All 'bout Aiden.

I decided to take Aiden's crib railing down last weekend, making his bed a "big boy" bed. So far it hasn't been too disasterous... he's been waking up early (like 6am early) and crawling out of his crib for awhile now so I figured it wouldn't change much. He goes to bed more cheerfully but also soaks up the novelty of being able to get out after having just gotten in... that gets a little annoying. But he's pretty good so far! =) Kev reads a few library books before bedtime. Aiden doesn't sit still for more than one, of course. He also just got a hair cut, compliments of Mom and Dad - team effort. Kev held him on his lap so he couldn't squirm away and I buzzed him as quick as I could. We shaved a good 3 inches off of him yesterday!! He was cute before but he's simply irresistable now. Haha...

Thanksgiving +

My Mom and Dad came for Thanksgiving this year:) They brought with them a ton of food, including a 27lb turkey. Yes, a 27 pound turkey! It broke in my last years Christmas present (the stainless steel roaster)... which tells you just how often we roast anything. I decided this year that quality was better than quantity (except in the case of the turkey, which gave us both quantity and quality!) and kept the menu very simple. The limited menu consisted of turkey, mashed potatos, gravy, cranberry sauce (fresh - thanks Mum!), a yummy green vegetable/fruit salad with homemade vinegarette and Mom's famous pumpkin pie. Oh, and it was completely gluten free! It's the first turkey dinner we've had where Kevin wasn't rolling around in stomach pain and gas afterwards! We figured the stuffing and gravy were probably what did it every holiday. He thought for so long that it was the turkey itself. Not so.... I think he was relieved to discover this! Mom brought some sparkling juice for me:) and we had a bottle of white wine for all the un-pregnants;) Delicous!! I'd drink this stuff every day if it wasn't loaded with sugar. The only thing we were really really missing was stuffing... mmmm stuffing(!) b/c I didn't get around to making and drying gluten free bread. Not sure I would have enjoyed the gluten free stuffing quite as much however... although I know Kevin would have! Next time;) Dad takes joy (really!) in helping chop up our gigantic pile of logs... ...and a good read by the fire afterwards! Atalie checks out my latest edition of Todays Parent magazine while "helping" me make supper (about a week ago).

H1N1 Part 2

So... if you're tired of hearing/reading about the swine flu, don't bother to read on. I suppose I'm writing a "part 2" about this b/c it's still on my conscience. I mostly hesitate to act as a lab rat but I equally dislike feeling like a sitting duck in hunting season. I found a couple of slightly more useful (informative) articles on this vaccine. The first one is found in canada.com and mainly covers hesitations in receiving the vaccine. The second article came from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention site and speaks more specifically about effects and treatments for pregnant women. Overall, I get the impression that this vaccine is being created, approved and given with a great deal of rush and panic. I'm not sure anything great (never mind efficient) was ever created with haste and fear. It seems that not everyone giving advice is giving the full story. I'm getting the message from Health Authorities that if you're "this", "this" and "this" type of person, you should definately be vaccinated. Although this vaccine is bound to save some lives, is it worth risking every single one with possible longterm effects?? Inefficient testing is definately a factor. It's also stated that by taking the seasonal flu vaccine alone (without the H1N1) you are more suseptible to contracting the H1N1. So what does that tell you about all these vaccines we are handing out and receiving? The more we vaccinate, the more suseptible we are to further (and more complicated/threatening) illnesses! Are we creating the problem now at hand?? This is particularily frusterating to me b/c I (among millions of other parents) am forced to choose a course for my children: to secure their immediate health but risk their longterm health by vaccinating while they are young; or risk their immediate and possible longterm health by not vaccinating at all? On the contrary, I think it's true that this "pandemic" flu virus is not to be taken lightly. No disease is. People have died from it (when having had bacterial infections previous to contracting the H1N1 virus) and more likely will. Yet if you contract this virus (specifically while pregnant), you are immediately treated with more drugs, without question or haste..."the benefits of treatment or chemoprophylaxis with Oseltamivir or Zanamivir (drugs) outweigh the theoretical risks of antiviral use"... I'm not sure how I feel about that either. So perhaps my question isn't "to vaccinate or not to vaccinate?"... it seems I'm more skeptical of the vaccine than the virus itself. Perhaps my question is, drugs or natures course? There seems a time for everything, doesn't there? Well, after having battled this one to its death, I have to say that these are not easy decisions. I wouldn't think less of someone who chose to vaccinate themselves and their kids. I wouldn't say that they have less faith than someone who does not vaccinate. Making wise choices take faith no matter what the outcome. So no matter what we choose in any course of life, may our faith in God remain. I'm greatful for Grace which extends beyond the boundaries of knowledge. :) PS. To conclude, I currently am quite at peace in choosing to stay away from the H1N1 vaccine. However, we've chosen to vaccinate all our kids with the (now numerous!) regular vaccines that they can receive before the age of 2. I'm not sure what we'll decide in the long run when faced with more vaccination "opportunities" but I'm pretty sure we'll stear away if it means that by vaccinating for every new illness we are only creating further monster illnesses. We shall see...

Reminiscence

With Kevin being away for 4 days, I'm left with time to reminisce a lot about 3 of my dear friends who I grew up with. One of my most memorable years with them was travelling for 7 months from 1999 through 2000. Here's a little tribute to those girls who I love so much!!! Kristie Boschman, Deanne Petker and Sandra (now Lindsay) Enns. First flight is done. Our first beach was in LA and we had to take a pic:) A stop over in SE Asia (Thailand, Ko Phi Phi Island). It was hard to choose from so many photos... I skipped completely past the first week of our trip which took us through Taiwan and the short wild mountain adventure we had there... Kris and I hitching our way through New Zealand. Hiking the Abel Tasman with our good friends, Mark and Andy from Germany. A good hike with good friends! Saying goodbye to our wonderful friends... on with the journey! ... and on with our acquired crapy car and its problems (note the massive lake beneath the car - it's not just a shadow!). Oh Austin.... it was a love/hate relationship with you. We peed our pants laughing in (and at) this car - other times we swore a blue streak at this piece of hazardous crap. We paid about $300 for it and got about the same when we sold it to another poor sucker who needed a set of wheels. That was us. Deanne joins us in New Zealand!!!!! :) We took her cruising around the Kiwi roads in our little blue bullet, The Austin. We took the "Swoop", 40' in the air, with a few seconds of freefall before gliding freely back and forth like a bird on a string:) We also "Zorbed" down a hill. Basically you just roll over and over and over inside a big plastic ball... just how it looks. Kristie and I picked Zuccini's (amongst other fruits and veg) for most of our 3 months in Motueka, on the North tip of the South Island. Kris and I hiked to lake Marian for a couple nights. Beautiful! We got real good at making our meals in 2 - 1L containers on my little Whisperlite MEC stove. This is the hike we paid 3 nights to camp at. This is the hike we repacked our packs to the uptmost efficiency in preparation for. This is the hike where we suddenly lost all steam for upon arriving at the base. This is the hike for which we said, "So Kris, what do you think?" **long knowing pause** "Ya, me either. Let's go." This was the hike that almost was but never ended up being. Sandra has now joined us too!!!!!!! This is the hostel where Kris and I lived (tented) for those 3 working months. Waking up on the ground, to a frosty ground, before work wasn't really our dream job... but we knew then that it was all part of the "experience". Tanjalee now joins us for a short time too!!!! What an amazing group of girls to travel with:) Goodbye New Zealand! Upon arriving in Thailand for an extended stop over on our way home, we noticed we were just in time for "Songkran", the festival of flour/water paste and water fights (to sum). We stayed in the centre of it all, downtown Bangkok! We visit the Kings Palace and must dress for the occasion... no bare skin! So we wore the "ugly skirts". San and I make our way further North to explore the jungles and tribes (as far as a tourist on a budget can, anyway). The Karan village. Back on Ko Phi Phi Island with the girls:) I remember the muggy heat... such a nice change from winter back home:) Note: you probably can't see this very well, but my feet have swollen over the sides of my flip flops (which I still have and wear to this day!) b/c of a 30hr bus ride. Chillin. Our trip was composed of many moments like these... =) The boat ride back to mainland. The tuk tuk ride back to the airport. The Malaysian Airport... Canada soon (returning with twice as much as we came with, of course). I'll never forget the relief of being in the air, not having to check our Tour Bible (Lonely Planet Guide) and learn foreign maps to find our course; not wondering where/what to eat that's safe; not wishing that the 1 millionth greasy guy staring at you from across the room would just drop dead; not having to carry/watch your 50lb pack with all your precious belongings. Hours of hastle-free time to yourself with people to cater to your every on-flight need. It was relief after a long trip away from all that is familiar. A good trip. Often difficult in many ways. But the times we smiled together made it all worthwhile!

Week 8

I guess at this point I'm 20% through this pregnancy. Wow. That seems like a long ways already! And yet I remember well that the last 20% is what feels like the longest part of all:) Here's a few fun facts: Baby's heart has been beating for over 2 weeks already; lungs, brain, limbs, eye lenses, joints, teeth, bones and fingers/toes have begun to appear; the pancreas is functioning; the intestines just moved from the umbilical cord into baby's abdomen; baby is now 1.6cm long and weighs a whopping 1 gram (is that about the size of an almond?)! I don't know how a person can say that a fetus isn't a human at this point. Does this look like a human to you? I'd say so. At least, it sure doesn't look like an ape... or an elephant... or a bird. "A person's a person no matter how small" - Dr. Seuss Photo courtesy of www.pregnancy.org/fetaldevelopment

H1N1 Vaccine

So the flu season is upon us. My doctor "strongly recommended" I get the vaccine for the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. Now, I want to trust my doctor b/c she knows more than I do about my health risks... she's a pretty grounded, sensible person to begin with, has lots of experience and is one of the most respected doctors in our area. But does that mean she's right in her suggestion? Nope. Ok, so I head to google to check out the pros and cons of this virus and vaccine. Here's what I find: 1) The disease is spread through droplets (from coughing, sneezing) and through touch. 2) H1N1 has a standard course of five days for most people not in a high-risk group and most people will feel better within one week. 3) Many viruses can have an effect on prenatal exposure - from a high fever in a seasonal flu, to the 1918 H1N1 epidemic which lead to increased heart disease and stunted growth. 4) As of Sept. 3, 6% of confirmed deaths from the H1N1 flu have been pregnant women (pregnant women only make up about 1% of the population to begin with) and among people infected with H1N1, pregnant women are more likely to be hospitalized than the general population. 5) From April 15 to May 18, 2009, thirty-four percent of the pregnant women infected with the H1N1 virus were hospitalized, and by June, six pregnant women had died. 6) Past flu studies have found that when women get flu shots before giving birth, they help build immunity for their child that is particularly helpful during the infant's first few months of life. 7) Pregnancy has the potential to changes the pharmacokinetics of many drugs. Pregnant women absorb, metabolize and eliminate drugs differently than other women, leading doctors to speculate that they might need higher doses. 8) Most people who are hospitalized due to the H1N1 virus, have been so because they have developed heart and respiratory problems... which leads to a concern in people prone to such things beforehand. Now that I've read up on all this, I'm surprisingly not worried. But I'm still left with a decision to make. I hear more of "don't do it!!" than "do it" from friends and family thus far, and I think there is a lot of wisdom in that. The vaccine is, afterall, still new and is only currently being tested on pregnant women who want to have it. So what about the fact that I look after 2-3 different kids (ages 1-3) who carry who knows how many germs and have been who knows where before they even come into my house!? I guess there's good old fashioned cleanliness techniques, like washing your hands frequently and doing the same with theirs... yet you lean on the hope that they aren't already carrying it in their system, as opposed to just on their hands. The last thing I need to take into consideration is the fact that I have asthma. Have since I was a kid actually... however I seem to have grown out of it somewhat, to the point where I only notice it when I get sick and start coughing a lot. I remember sitting in the emergency room once as a kid b/c my common cold reached the final coughing-stage and I couldn't get enough air to my lungs. Not fun. I can't imagine being pregnant and sick in the hospital, with two kids and a working husband at home. And after having posted pretty much all the cons I can think of, I must admit that I am still hesitant to get any sort of vaccine while being pregnant. I'm thinking I'd prefer to make a strong attempt in the cleanliness department of my house and everyone in it, praying over the doorways and trusting that God will take care of the rest. But we'll see. Although I believe you can never have too much faith, I wonder if there is always a fine line between faith and stupidity. Many would flippantly advise against anything which isn't "organic", yet when you're in a very vulnerable state you are forced to take a good hard look at both sides of the fence. We've been given discernment for a reason I suppose :)