Categories
Health and Nutrition

Put ’em Up!

I’ve been doing a ton of research, trying to make the best possible decision for Blythe regarding the H1N1 vaccination.  So much of the information I’ve found has been contradictory, which makes it hard to feel well educated on the issue.

After discussing our options with several of the medical professionals in Blythe’s life, I went into the weekend feeling torn.  Even knowing there was a possibility that we could get our grubby little hands on one of the very rare preservative-free injectable vaccines, I was hesitant.

I stopped by PsychMamma’s blog, knowing that she also has a daughter with a compromised immune system, and was floored by the plethora of information she had to offer.

Not only does she have an amazing post up about the H1N1 Vaccine, she also has more than a dozen suggestions on how to fight the flu (H1N1 or otherwise), naturally.  All of her tips are things that can be easily implemented, and I’m happy to say I discovered that we’d already been doing several of them here at home.

With so much great information, I feel like we’ve got our dukes up, ready to fight the flu season mano-a-mano.

Take a moment and head over there, will you?  It will only take a moment, but could save you and your family from getting sick.

Seriously, what are you waiting for?  GO!

Categories
Letters

Sixteen Years

Dear Alex,

Sixteen years you’ve been gone.

After all this time, you are still such a part of our lives.  We talk about what you would have thought or said or done as life’s moments pass us by.

We miss your humor, your hugs, your thoughtfulness.  We think about how our lives would be different if you had lived.  Would we have made our biggest mistakes with you there?  You were so good at pointing us in the right direction.

You were the glue, Alex.  The rock.  The light.

You are so missed.  So incredibly loved.  Today and every day.

Who You’d Be Today ~ by Kenny Chesney

Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
I feel you everywhere I go

I see your smile, I see your face
I hear you laughing in the rain
I still can’t believe you’re gone

It ain’t fair, you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
But death, tore the pages all away

God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I’ve been through
Just knowing no one could take your place

Sometimes, I wonder… who you’d be today

Would you see the world?
Would you chase your dreams?
Settle down with a family?
I wonder, what would you name your babies?

Some days the sky’s so blue
I feel like I can talk to you
And I know it might sound crazy

It ain’t fair, you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
But death, tore the pages all away

God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I’ve been through
Just knowing no one could take your place

Sometimes I wonder… who you’d be today

Today, Today, Today
Today, Today, Today

Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
The only thing that gives me hope
Is I know, I’ll see you again someday

Someday, Someday…

Categories
Kids Parenting

By the Light of the Moon

I crept into her room by the light of the moon.

In her ear I whispered, “Don’t ever leave me, baby”.

She breathed deeply.

She sighed.

I pressed my lips upon her forehead.

Her tiny fingers wrapped around my hand.

Finally, she sleeps through the night. 

Two and a half years of waking, and she sleeps.

But I wake.  And I wander. 

I breathe in her smell and lay my head on her pillow.

I brush my lips across hers.

I pray.  Lately I don’t pray much.  But over her, I do.

“Please God, be with my baby girls.  Keep them safe.”

And He does. 

By the light of day, they run and laugh and quarrel.

From one sunrise to the next. 

And by the light of the moon, I watch them dream.

Categories
Blog Carnivals Ranch Life

Wordless Wednesday: Oh JOY!

                                     Joy, 9 weeks



                                    American Bulldog

Categories
Allergies Health and Nutrition Parenting Special Needs

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate

The last time Blythe received vaccinations, she was 5 months old.

Her body reacted so severely, so horribly – she has never been the same.  Her pediatric allergist has confirmed that her food allergies were triggered by those vaccinations, and she continues to avoid all immunizations based on his recommendation.

However.

We are discussing a plan to immunize Blythe against H1N1.

There are risks associated with administering the vaccination, yes, including the (remote) possibility of developing Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  But based on her medical history, between her asthma and compromised immune system, she is at severe risk of developing what the medical community likes to call “complications” if she were to contract H1N1. 

And so we try to decide between:

a factor we can control, which would be to administer the vaccination for H1N1 in her pediatric allergist’s office, with a plan in place, of course, should she have a reaction.  I would plan to stay home with her for five days following the immunization, to give her system time to recoup; 

~or~

a factor we cannot control
, which would be to take our chances and hope she doesn’t contract H1N1 – or, if she were to be exposed, hope beyond all hope that she wouldn’t have any complications.

Go ahead and read between the lines with that word: complications.

I have.  My heart skips a beat every time I hear about another child developing complications from H1N1, most of whom have pre-existing conditions.  Exactly like Blythe.  Many of those parents have lost their children to complications.  That sentence, alone, terrifies me beyond comprehension.  

It’s a difficult decision to make, one I wish I didn’t have to make, but such is life. 

Sometimes, choosing the lesser of two evils just has to be good enough to get us through the night.