HPV Vaccine Update

The HPV vaccine has been on the market for less than a year. Since then:

• 2 deaths in the EU; 3 deaths in the US
  
• 28 miscarriages
• 1,700 people who reported adverse reactions (I suppose death is also an adverse reaction)

You can be "one-less"...er, one more?

Those Who Are Still With Us

I had the opportunity to attend the Spanish Mass at our parish yesterday. It was a pleasant experience to witness the vitality of Latinos in the Catholic Church. There is only one Spanish Mass offered on Sunday. There could've been two. The parking lots were literally overflowing during the Mass and there may have been as many people standing as there were sitting in pews. Due to the immigration trends, the face of Catholic Church in the United States is changing. The question is whether the administration of the Catholic Church in the United States is dynamic and flexible enough to meet these new challenges and needs.

The homily focused on abortion (in the wake of Roe v. Wade). While I don't profess expertise, I am familiar with the topic. It seems that pro-abortion folks generally concentrate on the women and pro-life folks concentrate on the unborn. Generalizations are never fully accurate but probably present some truth. There has been a small shift in the pro-life community with the "Women Deserve Better [Than Abortion]" Campaign. The priest exhorted the parish to pray for women who have had abortions and to show them compassion. Approximately 40 million unborn have been killed through abortion over the past three-and-a-half decades in the United States alone. Fortunately, they're enjoying life in heaven and praying for all of us. That would mean, however, that there are probably 25-30 million women alive today who wake up each morning to the reality of what they've done through abortion. Some struggle with grief and regret every day; others have desensitized themselves over time. It must be extremely difficult to go through an ordeal like abortion. The real victims are the women who suffer each and every day. The Catholic Church ministers to them through various initiatives like Project Rachel. Abortion is vicious. The victims of abortion always come in two's. Let's remember both victims, pray for them, and reach out with compassion to those who are still with us.

UPDATE 1/29/2008: An article on CatholicExchange was posted the day after I wrote this post. The article hits home on this same topic.

Life.

Yesterday Maddy, OLFrie and I Metroed down to the city to meet Caleb and some of his family for the 35th annual March for Life, marking the anniversary of the fateful Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade. There were so many people in attendance that it took such a long time to move several feet along the street. Maddy was bundled in her stroller and was surrounded by so many welcoming and child-friendly people. Most people would sneer at you if you clipped their heals with a stroller, but not these people. There was good reason for all of us getting bumped or pushed along: droves of lively men, women, boys, girls, and teeny boppers speaking out for the voiceless--the unborn (what we all were at one stage). It was the friendliest crowd. If you saw very little on the news about the March, it's no surprise. Silence says it all.

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy Birthday to the guy from the third floor, to Third himself. Today is my brother-in-law John's birthday. May you be richly blessed and know how much God and your family love you. Happy birthday!

Let It Snow

Madge and I just came back in after an outing outside, which is a winter wonderland. Bundled up, we trekked through the sticky and crunchy flakes, which continue to fly through the air.

Our One and a Half Year-Old

We love you, Madster. A whole year and a half have passed and we are still thanking God for every moment of happiness and joy that you have brought to our lives. Now we are twice blessed with your new little sibling growing inside Mom, and we will be rejoicing on his or her 1.5 year birthday. You are a delight, our sweet sunshine, our "Sweets." You make us laugh and make us cry. We love you and cherish every moment with you.

All our love,
Mommy, Da-Da, and OLFrie

She Loves the Papa

This morning Madge was up around 5:20am, a bit after Caleb got up, and she was up to stay awake until he left (and then even a bit after that.) She loves her Dad, and it is so sweet to see how much she loves being with him. Here are a couple of photos of her giving him kisses before he walked out the door and she watched him walk down the sidewalk. Don't worry, Madge, I wish Dad could stick around too in the the mornings.

Of Cucumbers and Sneakers

I never thought that I would utter both words in the same breath, and yet, here I go. I was going for a run today during my lunch break. I was about to put on my sneakers when I discovered that one of them was home to a pair of Maddy's socks and half a bite of cucumber. I smiled.

The story goes that I went for a run yesterday afternoon. I left my shoes out by the front door so that they could air out a bit. Later on, I was feeding Maddy some of her favorite snack: cucumbers and ranch dressing. Like many cultured individuals, she didn't take long to realize that the ranch is where it's at. Screw the veg. She's picked up the bad habit of sucking the ranch from the cucumber and spewing the remnants. (Probably something she learned from her mother.) I guess some cucumber remnants found my sneakers.

The socks come from a different story. In the evening Mary had put on Maddy a little pair of white socks with pink toes. (They're cute socks.) However, the socks are rather slippery on the kitchen floor. After a few wipe-outs in the kitchen, and because they kept falling off, I guess Madge decided to remove them. I'm proud to say she put the socks in their rightful place. Only, in my shoes instead of hers.

They Grow So Fast

Recently Caleb put the toddler bar up on Maddy's bed, transforming the crib into her "big girl bed." Although she is a full-time-family-bed-sleeper, having her bed open to her and available, we thought, would not be a bad idea. At least it is not the "scary" cage crib with that big bar. Now she can climb out on her own and tell me when she is up. What a big girl!

Christmas Eve

Maddy sported her new plaid dress from Mimi and Papa as we celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in Michigan. She looked beeeautiful!

New vaccine trend: Flu shots no longer optional?

New Jersey has become the first state to require flu vaccines (AP article). The mandate applies only to preschoolers at present. I won't be surprised if this vaccine eventually becomes mandatory not only for preschoolers, but also for all students (primary, secondary, and higher education). Frequently when there's a flu vaccine supply shortage, government officials reserve the vaccines for the very young and elderly. Some doctors believe that these two demographic categories have the most vulnerable immune systems and should be the last candidates for the vaccine.

Most flu vaccines still contain thimerosal (mercury). The vaccines (three rounds) cost parents about $50 per child per year. Free vaccines available to low income households via the federal Vaccines for Children program.

Another vaccine news tidbit: CNN reports that Merck has recalled 1.2 million doses of its meningitis vaccine due to a sterilization problem.

Sorry, but I've got to show off...

We had an informal photo shoot with our friends, the Daly family, a few days ago. This was one of our favorite pics of Maddy. I think she's adorable. PBP (Paternal Bias Present) Disclaimer, of course.

Happy Birthday to Our Brothers!

Today, November 22, 2007--the feast of St. Cecilia and the day of Thanksgiving--we give God thanks and glory for his beautiful creations in the life of my brother Matt and in the life of Caleb's brother Micah.
Happy Birthday, Matt. We love you. I am so thankful that God sent you to our family. What would the three of us girls have done without you growing up with us (besides not receiving so many opportunities for embarrassment, meeting "Kansas City"?). We love you. Thank you for being my brother, my Confirmation sponsor, my friend. Thank you for loving us and now loving little Madge. What a lucky girl she is to have you and see you on your birthday! May God bless and guide you from this day forward and may you always know His love. Happy birthday, Buster!
Micah, happy birthday to you! We wish we could bilocate for the day and celebrate with you as well. That would also give you an opportunity to try out your "Boo" technique with Maddy as you did in Hawaii when you learned those fast head movements and whiplashing head turns. We love you. I am grateful to have you as a part of my life now through Caleb. We have so enjoyed our moments with you when you've come to visit, and we hope that those are just the start of many more. May God bless and guide your footsteps in the year ahead, and may you take every opportunity to live life to the fullest with God as your guide.

Witnessing Imitation and Personal Expression as Parents

It's weird as a parent to witness your children grow up. As we see our kids developing and maturing, the interplay between imitation and expression is exquisite.

• Example of imitation: Maddy had a fear of our blender. (We love our fruit smoothies every morning for breakfast. Bring them on!) In order to overcome this fear, Mary and I would carry out a complex dance ritual to the rhythm of the blender every time we turn it on. Now, every time we turn on the blender, Maddy instinctively dances around and gets excited. Her behavior has been shaped (read "conditioned," "programmed," or whatever you want) through imitation. Much of our kids' behavior stems from imitation.
• Example of expression: Maddy picked up her signature dance style all on her own. Whenever music comes on, she begins to dance. She lifts and shakes her right leg behind her in the air and bobs up and down on the left leg. She may even switch back and forth between legs. Oooh, I know: intimidating stuff, right? Personal expression is cool to witness as parents because we are able to cast a small glance into the unique personality developing in the child. Mary and I frequently look at each other and quip: Where did she get that? Perhaps we'll never know. (It's fun to blame other family members.)
  

Anyhow, I had a funny "imitation moment" yesterday evening. Maddy and I were taking a bath together. Like most little kids, initially Maddy was not a fan of getting her hair washed: Who likes water and shampoo flowing over and into their open eyes, nose, and mouth? Nevertheless, she watched how I would pour water over my head to rinse out the shampoo (the tear-free baby-kosher stuff, of course). I pretended to have such a good time of it. After a couple baths she wanted me to pour water over her head, too. I obliged. A couple months have since passed by; she continues to be very good in letting me wash her hair. Yesterday, after I washed my hair, she filled up the bath-bucket with water. She offered it to me and uttered her version of please ("leeeeze"). I poured the bucket of water over her head and, predictably, she bobbed her head sadly a bit as the shampoo ran over her facial orifices. I had to stop and think. Through imitation, Maddy not only does something that's not particularly enjoyable (though necessary, mind you), but she actively initiates it and says please. What a good little girl.