Slow day in the E.R.

you read that right, we spent our quiet sunday in the E.R.. Well, actually is was really just Otto and eric, but still. Otto and Mette have both been sharing a cold for the past few days which really hasn't been too bad. We have been very lucky, all summer long we were cold free so I knew we had it coming. Saturday we did our best to keep the kids calm and enjoy a low key day. We went for a few walks with them in the stroller so they could at least enjoy the beautiful weather and get some fresh air. Saturday night Otto couldn't sleep because he couldn't stop coughing. This happens a lot when he gets colds, it happen to me all the time as a kid and my Dad as well. He comes by it honestly. In an effort not to have Mette wake up Otto came to bed with me and Eric slept on the couch in the library next to our room. At 5am when Mette woke up he went to comfort her and spent the next few hours of sleep in Otto's bed. It was available and is quite comfy. It has been a long time since eric had such a wild night of sleeping in three beds :) Otto didn't get any sleep during the night but did want to take a nap at 8 in the morning. We were all in favor. It wasn't until after his nap and he had some Motrin that he came downstairs. That was when I noticed he could hardly breathe and was wheezing like Darth Vador. We called the doctor, but of course since it was Sunday (the only time kids ever really get sick, well that or Christmas Day) they told us to take him to the E.R. Eric packed up Otto, Blankie, Baby Alligator, the iPad and his computer and off they went. Luckily it wasn't too crowded so they weren't there too long. They took chest x-rays to rule out pneumonia. It took three nurses, one of which was a large male nurse to hold him down for the x-rays. I'll let you guess how that went. They listened to him breathe a lot and determined that really all he had was a cold but it was triggering asthma which was why he couldn't breathe. They sent eric home with a nebulizer and lots of prescriptions. They also decided he had an ear infection and thought he needed steroids. The nebulizer is amazing, there is just no other way to put it. I suffered through many, many, MANY sleepless nights as a child sitting next to a vaporizer trying to breathe when I had a cold. It was terrible and listening to Otto cough all night every time he has a cold is equally as painful and sleep depriving. Before Otto went to bed last night he did a dose of the nebulizer and slept the entire night through without coughing once. It was a miracle as far as I am concerned. Now, as far as the making Otto breathe part it is amazing, but I have to say, a certain Cyprus Hill song comes to mind every time we turn it on. I actually found myself saying to Otto tonight, "try and suck in all the smoke and blow it out slowly". Not something I ever thought I would be saying to my three year old.

Despite all the drama on Sunday, both Otto and Mette seem to be doing well. Mette's cold has never turned into quite the extreme case Otto's was and he is already feeling MUCH better. In fact the hard part now is getting him to lay low. I took them both to the doctor today and she confirmed that he is doing well. She also thinks they thought he had in ear infection because he had been crying so much (remember the x-rays) because his ears looked fine today. We are still going to continue the antibiotics for a few days to be on the safe side, but won't do the full ten days. I also asked her about the steroids. Many of you who read this blog knew me 7 or 8 years ago when I was having a bad run with migraines. Turns out I am allergic to all the good migraine meds. I ended up having to do two rounds of steriods and it was not pretty. I gained 20lbs in 8 weeks, I was no joke crazy and mean. I twitched with energy, couldn't sit still and had to endure a constant sound track of circus music. It was not a good thing. You can imagine my great concern when they wanted to give Otto steroids. If they really were necessary I would do it, but I wanted to talk to our doctor before continuing the doses. Luckily she thought he was find and didn't need them because really, I can't think of anything much worse than a three year old on steroids.

Even though this weekend didn't really go like I had planned, I would still say it was a nice weekend. In fact, on Sunday after eric and Otto got home and the kids were down for their naps, I met a friend and we walked around a little antique mall a block away and spoke in complete sentences without kids. It was quite glorious. We even st0pped for grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries in the little diner there, complete with an Itty Bitty Hot Fudge Sundae. I love having pregnant friends. I even scored an adorable 50's love seat for $15!! Pictures to follow soon.