Snow Days and Stuffy Noses

I don't know what the east coast did to Old Man Winter, whatever it was, he's ticked. And, he's punishing us by regularly pummeling us with snow, sleet and bone-chilling temperatures.

Somewhere between Geof's marathon winter weather TV coverage last weekend and my long days in what is very likely an asbestos-filled building at work, we caught colds. So did the Wonder Twins.

We're not talkin' a sniffle here and a cough there. These were I-Should-Invest-in-Kleenex colds. At one point, it really seemed like my brain was leaky out my nose.

While it was bad for "the big people," at least Geof and I could blow our noses and open up our airways a little. The girls, however, aren't quite old enough yet to learn the "Superman Blow" technique. So, unless we used the bulb aspirator to literally suck the snot out of their noses, they really struggled to breathe.

For those of you who have never used the force of suction on a child's nose, let me give you some insight. Babies don't like it. At all. But, it's a necessary evil to ensure they can inhale.

That means you have to use the dart skills you honed in bars in college to actually stick the aspirator in their tiny nostrils successfully, while they cry and wiggle their heads back and forth. Despite my advanced training in darts at Harpos, I still managed to poke them in the cheeks a couple of times before finally hitting my mark.

After a while, though, it became almost like a game. Who can suck out the biggest booger? Geof may have trumpted me earlier this week, but I'd have to have visual proof be sure the mass he pulled out from Avery's nose was bigger than the one I dislodged from Alexa last night. As you can see, we really don't get out much. :)

In addition to the runny noses, the girls were both sneezing and coughing. Avery also had a slight temperature (100.2) last Sunday, but it returned to normal the next morning. To help relieve the twins' congestion, we let them sleep in their bouncy seats, so they wouldn't be flat on their backs. It seemed to work well.

The nurse at the pediatrition's office told me colds generally go away within six to 10 days, and unless the twins' temps rise to 101 or they develop a "chesty cough," I shouldn't worry. Yeah, right.

The good news is that the babies seem to be feeling better. Their noses are still running a little, but they don't seem to be coughing and sneezing nearly as much. Plus, they haven't had any signs of fever since last weekend.

We think with just a little more rest and some TLC the babies and "the big people" will soon be able to stop carrying around the Vicks-infused tissues with them wherever they go.