Still on the fence

Just when I thought I had worked everything out in my mind about the flu vaccine, things change again.

Firm in my resolve to get the vaccine for myself, I called our local public health office to find out when the "pregnancy" vaccine (a different one than the general public one) would be available in our area. I was told that being so late in my pregnancy, they would not give it to me. I was both shocked and outraged. Although the health experts are saying that it is possible to give the regular vaccine to pregnant women, they strongly encourage the separate one. What had eased my mind about the vaccine was the fact that it had been used in Australia over the past 6 months, which ultimately can amount to "testing." The regular vaccine has not been tested on pregnant women.

And now, over the past few days, I have heard from several health expert sources that the flu season in our province is essentially peaking right now. And so, even if I am able to get the special vaccine over the next few weeks when it is anticipated to arrive, add another 10 days for the vaccine to take effect and I wonder if there is any use in it at all. I will be less than a month to my due date, and from what I hear, past the real danger of the flu season. At that point I see myself simply waiting until the baby is born, as my baby is my real concern when it comes to injecting myself with a new and relatively untested substance.

Add to that the fact that I am not willing to go and stand outside in the cold for 5 hours to wait for the vaccine. Caleb has the sniffles, I can barely stand for more than 10 minutes, and there is no way Caleb would actually wait that long.

And so the waiting game continues...

The dreaded flu vaccine

Well, the time has finally come for me to make my decision about the H1N1 flu vaccine. Somehow I was hoping that there would be this huge delay and then I wouldn't have to face the decision; nevertheless, being a grown-up I guess means I have to face the real world and all its issues.

My broad viewpoint on any issue is to make an informed decision. Read, research, discuss, listen, ponder, pray, then decide. Also remember that we are all trying to do what is best for ourselves and our families, and that every decision is made in that best interest. I need to be comfortable with my decision for my reasons, to the point that I don't feel the need to defend myself with others.

In the end, I believe I will get this special vaccine. My family doctor is closely involved with the flu vaccine studies, and is one week behind me in her pregnancy. She also has two boys, the same age as mine. She and her whole family will be getting the vaccine, despite the fact they have never gotten the seasonal flu vaccine previously. Her confidence did much to boost my own, as I only know one other pregnant woman who also must make this decision. And really, it is the fact that I am pregnant that is making this such a hard choice.

The second point of view that affected me was my position in our family. Although the benefits of this vaccine have been shown to outweigh the risks, my ultimate concern on the risk side is for the fetus. However, if I do not get the vaccine, the risk is about me. And although the thought of losing the baby is terrifying, I can't imagine if something serious happened to me, leaving James and the boys. That would by far have the greater implications on our family.

The tipping point for me, however, as a person who puts absolutely nothing into my body while I am pregnant, was the information on those who have died from this flu. The recommendation is that as soon as there is respiratory distress, to immediately get to the ER. Most people who died from the flu waited a week or longer to get the help they needed. My problem is that during this pregnancy, I already have most of the flu symptoms, including constant headaches, body aches, severe trouble breathing, and physical exhaustion. Since one doesn't always present with a fever with this strain of flu, it would be very difficult for me to distinguish between a flu and my regular pregnancy symptoms. If I was feeling well enough, I would likely not get the vaccine and just be sure to run to the ER at the first sign of trouble. Studies do show that severe complications are not likely to happen if the patient is treated immediately.

James will also be in line for the vaccine, as he meets daily with elderly people who are also at a higher risk. We haven't made a decision about the boys yet, although I am leaning toward "no", but with the plan to monitor their illnesses closely and not to be afraid to run to the doctor or ER if I think it necessary. I may also play "wait and see," to determine just how severe this flu becomes in our area.

Well, that about sums up my position. It will be interesting to look back on this worldwide event next year and see just how big of a position it ends up playing. I always feel, especially with our current media standards, that these things get blown out of proportion. Then again, disasters happen, and affect the lives of hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions. And every time people think "aw, they're just blowing it out of proportion." We all seem to operate under the assumption that these things can never happen to us. And although I don't advocate living in constant fear of the great "what if," I do believe that we must face these issues as they present themselves rather than wishing they would simply go away.

A hearty laugh

Sometime back in the summer, our family was pulling into our grocery store parking lot to do some shopping. With the windows down, the tantalizing smell of barbecue suddenly filled our car. Up ahead we could see some youth with a few parents, their barbecue, and a sign, as yet unreadable, but very obviously promoting a fundraiser.

"Mmmm," James said. "Can we support our local whatever?"

Every once in a while one of us says something that becomes part of our family lore - and this was one line that stuck good.

The smell by the couch

I know pregnancy enhances ones sense of smell, and I have experienced this in a whole new light over the past few days.

It started by the love seat. As I sat relaxing and watching the boys, a putrid smell wafted up into my nose. I called James over: what was that smell? He sat beside me, and pronounced there was no smell.

I let it go. It seemed to come and go, and so I figured it must just be my over-sensitive pregnancy nose, picking up on something from somewhere else, maybe the laundry or the kitchen or outside.

But over the next couple of days that smell would meet me when I sat on the couch. My initial instinct was that it was due to an "accident" from Colin, who is still working (although getting much better) at toilet training. I figured he must have been sitting on the couch and some pee dried up beneath him. After three days of smelling it, I figured this must be the case.

I started with the couch, that being the easiest thing to clean (gotta love bi-cast leather!) A few minutes with a soapy cloth should do the trick.

Nope. Somehow the smell was still there. Okay, must be the carpet (no love for carpets!). Sprinkle with baking soda, scrub with soapy water, rinse with a wet cloth. Well, at least after all that work the putrid smell had to be taken care of.

Nope. Somehow still there! Down on all fours and nose to the carpet (not so easy when your 7 months pregnant!), the smell was definitely still strong on the carpet in front of the couch. Just as I was contemplating if I should have another go at scrubbing it myself, or if I would simply call in a carpet cleaner (drastic and expensive, I know, but I'm pregnant and not feeling so "do-it-myself" right now!), a grey lump caught my eye. A grey lump under the couch.

I shut my eyes. I opened them, and the lump was still there. I shut my eyes and pushed myself up to standing. Then, taking a deep breath (and praying it was just a toy), I heaved the couch back three feet. And there it was, decomposing and radiating a smell that was now beyond putrid, was 3" of dead mouse. Gross.

This is the area in my life that I claim girliness. James laughs at me, because I tend to be more of a rough and tough and tumble, camping and play in the dirt kind of girl. I'm not "girly" in very many areas. But dead critters give me the willies! Of course it's 12:30pm, James is at work for another 5 hours and the boys are 10 feet away playing, and so there is nothing left but to buck up, hope I don't throw up (pregnancy), and scoop it up myself.

So, victory for me that there was indeed a smell, victory for Colin that it was pee on the carpet, and victory for the mouse that the carpet/couch still smells disgusting even now that the body is gone. I'm guessing I will have to pull the couch out again and give the whole area a good scrub. Sometimes I hate being right.

Lego

I pulled out my old lego box last week. SO MUCH FUN!!! I forgot how much I love it. And my boys went nuts for it, too! We played for nearly two hours, building and playing and building and playing and building some more. I played so long that I forgot to put on dinner the other day, and nearly let tonight's dinner burn! Colin even goes on long after I've had to drag myself away and Caleb has lost interest. We built this little van that he hasn't let go of in three days.

Thank you, makers of lego. Thank you.

Caleb's super hearing

You know those days when you wonder if your children actually hear anything you say? Well, I know for certain now that Caleb not only hears, but has super hearing! Last week we were out in the back of our yard, pulling up the garden, when all of a sudden Caleb took off toward the house. With a definite purpose, he sped up onto the deck and into the house. I called after him, but there was not even the briefest of acknowledgement. A minute later he emerged and came straight to me, holding out our phone.

"Phone, Mommy," he proclaimed. Sure enough, when I took the phone from him, the line was live (although the caller had already hung up). Somehow from the back of the yard he had heard the phone ringing, ran in, climbed up to the phone cradle, answered it, and brought it out to me!

He likewise will hear many things before we will - especially airplanes and fire trucks. Just as I long ago learned never to doubt Colin's sight, I now know never to question Caleb's hearing.

"Can I read you a story?"

At bedtime the other night, Colin asked if he could read me a story instead of my reading to him. He first chose "The very hungry caterpillar," which he read word for word (okay - he recited it word for word). But then he chose another book we don't read very often. He opened to the first page and stared for a minute, then handed the book over to me.
"I don't know this one yet," he stated. "Can you read it to me first, and then I'll read it to you?"
I agreed and read through the 16 or so pages, then handed it back to him.
He then proceeded to "read" the book back to me, word for word, page by page. Talk about memory!