Braden's first cold

I knew this day would come. Part of me is thankful Braden is almost 5 months old when this finally happened instead of a tiny tiny baby but then a bigger part of me wishes it never needed to happen at all. This week he had his first cold, which of course he was kind enough to share with his sister, or perhaps it's the other way around. Between nursery and preschool the toddler germs are everywhere. Though I have tried to stress the important of washing our hands or at least using hand sanitizer before touching brother, I know it's impossible for her to remember every time. My poor sweet kiddos with their crap immune systems. 

The current situation: I am sleeping on Madi's twin bed to stay close to Braden through the night and listen for breathing. Humidifier blasting. Breathing rub in place. Bulb suction close at hand. Not much you can do to help a baby so small but just pray it goes by quickly with minimal damage. It's just a classic cold. Stuffy nose, grumpy boy, and very little sleep for anyone. He can't seem to stay asleep for more than 20 minutes so for now he is laying on my chest for comfort. 

Thankfully Zach is home tonight but I am so not looking forward to the rest of the week. Madison is asleep on my floor. Chest rub also in place, cough medicine given, and again praying for the best. Colds seem to settle deep in her lungs and cause all sorts of breathing problems during the winter. She coughs so long and hard she sometimes will either throw up or stop breathing. It's terrifying and so again I like to keep her close to monitor her too. The problem we run in to with her is that we can't give cough syrup or the steroid to her daily. We have to use it sparingly which sometimes means nights of "roughing it out". It really sucks and again we just pray it's not too bad and we don't have to make any midnight trips to the hospital. I'm so not looking forward to that now with two kids, because you know... All the good stuff happens when dad isn't home. 

So here's to the beginning of the worst four months of the year. Heaven help us.