It's kind of like the Fire Swamp

Have you ever seen the Princess Bride? If you haven't...

Where have you been? Under a rock?!

Anyway, there's a scene when Wesley (our hero) and Buttercup (our heroine) are running away from the evil Prince Humperdink. They enter something called the Fire Swamp in order to evade Prince Humperdink and his men. In the Fire Swamp, there are R.O.U.S.s (Rodents of Unusual Size), flame spurts and lightening sand (quick sand). Buttercup discovers the lightening sand on her own and Wesley rescues her. The R.O.U.S.s are the stuff of nightmares. The flame spurts are my true topic tonight.

You see, Wesley discovers that the flame spurts are preceded by a popping sound and if one listens carefully for the sound, they can get the heck out of the way before flame shoots up out of the ground.

Toddlers vomiting are very similar to the flame spurts. There is this indescribable sound that comes in the 3 seconds or so before everything in the child's belly reenters the world. If you listen for it, you have those precious 3 seconds to grab a bowl or a towel to stop the regurgitation from ending up all over the child, you, your couch....

Today, I mastered the art of: sound, grab bowl, shove under toddler's face, catch throw up, hold child to bowl despite flailing and crying, clean child, carefully carry bowl to the sink. Wash and repeat.

In fact, I think I earned my Ph.D.