The Trip

Anyone with kids knows that a road trip with those kids is more than just a car ride.  It's more than coloring books and car games. It's more than fill-ups and pee breaks.

There is the occaisional vomitting episode.

There are fits of crying because of the borderline abuse of children being strapped in for hours.

There are the questions.  Re-lent-less questioning. "Mommy, where are we right now?"  "What about now?" "Mommy, how much longer?" "Mommy, where was I conceived?"

And there is the unadulerated stress level of the entire population of the vehicle. 

We left for California yesterday at 7pm. Hana convinced me we should drive at night due to having no air conditioning in van.

Things were going fairly well. Even with all four kids plus a friend.

Emma actually talked to me. She even struck up a conversation with me.  I can't wrap my head around this unexplainable phenomenon; we weren't anywhere near the Bermuda Triangle.



"Mom, did you know dad was gay when you married him?"

"Yes."

"What?! Mom!"

Interesting reaction. "Would you like to hear the story?"

"Yes. I would. I want to hear it right now."

This was about an hour into the drive. Hana and her friend were listening in from the seat behind us. A lovely blue bird perched on the car window sill to provide our background soundtrack and offer Full House-esque shrugs at moments when I said things like, "But because we were ever so Mormon, we thought magic would make him like my vagina place..."

Well...Ashley, you silly goose. When things are going as well as that, I mean, your twelve year old actually speaking to you and all, you should have seen that bad things were in store.

Timothy was struggling to breathe. He was laboring to get any air. We pulled over just before the Arizona Strip. He had been having breathing issues off and on for a couple of days. We assumed allergies and gave him lots of Benadryl which seemed to only slightly help.

We got back in the car, and in a half hour, we were at the Mesquite hospital.

Here's how the rest of the night went~

Strep test:  negative

Chest x-ray:  clear

He's getting worse.

Doc orders a cat scan.

An IV is put in, blood is drawn, ink is injected into his veins.

Cat scan happens.

I run to McDonald's for the other four kids in tow.

Cat scan results:  inflamation in throat blocking airway, possible abscess developing.  "What's an abscess exactly?"  "It's like a big zit."

Timothy is given steroids intravenously. 

Timothy pukes.

Timothy needs to be transferred to Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas via ambulance to see pediatric Ear Nose & Throat doc.  Hana rides along while we follow behind. 

We arrive in Vegas at 2am. By 3 we're trying to all sleep in the hospital room.

Arrangements are made for us to stay at Ronald McDonald House if a 2nd night is needed.

I was just told ENT has been cancelled, and Timmy will be discharged soon.

So...I still have 4 1/2 hours of driving to do on roughly 3 hours of sleep.