Before last night, it had been a year since I went out at night without Chad or the kids. The last occasion was Oct. 11 of 2006, when I went to see the "So You Think You Can Dance" tour with my two sister-in-laws, Sabina, and Audra. It was a night to remember and we giggled like school girls when we got to meet the top ten afterwards and take our pictures with them.
This is the TV show I hold dearest of all. During the summer, I sit enraptured though every show and Audra and I have hour long conversations after each episode about the performances and choreography.
When the tickets went on sale for this year's tour, Audra and I were online the second the presale started, brandished with our passwords. That was in August, and we have been looking forward to it ever since.
The three of us went to the tour again last night. The dancing was spectacular and when the last number was over I was so sad. I really wanted more. We made our way out of the arena determined to meet the stars again and get our silly pictures. As we rounded the corner and discovered that they had again set up an autograph area, we were excited and good ol' Audra found us a spot right against the barricade where we would be able to snap shots with everyone. I pulled out my cell phone and discovered that Chad had called three times. That alarmed me because he told me before I left that he wasn't going to call and bother me. When I checked my voice mail, I got a message that no mother wants to hear - "Katie, this is Chad, call me as soon as you get this." If Chad calls me Katie, I know it something is wrong.
I called quickly and Chad said that Colin woke up, vomited, and was now having a really hard time breathing. I immediately thought of croup because of the boy we babysat on Monday. I told him to look it up online. Chad was frustrated and I could tell Colin must be bad by the sound of his voice. We talked a few more times, with me giving him suggestions, and him getting more and more frustrated. Chad kept telling me to stay where I was, but I could tell that he was not feeling good about the situation. He finally called and said he was going to the ER, and again told me not to leave. Chad was on his way out the door but couldn't find Colin's sandals, which is a perpetual problem for us, and he was pretty much yelling with frustration at this point. I was torn. Maybe that isn't something I should have been torn about, but I could tell it was croup, and I have read all about pretty much every childhood illness out there, and I could tell Colin was going to be okay, and he had his Daddy taking care of him. And I was frustrated myself - this was the night had been waiting for all year. I knew that Chad was panicked, but I knew that he would handle it. If I left it meant that Sabina had to go too (because I had given her a ride) and it meant Audra would be left to meet everyone by herself. Then I thought about taking pictures with everyone, and I knew it really wouldn't be fun for me, and that every time I looked at those pictures I would think "I took that picture while my little boy was in the ER." As soon as I thought, that I knew what the right (and what should have obvious) decision was. Really, I know, I am a horrible mother for not coming to this decision earlier. You don't have to tell me.
When I got there and saw Colin in his PJ's, laying on the bed, and heard him wheezing with every breath, I couldn't believe I had thought about not coming (but still wondered if Audra had met anyone yet :o). Colin gave me a little smile. He wasn't talking at all because he was having such a hard time breathing, but he was being so brave, and Chad said he was already improving. They had declared it croup and were now waiting around for some sort of treatment that, of course,was slow in coming. Chad decided to take Gabe home.
The nurses gave Colin a nebulizer, which is basically a concentrated and portable humidifier. Then they took X-rays. After that we waited over an hour to have the Dr. come in and tell us that it was a mild case of croup, and that if his breathing got bad again to put him in the bathroom with the shower on, or to take him out into the night air - both tips that I already knew, by the way. I know that Dr.'s are doing their best in ER's and that it's not an ideal working situation, but it is really hell to sit there for hours on end, and after Gabe's spinal-tap, RSV incident in the ER when he was five weeks old, I have had a certain, more extreme, loathing for the whole experience.
Colin breathing got better and better, and he got more talkative by the minute. He starting messing around with me, purposely making his breathing sound like a pig, and sticking his knee through the (embarrassing) hole in his PJs. Towards the end, he actually said, "This is fun!"
We got home at 2 am, and Colin was wide awake. He ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I brought him into our room, where Chad had already set up the humidifier and Colin's old toddler bed. I opened the window to let some night air in. Colin and I both tossed around in bed until almost 3, when we finally fell asleep.
Gabe insisted on getting up at 6:30, despite his very late night, and Colin woke up, feeling just a little wheezy, at 8 am. Chad got up at 8:30 and is working from home this morning and going in later. I am hoping that I can get both the boys to take a nap at the same time at some point today so that maybe I can catch a little sleep, and I am praying that Gabe doesn't get croup .
And I can't wait to see if Audra got any pictures.
