Sick day

I have spent months going back and forth on the issue of immunizing our kids against H1N1. To date, we have followed the provincially recommended immunization schedule, but none of us have ever had a flu shot and I am generally against over-medicating and prefer most of the time to let nature run its course. That being said, every time I hear about a perfectly healthy someone who was dead 24 hours later because of H1N1... it strikes fear in my heart. Even if those cases are 1 in 8 million.

(For the record, Chad does not have a strong opinion one way or the other either and knows that I am reading everything I can find on the issue, so he's essentially left the decision on this one in my hands.)

I had all the time in the world to waver on making this decision up until the vaccine landed in our municipality a few weeks ago and became accessible. A few weeks went by and I still couldn't decide. Then, this past weekend, I finally decided to get it. It still scares me a bit that the vaccine was rushed out, but I temper that fear by thinking about how the flu vaccine itself has been around for years - this is just a different strain of it. And at the end of the day, I would feel worse if something bad happened because I'd neglected to get the vaccine that is being recommended, than if something bad happened because I'd gotten the vaccine. You follow?

This week's vax clinics in our town were on Tuesday and Wednesday, and wouldn't you know it, Mallory woke up on Monday with a rash that is still persisting today. I think it's the start of her annual wintertime eczema onslaught (sigh). Still, we decided not to go to the clinic without Mallory being 100%.

And wouldn't you know it... Wednesday night, Liam hardly had anything to eat and by the time he went to bed, he was burning up. I spent yesterday home with him as he took a sick day from school. His fever was mid-range (100.6 F) but the weird thing is that he didn't have any other symptoms. No sore throat, cough, stomach upset, body aches, lethargy... nothing. And by last night, he was fine again. So whatever it was was (a) mild and (b) quick.

So... did he have H1N1? Do I still have to get him vaccinated? It's decision-making time, again.

Here he is yesterday... you can see the flush in his right cheek from the fever. I was trying to pump him full of clementines. They are thought to be a wintertime illness cure-all in our house.We have some landscaping going on in the back yard right now, and it's been so much fun to see the progress. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to spend a day at home watching the guys in action but... it rained all day. So no progress was made. Bummer!I also thought we might make more headway on the holiday decor, but that didn't happen, either. Liam helped me do this bannister last weekend. I still need some ribbon or something to cover the zip ties holding the garland to the railing, and maybe something to hang from the newel post to finish it off. (I know garland is really supposed to go on the outside of the staircase, not inside of it, but we have a switchback on the second floor that doesn't make that possible.)Hoping to do some more indoor holiday decorating this weekend, and some outdoor stuff, too. They're calling for snow next week... that's incentive to get out and do it now!

Ainsley & Daryl

I'd hoped to get this put together before they returned from their honeymoon, but I am a few days late. Here is a sneak peek of a few of my favourite shots from their wedding. Enjoy, guys... your CD will be in the mail soon!!

Time management

I spent 40 minutes trapped in an elevator yesterday. How was your day??

(The good news is, today is off to a better start already. I was up early for a run this morning and caught the tail end of the Leonid meteor shower. It's a far cry from watching the Perseids shower in August under much more favourable conditions, what with the cold and the wind, but seeing a few shooting stars made it worth braving the elements!)

Keeping me on my toes

Yesterday, the kids and I went to cousin Ethan's baptism in London, and it turned into quite the day. Chad came home last night after spending nearly three days away. The first and second days went well. We ran errands, we went to the park, we went to swimming lessons, we treated ourselves to a pizza and subs, we watched movies, we hung Christmas decorations, and we had a good time. The kids were well behaved and all was well. Then, yesterday happened. First, the baptism. 12 babies being baptized in a Catholic church, and the ceremony coincided with Mallory's naptime. I was so busy just trying to get the kids out the door on time and in clean clothes that it didn't occur to me until we were on the highway that I should have brought some colouring books or other distraction to keep them busy in the pews.Liam weathered it well, but Mallory is another story. She hadn't napped much on Saturday and by yesterday afternoon, she was tired. She spent the first 20 minutes of the ceremony in her seat but after that she wanted nothing less than to be on my lap, keeping up a running stream of commentary. "Why is that baby getting his head wet? Am I going to get my head wet? What is that baby's name?" She really does not understand the difference between an inside voice and an outside voice, and when you combine that with the echoyness of a cathedral... ay yi yi. On our way to the baptism we had had some discussion about how to behave during the ceremony (i.e. be GOOD and QUIET!) and as I buckled her into the car afterward, she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, wasn't I SO SO GOOD in the church?" I couldn't help laughing. I guess her idea of good and mine are far different!
Then we went back to Darin and Jenn's (which is what I still call it, but the kids have started correcting me, it should be Darin and Jenn and Ethan's) for dinner. And I should have known something was up with Mallory when I kept asking to take her to the bathroom, and she kept saying she didn't have to go. I was pretty sure she did have to go and a few minutes later, Megan came down the stairs with her and reported a successful trip. Why she would go with Megan and not with me was beyond me. But I should have known that it meant she was having an off day.
Unfortunately... the next time, she did choose to go with me. Only it was when she was sitting on the living room floor in front of me. She suddenly got a very bizarre look on her face, and I guessed right away what the cause of it was. I was mortified. She's been toilet trained for three months and we had not yet had a public accident. In fact, I almost didn't pack a spare change of clothes yesterday simply because she had been doing so well. I always sort of assumed that any public accident she did have would be at Walmart or the grocery store. You know, the kind where they can call "clean up in aisle 4" and a guy with a mop zips over and cleans it up off the industrial tile floor - no harm done. I never imagined it happening in the middle of a major traffic path on someone's living room carpet!That was it... I had had about all I could take for one day. We made a speedy exit (during which Liam decided to take off down the street, around a corner and in the dark, without me - now he was giving me grief, too!) I was definitely not in the best of moods as I left. But while the kids can be a huge source of frustration sometimes... they can also be the best kind of stress relief. It was such a nice weekend, and a lot of people took advantage of that to hang their Christmas lights way early this year. We drove away admiring all the lights we passed on our way out of town. The kids were in the back, talking excitedly about Christmas. I stopped being mad at Mallory for being such a handful and decided it was really more my fault for not being better prepared to help her handle a long day when I already knew she was overtired. Maybe one of these days, I will get this parenting thing figured out.

Last call

I am in the midst of a marathon photo-editing session, having put the kids to bed three hours ago and now being housebound and having time on my hands. Just as I went to save "Barrs4crop" I got the dreaded message that I sort of knew was coming but hadn't checked on in a while... my hard drive is full. Of course this would happen just as I am trying to get 3 sessions out the door!

I am going to go back and delete some old (think 2005 & 2006) sessions... I think I have distributed these far and wide on CD, but if there's something you need, now is the time to ask... and then I'm going to pen a letter to the jolly old elf and let him know that on my wishlist this year is a 1.5 TB hard drive. Which, with the way technology moves these days, will be a tenth of the size of my current hard drive, which has only 1/3 that capacity. Crazy, isn't it??

Random

This morning, we sent Chad off, then did some fun errands, hit the park for a nice long time and picked up a pizza on our way home.

My Christmas shopping is about half done. Two more weeks, and I hope to have the other half done.

Tomorrow we're going to pick out some shrubs for the back yard. Very excited about that. It seems like we're getting our Indian Summer in November, so might as well make the most of it.

Recently overheard from Mallory: "OH NO! I have a BIG BIG PROBLEM!" (It pertained to one of her dolls.)Today I sent an order to the printer's and have several more projects in the works, at least in my head. Doing one more shoot tomorrow and then things will settle down. (I think!)

My Christmas cards arrived yesterday, and they are stunning. I tried a new printer and a new finish on them, and I love how they turned out. Hope to get them addressed over the next few weeks and into the mail on December 1. I know most people just throw them out come January 1 (hey, that's what I do with most of mine, too!) so I feel like I get more bang for my buck by getting them out early.

We figured out who tore out all the crocus bulbs. Not a squirrel (I don't even know if I've ever seen a squirrel in our yard!) It was the crows. I know this makes no sense whatsoever to those of you who don't live close to me but for you locals... I'm sure you understand!I've watched this week's episode of Glee 3 times.

I think I've finally decided to vaccinate the kids against H1N1. I have until Tuesday to change my mind. Again.

Mallory wants a reindeer for Christmas. For real. I have told her livestock is not allowed within the city limits but I'm not sure she is buying it. Liam wants the McDonald's playset he saw in the Sears catalogue. I hope that doesn't say too much about how and where we feed our kids.

I just put Mallory down for a quick nap - very, very late today - and am on my way downstairs to start pulling out a few Christmas decorations with Liam. No time like the present.

Chatham. Not Chicago.

This weekend, Chad is taking off for a guys weekend. They're going to Chicago. This is the same group of friends he went to Las Vegas with a few years ago, and I figure if they all returned safely from Vegas of all places, they will surely all return safely from Chicago. Especially since now there are wives and kids in the picture all the way around.

Anyway, last night I told the kids that dad is going to be away this weekend and he is going to Chicago. I started to tell them about some of the fun stuff that we were going to do while dad was gone. We'll hit the park, we'll have pizza, we might watch a movie, we'll see Gramma and Grampa, good times all the way around.

But Mallory must remember our family trip to Chicago from six months ago, because she asked if dad would be going to the aquarium and the zoo, and despite my assurances that no... I don't think daddy and his friends are planning to go to the aquarium this weekend... as soon as Chad walked into the room, she asked him if she could go with him.

I need to up the ante a little... must find a way to make it worth her while to stay home with me!