Leave it to my oldest son to throw some unexpected excitement into the pre-departure roll-out. I heard the raspy cough on Friday, but thought “it’s a cold, he can kick this.” The lethargy and high fever started on Saturday and the “wet,” phlegmy cough started on Sunday. Monday brought an immediate visit to the world’s best pediatrician Dr. Lawerence Kagan( Westside Pediatrics) who stated indeed G had “left sided pneumonia” and had an infected bee sting that was becoming more problematic due to his compromised immune system which was busy fighting the pneumonia.  Hence, G gets a big prescription for antibiotics to fight step, staph,and pneumonia- is it the let down after school ends that made him more susceptible to infection or is it a karmic sign that the trip is doomed?  I’m going for the summer relaxation mode triggering his immune system to relax (as the RV is paid for and we’ve put a ton of time into the itinerary, food purchasing, and sleeping bag cleaning). Again, I understand I’m not winning Mom-of-the-Year  here, but I’m fairly certain that the idea of watching G play electronics on the couch while he recuperates is not the answer either.   So, we’re heading out in 48 hours phlegmy cough, clean sleeping bags, high hopes and all.