Breathe easy, baby

Last night was no fun for my poor baby Leah. I put her to bed around 7pm (Mike was wakeboarding) thinking that I would get some prime scrapbooking time in. At 8 she was still awake, snuffling. I guess she is coming down with a cold or something (preschool strikes already). But eventually she feel asleep. At 10pm she woke up crying and coughing a harsh almost asthma like cough.

I of course jumped immediately to croup. The last time I suspected croup though, when she was a year or so, it was not the case. I have read that when they can't breathe, taking a little walk in the cool night air will help. Unfortunately here in NC, the temp was 90 at 10pm! Where are we, Florida?

So we went into the bathroom to turn on a hot shower and create lots of steam. I was not looking forward to that as a hugely pregnant woman in July. I was holding Leah on top of my belly while she was crying and coughing trying to get the shower curtain into the tub so the water didn't run all over the floor. Everything on the sides of the tub was flying around, banging the tub which made Leah cry harder because it was so loud. I finally got it all set up and we sat on the toilet for like 25 minutes. I was DYING of heat and Leah was squirming all over my belly.

After a little bit, she stopped crying and was breathing better. I had her sit on the floor in the bathroom while I got her humidifier all set up in her room. Then we went downstairs to chill out while the humidifier did its job and to wait for Daddy (he was almost home by then). She went right to sleep after that and slept until 6:15am, thank goodness.

She is still very stuffy today and her voice was very hoarse when I picked her up from school. I think she overdid the talking there. There is another little girl there named Leah and and our girl said "I want to hug my neighbor, my other Leah," the whole way to school. How adorable it that?!?

PS I now have cankles. My feet are soooo swollen. Come out, baby Erin!