Mummy's little pin cushion

To vaccinate, or not vaccinate. That is the question.

Seeing as Grace was leaking like a watering can in the bath tonight, it was evident that we elected to go ahead and we didn't really think twice about it. So much controversy over the alleged link between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) and autism over recent years has led to pocket outbreaks, the latest to hit in Wales earlier in the summer. Since the links to autism were largely quashed the uptake of the vaccine has increased to an average 90% across the UK while protection only really exists if 95% of the population have it. In some areas (e.g. Wales), uptake of the vaccine is much lower leaving the risk of measles outbreaks which can be fatal in young children wide open. (In fact according to the BBC and the Guardian, they had an outbreak as recently as June with 30 reported cases).

Quite worrying for me is the Leeds PCT and Wakefield PCT only have 84% and 75% for both first and second dose uptake in the area - way below guidelines for safe immunisation practice. Inadequate information might be to blame, not so much about the MMR controversy, rather immunisation protocols themselves. We last saw our health visitor when Grace was 6 months. Around her first birthday I then had a letter inviting us to attend for the 3 jabs - no information was provided over for what or the reasons behind it. Yes I'm the first to google, background read and generally gen up on things so I know the low down - but evidently around 25% of our neighbours don't. And I doubt they're wittingly putting their children at risk. I did have a quick look in the 'red book' that records her health and development but I found it sorely lacking in the kind of info I wanted.

So yes, Grace has gone to bed like a bear with a sore head. She'll be fine, she's Mummy's little pin cushion - and I'm glad we made the decision to immunise.

Any thoughts?

Silent Night

Posting the sound and movement monitor from the nursery onto it's new home yesterday, I didn't realise the effect it would have. For the first time in a little over a year, the house was silent once Grace went to bed. We'd come to rely on the reassuring beep, like a metronome through the night - annoying in the earlydays, onto something that became blended into the background.

And now it's silent. Shhhh. Don't wake the baby!

Learning to walk

Learning to walk... a video by Little Bambini on Flickr.

p.s. it is the puzzle NOT Grandma that's tweeting x

Exercise is a dirty word...

(... every time I hear it I wash my mouth out with chocolate!)

One sunny day and a bar of chocolate later I am in better spirits. So much so I felt the need to share my guily pleasure with little G. It's her first taste of the good stuff and we don't intend to make a habit of it, in fact I think she'd rather nibble on a piece of fruit as it took her a good drive through the village to finish the one square I gifted to her. Yummy!

She looks very sheepish in this photo as if she knows just how indlugent the tasty stuff is!

The simple life...

The simple life..., a photo by Little Bambini on Flickr.

So peaceful and innocent. Grace at 12 months.

Too much too soon?

Having the worst Saturday in a while, my temper is on Code RED and the family are taking the brunt. Seriously, if the dog whines for something to eat off the kitchen counter one more time I may launch her through the window. Lucky for the human element of the family, Grace has taken cover at Grandmas and Matt the Husband has gone off to town to spend his pocket money on a haircut he may live to regret seeing as it's costing him a mere three bob.

Post natal depression is a peculiar thing and I wouldn't claim to have it any longer - the meds have done a cracking job at getting me back onto the straight and narrow since Grace was born and yet my temper (which has always been a little quick) has been on full throttle the last few days and I'm fearing I might blow a gasket. Dear Dr Jones has been weaning me off the Citalopram since our last visit as if you come to a halt with them you can experience withdrawl symptoms or regression back to the PND. I wonder if this is anything to do with it? Who knows. I missed Sundays tablet the first week, Sunday and Wednesday the week after and then 3 days missed this week. Too quick maybe. Or maybe I'm just being a misery guts today. I can be such an arse when I'm in a grump and hard to live with at the best of times, I really feel the endurance of Matt the Husband at times like this.

I'm going to spend the afternoon drowning my sorrows/anger/frustration on a eBay listing marathon and an endless supply of my poison diet coke. Fingers crossed I wake tomorrow in a better friggin mood.

Ants in her pants

With grace just itching to get moving, Matt the Husband and I haven't had a minutes peace. Persistant fingers in the air to be walked, bambi is still holding on for dear life as we walk the length of the sitting room with legs wobbling like a string puppet. As for crawling... still a distant dream.Of course we're making the most of having a static baby... life is simple right now!!