Carter Has Croup

Friday night Carter started coughing a little bit and then started running a low-grade temperature. He woke up so many times during the night crying out for me and saying he couldn't breathe that I just moved in and slept in his bed with him. If I rubbed his back as he coughed he'd stay asleep so I found myself laying in his bed and rubbing his back every half hour or so while sleeping in between. He insisted he felt better on Saturday and wasn't running a temp anymore so we went on with our plans to visit the Botanic Garden but he was miserable again that night and I was sleeping with him again. Sunday rolled around and he sounded like he was wheezing and kept complaining that he couldn't breathe. We went back and forth on whether to take him to Urgent Care or wait a day so he could see his doctor on Monday. We decided to wait.

Although sleeping in his bed is not the most comfortable, I sure love the snuggles!

I called first thing Monday morning for an appointment and they asked if we could be there in 40 minutes which meant we'd need to leave the house in about 15 minutes. I pulled clothes on our sleep deprived hineys and hustled everyone out the door. We made it just in time. Carter was diagnosed with croup and prescribed some steroids. His doctor said since he was no longer running a temp he was no longer contagious and we could continue on with activities as planned. I kind of assumed that meant Carter would be feeling better and would be up to our usual amount of activity but I was so wrong. We didn't leave the house other than his doctor's appointment on Monday. Despite saying he wanted to go somewhere on Tuesday, he just laid on the floor and cried when I attempted to get him ready so we didn't go anywhere that day either. Wednesday rolled around and he still just wanted to lay around. Then this morning he asked to go to library to play but after about 30 minutes said he was tired and wanted to head home. Poor Elise ran from person to person telling them bye and waving before we left because she was so desperate for interaction with other children. She's done really well not going anywhere, I think mostly because she hasn't been feeling up to par either. Early in the week her temp was hovering just over 99 and she had a runny nose along with irritated gums. She was chewing her fingers constantly and struggling with sleep. Right about when Carter started sleeping better, Elise was up every 30 minutes to hour. I was so sure she was coming down with croup as I read it's highly contagious, but she hasn't shown any symptoms. I'm not sure how she's come through this without getting sick, but I am so thankful! Knock on anything nearby that she doesn't end up with it! It has been rough listening to Carter cry after coughing and gasping for breath. I can't imagine that with Elise's tiny little body. Plus when Carter's sick all he wants is to snuggle and be held so I feel like I am helping him and he's old enough he can voice what's bothering him. The sleep deprivation was all worth it when Carter took a drink and excitedly said, "It doesn't hurt my throat to drink anymore!" I told him that was wonderful and I was so glad he was feeling better and he said, "Thank you for helping me, mommy." Then my heart melted and I wanted to hold him forever! It also reminded me of how lucky I am to be a stay at home mom. If I were still working it would have been my 3rd day of school on Monday and since Carter was cleared by the doctor, I would have had to take him to daycare even though he wasn't feeling up to par. I am so glad I've been able to stay home and snuggle him instead, ensuring he gets plenty of rest so he can feel better!

There has been lots of all of us snuggling during the day, when Elise isn't running around.

And lots of special mommy/Carter snuggles.