Hey! Do you have any worst enemies? I have something brand new to never wish on them: that their 20 month-old comes down with croup during a heat wave. Lowell woke up at 4 am the other night with that awful croup bark and wheezing so badly that we had to go straight into the bathroom and turn on the shower. Hot, steamy shower on a hot, steamy night with your poor baby clutching you struggling to breathe. Unsweet!
Remarkably we did not panic (even when we realized neither of us knew quite where the closest emergency room is if things got worse. They did not, thankfully). We got him on medication the next day and he is slowly on the mend, but we have been housebound due to the triple-digit heat. Have you ever been housebound with an extremely unhappy, inconsolable, crying, coughing toddler while you sit in a pool of your own sweat? If you have, how did you survive? I am looking down the business end of another long hot day with him and I'm not sure I am going to make it. As an extra added bonus to the world's unhappiest toddler I have a raging head cold, a husband with an outbreak of poison ivy on both arms, and a puking dog. Whoohoo! Superfecta!! Pray for me.
Oh, my daughter had that one time, and we had to call 911. It was horrifying and I was afraid to sleep for weeks after that.
I don't know HOW I survived the following weeks with the inhalers and steam baths. It was frightening and horribly exhausting.
I hope your baby is well again soon!
(p.s. thanks for having my back over at finslippy's!)
xo
Posted by: Y | August 02, 2006 at 11:21 PM
hey Y - no sweat. Croup is horrifying. But lowell is really getting better, the steroids did the trick. We're just on to phelgm city now. Lovely.
Posted by: LetterB | August 04, 2006 at 09:56 AM
Croup is really yucky. Plus heat and sickness all around. Poor you.
Feel better soon!
Posted by: jess | August 04, 2006 at 11:57 AM
Oh man oh man. My lord. Glad to hear Lowell's doing better -- I hope everyone else is, too. You have my sympathies.
Posted by: supa | August 04, 2006 at 11:58 AM
Oh, girl...I feel for you. Oliver had croup last fall and it was awful. This was also during the four months he screamed and shat for no apparent reason -- that is, until we found he was lactose intolerant. I really did feel like I was going to burst into tears at the drop of a hat and I didn't have half of the stuff going on that you do.
So...I hope it passes quickly. Hang in there.
Posted by: mamatulip | August 04, 2006 at 04:27 PM
Lighting candles for you as I speak. I've been housebound with sick kids, but I can't remember when it was in such miserable weather. It's 8:45 p.m. here and still 97 degrees. You have my symmpathies.
Posted by: wordgirl | August 04, 2006 at 09:47 PM
We've never enjoyed croup, but poison ivy is my all-time favorite! I hope by this time the cold/ivy/coughing have gone on their way... so you can get back to enjoying living on the sun!
xx
Posted by: Mignon | August 05, 2006 at 07:10 PM
You guys are awesome. Thanks. I'd have piped up sooner but my brain was hijacked by my cold medicine.
Posted by: LetterB | August 06, 2006 at 12:39 PM