Is it safe to vaccinate our kids?

As parents we are faced with so many decisions when it comes to our children. Whether or not to vaccinate is a huge decision and an extremely important one. With my oldest, I really did not think much about it and she got her vaccinations as scheduled. There was no controversy at the time. At least not one that I was really aware of. When I was pregnant with my youngest there was a lot more publicity surrounding the topic. I came across a lot more people choosing not to vaccinate for various reasons. Naturally I became concerned and wondered if I had done the right thing and whether I should do things differently this time.

I of course did my research and came to the personal decision that vaccinating was the right thing to do. I spoke with my kids doctor about it a lot. I really love the way he approached it with me. He did not immediately jump on a soap box and preach to me about the importance of getting my kids vaccinated. He talked to me like I was a human being with a brain and the ability to make an educated decision on my own. I was a little worried about how he would react but that was very short lived. He made a very valid point in that there are potential adverse reactions to most medications that we use to treat and/or protect us. He treated a patient at one point that became severely disabled from a reaction caused by ibuprofen. These vaccines do make a difference and save lives. To this date, I have not seen anything concrete that proves them to be unsafe or a bad decision for whatever reason. Nothing that changes my mind at least. Our doctor has practiced in a country where he has actually treated some of these diseases like polio. That speaks volumes to me because I absolutely trust him to keep the best interest of my kids as his main objective. Does the risk of my daughter having a reaction to the vaccine really outweigh the risk of her contracting a disease which is potentially deadly? My personal answer is, no. I have made the decision to slow down the schedule of vaccinations. I hate watching my baby get shots, period. Watching her get 4 or 5 at one time just seems to be too much at once.

I definitely respect the decision made by every parent out there and I hope that my opinion will be respected as well. It is hard to be a parent and making these types of decisions is never taken lightly. I write this for many reasons actually. None of them are to preach or to try and change the minds of others. The biggest reason is because I have seen the topic come up a few times and it got me thinking again. I have come across a couple of debates and without a doubt people are very passionate about the subject. It is with good reason too. In the end we all have the same goal of keeping our kids safe. They are precious and wonderful and we desperately want to keep them out of harms way. I would love to hear thoughts and feedback from others on this. I do ask that you please be respectful when posting your comments though.

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The Jalapeno Experiment

This is one of those moments in life where you wish you had your video camera ready. The one you swear will win you the 100k on America's Funniest Home Video. The other night I made myself a snack. I chopped jalapenos and mixed them in with cream cheese to dip chips in. I took a break today from cleaning and had the munchies so I decided that was my snack of choice. I got all set up and Vic decided she had to snack with me. I gave her a chip and told her she could not have any sauce because it was hot. The rest of the events go like this:

"Mama, it is not hot . . . I will blow on it"

"No baby it is spicy hot"

"I like spicy mama please I want some"

"No baby this is really spicy"

"Oh mama I loooooove really spicy"

So, I hand her a chip with just a little of the dip on it. I felt okay with it because we feed her spicy foods all the time and she loves them. She takes a bite and the rest left me in tears . . .

"Oh mama, is it spicy? No, it is not spicy mama"

"Yes it is spicy sweetie"

"Mama mama . . . water and ice please . . . help help help . . . water and ice please mama . . . help help help"

*gulp gulp gulp*

"It is not spicy mama . . . more water and ice please"

*gulp gulp gulp*

"Oh mama it is not spicy . . . more chips and spicy sauce please"

All the while she was running around the house with her water cup. Too cute!

Adventures in Meltdown Mini's

It is 3am and I woke up to Victoria in her room crying. I quickly grabbed her and put her into bed with me so that she would not wake her sister. This then led to at least another hour of battling with her to go back to sleep. The battle was finally won and morning was coming. Izzy woke before Victoria so I got her up and downstairs for breakfast. I went back upstairs to wake up Victoria and the meltdown began.

"Mama, no you need to get back and your bed to snuggle with me"

"No sweetie, Daddy is home and he needs to go to bed and we need to go eat breakfast"

"No, Daddy needs to take a shower"

"But Olivia needs to eat breakfast"

"No, we need to snuggle"

The whole time this is going on there is plenty of whining and tears. The arguing went on for a short bit and I finally got her downstairs by telling her I would carry her. By the time we landed she was in full meltdown mode. Then I told her I needed her help with her sister. She stopped and looked at me and snapped into helper mode. I was getting ready to change Izzy's diaper and . . .

"Mama, Olivia has poo poo. I can help you"

*grabs wipe*

Tells wipe, "Are you ready wipe? We're going in and it is yucky"

Meltdown over. :)

Awwww! Just too sweet.

Victoria is such a little sweetheart. She is really at the stage now where she picks up on the things you say and applies them throughout her day. I always thought it was very sweet when her daddy would come home from work and she would greet him by saying "Hello handsome". I always say that to him and it puts a huge smile on his face every time she says it.

Well, it was my turn now. The other day I woke up in a cranky mood because I was not feeling well. I opened her bedroom door and the first thing out of her mouth was "Mommy, I missed you while I was sleeping". How could you possibily remain in a bad mood with a greeting like that to start your day. I love her so much and I want to keep a record of all the funny, cute and sweet things she says. I cannot wait until Olivia is old enough to start chiming in.