Yucky...

Ayla is still not feeling 100%. For the most part, she's been acting like herself, but the past couple of days, she just isn't happy when she wakes up from her afternoon nap. Yesterday, she woke up after napping for only 35 minutes and I could tell she was still tired. I tried to get her to fall asleep again and almost got her there a couple times, but she would just wake up and start crying again. It got to the point where she was hysterical...crying, screaming, sweaty, and bright red. She was crying so hard, she threw up all over her hot pink rug. :( Her nose isn't as runny as it was a few days ago, but it's stuffier and harder to clear up. When she sees me coming with a Kleenex and the booger-sucker in my hand, she starts to whimper and turns away. It's hard when they're so young and don't know how to blow their noses. We went to Target tonight and got her a cool mist humidifier to help her breathe a little easier while she's sleeping. I hope it works!

And just an FYI--the "booger-sucker" I'm talking about is a battery-operated nasal aspirator. Yes, battery-operated. I had no idea there was such a thing and I can't believe I've gone eight months without ever mentioning it. Our neighbors gave it to us before Ayla was born...when I pulled it out of the gift bag, I thought they were crazy. No way was this thing going to work, I thought. You push one button and it plays music loud enough to hear from across the entire house and the other button is the sucker...its buzzing sound is just about as loud as the music. I think that would freak me out, let alone a tiny little baby. However, a few days after we brought Ayla home from the hospital, I thought I'd give it a try because the bulb syringe tip was too big for her little nostrils. From that day on, I've been hooked. This thing is amazing! It works sooo much better than the 'ol bulb. What makes it even better is the clear 'collection cup' where all the snot goes...and wait, even better than that, there's actually a 'fill line'. If that doesn't make you gag, I don't know what will. As gross as it is though, it's oddly satisfying to see stuff in there. Better there than in her nose. Up until this cold, she actually learned to like it and would tilt her head back when I gave it a couple warning buzzes to let her know what was coming. I've used it so much the past few days though, that I think I may have ruined the fun of it for her. I'll have to put it away for a few days so she'll forget about it. So anyways, long story short, the booger-sucker is a lifesaver and I'd recommend it. Really, that's all I had to say but instead, I decided to write a 500-word essay about sucking out snot. Sick. Sorry.

I tried getting a few pictures of her this afternoon, but she wasn't too thrilled...you can tell she's not feeling so hot. The only thing that brought a smile to her face? Kody.

I love those toes.