January 19, 2010
At day care this month Xander’s teacher spent some time teaching them about civil rights and about Martin Luther King Jr. One project they worked on was “I have dream” posters. She asked each child to tell her what their dream was – what one thing they wished for. All of the answers were of course adorable. From “I have a dream that we can buy more toys” to “I have a dream we can go shopping and buy strawberries and turkey” to “I have a dream I can paint with my mommy and daddy”. So what is my child’s dream? ”I have a dream that my mom and dad keep doing all the chores”
Sorry kid, that dream is most definitely not coming true 
People who looked at this item also looked at…
Posted in General Info | Tagged chores, civil rights, I have a dream, mom, mommy, mother, motherhood, mothering, mothers, parent, parenting, parents, preschooler, school, school project, things kids say, working mom | 1 Comment »
January 5, 2010
Zach and I chose not to allow our children to receive the H1N1 vaccination this year. This decision was not made lightly. It involved lots and lots of discussion and even more research from both Zach and me. Normally we are both very much in favor of vaccinations. We agree with almost every vaccination offered to our children – measles, chicken pox, rotavirus, etc. However, we have decided that we’re not ready for H1N1. All of these other vaccinations have been through strenuous testing regimens. They were not rolled out in a speedy timeline and thrust upon the public in such a forceful manner. Millions of other people have already had these other vaccinations and side effects are well established. I’m not interested in using my children as one of the millions of potential “test subjects” for the H1N1 vaccine. I have yet to hear a logical explanation as to why H1N1 can not be rolled into the standard seasonal flu vaccination as so many other strains are. I’m not comfortable with the “get out of jail free card” issued to pharmaceutical companies producing the vaccination so that if anything does happen to go wrong, they are not legally liable. If H1N1 is a milder form of the flu, why the push to get vaccinated? Why is it every media report I hear about someone “dying from H1N1″ really turns out to be someone who had other medical complications and a strain of the flu just happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s back? The list goes on.
At any rate, this is a new and strange position for me. I’m not accustomed to being “that parent” – the one who refuses a vaccine. I acknowledge that this means my children might contract a mild strain of flu. I worry that this makes me an irresponsible community member because my child might infect another person. As a parent who is generally in favor of vaccines, it feels weird to be on the other side of the fence this time. It’s weird to say to our pediatricians, “yes, I understand, but no thank you, please do not give my child that shot.” We’re usually on the same page with our pediatricians, and generally follow most of their advice, but this time, we aren’t…
We’re on the other side of the fence in regards to H1N1 and it feels a little weird over here. How about you – did you and/or your children receive the H1N1 vaccine? Have you received any negative feedback for your decision?
People who looked at this item also looked at…
Posted in General Info | Tagged babies, Baby, baby development, development, flu, H1N1, infant, infants, influenzia, mom, mommy, mother, motherhood, mothering, mothers, parent, parenting, parenting decisions, parents, swine flu, toddler, vaccination, vaccinations, working mom | 9 Comments »
January 1, 2010
Apparently the general consensus is that 2009 sucked, and it won’t be difficult for 2010 to be a better year. Globally, I agree with that. The economy sucked, and still does. There was death, starvation, hardship and misery. However, my little family had an amazing year. While Parker was technically born in 2008, he really only spent a day and a half in 2008. In 2009 he had his first year of life. He learned to roll over, to crawl, to walk, to say mama and dada and cat, to smile and giggle and laugh. He learned how much he loved his family, and he learned to cuddle and play with us. Xander turned three. He learned to use a big boy potty. He gave up his binky and sleeps in his own bed. Both our boys slept through the night, at the same time (it doesn’t happen as frequently as we’d like yet, but we’re making progress!) I got a new job – benefited and with an awesome office. We sold our house, and found a pretty amazing house to purchase. Our extended family is happy, healthy and stable. Our friends also seem to be doing well.
We had our fair share of tough times in 2009 as well, but overall, it was a pretty amazing year and I’m sorry to see it go. I will never again have an infant. I will never again feel that joy and pride when said infant learns something new – I’ll have a similar feeling with my children continue to learn new things and surprise me as they grow, but I won’t ever watch one of my children take their first steps again, etc. I don’t want to forget that 2009 came and went. I will always remember it fondly as a year of firsts and lasts for our little family. So long 2009, and thanks for all the happy memories!
People who looked at this item also looked at…
Posted in Preschool Posts, Toddler Times | Tagged 2009, 2010, babies, Baby, baby development, baby sleep, baby talk, child, children, crawling, development, developmental milestones, family, happy new year, infant, infants, mom, mommy, mother, motherhood, mothering, mothers, new year, new year's eve, parent, parenting, parents, sleep, toddler, working mom | 2 Comments »
