The people that get this via email likely won't be able to read that very well, but the basic gist is, out of the past 14 "business days", 6 of them have been snow days and 3 of them have been sick days (of mine). I'm actually lucky because had those not been snow days, a lot of them would have been sick days. So it's been like an avalanche of snow and daaaaaaays stuck in the house with various sicknesses (mine, Ashton, and Alex's) all woven in. The part that makes mine difficult is that I was doing better, then worse, then better, then bad again and now finally, nearly mended, with the exception of the nagging lung pain of almost two weeks. I went back to the doctor this morning, tired of the sharp stabs every time I cough, move around, pick up the baby, etc. Turns out, it's unrelated to the pneumonia and we traced it back to two Saturdays ago when Ashton and I were playing and he jumped on me pretty hard. I do remember that that's when the pain started, but the doctor thinks I bruised a rib?? I have no clue, but it's annoying and there is nothing but round-the-clock Advil to put against it for now. I'm supposed to call her again in a week.
Speaking of 24 hour meds, poor Alex, he is being pumped full of Advil and Tylenol on a rotating basis and Tamiflu twice a day. His influenza test on Tuesday was negative (he was vaccinated), but the pediatrician felt strongly about having him on Tamiflu as a general antiviral so he gets that too. We have been really keeping on top of his temperatures and his high fevers have been responding to the meds and lukewarm baths but when it's 3:30 am and you are stripping your baby to wet him down after the thermometer says 104.4, it's not fun. As you'd guess, he's also not eating and getting him to take his bottle is hit or miss. (On that front, I'm back to pumping enough so the $30 tub of formula I bought is just sitting in the cabinet. But having it gave me peace of mind when I was sick and not making enough for him.)
Anyway, with all the sickness and record-breaking snow, it has been a suffocating three weeks. The only thing I can really say is thank goodness Jason was home so much. Brae Burn has been closed since January 24 (opens back up tomorrow) and he used all his leftover 2014 vacation time, which has meant he was around to help with the boys when I was feeling sick and needed to lay down, he was around to snowblow every time we got a storm, and in general provide me with some sane company (Ashton turned into a pinball awhile ago). Jason has saved me.
I'd like to just say one last thing in the name of health, as it's been a main subject in this post. I'm obviously a mom, and therefore a member of several online community groups, including a couple on Facebook. The war over vaccinations is at an all-time high, tempers are flaring over the measles outbreak, the anti-vaxxers are being blamed and it's ugly out there. Both Ashton and Alex are as up to date on their vaccinations as they can be and I have never batted an eye over the pediatrician's suggested course of shots. I am so pro-vax that I would get out on the street and hold a sign if someone asked me to. Ashton, however, did not get the flu vaccine due to his egg allergy. They wouldn't give it to him because of an allergic reaction (itchy tongue) to an egg exposure last fall. I actually plan to ask more about this at his annual allergy appointment next week. And Alex, while it took him two parts to get the flu shot, he has had it, but is too young for the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. This gives me anxiety on a daily basis. How, and I repeat, HOW can parents choose not to vaccinate and let their kids walk around so unprotected?? It is the WORST feeling in the world to know I can't/haven't been able to protect my children fully (yet) and they might be at risk because another child isn't vaccinated only because their parents have (usually stupid and unfounded) "concerns" about vaccines. I can't stand it. LITERALLY can't stand it. Unless you have a child that cannot get vaccinated for certain reasons (like my children: age, allergies, or other children, like those with autoimmune disorders, cancer, etc.) you have no excuse. I say that having read extensively everything you could use to claim vaccines aren't safe or "right" for your family and am not going to outline all that here or any rebuttals. But for the love of children everywhere (our entire population, really), please vaccinate. Vaccinations are a great privilege of our society, and if you don't take advantage of this, quite frankly, you're selfish. Your decision affects EVERYONE and if we ever met, I would tell you this. Nothing is more important than the safety of my children and I would have zero tolerance for anyone who jeopardizes them by making the stupid decision not to vaccinate. Sorry, it's true, and I felt like this blog should know. Being sick and stuck in the house has clearly made me angry lately.
That's it for now. If the storm this weekend drops the snowfall they are predicting, you can expect my next blog post, entitled THE END OF DAYS, to be my last. #kidding #notkidding
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