Day 72 - Vaccination Time

The Friday after Thanksgiving, the kids had their eight week check-up. With this appointment, they received their first set of vaccinations. It was a bunch of shots -- two in each leg. The shots were for DPT (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), influenza type B, polio, and pneumococcal. I suggested a shot of bourbon would make the kids more relaxed, but after explaining it was a joke to a social worker, the shots were done.

There's quite a bit of controversy about vaccinations. Many people feel we vaccinate too much or at the very least we vaccinate too early. Some also say there's no need for certain vaccinations because these illnesses are practically gone. Then the other side says these illnesses are gone because we continue to vaccinate. Also some people try to link the increase in autism to vaccinations, but others say we just diagnose autism a lot more. It's all quite confusing!

We didn't scare ourselves with all of the talk on the internet about the dangers of vaccinations. Most of the horror stories come from message boards and sites that are more holistic about a baby's well-being. With our research, we just thought the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. And whatever pain or discomfort the kids would have from the shots would pale in comparison to what could happen to them if they didn't get the shots like...oh say...death.

First up was Andrew. The first two shots in his left leg made him crinkle his little nose as if he smelled Lisa's exhaust after a Del Taco binge. But the next two shots in his right leg turned his entire face red as if he smelled my exhaust after a Del Taco binge. After a few minutes, he calmed down and went on as if nothing happened at all.

But for our little prima donna, Emma, the shots became a chance to debut her latest aria entitled "WAAHH AAAHH EEEEE WAAAAHH OOOO AAHHH!?!" The English translation of this Italian piece is "You Dirty Son Of A Bitch What the Hell Did You Put In My Leg!?!" Unlike Andrew, she was quite fussy when we returned home so we gave her some Infant Tylenol. And for the next day or two she was a bit more inconsolable than usual, but other than that she returned to her usual high maintenance self by Monday.

As for the rest of the appointment, the kids are perfectly healthy. Andrew jumped from the 3 percentile for height to the 25th percentile. And Emma is at the 75th percentile for height and weight. Our doctor also said the next big change before their 4 month check-up is that they will probably learn to turn over. She said Andrew looked like he'll probably get there before Emma because "...Emma is...umm...well...she has more to work with."