To Call or Not to Call (the Doctor)?

Warning: The following is kinda gross, and not for those with weak tummies. If you feel nauseous, too damn bad. I warned you.

One of the things they should teach you in those newborn classes is that it's hard to tell if a baby is actually sick, sometimes.

Last Thursday, Miles puked twice. I won't go into gory details, but both times involved total outfit changes for both Miles and Mommy. So, early Friday morning, I called and got an appointment with the doctor.

The diagnosis: Clean bill of health. No temperature. No signs of infection. No sickies, whatsoever. Apparently, Miles just thinks it's funny to projectile vomit all over the place.

So, we went on with our weekend. Fed him rice cereal. Gave him a bath. Got him ready for church Sunday morning - which is when he decided that two whole days without puking was just too long. Two minutes before we were supposed to leave, he covered himself, his carseat, and his cute little polo shirt that matched Daddy's.

About 5 minutes before the grossness. . .

I stripped down the baby, cleaned him up, and dressed him in another cute little polo shirt, while Patrick cleaned out the carseat and dealt with the bulk of the yucky. We ran out the door, with only minutes until Mass was supposed to start. Thank goodness for the kind old lady at church who gave up the seats she had been saving for her son and daughter-in-law so we could actually sit.

Ok, no big deal. One little bit of puke. Maybe he just gagged himself on his spit.*

A second round of rice cereal ensued, along with lots of happy playtime. No temperature + happy baby = just a fluke(?)

Wrong again. He threw up twice more throughout the day. I had to change my clothes both times. :(

After The Boy had finally gone to bed for the night, Patrick and I sat on the couch, trying to figure out what was wrong. He still has no temperature, no cough, no congestion, not even a runny nose. When he's not puking, he is a happy, playful little man, inquisitive, as always. He doesn't seem sick. He's just puking everywhere.

Maybe, I suggested, it's from the teething.** Maybe it's the rice cereal, disagreeing with a tummy that isn't as ready to grow up as he is.

Or, maybe he's sick. Without any symptoms.

So far, no puking this morning. If he pukes again (or starts running a temperature, or showing any other sign of illness), I'm calling the doctor. If not, I'm going to assume it's one of the other possibilities, and try not to freak out.

Can someone just invent a gauge or something that can tell me when my baby is sick, and when he's just . . . whatever?

*He does this far more often that I would like to admit. I just have to keep reminding myself that you can be a genius and still forget to swallow from time to time . . . right?

**He has 2 teeth (top center) that feel as though they're going to push through any day now. So much for the doctor's reassurances that "Most babies don't start teething until much later." Doesn't he know that Miles is determined to take over the world before his first birthday? Can't do that without teeth.