Here's looking at you kid

I'm thinking back to last night. Reuben had been watching Signing Time on his mini DVD player perched on his knees on his gurney in ER, one of 20 signing DVDs he adores. I arrived with Callum ready to take over for the night and watched Reuben's face turn from despondence and weariness to a glowing joy as Callum's head turned the corner, with the exclamation "Calla!", just at the moment when the DVD songstress sang the word "brothers". A gorgeous coincidence I'll cherish. And collectively, we made the decision to bring him home.

The call came through this evening from the pulmonologist that Reuben has coxsackie virus coupled with spasmodic croup, the same virus he contracted last April when we were forced to have his trach put back in after he was affected by 4 viruses and infections at the same time. It helps to identify what the issues are for sure.

Reuben rested well at home today, that is, rested-wrestled Callum whom I'd earlier taken to school, but was clearly fussy and affected by the last few days and I took him out of the circle at circle time because he was doing that thrusting thing toddlers do which make you realise their full strength. Together we popped back into the hospital to pick up some pulmincourt med for Reu and bumped into the pulmonologist who'd looked after Reu, Callum asleep at the time on my shoulders and the Dr asking "Is he unwell now?".

And tonight we sang many songs by Callum's bedside, me trying to match signs to the words I was signing, Callum prodding Reuben over and over with "Reuben teeth bite", having Reuben playfully bite his fingers through the crib's rails, an exercise which tickled them both literally and figuratively. Reuben perfectly fingerspelt vet and jet in sign, words that were in his head from having learnt them earlier. I gloried at his memory. Callum did his dancie in his bed. Reuben rubbed his face in his hands with excitement. We played like this for an hour until Callum lined up his little babies, tiny animals and Iggle Piggle in his bed, wrapped the blankie over Iggle and fell fast asleep. The second Reuben's head hit the pillow he joined Callum in the wonderful world of slumber.