Up Sick in the Middle of the Night

Giveaway: Little Remedies + diaper bag

Last Friday night, we were at our weekend house with my sister’s family staying over as guests. She has a two-year-old and a newborn and all four of them were sleeping in our guest room together which is right next to Mazzy and Harlow’s room.

At about 3am, Mazzy started crying in her sleep. Loud moaning crying that I’ve heard many times before. It means she either sneezed and got snot all over herself or her ear hurts or her throat is soar. In other words, SHE’S SICK.

In other circumstances, I might have tried to let her sleep through it, but a) Harlow was in the room and I didn’t want her to wake up and b) my sister’s whole family was in the other room and I didn’t want her kids to wake up either.

Can you imagine four small children in two side-by-side bedrooms suddenly awake at 3am?

PARENTHOOD: THE HORROR SHOW.

So. While half asleep myself, I pulled a crying Mazzy out of bed and started to carry her out of the room. Unfortunately, I didn’t get her out of there before I heard another higher pitched cry coming from the middle of the floor. It was pitch dark and hard to see but that could only mean one thing: Harlow had woken up and crawled out of bed. She knew I was taking her sister somewhere and she wanted to come too.

OY.

I knelt down, while still holding Mazzy over one shoulder (who is not that light, mind you) and tried to coax Harlow back into her bed.

Harlow was having none of it. Her squeals of discontent only got louder.

Now. Another night, I probably would have put Harlow back in her bed anyway and insisted she stay there by shutting the door, but on this night, as I mentioned twice already, my sister’s family was in the next room.

I am nothing if not a good host.

So. I picked up crying Harlow with my left arm, still carrying crying Mazzy with my right arm, stumbled out of the room and lugged both of them up the stairs and tried to put them both to bed between Mike and me.

That’s when Harlow insisted on getting comfortable right on top of me and Mazzy got mad that Harlow was encroaching on her mommy/daughter sickness snuggles. Mommy/daughter sickness snuggles being the only known benefit to being sick.

“Calm down, Harlow. If you want to stay here, you have to go to sleep.”

More crying from Harlow as she tried to get comfortable.

More crying from Mazzy as she tried to get closer to me.

Restless turning from Mike as he did his best to pretend none of this was going on.

“What hurts, Mazzy?”

Nothing. Just more wailing.

“Tell me what hurts, Mazzy or else I don’t know how to help you.”

“MY THROAT.”

“I’m going to get you some medicine.”

“Nooooooooo!!!!!” That came from Harlow, not Mazzy. Mazzy knows that medicine is going to make her feel better and no longer fights me on it like she did when she was little. Harlow got mad because getting medicine meant that I was getting out of bed and disrupting her stolen snuggle.

This was not working AT ALL.

I picked up Harlow and took her back downstairs to her bed, which thankfully, she seemed eager to get into since my bed did not prove to be the relaxing night time retreat she was expecting.

Then I went into the kitchen where we keep our stash of children’s medicine, including Little Remedies, a brand most parents are familiar with if they’ve ever looked for safe solutions for coughs, gas, and fever. All Little Remedies products only use the necessary ingredients, with no artificial dyes, parabens and artificial flavors. On this night, I used Little Remedies Fever and Pain Reliever. Mazzy took her dosage easily and passed out soon after.

Then I was finally able to get some sleep, along with the rest of the house, while giving Mazzy her rightfully deserved mommy/daughter sickness snuggles.

The next day, Mazzy seemed fine but Harlow had a cough. You should have seen the looks my sister gave me while trying to make sure my kids didn’t breathe on her newborn.

Up Sick in the Middle of the Night

I gave Harlow Little Remedies 100% Natural Honey Cough Syrup which always seems to help soothe her cough. I also recommend the Sore Throat Pops, which are great because it’s a fun way to relieve a sore throat. And I’ve been using their Sterile Saline Mist on Mazzy recently because her nose gets dry and this helps with her nose bleeds.

Isn’t this the way all Januarys work? Vacation ends. Cold and flu season begins.

Just in time for the kids to go back to school too!

Giveaway: little remedies + Lesportsac

Today, I’m giving away a LeSportsac Ryan Diaper Bag (style of your choice) filled with Little Remedies products in the comments below.

Little Remedies Giveaway

You must be a Mommy Shorts subscriber to enter. Then leave a comment below telling me about that one horrible night in your house when everybody got sick at once.

See full rules here.

Winner will be announced on January 18th!

WINNER UPDATE:

Congrats to Caitlin! Please contact pam@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize.