towel in the middle of the room and we let her be.

After I talked to my mom , she suggested we try the inhaler anyhow (Rob had said the same thing earlier and I blew him off). I gave her "puffer" and some watered down juice and a cracker. I got her to sit down to watch Little Bear. I sat down with her and well, Little Bear was going on a very long boring walk with Cat and I guess I dozed off. It couldn't have been long because they were still walking when Lily woke me up and cheerfully announced "Mom, I throwed up again." She gleefully held out the vomit bowl, then looked and inside it and said "Cool!" Rob would have gagged, but I am tougher than that. I praised her for hitting the bowl (what a milestone) and cleaned it out.

Right now she is in bed, collapsed on Rob's arm. He is the perfect sick kid proper upper. I need to remind myself how handy he is because today he was particularly cranky and I was in no mood to deal with it. I guess we do make a good team. I clean up the vomit and he holds the coughing children. We play to our strengths. All I know is Caroline and I are waking up early to go to Dunkin Doughnuts and Kohl's!