7 Quick Takes Friday!

Well, this week I was going to do a post on the 7 creepiest Christmas songs, but JoAnna totally stole my idea. Right out of my head. And, I daresay, she probably did a better job with it than I would have, so I’ll just give you the highlight of my would-have-been post in one of my quick takes. And because my idea went out the window, this week’s quick takes will once again lack coherency and organization. Whee!

#7

Liam Xavier Bede

is getting his first vaccine today. Actually, the Ogre is on his way to the doctor’s office right now with our innocent, helpless son in tow, where said innocent will be injected with a combination of diptheria, pertussis, and tetanus.

I’m freaking out. With Sienna and Charlotte I just did what the doctors said to do. But with Liam, once I made the jump into the world of homebirthing, a flood of information about vaccines was just hovering around the edges of every conversation I had. I tried to ignore it, because it was the one subject I felt was too complex to get an accurate sense of. I failed to ignore it, but I was right about the complexity.

There is no objectivity. Everyone feels so strongly about either vaccinating or not vaccinating that I’ve been unable to get a clear sense of the risks of either choice, so I’ve done the best I can with what I’ve managed to glean. I’ve decided that Liam will be vaccinated, but he’ll only get one shot at a time, and he won’t get vaccinated for things that aren’t life-threatening (rotavirus, chickenpox). I also took the list of vaccines developed on aborted fetal cell lines to my pediatrician and asked for alternatives. She was able to give me an alternative for two of them but not the rest, and the Ogre and I decided that we are more responsible to our son to protect him from diseases than to resist the vaccine because of its contents. I did ask the pediatrician to please keep an eye out for any alternative and let us know right away if one becomes available. My plan was to not give him a vaccine if he had even the slightest cold, but that landed us where we are now, four  months old with nary a vaccine. So today he’s going in to get the DTaP while dealing with RSV. We’re rushing because we’re leaving for Texas in two days. I’m really unhappy about it, but since he’s prone to respiratory infections I decided to go with the limited protection the vaccine will offer against whooping cough over the concern about his body fighting two things at once. I have no idea if I’ve made the right decision, but I’ve been assured by our doctor (who is the head of pediatrics at the hospital) that it is perfectly safe.

#6

Informed Consent

Have you guys seen the episode of House where they come up against the obstacle of informed consent? The team is not sure what to tell the parents of a small girl because they can’t possibly understand the complexities and dangers inherent in the treatment they’re recommending, but their daughter will die if they don’t try it. Cameron says that the idea of informed consent is inherently flawed because there is no way parents can be fully informed about treatment without a medical degree.

I’m starting to feel that way about vaccinations. I don’t buy the anti-vaccine crowd’s theory that it’s all a ploy of the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors who get paid off by them, but neither do I buy the idea that as parents we should just blindly stick needles into our children willy-nilly to avoid even the slightest chance of illness. I think, in the end, it comes down to an issue of trust. I chose our doctor because I trust her, and she says that it’s really important that he get this vaccine before we travel. So we’re doing it, and I trust God that nothing terrible will result from it.

#5

Okay

I’ll stop talking about vaccines now.

I just googled “silence” and clicked on the image results to find this picture. Google came up with some really creepy stuff. Now I’m not only anxious about the vaccine, I’ve also got images from Silent Hill in my head.

Did you guys see that movie? I hope not. It was terrible.

#4

What is With

video game movies, anyway? The Ogre loves them. I don’t get it. The thing is, they’re actually based on the video game, so instead of a coherent storyline played out through various different scenes what you get is a a series of levels that lead up to the Final Showdown. And they look like levels, too. It’s like watching someone else play a video game. Boring.

#3

As Promised

here’s the best of my creepy Christmas songs. This one is, I think, the creepiest of all Christmas songs.

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He’s making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

In this song, Santa isn’t so much a jolly old elf who brings presents as he is Edward Cullen, a total creep who watches innocent girls sleep and uses his freaky prophetess sister-in-law to keep tabs on their every thought.

No thanks. I like my Santa jolly, in love with Mrs. Claus, content to munch on cookies and willing take our word for whether or not our kids have been good.

#2

Speaking of Twilight

it’s a horrible, dark and dirty secret of mine that I’ve read all the books. Multiple times.

I don’t know what it is about those books. I know, when I’m reading them, that the writing is terrible and the storylines are co-opted from every star-crossed-lovers story ever, and yet I can’t put them down. I know that Bella is a moron, Edward is a creep, and I’m an idiot for caring, and yet I read them.

What’s wrong with me?

#1

And Now

because my house is a wreck, my children are dirty, my laundry seems to be procreating, and we’re supposed to leave for Texas tomorrow, I need to go be productive.

Have a great weekend, and go see Jen for more quick takes!