I knew something was brewing in the house. Timothy was increasingly cranky. Wil was entering one of his "bad diaper" cycles. And it had been a few weeks since the last illness. Luke woke with one of those asthmatic sounding coughs, but he doesn't have asthma so I assumed allergies, gave him a dose of Claritin and sent him back to bed. There is lot's of stuff blooming afterall.

And then fever set in for Timothy along with an all over body rash. Wil kept James busy running baths to soak his sore bottom. And Luke, on Friday night woke every two hours in a panic over his cough and inability to take a deep breath. So at 1 am we started steam showers. Poor guy. "Does this mean I am getting sick?" he cried in his most pitiful voice as he gasped for air forcing himself to hyperventilate. He sat on the toilet as the bathroom filled with steam and his airway opened. And just like that he was back to himself. "Mom, can you bring me a pillow and blanket? I am getting tired of sitting on the toilet but I really like it in here so I think I will just lay down and get comfortable." I convinced him he should go back to bed and set him up in the guest room with a humidifier. An hour and a half later he woke in another panic. By the time I got downstairs he was starting the shower. So I found a place on the sofa while he sat in the bathroom. When I went in to get him I found this. . .

I thought seriously about leaving him there with the shower running. I would be sure to get some sleep that way. But. . . somehow that felt wrong, letting my kid sleep on the bathroom floor. So, I got him up and back in bed. We went through it one more time before getting up for good and making a trip to the doctor.

After two days on oral steroids for croup he is feeling good again. Although he just walked through the den and shared the following with me, "Mom, it feels like I have to go stinky but then when I try nothing comes out. It is very confusing."

Never a dull moment around here.