But then the coughing began. Innocent at first and suddenly worsening, causing unexpected vomiting after a Friday afternoon nap and a rough and restless night for all involved. Saturday morning was no better, and Michael's racing heartbeat and shallow breathing prompted a second call to the advice line and an evening visit to Urgent Care which stretched for hours and incorporated blood draws, IV antibiotics, breathing treatments, and a chest X-Ray. The tests all pointed to bacterial pneumonia and bronchiolitis, and we've spent a great deal of our time since nursing a high-spirited and headstrong but very sick little boy.
Though we are home now with medicines galore to treat his infection and aid his breathing, the process of administering them has been far from easy, and his improvement is not yet discernible. Already tonight we've come to his rescue for the first of many wails in the night, this time with his fourth breathing treatment of the day, which he fought so fiercely that we had to concede to doing the best we could about 3/4 of the way through the dose.
So on to the pictures, and the quotes, and the final end to the wrap up so that I can pretend to close my eyes for awhile before the next cries ring out, and the next...
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| Tunnel tumbling. |
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| Blowing bubbles with her favorite veteran (Mei Mei is hiding behind the camera). |
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| Abby's first bob (and my first attempt at cutting one). |
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| Looking so grown up. |
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| My little sickie on his first bad afternoon. |
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| Mia warms Michael's makeshift floor seat while he's up and about, having recovered a bit. |
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| Stiff upper-lips at Urgent Care, where my brave boy endured a battery of tests, and excelled at the chest X-Ray in particular. |
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| Not to be outdone, Mia proves that she can eat her eggs with a fork as the girls have dinner alone. |
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| First breathing treatment at home was no fun (nor were the second, third or fourth ones). |
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| So happy to be done! |
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| Teddy love. |
Overheard this week:
Abby
In response to my admonition that she should stand back from the very strong onion that I was cutting, as it could hurt her eyes: "It can't hurt my eyes! They're smaller than yours."
Between Abby and Tom
A: "Daddy, could you stay in the kitchen?"
T: "Why?"
A: "Because I don't want you to see me reading."
Michael
In defiance of his father's request that he stop channeling Maximus from Tangled and swinging his play frying pan around: "No! Hit bad guys!"
Mia
"Stop it, Michael!"
"Elephant."
"Puff, puff, chug chug."
