Vomitus Horribilis, Part 2

Sherri asked if I've checked with Britt's pediatrician about her vomiting thing and, yes, as a matter of fact, I have. The pediatrician advised me to try to "bring her down" before Britt gets to the vomiting stage, but that's easier said than done since she can start spewing within thirty seconds of bursting into tears.

Lesley suggested acid reflux, but I don't think Britt has it. I've been studying up on it the past few days, but the symptoms just don't seem to fit. I don't see anything in what I've been reading that makes me go, "Yep, that's her." Besides, I don't think she started doing this until she was a little older -- in the first episode I can remember, she was standing up in her crib.

She did it again last night at bedtime. A thunderstorm rolled in just after the three of us crawled into bed together, so Mikey went to put the dog in the garage so he could open the side gate. As soon as he left the room, she started howling with rage (because Poppa is her very favorite person in the whole world and once he gets home from work he must not be allowed to leave her orbit) and puked all over herself, the bed, and me. I was so frustrated that I burst into tears my own damn self.

Then she did it again in her highchair tonight, because we had the utter gall to insist that we eat dinner before going to the library.

See, that's part of what pisses me off about it. I'm not ready to say that she's doing it to manipulate us, but it feels so damned manipulative because it usually happens when we fail to bend to her will.

(The other part that pisses me off is having to clean up the mess, because it's pretty freakin' gross, y'all.)

So, anyway, then Mikey surprised both of us with a trip to the park before we went to the library (way to go, babe -- reward negative behavior, oh yeah). And guess what happened at the park?

Britt picked up her first boyfriend. His name is Grant, and he's two and a half.

It was the first time I saw her really interested in playing with another kid. Usually, other kids try to play with her while she wanders around doing her own thing.

Also, they hugged each other!

Oh, my.