Epic Meltdown

Head banging, hitting, scratching, clawing, pinching, biting, screaming and screeching that could be heard for miles - some kind of deranged animal, a feral cat, a dog fight, that's what it seemed liked but nope, it was Katie. You have never seen anything like this tantrum that Katie just threw for at least 20 minutes! I have no idea what started it, I think it was because we wouldn't give her a cookie or cracker (that she saw me eating because I have been sick) before dinner. It started off pretty normal - she ran to her dad and tried to coerce him into picking her up and giving her what she wanted. When that didn't work she slid out of his arms and proceeded to bang her head and kick her feet. When I tried to pick her up and calm her down she hit me, pulled my ear and hair, and would not stop yelling. Lance tried to take her back and distract her and the same behavior continued so she got put in the pack and play - a safe place to throw herself around and not hit anyone. We continued to pick her up when she seemed to have calmed down, only to have her freak out again and find new places to hit, grab and pinch. It was crazy - and we thought maybe she was in pain, but calming down at the sight of macaroni and cheese seemed to nix that idea. Lance says that he imagines this is what he was like when he was a kid and we are just in for it. I really hope not, I literally have never seen a worse meltdown from any toddler (on tv or real life), or adult for that matter. She has an odd rash too, that we can't determine if it is from a virus, if it is an allergic reaction, or what. I called the doctor and they seemed to think it was a virus and told us just to let it run its course. She hasn't been sick or had high fevers so I have my doubts - but I am going to hope and pray that this tantrum was a result of her not feeling well and they don't become a regular occurence. That is probably very wishful thinking, so I will just hope that they don't become too frequent until she learns to understand consequences, and can be reasoned with.