Little Bubbas: How do the Allen's spend the holidays?

Here's the question of the year: How do the Allen's spend the holidays?

Answer: In the hospital.

Last night...New Years Eve we had to take Connor to the E.R. He had been running a fever all day and had a croupy cough. Then around 8:30 pm he woke up in a panick trying to get a deep breath. We calmed him down and asked him if his chest (we put our hand on it) was an ouch?
Connor- YES.
Daddy- Does it hurt to breath (Daddy showing Connor how to take a deep breath)
Connor- Yeah...
Daddy- Well...we're going to the doctor.

We loaded everyone up and drove on the slick roads to the E.R. praying it would not be packed with New Years Eve crazy people. It wasn't. There wasn't a soul in site. Connor had a miserable time. They first checked his pulse and oxygen levels by taping a monitor that resembled a bandaid to his big toe. I warned them he would not like this and he didn't. He screamed until I snuck it off after the nurse left. Then they took his temperature: 103 degrees. Which totally annoyed me, because all day I knew he had a temperature but could not get the thermometer to read anything but 97.2. With such a high temperature they brought in motrin and tylenol right away. Connor cried, he screamed, he fought, he spit most of the medicine out- but we did get enough down him to bring the fever down. Then respitory came and after she listened to him ordered a chest x-ray, strep swab, and a breathing treattment. They came almost instantly with the swab. I had to hold Connor down, a nurse held his head, while another nurse swabbed the back of his throat. When they were done, between sobs Connor said..."done...home.."
Not yet. Here came the nurse with the breathing treatment. She walked into the room and Connor told her, "bye, bye" I instantly knew this would not be fun either. I held Connor down, He screamed, the nurse held the mask to his face. He calmed down to a whimper about half way through and I was able to talk to him about how we would watch ELF when we got home. "EFF".
Mommy- "What do you think Buddy the elf is doing? Is he building toys?"
Connor- "Yeah.."
Mommy- "Do you think he's singing with Jovie?"
Connor- "Yeah..."
Mommy- "Do you think he's decorating the North Pole?"
Connor- "Yeah..."

That went on for about five minutes and then she was done. Time for the chest x-ray. Connor thought we were going home so he didn't fight the walk down to the x-ray room. I didn't tell him he was going home, he just assumed. The x-ray tech wouldn't let me hold him because I'm 34 weeks pregant. I thought they'd be able to cover me up or something or I would have let Ben take him. I had to stand behind the glass. Luckily, Connor could see me and they took two really quick pictures. When the second picture was done, between sobs and screams Connor said, "DONE!"
Everyone in the x-ray room giggled. I just stood there. Then the X-ray tech said, "He really is done."
I giggled at that and hurried to grab him.
When we got back to the room and all the nurses quit coming in Connor was feeling much better from the breathing treatment and so he danced for us. Hunter this whole time was enjoying Daddy's one on one attention, eating cheetos, and being thankful it was not him that they were messing with.
Finally, at eleven they gave us the diagnosis: Definately croup. High temperature that needs aggressive treatment. The beginings of pneumonia. They started him on an antibiotic right that moment. Which means lots of fun diapers for Mommy this week. If he has more trouble breathing we're to take him right back in, otherwise we can follow up early next week with Dr. Steele.
The boys were still awake when we got home so I gave them a bath to get the hospital germs off, and then we read Horton Hatches an Egg twice before they both fell asleep. I layed down in bed, had my last sip of juice, felt Kaylee kick and before I knew it we were ringing in the New Year. Boy... We Allen's know how to party! Here's a picture taken about a week ago, but I imagine we'll have lots of these moments this week since both the boys are sick. (it's amazing that they both got sick, Connor just worse than Hunter....what's with that?)