Barking Cough

To my son Tommy,

I often wonder why medical issues seem to group together in a family. If I looked at the actual data, I might realize this is just an incorrect perception. Still with your sister busting her head open a couple days ago and you falling sick the past two days, it is a well earned perception even if it is coincidental. Most people will say bad things come in threes. I am thinking of kicking the side of a building and breaking my toe just to make sure the third thing is me and not anyone else in the family.

You stayed home from school yesterday. You were dressed and ready, but as you walked up the stairs your mom heard your hacking echo of a cough. It was a deep loud hollow sound, not the type that suggested you had lungs filled with mucus. It more sounded like a croup bark. She sent you back down to bed.

When you finally woke up, your mom did a rapid covid test on you. Negative, thank God. So she filled you with cough medicine and you lazed around the house. You were sad because that meant you missed your basketball awards ceremony, but you understood your health was more important. The cough remained throughout the day, but seemed to lessen.

Later that evening, right before bed, the cough came back with vengeance. Your mom tried all the tricks she knew before calling your doctors’ on call line. With your on going asthma condition, things were getting worrisome. Finally, you had a barking/coughing fit where you were starting to panic and having trouble catching your breath. Off to the emergency room you went. Your mom took you. I stayed with the girls.

You guys got home real late. You were wiped out and crashed pretty hard. The doctors at the ED couldn’t really give us an answer but the fit was gone and the symptoms were somewhat managed. You and your mom are at your doctors’ office right now doing a follow up. I hope they can figure out what or why and how to avoid it.

The worst thing actually happened today. I gave you my condolences because in your current condition, it is doubtful you will be able to participate in your school’s talent show. “I worked so hard, I don’t want to throw it away,” you told me through quivering voice and tearful eyes. 

My son, I feel ya. I know how difficult it is when you are forced out of something you diligently prepared for and eagerly anticipated. Unfortunately, this choice is a no brainer. We can’t send you to school to spread whatever you have. You need your rest. Your health is more important than any show. Plus between your sore throat and chest, I am not sure you are up for the task anyhow. Once you get through the initial disappointment, I think you will realize that focusing on your health now will lead to a promising future where you are going to have plenty of opportunities to show your great love for singing!

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo

Who Is You

To my daughter Rosie,

 

For all intents and purposes, genetically you are the exact same as your sister. I must admit that throughout your young life I have times where I get you guys mixed up. There are a couple minor physical diffirences we have used to verify we are talking to the right girl. 

 

When people ask how I tell you apart, I say it is easy and then ask you or your sister the purposefully gramatically incorrect, "Who is you?" A couple times, your sister and you have tried claiming to be the other. Luckily you guys have not inherited the Irish ability to say BS believably. Your mischief attempts are thwarted by your giggle or even the other culprit in mischief chiming in and blowing the gag.

 

You also live an entwined life with your sister. You are constantly together. You enjoy the same things. You both laugh when daddy carries you upside down to bed. You also both think it is hysterically when you fart on daddy's neck while he is carrying you to bed. Some people swear they can tell you guys apart from attitude or personality. You both have a distinct personality but honestly the similarities make it so you can easily lose track of who is who.

 

Of course, after last night, we have another physical distinguishing feature, a four stitch scar on the forehead. You and your sister were spinning in the hallway last night. Your mother warned you to stop. I warned you to stop. Like most kids, you assumed you knew more than your parents and didn't allow caution and common sense to stop your twirling fun. Dizziness and gravity won out and decided to make a love connection between your forehead and a jutting corner of two walls. The blood gushed as head cuts tend to. A couple hours in the urgent care, you were stitched up and now are on the mend.

 

Eileen was beside herself. "My sister! my sister! Oh no." She tried her best to stay up till you got home, even willing to kick daddy every time he picked up her sleeping body to move her to bed. "I can't sleep yet, I have to wait for Rosie to come home to make sure she is okay!"

 

The similarities between two twins is a fact of life. There is no point in fighting it. There will be times when you look to establish yourself as your own person, establish your own uniqueness. The connection and love between you two might have been a foregone conclusion too. I count it as a blessing. But you are unique and each of you are on your own unique path with your own unique likes and dislikes and quirks and adventures and successes and failures and memories and scars. This was just one of the major events at which you two have diverged. There will be more.

 

On a side note, you were a trooper through the whole ordeal. After you finished at the clinic, you told your mother, "That was fun!" or something to that effect and meant it sincerely. You relayed the same sentiment to me except you added, "...besides the yucky stuff," and you apologized for the whole event to me saying, "this is all my fault." Oh sweet girl, I love you so.

 

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo

Above is a sticker on your mask at the urgent care clinic.

Your sticker gift was a prized possession from the visit.

Above is a picture of the gash before stitches.

You were pretty zonked the next morning. Here is Ilee giving you a stuffy and covering you with blankets to make sure you were comfortable as you healed.