Most Alive Monday

I wish I could tell you what my most alive choice was last week, but it's all a blur.

First the good news...

Friday morning Satch and I went to the library book sale. It was insane in the membrane! I had to clear a spot under the table to keep Satch from getting trampled on by the mob of hungry bookworms. While he sat at my feet in his book-fort, I searched the boxes and found several books that were on Satchel's wish list as well as some gems that I had forgotten about.













(Left: Satchel's 2 dozen ~ Right: 20 gifts)

Here is a list of my harvest:

• Nuts to You! (Don't you love that title?)
  
• Swimmy
• Mouse Paint
• Leo the Late Bloomer
• The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
• Play Time
• Biology for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that really work.
• Recyclopedia
• Anatole and the Toy Shop
• David Goes to School
• Corduroy
• The Dot
• Possum's Harvest Moon
• Earthdance
• A House for Hermit Crab
• The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
• Wind in the Willows
• Father Bear Comes Home
• Little Bear
• Little Bear's Visit
• Polar Express
• Stellaluna
• One Morning in Maine

I also bought a rather large stack of books to give as gifts...Elouise, Madeline, Little Prince, as well as some Sendak, Leoni, Potter and Silverstein classics! I won't tell you how little I spent on my GIANT stash because you will *very completely, most extremely, hate me (let me just say that the majority of the books were 50 cents and the most expensive was 2 dollars). On the way home, as we passed a grassy meadow buzzing with grasshoppers, a large hawk swooped low right over the stroller. It was so close that I could see the spots on it's breast. It called out and I felt like I was in an episode of Northern Exposure. "THAT was a hawk", I explained to Satch.

Now for the not-so-good news...

That evening Satch seemed tired, hoarse and a bit out of sorts (as you can see in this video hello to his pal). Then at midnight he woke up coughing so hard, it was gagging him. He cried and his body trembled. My immediate thought (from my past experience in family medicine) was Croup. I took him into the bathroom and ran the shower, filling the room with steam while trying to calm him down. He wanted no part of the steam and it didn't seem to be helping so I put a jacket on him and took him outside. I sat him on my lap on the stoop and pointed to the moon. He pointed to the halo. "Rain bone rown da moon", he said, sounding more like a frog than my son. We sat outside quietly looking at the sky, but the cool air wasn't helping either. I decided we should take him to the emergency room so Robert and I threw some clothes on and we went to the hospital. When we got there, his breathing was a little better. There was only one patient in the waiting room and I thought perhaps we would get in and out pretty quickly. Was I ever wrong. Two nurses evaluated Satch before the doctor came in. After the doctor diagnosed Satch with Croup and administered an oral steroid we waited another 45 minutes for a nurse to check on him and release us. As we walked to the car, Satch looked at the moon and the stars. It was completely silent except for the chirping crickets and sound of our footsteps. It was 3 AM.

Our days and nights have been fuzzy vignettes of sleeplessness, crying, fevers, and violent coughing. As you know, my sleep bank was already suffering a serious deficit before this happened. Satch was no better on Sunday so we didn't go to his swim class. We've been doing a lot of reading, and *we've watching a lot of Charlie and Lola. We're waiting for Satch to get well.

I'll be back tomorrow with an all new Mom to Mom interview!


About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive choice" in the comments section.

You may also post photos of your "most alive moments" in my most alive flickr pool! (If you post a photo in pool, be sure to include your link in the comment)