Hack

A couple nights ago, Julie and I were sitting downstairs when suddenly we heard from the baby monitor the next phase of Lyla's cold, the two-pack-a-day cough. Julie ran upstairs to comfort her, and I compiled a list from the internet of all the medicines you can give an infant with a cough. On that list: nothing. Oh yes, and also nothing.

For my own discomforts, I'm not a fan of home remedies. Chamomile tea? A warm washcloth on the face? Just shut up and give me some pills. But for our little Marlboro baby, website after website said that cough medicines without a prescription are not just a small no-no, but a big no-no.

So Julie turned the shower on hot and sat in the bathroom with Lyla while I set up a humidifier in the nursery. And, well, the home remedies worked. Lyla slept.

Her cough is getting better, but she did have quite the episode at Anja's first birthday party, hacking and coughing and then gagging and then spewing six ounces of formula down the front of my shirt. It was hot.