Croup Party!

Last night I heard a familiar sound coming from Stella's room as I started getting ready for bed around 11pm.  It sounded like a barking seal interspersed with some crying and labored breathing.  I rushed upstairs to find our little one sitting up in her crib dragging in air.  It's called stridor, that dragging in of breath - and, if you've ever heard it coming from your own child, the sound (and the sight) is terrifying.  Truly, is there anything worse than knowing your child is having genuine trouble breathing?  

Last May we experienced our first bout of croup while visiting my mom over Mother's Day Weekend.  I was thankful, then, that we were with my mom because she knew what was happening when I had only ever heard of croup from watching Anne of Green Gables (any true fan of the films will know what I'm talking about...when, in an interesting twist of fate, Anne "with an 'E'" saves Diana Barry's little sister, Minnie May, from an attack of croup by administering ipecac - and therefore Anne and Diana, bosom friends, are reunited when Mrs. Barry, Diana's mom, forgives Anne for accidentally getting Diana drunk on Marilla's homemade current wine which Anne mistook for raspberry cordial while having Diana over for tea one afternoon...yea, I've seen the movies a few times...).

This time for us was different though because I knew what to do (thank you mom and Anne of Green Gables).  I wrapped Stella in a blanket and rushed her outside into the cold air to open up her airways and then I took her inside and alternated to a steam bath.  These home remedies calmed her down enough for me to realize she definitely needed more than I could give her - she needed medicine.  Thankfully, I had the steroids prescribed to us during last year's hospital stay...and thankfully they weren't yet expired.  I called Tim to tell him he needed to come home in case we were going to the ER like last time; Tim often works really late on Wednesday nights.  When some kids get croup they really get croup, and apparently Stella is one of those kids.  So, down the hatch the predisolone went (along with a snack per the instructions) and for the next hour after the drugs and the snack both kicked in we had a steroid induced party in the Carpenter household.  The medicine works to help her breathe and it also give her a BURST of energy like you've never seen before.  Here are some pics from the insanity:

Stella pointing at Griffin with her "med-sin" in hand.

Stella running after Griffin with her "med-sin" in mouth.

Drinking some juice to re-hydrate amidst the craziness.

Stella showing daddy how to wear her bunny ears.

Stella wearing her bunny ears and repeatedly falling on her knees while laughing over and over...

Needless to say, it was a really late night in the Carpenter house, which made for a really tired day today for all of us.  Thank you, Vick's Vapor Rub for stopping the cough last night after Stella finally settled in to bed.  Thank you, God, for my bed which I'm really excited to return to tonight after sleeping (if you can call it sleep when you have one eye open all night long...) on a futon mattress on Stella's floor last night.  And finally thank you, Anne and mom, for teaching me how to handle croup; you are my bosom friends.