The Cathcarts

Brad and Jaxson headed back to Gowrie Friday night so that Brad could go to the last regular season football game for Prairie Valley with his dad.  They were undefeated so far and already headed to the playoffs.  They pulled off another victory, so they have gone undefeated for the season, which would be the first time in school history.  So Brad got to bed pretty late that night at his parent’s house and was waken by Jaxson around 2 am with a horrible cough, which then turned into stridor and terrible retractions.  So in other words, he was not moving any air.  Luckily, Grandma Kris has been a pediatric nurse for more than 30 years, so Brad ran downstairs and got her.  She immediately said that it was croup and to get him into the bathroom with the shower on.  After the steam didn’t work to relax his airway, Brad took him outside to sit in the cold air.  In the meantime, Grandma was packing a bag to go to the hospital because she had never seen croup this bad before.  Brad suggested they wait a little longer.  After 45 minutes of sitting outside, his breathing improved.  Jaxson slept well the rest of the night, but I can’t say the same about Brad.  It was hard for him to go back to sleep and try to listen for Jaxson breathing at the same time.  I have to say that I am so glad that I was not there because I would have been freaking out.  I would have been right with Kris and going to the hospital.  I can stay calm at work in situations like this, but not when it’s my baby.  So I guess croup is the worst at night and continues to get worse unless they get started on steroids.  On the way home, Brad took him to our walk in clinic and he got a dose of a steroid and also an antibiotic for an ear infection.  He is on the mend now. . . . thank goodness.

Jaxson’s "prize" from Big Papa for eating his green beans.  Little does Big Papa know that Jaxson likes green beans and eats them all the time