A Tale of Two Throw-Ups

I think we are dealing with Abigail's first real case of "sick." Through her first three years, she has had a handful of colds and The Mother of All Diaper Rashes for her first four months of life. She has yet to ever have a stomach bug of any kind, and boy, am I thankful for that. Today we went to the doctor and found out she has croup. I knew I had heard of croup, and that it had to do something with a cough, but I didn't know much more than that. Now I know. It is a virus that sets into their bronchial tubes and causes a really fun cough.

The cough would not be so bad if it did not set off a chain reaction. First comes the crying. Then the crying produces coughing. Then the coughing leads to gagging. Then the gagging hails vomit. All over the Princess sheets. All over her purple Dora sheets. All over her blue Dora sheets. So, yesterday, I taught her a very important life lesson.

That lesson is "Stand Over the Potty when You Throw Up." When she started gagging yesterday, I ran her into the bathroom. I told her to put it in the potty. When she did, I praised her. Yes, I actually praised my child for throwing up. But, hello, after changing the sheets three times this week, making it to the potty deserves serious praise. I told her, "Wow, Abigail! You just threw up like a big girl! When big people throw up, they do it in the potty! Way to go!"

Except for that time that I was pregnant, working in the bank drive-up, and threw up in the drive-up trash can. Then went right back to my transactions. That's how big girls do it.