What is present with me.

At the beginning of every call and meeting that we have at The World Benefits, we all share what is present with us. At the end of every call, we share what we are grateful for. Right now, what is present with me is the last 48 hours and the next 48 hours. I know that isn't exactly "present" since at this very moment I am sitting in a quiet rented house on Seabrook Island in South Carolina. While I listen only to the gentle hum of the refrigerator Rhys is napping, Chris and Cole are playing in the sand at the beach, and my parents are no doubt island hopping coastal SC style and plotting out the rest of the day. Bliss.

The previous 48 hours seem like such a far cry from where I am right now but the memory is clear and weighs on my mind. I packed the car on Thursday to begin our trip and Cole and Rhys took afternoon naps. Cole woke up with a croaky voice and a croup cough...sound familiar? It sounded all to familiar to me as that is exactly how Rhys started out. I debated again about ditching the trip but persevered and convinced myself that we would just handle what came up, pack the nebulizer and do our best to make them both rest.

The plan was to stop in Rocky Mount, NC for the night after about 5 hours of driving. We had to stop several times to give nebulizer treatments to Cole because he truly was struggling to breathe. We also administered Tylenol but couldn't get his fever down. After a long and stressful 5 hours, we pulled into our hotel parking lot within view of the local hospital...it was truly a sign and I read it loud and clear. As soon as we got into the room, Cole and I turned around and headed quickly to the ER...ugh.

Sure enough, he was given a shot of steroid in both legs and we walked away with a bottle of antibiotics in hand. We continued the trip yesterday and continued to worry and fret about his breathing. His chest kept caving in as he struggled with each breath and both Chris and I struggled with what to do. (meanwhile, Rhys was gracing us with the runny diapers again and required his own stops) Ultimately, we pushed on and made it to the house, meeting my parents at the gatehouse (the first thing to go perfectly right all trip). Funny how they drove from the upstate of SC and we drove from upstate NC and arrived at precisely the same time...we couldn't have planned it better!

The remainder of the day was lovely, we unpacked our cars, my parents cooked dinner, I did some light shopping at a posh grocery store on Kiawah Island, we rode the golf cart to the beach for a quick look-see, ate dinner, drank wine, and put the kids to bed (not necessarily in that order). After a good night sleep, Cole woke up breathing clearly and enjoying life again. Rhys is also doing well and we have big plans for the next 48 hours too!

Firstly: We are at the beach with my parents and children!
Secondly: My dear friend Allyson is getting married TODAY!!!
Thirdly: My parents are going to watch the boys and Chris and I are going to have an entire night away together without the children for the first time since Cole was born!!!
Fourthly: My sister, her husband, her son and his son are coming down tomorrow, Dad is cooking ribs, and we will eat birthday cake together (this is the first time I will meet my Step Nephew!)

Now, I am grateful for getting through the last 48 hours and the fact that I have so many wonderful things to look forward to in the next.