8 Years in the Making

Mark and I married 8 years ago this month. We met at BYU just after he returned from his mission. He was my FHE dad, and, having just been on a two year spiritual high, he wanted to make sure all of his "kids" could feel the spirit. The first FHE we had Mark read us a story for two hours! I kid you not!! I thought he was the most boring person!



Mark and his roommates were in the same district in the MTC and decided on their mission to be roomies on their return to the Y. They returned home between July and August 2000 and all were married (except for Mark) a year later!

Mark was a computer science major. He and his two buddies loved playing the nerdy part.

My roommates at the Y fall 2000.

We dressed up as Little Rascals for Halloween.

Spring 2001 Roommates.

Let It Snow

It snowed on Thursday and we actually had snow here for about two days. Most of it is melted now. Kendra absolutely loves playing in the snow. We had to shovel our driveway so the girls got bundled up, Megan watched in her stroller and Kendra threw snowballs. When I shovel our driveway I do one side and then the other. As I began the other side I looked over and saw a bunch of snow spots on the side I had just done. What?!? Then I saw Kendra happily standing in the snow and throwing snowballs on our driveway!

Megan is a little babbler now and talks all the time. It is so cute how she loves her sister. The other day while we were eating Kendra made a squishy face and blew air in and out of her nose quickly. Megan copied her. The face reminds us of when Kendra was a baby because she made the most hilarious faces.

I usually have Kendra pick up the floor before Mark comes home. On this particular day she got an idea while she cleaned. She decided to make a house around Megan and then one around herself. So this is what Mark saw when he came home.

Vaccines

I have decided that vaccines are poisonous and do more harm than good. Many people think I'm crazy, and I felt the same way when I first heard people say they wouldn't vaccinate. It took me years of research to come to this decision. The story is long and boring so here is a rough summary.

Kendra became terribly ill when she was injected with 6 different vaccines at 2 months. After that she only received two shots at a time which still made her sick.

Now, after countless books, articles, and websites (including the WHO, CDC, and AAP) I finally decided not to vaccinate. WHY? Read on:

In 1991 mercury (a preservative) was found by a researcher who worked for MERCK to cause neurological damage. It wasn't until 2002 when Congress mandated that all mercury be removed from vaccines...some still have mercury. They replaced mercury with aluminum. No testing has ever been done on injected aluminum and its safety. We know from studies that IV solutions containing aluminum cannot contain more than 15 micrograms for a preemie baby (or it causes developmental delays by 18 months) or 62.5 for an adult (it causes dementia and Alzheimer like symptoms). From these studies they found that when the body (liver and kidneys) can't flush out the excess toxin (aluminum in this case) that it sits on the brain. Babies receive anywhere from 625 - 1200 micrograms at once. If an adult can't flush out more than 62.5 micrograms how can a baby of 12 lbs flush out 12oo micrograms? Other studies were done that showed only 27% of infants at 3 months of age were able to create the antibodies necessary for the vaccine to "take."

Wow, there is so much I could write about this. If you want to vaccinate I suggest reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Bob Sears. He has great advice in there. I would NEVER give the DTaP though - just give the Td.

Here is the first article that I read:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/

Here are some other books if you want to learn more:

The Vaccine Guide

A Shot in the Dark (my personal favorite - it's about the DTP which they don't use anymore but he has a ton of early research cited)

Raising a Vaccine Free Child (she includes a ton of research - although the spelling drove me nuts - she's from Australia)

Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parents Guide:

How to Raise a Healthy Child Inspite of Your Doctor

January Update

Megan had her 6 month check-up at the beginning of the month. She is 16 lbs. 6 oz. and 27 1/2 inches long. She's holding strong to the 50th percentile for weight and 90th for height. I learned that her pediatrician is moving to Washington. She is such a wonderful doctor and I am sad to see her go. It is difficult to find a pediatrician who is okay with my stand on vaccines. I haven't decided who our next doctor will be. I would like to continue to see a pediatrician, but may settle for a nurse practitioner who I know won't pressure me to vaccinate my children.

We began sleep training Megan as soon as we arrived home from DC. It took Kendra about a week to sleep through the night when I did this. I thought for sure Megan would be easier since her temperament is so easy. No... I was wrong...very wrong! It's been what, three weeks? And she STILL cries almost every time she has to sleep. It's getting better...or at least that is what I tell myself. On a good night I will only get up 2-3 times to feed her (this has happened twice). On a bad night I'm up 10-12 times. I don't mind getting up to feed her, I just wish she was consistently sleeping 3 hour stretches.

Kendra is now a sunbeam in primary. For the past two years it has taken her 6 months before she would go to nursery without either me or Mark. I had prepared myself for the same experience. I was floored when she took the hand of her friend and walked to her bench. I later saw her and her friend holding hands skipping and giggling in the hallway. She loves primary! It's so cute to watch her and her little buddy.