You don't WHAT??!

The question of vaccination came up on Hobie's PR recently, I'm sure after that really sad link about the short life of baby Ian who passed away at 47 days old from complications from his Hep B vaccination. I wanted to share my response here too as to why we choose what we do for our children. Sadly I don't share our vaccine status with our own family because I know they wouldn't begin to comprehend. I don't have a problem with people making a choice opposite of ours, I just have a problem with people who think everyone doesn't deserve a choice! Here's what I wrote:

"Hobie is not being vaccinated. As R*** stated, in all but two states you can obtain either a philosophical or religious exemption to vaccines from your local health department and still access public schools. Here in FL you have the religious option and you do not have to state or prove your religion to obtain the exemption form. We happen to homeschool so it's not an issue.

My kids all have different vaccination statuses. I can tell you my oldest DD is high-functioning autistic and has not been right since her second night in the hospital. We spent 5 nights in the children's hospital with her as she had a fever and nonstop screaming, and refused to eat or sleep. They did blood tests and treated her with IV antibiotics but all of her cultures came back negative. We brought her home and she screamed inconsolably for the next 5 months. The *only* thing that happened to her during her hospital stay as a newborn was the Hep B vax, which had just been mandated for newborns. We wound up not getting her any more vaccinations, and our pediatrician here in FL (she was born in TN) agreed that she might be one of those kids who is susceptible to vaccines and our pedi told us NOT to vaccinate her. This is a pedi known for alternate schedules but not anti-vax; in fact I had a friend who didn't want to vax at all and they gave her a really hard time. I don't know if Ibis is damaged from a vaccine. I know she's not like any of my other kids. It's not a discipline issue. She will never be normal. We have to take her behavior into consideration before we go anywhere, be it the store, the pool, the library, you name it.

For me, for my family, the benefits simply do not outweigh the risks at this time. If, down the road, we felt as though there was a serious medical threat in our community that could possibly be helped by a vaccine, we might pursue it. But right now? No. For many of these vaccines, the number of serious adverse reactions and deaths FROM the vaccine are greater per year than the number of serious complications and deaths from the disease the vaccine is supposed to prevent. I know you can argue that the disease's numbers are low because of the vaccine, but many of our vaccines are now proving to be ineffective or have worn off of those who received them. 

Another reason is that we don't feel that, in the case of quite a few of these vaccines, the disease they are attempting to prevent is "bad" enough to risk vaccinating for. For example, diseases like chicken pox, the typical flu, rotavirus, and even the measles are things that our bodies were made to fight. For a typical non-immunocompromised individual, the risks of serious harm or death from these diseases is pretty low. 

We also are concerned that there are ingredients in vaccines that are more harmful than we are led to believe. There are tissues from other animals and human fetuses, formaldehyde, aluminum, and even still mercury in some vaccines (influenza doses typically have mercury). I wouldn't let my kids ingest any of that stuff, especially as infants. I definitely don't want it injected directly into their bloodstream; at least your intestines provide a filtering barrier for some of the bad stuff you might ingest. 

It bothers me personally that vaccines don't have to adhere to the vigorous research and testing and trials that all other FDA-approved drugs must go through before being marketed. Vaccines are often tested on the fly, and sometimes with fatal results. The rotavirus oral vaccine was recalled not all that long ago because it was causing intestinal perforation in some infants. 

I also don't think that a doctor or other medical personnel can afford to be anti-vax. Vaccine reactions are, to my knowledge, the only thing you can't sue your doctor over. You sign a liability waiver every time your child receives a vaccination, and you are taking any and all medical complications off of their liability-conscious hands. If your child is injured or dies from a vaccine reaction, you may receive money from the federal government's Vaccine Injury Compensation fund, but that's it. No suing Dr. Smith because he gave your baby that vaccine, no suing the hospital because they couldn't save your baby. However, you CAN sue your doctor if your baby dies from or is permanently injured by a vaccine-preventable disease. What incentive is there for a doctor to NOT vaccinate according to the CDC schedule? If I were a doctor I'd probably do the same thing. We as a society are so ready to sue that I think doctors are barely even practicing medicine anymore.

Whew, well, that was a long story  I just wanted to give you our personal reasons for why we choose not to vaccinate. I have no problem with people who choose to vaccinate, I just like everyone to know that it is just that: a CHOICE. Never feel like you are being forced either way on the issue, it is up to you as a parent to choose what is best for your family."




So, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I'm glad that we live in a country where we HAVE a choice!  

Happy National Watermelon Day!

No, seriously, it is! Cakewrecks has a whole host of melon hilarity posted today if you haven't seen it - it's always the bright spot of my day. Blog owner Jen Yates lives right here in Orlando and we even have a signed copy of the official Cakewrecks book. Last year Alexei and Ibis did an art project which included scoping out their favorite CW and "wreckplicating" them in cupcake form. Then we took them to the book signing and won some awesome bookmarks. Yes, we are those kinds of nerds :p

Alexei working on his Wreckplica

In other news, I'm procrastinating packing and sneaking on here for a few minutes while the baby is napping. He is the anti-nappingest baby out there so I fully enjoy every moment of this time! He didn't get to bed until 12:30 this morning since I dragged him out to that homeschool meeting late last night, so I'm *really* hoping he'll want to sleep today! I managed to get the diaper laundry switched to the dryer and the kids' rabbit cages cleaned out and if that's all I get done while he's sleeping, I'll still call it success.

It's funny about the rabbits - we bought them at the end of May (I think...) from a breeder up in Ocala, which is about 2 hours from here. Alexei and Ibis are in 4-H and we showed at the county fair for the first time in February. We didn't have any animals in the fair, just some artwork and baked goods on exhibit. We talked about what would be fun and manageable for them to show in future fairs and decided to go with rabbits. After a lot of internet searching, Alexei picked out an American fuzzy lop who looks something like a Jim Henson creation, and Ibis chose a little baby Netherland dwarf. If all goes well they will both be shown next February, and Alexei will have to keep a rabbit project book for the year (Ibis is only 7 and so is still a Cloverbud; she won't become a full-fledged 4-H member until next August). The kids feed their rabbits and take care of their water and brushing, but I wound up being the keeper of the cages. I think to ask them to do it would be a study in chaos - as it is I manage to get shavings spread out over half the house, the side porch, and the backyard by the time I'm finished. I don't mind it though; there's something satisfying about caring for a helpless little creature, and I do dearly love the furry little guys!


Alexei's rabbit, Fuzzy, and Ibis' rabbit, Snowball

T minus 7 days and counting...

Can you believe this is already the last week of summer? Well, *our* last week anyway. I am SO set and ready to go with our curriculum, our lesson plans, our daily to-dos. I don't have any worries about being successful this year; this will be my fifth year teaching these kiddos and I have to laugh sometimes at how nervous I used to be! I was scared to death that we wouldn't stay on track, that I would be an awful teacher and - my biggest fear - that I wouldn't be able to teach them to read. I am still so glad that I had the confidence in myself to persevere, because the teaching part has just been so easy and so natural, and they have all done so well.

Of course the biggest thing you hear people ask about homeschooling (usually from people who would never consider it) is, "What about the socialization aspect?" I always like to joke, "What is it you think kids do all day in public school?" I know it's more complex than that, and up until recently I really felt like we were not only meeting but exceeding any socialization these guys would encounter in a traditional brick-and-mortar school. In the 2008-2009 school year, we were lucky enough to discover our city's homeschool PE program. We would go to our local gym twice a week and my kids would get to play with other kids in a structured, active environment. We really loved our PE teacher and we also got to go to some other city programs like a toddler time for Coral and a monthly science program for homeschooled kids. Then the city's funding disappeared and they cut ALL of the programs for kids. Poof, all gone.

Fortunately our PE group had formed a really close bond, and we continued to meet twice a week at our local parks. As the 2009-2010 school year came to an end, we were down to meeting once a week. Then summer hit, and we were every other week. Now, the group is pretty much gone. One of our families has moved out of state. Two others have decided to go back to work and the kids are off to public school. One moved to the other side of Orlando. There are only four of us moms left. It's just so sad; I see this as a snowball effect of the economy on us all. I'm left at the start of this school year with only one other mom who really is making the effort to stay involved.

My friend and I are headed out this evening to have dinner - woohoo! - and then attend a meeting for a local Christian homeschooling group that supposedly has lots of local activities and field trips organized for its members. My friend is so excited about this new group. I *really* want to be excited, but I just don't know how to feel. We don't practice any religion. My mom was raised Catholic and my dad Southern Baptist; us kids weren't raised anything. Mark went to church when he was a kid but was never active in it as an adult. I've never even been to a church service, and we have never been to one with the kids. I almost signed up for a Christian co-op last year that many of our friends were active in, but all of the co-op paperwork included references from your pastor, and to sign a statement of faith. I know this new group requires you to sign a statement of faith. Mark thinks I'm overthinking this, but I keep feeling like it's wrong to sign a statement when I don't even know what faith is. At the same time, if I don't find something for my kids to do we're going to be missing out on a lot with the homeschool community, and with our close friends especially. Sigh. I don't know what to do. I figure I can at least go to the meeting and see how it feels, and make my decision after that. Wish me luck!

a flashback from our PE days

It's official!

Well we did it! We signed the lease this afternoon claiming our home for the next two years. Anyone willing to let a family with 4 kids, a dog, a cat, and two rabbits rent their home is the kind of landlord we need! Our new house is really nice and will have a lot more space than our current place, and it's in a nice, quiet, kid-friendly neighborhood. I'm really going to miss this crazy old house though! We've been here for two years now; this is where Coral went from tiny toddler to big strapping preschooler. This is where the kids got their first swingset that my dad built for them, and this is where we brought Hobie home when he was just two days old. I guess we'll be making lots of new memories in the new house!

I also just realized that I'm planning to start school in just over a week. I have to go buy a few supplies, and I'm just about finished with my lesson planning for the first six weeks. It's going to be tricky packing and doing schoolwork but I don't feel like delaying the start of school until after we're all moved in; I like having that flexibility later on if we want to take time off around Christmas or a vacation or whatever. I'm hoping we get our workbooks in for Alexei next week! If not I have a 4th grade English book calling his name - I'm sure he'll be thrilled. I think getting back to school and a schedule will benefit Ibis, and I know Coral is looking forward to some pre-K lessons.

exploring the big yard when we first moved in here, September 2008, Coral had just learned to walk!

Not a creature was stirring, not even a...

Oh wait. A Hobie is definitely stirring! 10:30 on a Friday night and here I am sitting with the little guy while everyone else is tucked in bed. Well, technically Alexei & Ibis are camped out on his bedroom floor in their homemade forts - wonder who will last the night. Nothing says good night's sleep like the hard floor. Personally I'll be thrilled to stretch out in my own bed if I can ever get a certain someone to give it up for the night.

What a loooong week. I am not much of a multi-tasker so I've taken to writing down lists of things to accomplish during the day. Not really daily chores, but extra things I need to tackle like finding a new 4-H group, updating craigslist posts, and renewing my domain name for my website. I start feeling so overwhelmed that it gets tempting to sit in the glider and crack open a good book and forget about everything on my plate for the day. Sometimes I think one of the biggest ways schools (and parents) fail their students is by never letting them set their own schedules or make their own decisions. You get to adulthood and suddenly there's no lesson plan written on a chalkboard or grade given for meeting a deadline. I think personal responsibility isn't taught anymore; I know I struggle with it sometimes and I see friends and family around my age doing the same. I never neglect my kids but it gets really easy to neglect the things that are outside of the immediate needs of the house. This includes my personal friendships, and I am really trying to work on that!

On a happier note, I sold 3 things on craigslist this week and made myself $50 towards a new camera body. One was a baby gym that Hobie was developmentally past using; another was his infant bathtub, also past use; the third was his Rainforest Jumperoo. I admit the third thing was a bit of an emotional struggle for me: although Hobie hated it and never played in it, we bought that for Coral when she was 6 or 7 months old. She was such a tiny little thing in it, and we had to place a pillow on the floor under her feet at first. She absolutely LOVED the jumperoo and it made for many happy memories. It was one of the few things that she could accomplish gross-motor-wise in that first 18 months of life, and to see her have a bit of normalcy after such a struggle was a real shining moment for us. I'm going to miss you, Jumperoo!

a little baby Coral the day we bought her big present

the M family photos

hat a great day for photos, and a great family! I had the opportunity today to photograph a darling little boy and his adventures across the park. His expressions and big blue eyes were too cute! I especially loved his determined look, which included a tongue peeking out from the side. He warmed up quickly and was so excited to play - I think the only thing that drew his attention away from the big slides was a pair of sandhill cranes! As a fun bonus, baby brother is due later this year and we got a few shots of our expectant mom looking pretty with dad. Here are a couple of my faves from the day!

Moss Park photo goofery

Hobie's getting old enough for the baby swings - what a fun new photo prop! Moss Park's "secret" campground playground is perfect for these photos with the beautiful pine trees and quiet setting. Oh, and the happy baby too!