Calm Yourself Down!

The sound of your child at 2 a.m. struggling to breathe is nerve wracking for any parent.  Last night was one of those nights.  Bryant has had the fun of the croup that always requires an ER visit since he was a baby.  He hasn't had a spell since he was 2 and I was so hopeful he had outgrown it...but nope..not yet.  My other kids barked through the night but this little guy develops stridor, a very labored breathing which looks and sounds like he is breathing through a capri sun straw, along with his bark.  There was no warning before he went to bed, no illness, no cold...nada...just a sudden he's awake and he can't breathe.  Before I go any further...let me assure you he is fine now...all is well that ends well...but this is more of a blog about how everyone should have that, "Calm the crud down" kind of person in their lives...or at least one on speed dial.
Last night...Toby held onto Bryant while I threw on anything I found...pretty sure I tried to put my bra on the outside of my shirt...and the whole time I'm debating whether or not to call an ambulance as I know at this point I can get him to a hospital quicker than the ambulance can. Toby the whole time...calm...yet I know scared as heck...kept reassuring me to calm down or I'll scare Bryant and make it worse. These are the times I just wish Calgon would turn into a giant fairy, come down and swoop me away like magic! Grabbed my keys...and my kid...ran to the van...had to pull my dog out of the car as he decided he wanted to go with us and was being stubborn....I slammed the door and was so relieved when I saw Toby with shoes in hand open the passenger side door and climb in with me. As I drove he kept an eye on little man as I flashed my hazard lights and drove like a NASCAR driver to the nearest hospital.  All the while...Toby calmly.....yet inwardly freaking out over my driving skills,  reminds me that if I don't slow down and take it easy we are all going to get killed on our way there.  Pulled into the ER drive and they took us back during triage. Thank goodness! 
Three hours go by after breathing treatments, vomit, and steroids...and as I laid my head down on my pillow all I said was "Thank you Lord for the people in my life that help keep me calm in the storms."  I knew if my husband panicked....then there was something to panic about...because he is blessed with the cool head in our family. 
So, what have I learned?  A) Probably a good idea to have a central location to store middle of the night things you might need to take and wear with you in case of an emergency B) Have a designated Has to stay Calm person...and tag team if necessary C) Have at least a few people down on speed dial that you could call in the middle of the night and tell them you feel like robbing a bank...and they would either calm you down and talk you out of it....or join you!