Breathing Easy

We've had a rough last week and a half. First of all, I was nesting so I poured all my energy into cleaning and organizing our closets and pantry. The results are great and our "behind closed doors" areas look great. All the work wore me out though and I think I'm all done with that nesting thing.

On Tuesday, Addi got sick with a cold and the Croup and had to be treated with a round of steroids. Being up with her during the night one night and then dealing with her drug-induced mood swings left Jeff and I both exhausted going into last weekend's busy schedule. Jeff's 10-year reunion was over the weekend and we were up past midnight on both Friday and Saturday nights. Things were fun but this tired, pregnant girl needed a little bit more sleep.

But then Jackson got sick. And when Jackson got sick, he decided to go for it all the way. His fever started on Saturday and he slept most of the afternoon. The kids were at my mom's house while we were out for the reunion dinner and my mom left us a note with his midnight temperature and medicine dosage that she'd given him. He woke up several times coughing (Addi's croup) during the night and was pretty pitiful when we got up on Sunday morning. All he wanted was for me to hold him so we just sat and snuggled while we figured out our plans. We were suppose to go to a friend's ranch for the week but knew Jackson would need to see the doctor and get on steroids Monday morning. We decided that Jeff and Addi would ride out with our friends and I would follow on Monday after Jack's appointment. It was just Croup, which is usually very mild, and we already knew what to expect with it.

You know what they say about the best laid plans?

About the time that Jeff was several hours away, Jackson woke up gasping for breath. The skin around his ribs was drawing in with each breath and he was struggling. It only lasted about two minutes and then he went back to sleep. I called the Dr. again and as I waited for the on-call nurse to call me back, Jackson woke up and started his gasping thing again. It was longer and worse the second time around and I was getting concerned. Jeff has taught me the danger signs to look for and they were all there so I started throwing things in my bag (still at my mom's). The nurse called back during his episode and since she could hear him over the phone, she told me that he needed to go to the hospital. Fun, fun. I called my mom to come home from church and she was there within 2 minutes to ride in with us. His breathing settled down and he was fine all the way to the hospital, but he was still having retractions between his ribs when we checked in at the ER. We got a red sticker that means "immediate" so we were taken back to a room and seen by a doctor right away. It was still Croup, just a severe case, so he ordered steroids and a breathing treatment. Even after that, he was was still having strider (wheezing/gasping as he draws a breath) at rest so they admitted him for overnight observation. Since Croup is usually much worse at night and he was having such a hard day, they wanted to be able to give him breathing treatments as needed.

We got a super nice room with a comfy bed (a prego mom's dream) and a TV. After my mom headed home, Jack and I spent the evening cuddled up watching Cars---Jackson's first full-length feature. Despite the situation, it turned into a nice, relaxing evening and we both got a great night's sleep. Jackson didn't have any more episodes and continued to improve so we got discharged first thing Monday morning.

All's well that ends well. He came home on steroids and his mood swings were even crazier than his sister's had been. But we still packed it up and headed out to the ranch (with the Dr.'s permission) to join our family. I felt like I had been in seclusion for months and really wanted to be with Jeff and Addi. The fresh air and outdoor fun was just what we all needed. Both kids are almost 100%--Jackson's still got a bit of a cough but it's getting better. Jeff and I are rested up and relaxed after a week with friends. PIctures to come of that soon.