Avery: *cough* *cough*

Me: Oh, she’s just doing that for attention and it’s something new she learned.

Going Mom: Yeah, crazy baby.

This exchange of words (and coughs) has happened before and nothing was wrong, but just a few days ago, that coughing only got worse. Followed by the coughs, was a constantly runny nose, small fever, and one very unhappy baby.

Oops, guess it wasn’t just for attention or to make random noise; she was for real this time! Sorry, Avery, us new parents still have so much to learn. Please forgive us.

As I write this, Avery’s symptoms seem to be improving, but keeping her happy all that easy yet. In retrospect, it’s never really that easy. But no complaints here, she’s pretty happy over all, she just has her moments as we all do. It probably doesn’t help when I’m sucking snot out of her runny nostrils several times a day with this handy device….

We’ve had the Nosefrida since Avery was born, but have only started using it now for her cold. Going Mom can’t stand to even watch me use it, so I guess I’m the sucker in the family. See what I did there? No?

By the way, that picture of a happy kid with the tube shoved in their nostril…..FALSE ADVERTISING! Avery screams like I’m pulling off her toes every time I use it and now she’ll start just at the sight of the thing. Using it while trying to hold her arms and head still has been challenging to say the least, but for some odd reason, I derive satisfaction from sucking out a lot of her snot. The more snot, the more bonus points for dad!

Anywho, this is another first for Avery (yay?) and hopefully it’s going away and won’t come back for a while. How many other new parents keep track of their baby’s “firsts”? Surely we aren’t alone here. It’s not like we’re tracking when we had her outside and a wind gust came in from the Northwest for her to feel for the first time.

Poor girl, you can tell she doesn’t understand why she feels so stuffy and out of it, but I’d say she’s doing good at keeping her spirits somewhat high. See that ever so slight smile emerging?

We are against putting over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol in Avery’s body as there are too many dangers associated with these drugs and we don’t use them for ourselves. Plus, all of the children’s brands are filled with artificial colors and sweeteners which makes them even worse! I’ll stop there, but they are a big NO in this house.

Her sleep was less than stellar the first couple of nights with the cold, but she has slept through the past few nights pretty well. I’m sure her body is just so worn out and really needs the rest to help fight off the crap. I’m not an expert, but I’d say she’s on her way to recovery-ville! Mainly because even when she looks like this…

….at the sound of the camera’s shutter, she transforms into this.

Yeah, I’d say someone’s getting over their first cold. Wouldn’t you?

What are your thoughts on using modern medicine for your children? For yourself?

We look to homeopathic options whenever possible as well as essential oils which are overlooked but very effective.