Cole Update

This was going to be a funny post about him (see below), but I need to share the events of the past 24 hours first. Yesterday evening in the middle of a cookie decorating fiesta with some family and a family friend Cole started to cough. It became bothersome for him, obviously. Then he wouldn't eat dinner or nurse and he developed a wheeze and audible rattle in his chest. At this point he was definitely struggling. So, Rich and I got in the car (and were thankful our guests were self-sufficient and willing to watch the big kids) and took him to the ER. The ride there was awful. He had very labored breathing and we caught every red light with nasty weather on top of it.

Once there, we found his oxygen saturation level low and heart rate high. After a nebulizer treatment, he drastically changed. It was a great sigh of relief to have him back to normal. Chest x-rays came back normal. We were suspecting he had inhaled something into his lungs. Then he developed a rash all over his body and was given Benedryl and a steriod. Bottom line is that we really don't know what he was afflicted with, but it is suspected that it was some sort of allergic reaction. To what? We don't know. What I do know is that this was one of the scariest moments of parenthood for me that I don't wish to re-live. I know how fragile life is and how easily unthinkable things can happen, but when I get an actual glimpse, it is a reality check I don't want. I have been hugging & kissing him even more than normal today.

Now, I have a hunch that Santa is going to bring the big kids bed tents for Christmas. Judging from where Cole likes to hang out, someone should have been added to that list: