Never Talking About Immunizations Again :)

I was watching Good Morning America today and one of the clips was about a blog writing mommy. She said that she almost killed her 3 year old daughter. That was the first line on her blog. I guess it has captured the attention of thousands. The story is about a mom who is heavily into technology and multi tasking all day long. Her 3 year old was taking a bath and the mom ran to check her email. When she came back, the little girl was fast asleep in the tub. She was ok, as she was just leaning on the side of the tub, not in the water.

This got me thinking.....

We don't ever leave Brinley unattended in the tub but we do other things that I think need to be changed. We are all into technology, our cell phones, our computers, social media and yes, blogging. :) There are times when Brinley is playing and I am texting or checking Facebook. I should be playing with her and capturing all of these moments. She is only a little girl for so long and before I know it, she will be starting school. I remember when I was younger and we played outside. We drove without talking on our cell phones. We didn't have the internet. We didn't have an under the counter dishwasher. :) We had a Commodore 64 with a  broken joystick. We sat at the dinner table every night and ate together. We played board games as a family. We went camping. We went fishing. We called people on the phone to wish them Happy Birthday. We walked to the store. We were only allowed so much television time. We watched shows that were appropriate to our age group. We would ring doorbells in the neighbourhood and see if the kids could play. We set up lemonade stands. We ran through the sprinkler. We made our own version of a Slip n Slide. We left the doors unlocked. We welcomed people into our home, no matter their race, religion or colour.  We had to pay for our vehicles. We had to pay for our gas. We had to pay dues to live in our parent's homes. We had a chore chart. We had routine and a schedule. We had a mom who prepared our lunches every night before school. We had a mom who cooked us dinner every night. We had Friday night Dominos's Pizza night.

Thought I should add some crazy hair pictures from the past!

I miss those times. I am embarrassed to say that we have a very nice kitchen table with 4 chairs but we eat in front of the television on TV trays, with the TV on, usually watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. :) Brinley sits in her high chair and also watches TV. We need to change all of this because this isn't how I see my family. Once the basement is completed and we can move some stuff out of the kitchen, we WILL eat at the table with the TV turned off. I miss so many of the things that we used to do as a family and as kids. It is so important for the girls to go outside and play. It is important that we teach them to call people and not just text and send Facebook messages. It's sad that some of my closest friends have texted me on my birthday instead of calling to sing the happy tune. I am also to blame. I have texted too. I don't like it. Important announcements have come over text and Facebook. I want to hear the excitement in a friend's voice when she has great news. I want them to hear my joy and support for them during this wonderful time in their lives.

Times have changed. Family time isn't a priority for some families. When I was teaching, some students never ate dinner with their family. They would get their plate and go watch TV or go to their bedroom. Nobody was asking about their day. Kids compared how many video game consoles they had and which games they owned....it was a competition.
What happened to going outside and playing with your hoola hoop? What happened to grabbing your toys and taking them to the field and enjoying some imaginative play with your friends? I would hear from families that the kids would come home, do homework, eat dinner, watch TV, play video games, chat on Facebook then go to bed. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

I guess this is the same as what the mommy blogger did. Almost killing her 3 year old. This is what is happening today. We are killing our children. They are unhealthy and zombies. Families are so hung up on multitasking that we aren't realizing what it is doing to our children. We are emailing at the dinner table. Texting while in the middle of a conversation. Uploading pictures to Facebook when we should be playing with the kids. Writing a blog when your 19 month old is watching Barbie. :) Now, don't get me wrong, I have been lazy at times and I don't always eat healthy and I am not perfect. I guess I kind of mentioned that above. I make mistakes. I am working on eating better and have lost 30 pounds since Adele's arrival. Brinley eats good food and would rather munch on a piece of fruit than a cupcake. She has eaten McDonald's. She has sat in front of the TV, but since our lives have settled a bit and I am no longer pregnant and feeling awful, we get out a lot more. We do things as a family. We want the girls to breathe in fresh air. We want our girls to grow up healthy. We want them to experience life. Will it always be perfect? No way. As I have said before, I will mess up and make big mistakes. I will get frustrated and mad but I will always try to make it right and to give our girls the lives that they deserve.

I know some of you do make great choices in regards to your kids and family. Some families don't own televisions, no Xbox, no Playstations and their kids have no choice but to go outside. Some of you own every piece of technology known to man but you moderate your child's usage. Hopefully this blog will maybe shed some light on those who don't sit down enough with your children and talk about life. It's time for some changes. These are the moments that your child will remember when they start their own family.

So maybe it's all about moderation. Maybe it's about finding a balance. Maybe it's about cherishing these moments. Maybe it's about really learning about our kids. Maybe it's about leaving the laundry until after bedtime. Maybe it's about bringing these miracles into the world and realizing that it is our job to be the best parents that we can be for our children.
Hmmmm.....mind you, for some, maybe the best parents that they can be is buying the games and not spending quality time with their children. I think I may start going in circles with this one....

If I had my child to raise over again
I'd build self-esteem first and the house later
I'd finger paint more and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing serious and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often
I would be firm less often and affirm much more
I'd model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.
Diane Loomans


**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. After you have clicked on the badge, you can check out other blogs too. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Special Needs section....I am number 13, I need to get to number 1! I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

Butterfield Acres! :)

Tomorrow, I will have a post written by a friend that talks about the other side of vaccinations. I think it's fair to hear what others have to say and their views and why they feel strongly opposed to immunizations.

Today, we spent the day at Butterfield Acres. :) It was a beautiful day spent with the people I love the most, including James. ;)



James thought this was hilarious. Don't touch a goat's bum!



 

 

AHHHHHH!!!

Getting ready for the wagon ride!

It's a plane!!

Get out of the photo dude!

That guy isn't cool....all photo bombing my picture!

Going to find a pumpkin!

Searching!

Found the perfect pumpkin!

Can't wait to decorate my pumpkin :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Time to decorate!

Eyes

Mouth and nose!

Decorating!

Final touches! :)

What a perfect day. :)
 

 

 **You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. After you have clicked on the badge, you can check out other blogs too. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Special Needs section....I am number 13, I need to get to number 1! I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

To Immunize or To Not Immunize???

I'm so vain!

So I know that my topic today will upset some people but it's been on my mind lately and it's my blog, so I get to write about anything I want.....now in saying that, I also have to be willing to read comments that come from people who object to my posts.

Immunizations and vaccines.....

I have thought about this topic since Brinley was born. I always thought that it was something that all parents did, you immunize your children. It is safe. It is the right thing to do. It is approved by doctors and nurses. You just immunize your children and that is that.

First time on my play mat!

So, I didn't REALLY start thinking about it until a couple of friends told me that they don't immunize their children. I think I almost fainted. Why would you do this to your children? Why would you want to put your child or other children at risk? Shame on you. Wait, is there mercury in the vaccinations? Are there harmful toxins that can harm your children? Can your child really develop autism after a vaccination? My opinions started to waiver. I was moving closer to the fence and almost sitting on it. To vaccinate or to not vaccinate? I don't believe in searching the web to find answers. I know that checking out YouTube and Wikipedia are not a good choice. What is a reliable source? I know that the naturopaths have their views and I know that the medical community have their own opinions and views. My friend Jenn posted on Facebook today what is happening in regards to communicable diseases and what is happening when parents don't vaccinate. One of our friends, who is a nurse also joined in on the conversation, this is some of what was discussed....

JM...

Measles have been confirmed in Lethbridge by AHS. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a booster. It is airborne and highly contagious, please think carefully about vaccinations and educate yourselves before you refuse vaccines, it could save the life of your loved ones.

 It wasn't around for a while but it's making a comeback because parents are choosing not to vaccinate. It is a very dangerous disease and has wiped out thousands of people. Thousands. In 2011 there were 158 000 deaths from measles world wide. 430 deaths every day. 18 deaths every hour!! It is the leading cause of child deaths world wide. It is very serious and is only coming back because parents are afraid of what is in a vaccination. Vaccinations are not what they used to be, I just can't fathom taking that kind of risk.

S.....

So many misguided people and now eradicated diseases are coming back and killing children!!! Take it from an ER Nurse. I've seen it and will never forget it.

The amount of mercury that used to be in it was not even a problem but they have removed it completely from the MMR vaccine.

If you go to the CDC website there is valid research showing that there is 100% no link between autism and vaccines. None!! That doctor was disproved and discredited and his license was revoked. People, when you do research please use proper research articles, I cannot stress this enough. YouTube and Dr Google are not valid research.

V.....

I recently weighed in on this issue, on another Facebook post, and I will do so again here because my family has been very directly effected by vaccination. My daughter suffered complete and permanent hearing loss after her MMR vaccination at 18 months old - she is now profoundly deaf. (Interestingly enough, loss of hearing is a common complication with a case of the measles.) In both Europe and the USA, a parent must sign a waiver acknowledging the possible side effects as a result of a vaccination, prior to their child being vaccinated, and one of the listed side effects is “possible hearing loss”. Despite what has happened to my daughter, I believe vaccinations have had global benefits, saved the lives of many, many children, and the good has likely outweighed the bad. There is a risk associated with everything - from driving a car, to eating a hamburger, or even walking down a sidewalk. But I think parents need to be well-informed and educated with OBJECTIVE and impartial information from our Canadian medical system. Maybe then, parents will be able to make the best decision for their child without having to take such a strong stand on either side of this issue. Because right now, both sides of the vaccination controversy feel like they are just being sold a bill of goods from the other side. I can see my daughter has suffered as a result of a vaccination - her hearing loss is a tangible, but all the lives saved, all the children that have become accomplished adults and are contributing something special to this world - maybe they wouldn't be here had society let disease rage on without intervention. It's the intangible side of vaccination, that cannot be measured. Would I vaccinate again? Knowing what I know? Yep, I would.

J.....

I have a son who was diagnosed with autism.  His whole life changed after I vaccinated him at 18 months. I was trying to find answers as to why my child was diagnosed with autism. It happened that the onset was at the same time as the vaccination so with my second child I vaccinated her but only the first set. It was not easy to make that decision. I cried and defended my decision. My daughter is now 8 years old and has no major health issues.  She has a mental illness and no thyroid but we know that this was not caused by vaccines or lack of. We talked about finishing her vaccines and updating our 14 year old son and it will happen soon.  As a parent who didn't vaccinate, I'm not arguing, I'm pointing out that because we didn't, we worry and we are scared and we take precautions.  I grew up in a home and family that vaccinated. I think vaccination talk is as sensitive as the circumcision debate and I think that if I respect others vaccinating their children then maybe others need to understand that the choice we made was never ever easy or a representation of our parenting.

So.....I looked at both sides and I went to a reputable and recommended website. I believe that autism is not caused by vaccinations. I think that the signs and symptoms are starting to show at around the age of 18 months. I could be wrong. Information pulled from the site.....

A new study evaluating parents’ concerns of “too many vaccines too soon” and autism has been published online in the Journal of Pediatrics  [PDF - 256 KB] , March 29, 2013. It adds to the conclusion of a 2004 comprehensive review by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that there is not a causal relationship between certain vaccine types and autism. The results provide relevant data for the current childhood immunization schedule.
The study looked at the amount of antigens from vaccines received on one day of vaccination and the amount of antigens from vaccines received in total during the first two years of life and found no connection to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. Antigens are substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce antibodies to fight disease.
Researchers collected data from 3 managed care organizations in a group of 256 children with ASD compared with 752 children without ASD.
The study’s main findings report:

• The total amount of antigens from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did not have ASD.
• Children with ASD with regression (the loss of developmental skills during the second year of life) did not receive an increased number of vaccine antigens when compared to children without ASD with regression.
• The number of vaccine antigens has decreased in recent years. Although the routine childhood vaccine immunization schedule in 2013 contains more vaccines than the schedule in the late 1990s, the maximum number of vaccine antigens that a child would be exposed to by 2 years of age in 2013 is 315, compared with several thousand in the late 1990s. This is due to changes in the vaccines. For example, the older whole cell pertussis vaccine causes the body to produce about 3,000 different antibodies, whereas the newer acellular pertussis vaccines cause the production of 6 or fewer different antibodies.

An infant’s immune system is capable of responding to a large amount of immunologic stimuli and, from time of birth, infants are exposed to hundreds of viruses and countless antigens that are not associated with vaccination. This study demonstrates that autism spectrum disorder is not associated with immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first 2 years of life.
Parents should expect the vaccines their children receive are safe and effective. CDC, along with other federal agencies, is committed to assuring the safety of vaccines through rigorous pre-licensure trials and post-licensure monitoring.

 

I have to say that I support vaccinations and I think that it is also important that others also vaccinate their children. Adele is so young and her immune system is far from developed. We are also supporters of the flu shot. Does it have serious adverse affects?? I remember watching a video....

FLU SHOT GONE WRONG

Was it really the flu shot? I feel that I need to be as healthy as I can be around my girls and I need for others to be healthy around the girls as well...it's such a complicated topic. I see both sides. I really do but I will continue to vaccinate my children and I will continue to get the flu shot.

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. After you have clicked on the badge, you can check out other blogs too. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Special Needs section....I am number 13, I need to get to number 1! I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

                  

Musical Genius!

Just playing my xylophone!

Well, we had our first music therapy session at JB Music in Calgary. It was awesome. I loved the instructor, Jimmy. He was so personable and was so comfortable around Brinley and Adele. He knew exactly what to say and do with Brinley. He welcomed her into the music room and kept her entertained and busy. It was 45 minutes of pure fun with a mix of education and some great songs. Jimmy let Brinley play songs on the piano and xylophone and continually encouraged her to participate. I also really liked Jimmy because he said that Brinley was smart. :)

Smiles!!

The absolute best part was when he sang songs to Adele. He sat on a chair, right in front of Adele and played beautiful songs. Some of the songs, he would add her name and he always looked at her, he would make eye contact and you knew that he was being genuine. Adele is a very sleepy baby, but she stayed awake for the full 45 minutes. She enjoyed the session and I could tell that there was a positive impact on our beautiful little girl. It was a moment that I don't think I will ever forget. It was special and meaningful.

Jimmy has a soft voice, but he's still manly. :) You can tell that he loves his job. I think he loves his job, if he doesn't, he's faking it really well. :)

I am so happy that I signed up! This is something that will benefit both girls in many areas of their lives, socially, emotionally, psychologically and cognitively.

BOO!

Since being back in High River, I have made my way around town and have checked out some of the hardest hit areas. It's sad to look at these beautiful homes that have been destroyed. One of the areas is a bit eerie. It's quiet, dirty and is totally abandoned. It's bizarre how one home could be condemned while a house a few doors down, is ok and liveable. I know that I've talked a lot about the flood, but I need to. It's been almost four months and homes are still being repaired, including our house. You still drive up and down streets and you see furnaces, drywall, hot water tanks and belongings out on the street ready for garbage pick up. We live it every day. We see it every day. We are reminded of the devastation every day. Some people have written the newspaper and have voiced that High River needs to get over themselves and to move on. In the past, when I would see footage on Hurricane Katrina or the Tsunami or the Twin Towers coming down, I would feel the pain and heartache but I would move on. I would grieve for a short amount of time then my life would continue. Please don't think that I am comparing our natural disaster to other disasters that I mentioned above. It is impossible to compare and it also isn't right. So many people have been impacted on many levels, that comparing can not be justified. I've never actually lived it before. I've never seen real devastation. I've never seen a community of trailers set up for families who have lost everything. I've never seen lawns filled with belongings and memories. Days after the flood when some of the communities were permitted to return to their homes, there was  90 year old gentleman who lost a lot. Could you imagine being 90 years old and having to unload your home? He didn't know what to do, so he mowed his lawn. While the community was dressed in hazmat suits and face masks, he was so lost, emotionally. He was alone. My heart breaks.
While others have moved on, High River is trying to be strong and trying to re-build, but it isn't easy. Some people don't have the funds to re-open, some don't have the energy or the time, some are just too tired.
The town is dirty. It really is. I get so confused how the Saddledome and the community could be totally cleaned and made new in weeks, and here we are, doing it all on our own. How is this possible? It sure makes us feel unworthy and neglected. What is more important? The Stampede? Hockey games? The well being of individuals? I question where priorities lay with politicians and our premier. Why do we have a whole school in a community centre with parents being informed weekly of the move in date that seems to be bumped and bumped and bumped? Why was the contract given to a company who has never set up portables before? Oh yes, that is right, they had the best bid, the numbers were on target. This all baffles my mind. I feel such pain for the teachers who have to pack up their classrooms every Friday then unpack every Monday and set up for the week. How is this healthy? How does a teacher walk into their 'classroom' every day and smile and make a positive difference in the lives of these children? They are saints.

Beautiful little girl :)

I think I just went on a little rant. Anyways, as I was driving tonight, I saw an awesome and kind of funny sight. There was this little old lady, dressed to the nines, driving her motorized scooter/wheelchair. She had a big Canadian flag swaying and an umbrella type covering over her head. She was booting it down the main street and I giggled. It was a happy sight.

Mom and dad, why do you do this to me?


**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. After you have clicked on the badge, you can check out other blogs too. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Special Needs section....I am number 18 (BOO), I need to get to number 1! I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)