Perspective

7:45am.  We're awake, looking out the windows at the pouring rain and bummed that we won't be going to Sesame Place.  It just doesn't seem worth the drive when most of the stuff to do is outside.  Also, I've been miserably sick (allergies?  I'm not sure) for a few days, and hanging out outside doesn't seem like the best option.   At 7:45, my biggest problem is that our big Sesame Place adventure was cancelled.

10:00am.  We decide to go to the mall.  The mall is indoors, they have a carousel (it's as close to a Sesame ride as we're going to get) and Maya can walk around.  Maya seemed pleased with the plan:



Good times for everyone :)

Maya & Daddy

Maya & Mommy

The mall also brought one of the high points of my day, a new zebra-y cheap plastic cell phone cover!

:)

At the mall, my biggest problem was that I felt pretty winded and run-down. 

1:00pm.  Naptime.  Maya is sleeping, coughing occasionally.  I'm trying to upload some pictures, but my laptop screen is periodically crackling (like an old rabbit-eared TV) and then going black.  Uh oh.  This isn't a good sign for the future of my computer (or the blog).  My biggest problem is the apparent start of my computer's swan song.

2:25pm.  Still naptime.  Why is she coughing so much? 

3:00pm.  Weird sounds on the monitor make me jump up and rush into Maya's room, where it's clear that she's having trouble breathing.  Dave holds her, I set up the nebulizer, she is in semi-shock from being woken up so quickly, and the stridor noises and gaspy breaths are scary scary.  From 3pm on, my biggest problem is Maya's breathing.  It makes all of the other "problems" of the day seem ridiculous.  

A missed trip weeks in the making?  The death of my computer?  Small potatoes when asthma/croupy/she-can't-breathe stuff makes an appearance.  Talk about perspective.

We've talked to the doctor, done 2 breathing treatments, started oral meds, and at one point debated a trip to the ER (which, thankfully, wasn't necessary) .  On this yucky, humid day the biggest trick for us was running the air conditioner in her room and letting it get cold and dry in there---some people do well with warm and moist, others with cool and dry, and she seems to be the latter.  Times like this make me grateful for my own asthma, and for the fact that I remember getting croup as a kid (I had it a bunch of times).  With Maya unable to talk, I'm glad that I can understand what she's feeling, and predict what might help based on what would feel better to me.

Breathing stuff is scary.

I guess the silver lining is that I'm really glad we didn't try to tough it out and go to Sesame---I think her breathing would have worsened faster if we were out in the rainy air, and I would have been panicked at being far from home and without our nebulizer. 

And poor Parker . . . we barely got to celebrate his Gotcha Day :)  It was 1 year ago today that we went and picked him up in CT  (he's a new big brother, by the way, as his lovely breeder just welcomed 7 new puppies 2 days ago!).   He's been Maya's faithful sidekick ever since.  After she was tucked into her crib, Dave & I sang "Happy Anniversary":

*PS-Did you see Maya's new big girl haircut?  She got it yesterday and I put a picture up on the FB page.  I haven't had time to upload them all yet, I was going to do a post today, but other stuff got in the way.