Sandra came into town the middle of December before we all took off for Christmas break together. It was convenient for us that she did, because Max got sick the night after she arrived. I had put him down to bed and came into our room to lay down. I couldn't sleep and was reading for about fifteen minutes when I heard him calling me. His voice was muffled and odd, so I knew something was wrong. I ran to his room where he was breathing heavily and his voice was scratchy. I reached down to pick him up when he collapsed in bed. So I grabbed him and brought him into Nate. Nate thought he needed a steam bath, but I kept saying that he couldn't breath, that it was something beyond us. I had him feel Max's chest which was going concave with each shallow breath. Poor Max was crying and delirious. We both just had the feeling that we needed help, so we left Oliver with Sandra and flew to the hospital. I mean... we flew. Nate sped the whole way and ran several red lights. Apparently we passed a cop who must have known we were headed toward the hospital; a nurse told us she was out grabbing food and saw us rushing passed the cop. She phoned in to the hospital to let them know we were on our way. When we arrived, I remember wondering if staff always waited outside the doors. Ha. They immediately diagnosed him with croup, but Nate and I were still worried. He wasn't breathing well and was panicking. I checked in while they checked Max's vitals and started him on a breathing machine. He was freaking out, so the doctor asked the nurse for a lollipop. She came back with a green one. I swear I could have bawled right then. Green was Max's color of choice, and in that moment he calmed, and Nate and I calmed, and I felt like everything was going to be ok. The doctor asked us how long he'd been sick, and we responded that he hadn't been sick at all. "No coughing?" he asked, surprised. That's when we explained that we thought he might have been choking on something or having an allergic reaction. He told us that we did the right thing in bringing him in, because a concave chest is the beginning of things turning much worse. Better safe than sorry. They gave Max a colorful blanket and a fuzzy bear, and we stayed for a little over three hours while they monitored him. Nate held him in bed, and they rolled in an extra bed for me.
This little kitty has been mine since my very first Christmas!
Zach's family sent poppers with paper crowns and toys. I think this is the only photo with any family we took the whole trip.
Oliver ended up getting croup as well, so Nate's cousin let us borrow her breathing machine. Lori helped give Oliver a few treatments in the bathroom while I held him. Sad face.
Our last night in Snowflake, we took Nate's grandparents out to eat at their favorite Mexican restaurant. Max and Grandpa slowly walked from the car to the restaurant together.
