Cold in a Heat Wave

I'm returning to the world of blogging after a week full of polishing my mommy skills. What was I doing that was so much more important than posting meal plans and useful tips? Suffering through a cold with my sweet baby. Baby Josey was sick for the first time since she came home from the hospital, and so was I. Josey was much worse off than I, but when your baby is sick, it makes taking care of yourself ten times more difficult. So what did I learn during this week? Plenty.

1. You can't wear yourself out while taking care of a sick baby. The baby needs attention, so it may be necessary to call in back up. Grandmothers are excellent at this. My mom graciously watched and cared for Josey while I slept so I'd be in good shape to take the night shift. If I hadn't gotten those naps, I wouldn't have been a good caregiver.

2. Humidifiers help with runny roses. When you're sick, the humidity should be above 40% to get some relief. But if you have asthma (like I do), it can aggravate it.

3. A waterless plug-in vaporizer is a wonder. It gets rid of sniffles without the need for messy vapor rub or a dangerous steaming vaporizer.

4. Drink, drink, drink! Josey and I had plenty of apple juice to help thin out the gunk in our noses.It made such a huge difference.

5. Even when they're sick, babies make the best cuddle buddies. Josey clung to me like never  before because she knew I was giving my all to help her feel better, and that made me feel better.

Rooming In

When we brought Josey home from the hospital, there was no doubt where she would sleep. I had found a bassinet for $25 at Target, and it fit perfectly next to our bed. I pulled the bassinet up against my side because I wanted to be able to hear the smallest squeak and feel the tiniest fidget. When she was a newborn, I found myself reaching into the bassinet to hold her pacifier in place until she went to sleep or holding her hand to give myself some comfort.

Now she is 4 ½ months old and has outgrown her bassinet. For many, this would be the time to make the transition and move her into her room and her full size crib. She already falls asleep in her crib most nights because her room is just off the living room, and since I stay up much later than she does, it makes sense for her to be in her room while I am up. But what about when I go to bed?

I know baby monitors exists, and I know that these days that are pretty reliable. But do I want technology to be the only connection between us in the middle of the night? No. I like the idea of my little girl “rooming in” with us. We all draw comfort from sharing a bedroom. She likes being able to see her daddy first thing in the morning. I like being able to adjust her covers when she kicks them off in the middle of the night. I also like being able to immediately comfort her if she has a bad dream or a tummy ache. So what was the solution? A mini crib.


A mini crib is just that – a miniature version of a regular crib. It’s generally for infants under 1 year. A mini crib is perfect because it fits in the corner of the bedroom next to our bed. It has a full bedding set just like our large crib, and our particular model converts to a rocking crib in case Josey needs some help falling asleep.

If I had known about mini cribs earlier, I would not have purchased a bassinet. A newborn can feel secure in a mini crib, and it does last longer. As long as she fits in it, Josey will be staying in our room.