LOOK! A PHOTO!

I don't know about you, but when I am feeling sick, really sick, I generally try not to do too much. I might do some laundry. I might still feed my kids. But there are no trips to the zoo or late nights when I am hacking and coughing and sneezing up a storm.

Last night I medicated both my children, giving Nicholas medicine even though he was only a little sniffly. And I took a TheraFlu drink, which I love despite the fact that it is so bitter. Before 10PM I was sleeping heavily, and glad for it.

And then I heard this noise, like the demons of hell rising down the hall. And I sleepily stumbled from my bed and made it down the hall, where Nicholas was kind of throwing up, but mostly kind of coughing, hacking, and then barking. BARKING. Like a seal. He sounded kind of like a seal. When he calmed down a little, he was still wheezing, and his breaths were coming fast and quicly and sounded strained...

Of course I had to take him to the Emergency Room right away.

If you've never heard the croup, it sounds like barking. And in case you were wondering, yes, an almost-three-year-old can get the croup. Apparently. After hours of Nicholas talking up a blue streak, telling anyone who would listen that he had a "throat in his mouth" and making it seem so silly that I might even begin to wonder if a child so talkative might be in need of air, the doctor finally showed up. He looked in Nick's mouth, and in his ears, declared that Nick had the croup, but he's better now, except he has the beginnings of an ear infection in both ears, so he'll perscribe antibiotics, oh, and we should give him a dose of steroids for the airway just in case.

The boys slept late this morning, but not late enough. I still have to figure out what is really wrong with my child, who is collecting ear infections like other kids collects rocks or stamps or pet rodents. I need to do laundry. I need to figure out what is wrong with my camera - I think I broke it. My new camera. My new, expensive camera. ugh.