when do I call the doctor?

Charlotte Claire had a fever again last night, but this morning her temperature is low. hmm. Camille slept with me last night, which is hilarious, I never slept with my kids and now number 16 gets sick...I can just see it, her in there 'til she's five.....anyway, I had a cup of delicious coffee last night at a fellowship gathering (all girls, 20 years old and up), so it was a while before I drifted off to sleep...and it seemed like as soon as I started to drift, I heard the croupy sound of Camille coughing. I picked her up and hugged her and determined that she was breathing fine. I put her back in. Started to relax and drift again...this time she was coughing more and crying for me...I took her into our bed. She didn't sleep very well, lots of wheezing and crouping, not too bad, just enough to make her restless. I have had kids her age with croup who needed to go to the E.R., and those who just needed a steamy bathroom or the cool night air. Mirielle, when she was two, had to go to the hospital in an ambulance because she had an infection and the croup virus, and her throat swelled closed....if that ambulance hadn't already been out on a call and returning to the station fully manned (small town, volunteer squad), she might not have made it. Her throat was so swollen, only a pencil tip sized opening was letting air in and out and she was wheezing and turning blue. Joseph was five months old then, and he ended up in the hospital the next week, turning blue. So croup is not my friend.

I am thinking doctor.

Charlotte Claire is sitting with me drinking a bottle of ginger ale. Her nice sister Mirielle gave her a bottle last night when she went to bed. I guess when you're sick, rules get broken. I have a strong memory of being little and being sick and my mother giving me orange juice in a bottle. Probably a clear glass bottle.

It is supposed to be seventy degrees today, and sunny. Mirielle is on spring break, yay. It was hard to send the kids this morning. I didn't even wake Jon up, he is still coughing, so why send him? He just got up, all cuddly in Suzanne's robe, which is really from Abigail, and is huge. He is telling me about his dream about a really wierd gear bus....he was steering, Kathryn was doing the gas and brake....anyway, Sonja did not want to go today. She woke up on the wrong side of the bed, to say the least. I saw how it was going to be with her, and said, "Okay, God. I want to be good and patient and kind, and I want to get this child to school. Help me!!!"...she did not want to wear the cute little outfit I had gotten out for her. She wanted the one Suzanne had on, which was almost the same. So she pouted and fussed. She acted like a spoiled brat. I asked her where her thankfulness was, and she just made that ehhhhh! noise. I told her no computer today since she was being so bratty, she said she did not care. hmm. I told her she was going to write me a story today about thankfulness....she didn't answer. I brushed her hair as she wiggled her head around, saying "ouch!", and "Mommy, stop!"...okay, God....give me patience here....I am starting to really want to whack this child, not really, but my hand is itching, as my mother used to say....HELP me hold out, HELP me endure here and be patient....then I took out my cellphone and snapped a picture of her and told her I was sending it to daddy...and she snapped out of it....she got ready and ate and went off to school....phew. I am going to talk to her this afternoon, and she will have no computer time. I love her to pieces, and am thankful that I don't have to give in and act like she does. Because it is in me!!!

I would like the maid to come today and mop this living room floor and shine it up, and do a few loads of laundry, and run the dishwasher. The windows could use some shining up, and the front of the refridgerator is all handprint-y again. And the stove..what was I thinking, stainless steel appliances? There is more work than I can shake a stick at.....but I better start shaking anyway....