Vaccines for sale

Vaccines are not for sale, but if I had a lot of money I bet my kids would have at least the first round of the H1N1 vaccination.  My children are not considered to have any underlying health risks which, if they had, would catapult them to the front of the line.  But they are children and by that mere fact they are in a high risk category than either myself or KD.  From my research anyone under the age of 25 is a group in which the H1N1 occurs at a higher frequency than people over age 25. 


Our pediatrician's office has an area on their website where they keep the parents of their patients up to date with the doses that they have received.  I am also a member of a mother's group and through a flurry of emails this morning I became aware that our pediatrician's office had received some doses of the vaccine.  However, at 10 a.m. this morning, they were no longer accepting appointments.  So after a deep breathing exercise I called them.  I was placed on hold for about 3 minutes, I inquired half heartedly about the vaccine and asked when they expect further shipments.  I was given a very vague answer and then was told about a "waiting" list.  I gave my children's names and then wondered, "Every child under the age of 25 is supposed to get this vaccination.  WHY would  you need a waiting list?"  And then my mind went on from there, "What does being on the waiting list buy me?"  So then I asked, "If my children receive the first round of vaccine, is it guaranteed that they will receive the second?"  She responded with the big ol' "I don't know. Everyone is focused on getting the first shot."


It is truly a doggee dog world out there right now and it is scary.  The media has hyped this flu into a death sentence.  No one is communicating effectively.  We all know and understand that the production of the vaccine takes time.  But we also know that we are the parents of children and in order to care for our children we are told to get them vaccinated.


If I do get a call from the "wait list" I will inquire again about the guarantee of receiving the second shot for my three children.  If they cannot guarantee that within 30 days I will have a second shot for the kids, I will opt out and pass my slot off to someone else. 


At least that is what I say now.

We are Swine

It is not easy but I am managing my hysteria/anxiety. 

KD teaches at the first Massachusetts school that was closed due to "flu like illnesses."   Baby fell asleep  last Wednesday night, on the floor, with a fever.  I kept him home on Thursday. I sent Middle off to our baby sitter sneezing and sniffling.  I called at 3 pm, he had a fever.  Oldest went to school as planned.  Friday Oldest woke up and complained that she didn't feel well.  I was suspect. However, about 1/2 hour later, I realized that she too was sick.  We had decided the night previous that KD would stay home despite the fact that he had missed Monday and Tuesday that week due to his swine-ess.  The phone rang at 7:30 a.m. on Friday.  A recorded message from the Superintendent of KD's school, the school was closing at 11:00 on Friday and would remain closed until Wednesday of the following week. 

That was settled so I went off to work.  Fearing that I too would succumb to Swine I procured goods that would enable the children to be somewhat self-sufficient.  I bought  snacks and juice boxes. I bought ginger ale and saltines, no one should be without when sick.  When I arrived home, with pizza, KD was in pretty bad shape.  I sent him off to take a shower and set about cleaning up the house.  I filled the lower drawer of the refrigerator, usually reserved for fruits, with juice boxes.  I tested to see if they could open the drawers and help themselves. When KD emerged he seemed better, he ate a little and had some ginger ale, then I sent him off to bed. 

The children and I did our usual Friday night tradition.  We light candles, turned off all the lights, ate pizza, snuggled up and watch a movie.  One by one they fell asleep.  After I carried each of them up to their beds I debated:  sleep upstairs with the "sickies" or sleep on the couch.  I fell asleep watching television, so that took care of that.

Saturday morning, I bathed, er scrubbed, all the children and got them dressed.  Baby and I hit the store to secure the germ killers.  We made it through the weekend and by Monday, all but one of us was where they were supposed to be.

So from our house to yours, we hope you remain germ free.

It is all about the conversation

 Baby:  "You don't have a penis."
Queen:  "No I don't.  I am a girl."
Oldest:  "Yeah girls have a pahgina."

Oldest:  "Do you know what revenge is?"
Middle:  "No"
Oldest:  "Me niether."

I love listening to their conversations.  With Oldest in First Grade so much of their conversations have more to do with what things mean.  It is a wonderous time.

Baby-O

Firsts 2009

Hair Cuts

The confession.

Eight

Today is our eighth wedding anniversay.  When researching what the traditions are around this particular wedding anniversary I came upon this:

The number eight is considered particularly auspicious in Chinese culture because it sounds similar to the word for 'prosper' or 'wealth'. It is pronounced like "bah" in Mandarin (pinyin: bā).

I also found this:

Traditional 8th wedding anniversary gifts have a theme of Bronze and Pottery.

A Contemporary or Modern Eighth anniversary gift has a theme of Linen and Lace.

The Flowers associated with the Eighth anniversary are Clematis

The Gemstone list shows Aventurine and Multi-colored Tourmaline are the gems associated with this Anniversary

There are so many things to say.  There are so many things that we remember from that day.  But the best thing from that day? 

I do.

Variety

I have been purchasing clothes and school supplies for Oldest since August.  Middle goes to school 3 days a week for 2.5 hours.  He also needs school clothes, although shopping for a boy is much different than shopping for a girl.  I prefer that he wears polos and button down shirts with nice pants.  It is my personal philosophy that the clothes they wear to school help in setting the tone of what is expected of them.  Baby is generally 1 to 2 sizes behind Middle and what I buy for Middle, Baby will eventually wear.  Which allows me to break my personal rule of not spending more than $10 on one single item of clothing, with the exclusion of shoes and coats, of course.  I do not need to make any clothing purchases for Baby, as technically he already has a full wardrobe. 

We have a dump swap at our dump.  This is an area where people put things they no longer want, that are in good and usable condition.  Three weeks ago, KD came home with some items that were completely viable.  They included some Spider Man jammies and some Transformer shirts.  What the heck, they can be washed, right?  So we washed them and Middle wore them for days.

So yesterday when KD was clearing out the top of the barn, he presented me with a bag full of 3T and 4T clothes.  We have received them from someone in the family.  So I went through the bag, pulled out the 3T and put them in the washer.  This morning I gave Baby his clothes, got him dressed and told him how handsome he looked.  To which he replied, "Did you get my new clothes at the DUMP?"  I just about died.

I couldn't help myself

I got these for Oldest.  They are fabulous!

Tooth Fairy

Oldest asked me, "Is the Tooth Fairy real?  Or does the it just turn into money?" 

Interesting thought.  I better get researching all things Tooth Fairy so I don't miss a step! 
What am I supposed to do with the teeth after I have made the swap? 
What is the going rate for teeth? 
Should the Tooth Fairy visit include fairy dust?

So many questions to ponder.