On the first night of mom’s first recreational trip out of town to visit a friend, Eleanor decides it’s time to experiment with croup again. After a night of new coughing and wheezing, dad was fortunate enough for aunt Kellie’s on-call experience. After forming a backup plan at midnight and packing a go-bag, Ella followed her playbook from last time and woke up at 3am with notable difficulty breathing. A quick call to the nurses’ line later, they confirmed stridor and recommended an adventurous, yet urgent trip to the ER. Again, thanks to aunt Kellie, dad and Ella were able to quickly get to the hospital without even waking.

The doctors were all caring, swift and helpful. With a steroid shot, everyone was back in bed before the sun rose. The next day, however, everyone was a bit sleepy.

Eleanor beginning several long hours of napping, with brother exploring the children’s museum with grandma, aunt Kellie and Cal.

Asleep, then awake. Repeat.

She eventually fell asleep for the longest period after rubbing dad’s beard.

A young family of two, it takes a mom and a dad, with a cast of loving supportive family members.