Day 6 of AoM held hostage

Yes, the rugrats loosened the ropes briefly to allow me to post. But, it really isn't the rugrats who are my captors, they are but just the minions of the true villian at work. We know this evil as "The Crud."

The Crud invaded last Wednesday night in full force when Hot Rod began running a fever of 101.4. From there, it has just gone downhill. Despite prescription cough medicine and steroids, he is still coughing like a barking seal in a circus sideshow. Fast forward to Saturday night and my brief respite away with Army of Dad to go see "Stranger Than Fiction", some bullriding and Josh Gracin. While we were away, The Crud attacked Little Bit, starting with fever and the overnight cough.

Sunday, she just laid in the floor watching TV. It wasn't until she climbed in my lap that I realized she was burning up. My folks didn't think to tell me that she was sick before that. I say to my mom "Ohmigod. She's burning up." My mom looks up and says, "Yeah, she was feverish and coughing all night." Gee thanks, mom.

I was up last night at 3:30 a.m. with Little Bit. She couldn't breathe and the fever returned. So, I set her up - where she is sleeping almost sitting upright - next to my bed. I get her a bottle of water, some Tylenol and the cough medicine. Then, I try to go back to sleep while fighting the mommy guilt of having left her with my folks Saturday night and not knowing she was sick while I was out having a break.

This morning, I had to contend with Pickle being pissy cuz he wanted to be sick and stay home, too. I finally convinced him that being healthy and going to school was better than being home with coughing fits.

So, I call the doc today and ask about using a nebulizer on the kids and the doc concurred. Hot Rod has been one of those kids who takes a month or longer sometimes to shake a cough. So, maybe we can speed up the healing process with the inhaled steroids since he is miserable and has baseball tryouts this coming Saturday. Not to mention that his grandpa - who we haven't seen in about three years - is coming along with great-grandma sometime early next week. We also plan to see Little Bit's godmother, who happens to be AoD's sister. She will be in Dallas on business next week, so we're going to try to visit with her during the two-hour break she gets in the evening between conferences and meetings. So, these guys need to get better sooner rather than later.

Plus, for my own sanity, I need them to go back to school. Being cooped up with them during the freezing weather and then having them stuck inside sick is just too much for me. So, tonight, AoD is going to pick up a nebulizer from a friend and we start breathing treatments on both kiddos. Wish me luck. I think I'm going to need it.