The kids have been passing around a cold virus for the last few weeks. I actually had it last week, and I had the sore throat and post-nasal drip. I didn’t think the kids were sick because their energy levels and activities were fairly normal.

Then, Thursday night, the Puppy came sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night. He quickly fell asleep, but when he woke up at about 2am, he sounded wheezy and gurgly. Obviously, he had developed a deposit of phlegm in the back of his throat.

He croaked as he spoke: “Can I have some water?”

I passed him the water bottle I normally keep on the nightstand.

Me: “Do you want to try to cough?”

Puppy: “Uh-uh.”

Me: “If you cough, it will make you feel better. It will help clear that gurgle out of your throat.”

Puppy: “NO!”

We laid in bed staring at each other in the dark listening to the loud wheezing coming from his body. I think he liked it because it kept getting louder. His eyes were big and dark. After a moment, he rubbed his stomach with his hand and said:

“I’ve got a dinosaur in my body. He’s loud.”

Me: “A dinosaur? A big one or a little one?”

Puppy: “A big one. He’s trying to get out.”

Hmmmm.

Photo by Pleo Dinosaur.