croup

The last time Michael was on a big deployment was when we were in Maine. Molly was 6, Gracie 4 and Jack 2. As I type that I find it hard to believe!! I will never forget Easter weekend there. Michael was gone and we were living on Cousin's Island. Great house on the water but fairly secluded. Most of our friends were in Brunswick which was about a 25 minute drive.
So Night one...Gracie wakes up with croup at 1 in the morning. It does not get better so a trip to the ER will be needed. The one friend we have in town is gone for the weekend of course, so I have to call someone in Brunswick to come take care of the other two. Thank heavens for the Ericksons! Rookie drove down in the middle of the night to be with Molly and Jack.
When Gracie and I returned Rookie was getting the other two breakfast and they were all having a jolly time.
Two nights later I hear the dreaded hack cough yet again. At this point I'm so tired I'm thinking it's all in my heard right?? I check on Gracie and she's sleeping soundly. Whew it's just me. Then I hear it again. This time it's Jack. I take him outside, try the shower and nothing is working. So it's off to the ER I go again.
This time our friends in town are home so I pack up Molly and Gracie and take them to their best friends house. They're thrilled to be having a sleep over with friends, and Jack and I head to the ER yet again.
Thank god my kids don't have bruises or I would have been thrown in jail that night!

So, why do I bring up that story at this point??? Last night at 1am Gracie appeared in my room with that scared look in her eyes because she couldn't breath. Oh before I continue on that part I should fill you in on my other child whose umbilical cord was never severed. Every night Jack begs to sleep with me if I say no, he wanders up in the middle of the night. When I get up to pee (and these days it's every two hours) he follows me into the bathroom, sits on the rug half asleep and waits for me to finish. When I leave the room in the house he yells for me just to know where I am. Dear lord, how do I break the news to him that I'm married. If he were a grown man I could have him arrested for stalking! So you get the picture, he is very much so a mama's boy...however, when dad is home, he wants nothing to do with me!

Back to Gracie...Jack is of course asleep in my bed, Molly is asleep and Carol was working evenings. I take Gracie downstairs with a plan to get her out in the night air. Jack is totally disgruntled and pissed that his sister's lack of breathing is getting in the way of his sleep. God forbid he goes to bed alone! So the three of us parade downstairs.

Carol is home thank goodness and helps us get coats. Jack just stands in the background half awake and not happy. Gracie and I head outside and she starts to feel better. I can tell she's feeling better because she's sitting on my lap and informs me that she's going to put her head down, but don't worry she's not dead, just resting.

On our way in the house Jack is standing right inside the door. He looks at Gracie and I and says, "don't let that happen again...". I thought, "oh thank god, he does have some scrap of humanity in him, he's concerned about his sister". Then he finishes his sentence, "...close the door I'm freezing". Ahhh sweet. Without pause Gracie pipes in with, "Jack we didn't do it to freeze you, we did it so I wouldn't die".

These are the stories that keep me going. I could choose to feel sorry for myself, or laugh at the craziness of it all. I choose laughter thank you very much!