Sibling gifts

Ceilidh has given Aisling a gift. One that was not desired nor asked for, but given freely nonetheless. A cold. A nasty cold with a high fever and an irritating cough. A cold that saps the energy from a normally rambunctious 23 month old.
For two and half days, Aisling has been under the weather. Her little body has been burning up with a fever, and it's like holding a hot water bottle in your arms. She's had several cool baths in hopes of bringing down her temperature. Uncle Billy made the observation that it's easy to tell she's not well because instead of running, she's simply walking. She curls up onto the couch or bed, and buries her hot little head onto the pillows. It's a pathetic picture because you know she's miserable. Especially when she buries her head into your chest and croaks "Mommy, I sick. I sick."
While Ceilidh had absolutely no appetite for nourishing foods, Aisling at least showed some interest in her meals. Last night, she gobbled up pesto pasta before devouring her dessert - the cream in the oreo cookies.
After day three on advil and tylenol, her fever finally broke last night. Around 3 a.m., she felt energetic enough to wake me up and greet me with "Hi Mommy! Wake!" But she was also content enough to snuggle back under the covers after draining her bottle of milk.
This morning, she woke up and cheerfully insisted on having her hair blown dry before going to collect her clothes for the day. What a relief...except now she's left with the nagging cough. Which can't be helped because over-the-counter remedies for coughs and everyday colds are no longer available to children under the age of 6 years. With the exception of pain relievers, there really is nothing one can do except suffer through the symptoms. I'm sure I could bring the child in to the doctor's in the hopes of obtaining a prescription, but it's not worth it when you consider the world of other germs and bugs the kids would pick up. So, instead, we hope we'll be successful in convincing Aisling to take a spoonful of honey to calm the cough and soothe the throat. Unfortunately, Ceilidh has the stubbornness of a mule (where did she get that personality trait?) and has refused to ingest anything other than orange juice throughout this whole ordeal.