we've got it

I took Tripp to the doctor because I thought he may have another ear infection. Pretty simple stuff, or so I thought. After we'd been there for about 20 min, Ray called and said Cooper had coughed himself sick and he was bringing him too. Things were getting interesting, but I truly had no idea we were about to become a statistic. We'd been tailgating all day just the day before and had no trouble at all! Everyone was fine except for a cough... but regardless - it was swine flu. BOTH of my boys have swine flu.

So, no school for a few days, two $50 bottles of tamiflu, plus some antibiotic for Cooper b/c it turns out he has an ear infection too. (Dr. Carter was like, 'wow, buddy-does your ear hurt?!' Cooper says... 'no.') Honestly, though - they really aren't that bad. They played with hot wheels and the tricycle in the front yard the evening after they were diagnosed - you'd never even really know they were sick while they're awake. This is what they looked like when I got home from work yesterday...
Do these look like kids that have something so serious as H1N1?!?!? I didn't think so either!

We did, however, have a little scare on Sunday night. Cooper kept waking up with this terrible croupy cough, then started wheezing, and struggling to breathe In to cough Out-- it was getting bad. I had given him all of the medicine I had here, and it wasn't working. So, I called the pediatric clinic and when the nurse heard him, she offered to call the paramedics to come check on him before we went to the ER - freaky!! I told her we had it under control and I would be at the hospital within 10 min. Well, after we got Cooper good and awake, then walked outside in the humidity to get to the van, and then to the ER - he was doing much better. He still had fever and was cranky, but the cough was definitely improving. By the time we got back to the quarantined area of the ER reserved for swine flu patients, he was having the time of his life. Wanted to play with the wheelchair, asking about the crutches, met the sweet little volunteer lady that took out the trash, was amazed by the little thing the nurse stuck on his thumb to take his pulse, figuring out how to put his mask on 'all by myself!', exclaimed that his medicine (steroids) tasted really bad - a little too happily. I started to wonder why we were there at all, until he started to get sleepy and started barking again. So, it was a fun night - and a great way to start a full week of work for me! Here's to our little patient -
So, now I'm holding my breath. I'm ready for bed (it is after 9:00 after all) and I'm praying for a full night sleep sans coughing, crying, snuffling, miserable babiness. I haven't heard one cough while I've been writing this - but he does have a talent for waiting until that blessed moment when you're just starting to drift off and you're thinking about how comfortable and warm it is all up under the blankets and how you're so happy that you're gonna get to finally go to sleep now and.... bam! Awww, man!!

So, while Ray's had them home for two days and they've had plenty of quality time together - he took on another little challenge. Yay for Cooper!! Big Boy Underwear!! (He's probably gonna kill me for this one day, isn't he?!)