Croup

For 8 months out of the year, if we happen to catch a cold bug at our house, it turns into croup for Dylan and Emma. I don't think Dawson has ever had it, but the other two get it religiously. Yesterday, Emma woke up and I could hear the start of her Darth Vader breathing. It got worse throughout the day, so when Dave and I went to bed, I went upstairs to bring her into our bed for the night. I have never been a fan of kids in my bed, so the only time they get to sleep with me, is if I feel like they might need CPR or rescue breathing in the night.

Emma didn't have a fever when we went to bed at 10:00, but at midnight she was blazing hot, and absolutely delirious. I never thought that I would be able to go to sleep with her breathing as hard and as loud as she was, but at midnight I woke up to her telling me she had to go potty. I swear, she completely regressed with her potty training, after we moved into this house, but then chose to get back on the potty horse, in the midst of a 104 degree fever, in the middle of the night? I don't get it.

After getting up to use the bathroom, I got a little nervous. She was really working hard to breath and for the next couple of hours I thought, if she was still breathing this badly in the next 10 minutes, we are headed to the hospital. I gave her some Ibuprofen and waited. She got so delirious that she was talking non-stop. She kept saying, "Buy me a puppy. Buy me a puppy. Buy me a puppy." over and over again, and "I love YOU, the most." I finally had to concede, but I definitely love her the most, and we are definitely not getting a puppy.

We don't have any window coverings on yet, which is not that uncomfortable down here in the country, but when Emma started waving out the window behind me, I got a little freaked out. I asked her, who she was waving to, and she kept saying, "Hi, Elmo." I must have been a little delirious at this point because I didn't even dare turn around and look. Who knows, he may have been hovering right there in the window. I think Elmo is a little creepy on Sesame Street, so I most definitely don't want to see him staring in my window at 2 am.

Finally about 3:45 she passed out cold. Her breathing got better and she broke her fever. We both slept really well the rest of the night.

Tonight, I found the steroids that I got for her last bout of croup, but didn't end up using. I crushed them up and mixed them in some whipped cream and she sucked them down. Usually croup is the worst on the 3rd night so I am going to cross my fingers this works tonight.