Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Mommy's heart is aching....

My kids are sick.  So far it's only two of them, hopefully my eldest will be lucky and not get this cold.  It started with me and soon my 3 year old and baby followed.  I find dealing with sickness one of the hardest mommy jobs.  Aren't mommies suppose to be able to take a child's ailments away with her magic kisses. 

When I hear my 3 year old cough that raspy, painful, dry hacking cough I just want to scoop her into my arms and take it away. She's asleep though, as awful and painful as her cough sounds she at least sleeps through it.  I've given her an herbal cough and cold tonic, since it's not recommended to give young children cold medication anymore.  It helps a little, I'm sure it soothes her throat but it doesn't take the cough away completely.  I also try to get her a drink of cold water but she is so sleepy she only takes a little bit.  So, although I get woken up frequently in the night due to her cough she seems to get a good sleep.

My baby did not fair as well, she was up more frequently.  She not only has the nasty cough but also a stuffy nose and runny yucky eyes.  Basically there is goo coming out of her everywhere.  She uses a soother to fall asleep, which is hard to do when you can't breath out of your nose.  I've pretty much nursed her every time she woken up because I find it helps drain her sinus and lets her breath a little easier (if only for a short time).  We do have a vaporizer but I hate using it since it makes a mess, soaking everything in the room.  I've played with the idea of getting a cold mist humidifier but have always put it off wondering, 'will it really make that much of a difference?'.   But two days ago, when my baby woke up from her nap coughing and sneezing, I decided that I was going to get one that day.  That night she slept so much better and didn't cough nearly as much (had one of those, why didn't I do this sooner moments).  

Last night both girls were about the same.  My 3 year old was a little better, coughing slightly while sleeping.  My baby still stuffy and coughing but still able to sleep better.  That is once I figured out one of her sisters had been playing with the dial on the new humidifier and had it turned right down. So, I'm thinking maybe I'll be able to get a better sleep? .....

My 6 year old wakes me up at 3 am, "Mommy, I had a nightmare."

Sigh, a better sleep will have to wait for yet another night.