on standby

Piglet seems to have croop. It's our first bout, and the past 24 hours have been textbook but not severe. At midnight, he awoke sobbing and coughing and wheezing, lips turning blue. Into the bathroom we went, and turned on a hot shower. There I sat with my toddler on my lap as he snuggled my shoulder, letting the warm steam work it's magic--soothing his breath, frizzing my  hair--until he declared in a voice squeaky from the coughing, "I feel better mommy!" A mug of orange herbal tea with lots of honey followed, which he actually liked. A quick treatment for his high fever and he was back to sleep, waking periodically over the next few hours with shivers and cheerful hallucinations about mickey mouse and rainbows. The miracle of it all: he was 100% agreeable and delightful all day, no worse for the wear. And come bedtime, he was fast asleep inside of 3 bedtime stories.

Now, we are armed for another round of fevers and coughing through the night. Herbal tea and honey on standby. Strange how tending to my babies in the wee hours doesn't require any second thoughts or longing for more sleep. Instincts kick in, TLC takes over, any thoughts of self-preservation flee. I almost welcome the opportunity to be so needed by my wee ones, and to see them sound asleep by 7:05pm. Crossing my fingers that this scary croop passes by little Nanuk.