I called my friend a few days later to ask after her daughter, and it turns out the girl, who suffers from chronic respiratory problems, was put on steroids and missed about a week of school due to that virus. That very evening, Pumpkin started up with a croupy cough of his own. Even though it was just a mild case of croup (cough, runny nose, hoarse voice, but no fever), I kept him home from school the next two days to be on the safe side. He seemed fine by Saturday so he and his dad went out to visit the model train store, have lunch, and just enjoy some guy time together. I guess somewhere along the way, Pumpkin must've been exposed to an allergen because, that evening during dinner, his left ear suddenly started getting red and swollen. It was also hot to the touch, and Pumpkin complained that it hurt when I touched it. Then, just as suddenly, it went away! So we gave him a bath, loaded him up with Zyrtec, and put him to bed, same as any other night. A few hours later, at around dawn, he started coughing terribly then he sprang up in bed crying and gasping and grabbing at his mouth.
As luck would have it...or perhaps by God's good graces, I'd decided to have him sleep with me in my room so that I could keep an eye on him so I woke up as soon as he did. I'd also (again, by sheer luck or what-have-you) read up on the latest in croup treatment after we'd put the kids to bed so I knew exactly what to do. I "calmly" gathered him up and ran downstairs and out the front door with him to breathe in the cold air, which is what the "experts" said was the best thing to do (one study found that hot bathroom steam didn't work very well after all). And don't worry, he didn't get resfriado. We didn't actually stand around outside in our pajamas. I held the door open, and we sat on the sill, and I covered Pumpkin with my coat, which fit like a full-size Snuggie only warmer.
Once he was all nice and medicated and breathing easier, I noticed that his left eye was swollen and puffy. Was it mere coincidence that it was on the same side as the ear that had swollen the night before? I think not! Might this weird recurring allergy have something to do with the sudden worsening of his previously mild croup? In my reading, I came across something known as spasmodic croup, which is a recurring fever-less croup that appears to be triggered by allergies. It seems odd that I hadn't heard of this before, but it seems to fit.
So Pumpkin missed school again on Monday and then again on Tuesday because I'd kinda sorta re-injured my back when I carried him down the stairs. And then on Wednesday, which was to be his last day of school and the day of his classroom Easter party, school was cancelled on account of snow. Darn!
You'll be glad to hear that Pumpkin is doing better. In fact, we all are. I haven't yet attempted to go anywhere with the kids that might require any heavy lifting of strollers or pulling of loaded wagons, etc. Perhaps tomorrow when the weather is nicer, we'll try leaving the house. Or not. Whatever.
In other news this month, we visited the Zoo, celebrated QT's actual birthday, went to the park, and played with mice and dogs. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
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