Vaccinations and Autism

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Well, this is going be controversial but I can't let the news reports just run on without my input!
The topic that was on a news story this morning was about Autism being caused by vaccines. I have a lot to say about this, but I will put it this way - you be the judge!

Point 1 - I have 3 boys; 19, 18, 9 -

  • the oldest was vaccinated according to pretty much the whole schedule
  • the middle and youngest were not - my little sister started investigating because of her autistic son and with her findings came my objections and inevitable withdrawal from the 'program'
Point 2 - While I fought the fight, I did give in on my youngest at one point and had him vaccinated when he was in preschool.
  • My oldest has fought ADD all of his life and has had to overcome great learning difficulties - a lot of what we see in our current generation
  • Middle son has above-average intelligence and has consistently impressed his teachers, casual contacts, and friends' parents. He has only done poorly through the years because of educators holding him back or just being 'bored' through lack of challenge.
  • Youngest has a few behavioral and social issues but has been overcoming them recently in leaps and bounds due to his ability, finally, to reason out the cause and affects of his actions. He is constantly sought after for the Gifted & Talented programs. He had an I.Q. of 140 at 8 years old and is currently working on math that is far above grade level. His vocabulary is unsurpassed and leaves most he comes in contact with speechless.
I am just stating facts here - nothing I'm going to write or have written in this post is based on my mother's bias. If I feel anything about my children, it is that they could do better, make better choices, and behave better. Especially Austin - I feel that his level of emotional i.q. is very high in some instances but he seems to lack the ability to truly care for anyone or anything - animals have endured a lot at the hands of this little 'monster' and he has truly scared me many times with his inability to feel other's pain. His extreme intelligence only feeds his ability to thwart others and get out the things he should have consequences for. He 'outsmarts' his dad 10 to 1 and if I didn't know better, I'd say he'd learned from masters such as 'Eddie Haskell' of "Leave it to Beaver" fame. He is, as I stated above, starting to overcome this behavior flaw, but it's been tough for him and I.

Point 3 - Most of the proponents of vaccinating your children are sponsored, or are in some way affiliated, with the drug-producing companies.
  • On the NBC News Show this morning, the reporter asked the doctor, "You created the latest vaccine that is now part of the CDC Schedule and are making billions of dollars from this. How can we believe your view is unbiased when you have so much to lose by these implications being proven right?" He replied that his only interest is that of the health of the children, including his own. hummm
  • Most of the proponents have a GREAT deal to lose if we no longer vaccinate our children.
  • Schools are badgered into forcing parents to vaccinate their children or face expulsion or denial of entry.
  • Almost all, I can't find any that would, of the opponents to vaccinations have nothing to gain from their battle so why are they fighting so hard - even to the point of risking their own lives and those of their loved ones as well?
I think it's time for us all to do our research. Autism is at a record high; 1 out of every 150 children are being diagnosed every day with this horrible disease and we owe it to them to make informed decisions! I chose to not vaccinate because I believe there's enough out there to cause us to 'error on the side of safety' rather than just 'do as we're told'...
Below is a copy of the correspondence I had with one of the largest opponents to vaccination - take what you will from it -
I feel that I owe it to my nephew and my little sister(rest in peace my dear one!) to carry on her legacy of questioning what's best for our children and to not blindly vaccinate my babies!

" Hello Dr. Miller,
I read your page with great interest as my little sister(now deceased) spent nearly all of 8 years trying to find the reason for her son being plagued with Asperger's Syndrome. At the time of her death in 2006 she was completely convinced that immunizations were the cause and fought to get this recognized. All of the points that you made in your article were like an echo of her 'findings' and I was very impressed to hear a doctor speak of these things!
Because of her passion and desperation to help her son, who was an extremely intelligent boy until around the age of 3 when he started showing signs of this disease; he became anxious and fearful of various things, such as faces and other children, and would write certain numbers over and over until, to him, they were 'perfect' and other such strange obsessions, she became very educated in the 'disease' of Autism, focusing primary on the Asperger's Syndrome strain. She worked tirelessly telling other parents and doctors about the effects of Mercury and thimerosal and only found groups of people that were against all that she was saying and asking about, because she was just a mother.
I wish she could've read your article as it has closed any doubts I may have had! Thank you for the very interesting and educational post!
I am writing you to tell you what I came across just now when looking for an immunization schedule. I was appalled at what I read and am sending a link to it so that you may read it too!! What an eye-opening article you've written and I appreciate your frankness in the face of such controversy! Here's the link to a very popular 'parent' website where they are openly opposed to the studies on this - http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=KidsHealth&lic=1&article_set=24786&cat_id=164&&ps=106
Thank you in advance for reading all of this - I don't usually write people I don't know, but I was compelled to say 'bravo' to you! and send this link..."

This was written in response to his article, "A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule by Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD" He also sent me a very interesting link - http://sayingnotovaccines.blogspot.com/ that you can research with if you're interested...

So, the 'ball's in your court' - what will you do? nothing, thinking that the Government knows best, or check out for yourself every viable piece of information you can get your hands on? We owe it to our kids to protect them and keep them safe :0)

with love,
Freida

Fall is in the air in Washington

Sunday, October 19, 2008


Red maple leaf1
Photos shared with permission courtesy of the Pentimento Blog

Red maple leaf2

Smile, uh, POSE, for the camera Sweetie!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

My kids are hams! No, not the kind you eat, although I have to admit when they were chubby little babes I did wonder about them thar juicy little legs! lol

We went to the school where Tyler's interview for the Russia trip was at and Austin and I ended up smashed up in the car for an hour - boredummm!

Anyway, afterward we went to WallyWorld to exchange little man's pants (guess he wasn't that big afterall!?) and after struggling to find a parking place close enough to get my lame carcass up to the door Austin asked me why I didn't park in the Handicap spot? My reply was that I didn't have a card. Never satisfied with my short answer he stated that I should have my doctor give me one :( Well I then explained to him that as long as I could walk, I will, Thank You very much!!

He thought the HC parking spot symbol looked cool and promptly laid himself down on the ground in this pose - I swear I should've yelled at him to get up off the filthy ground, but I'm pretty amused and laid back, so instead I grabbed the camera so I could share this ridiculous event with you! =D

Now that we're back to home sweet home it's time to get away from the internet and work on a pattern for a client's photo puzzle! Hope you enjoyed this little whimsy :)

Thanks for "stopping by the shop!"
Freida

Sorry, I can't work today!

Friday, October 17, 2008

At least that's what I'm going to have tell most of my perspective clientèle' - there's wasps in my work shop, black widows in my wood cache, and every creature big and small is hunting for a place to lay over for the winter. But that's not what is keeping from my beloved shop today - It's my boys!!
My oldest, Ryan, is home for a few days from college - some kind of break. Tyler has an interview this afternoon to go to Russia after the school year - an invitation-only international, sister-city, school trip, as well as a school bake sale he set up for Sunday at the local WalMart. And Austin, well, he's 9 - he just flat needs his mommy!! Right now he's standing behind me swinging a cord and saying "ow, this really hurts!" lol Don't ask me, I just live here!
Weekends at Deer Mountain are always a mixed bag of work, kids, hubby, and housework. Never a moment's rest, but this weekend is shaping up to be a wee bit more hectic and I'm already getting a headache!
So, sorry ya'll - just can't work today!
I did manage to get in some computer time this morning and was delighted to receive an email from ProjectWonderful saying that I'd finally been approved for an ad box! I immediately went skipping through the house telling my children that I'd finally "arrived"! lol Pretty stupid, I know! But it's nice to know that they feel this goofy
little blog is worthy somehow and now I hope that someone will bid on it - even at the $0 mark! - so I don't feel silly for thinking someone might want to advertise on my site!! I just tell myself, "Think good thoughts!" I know I'm not going to become independently wealthy off of such a thing, and actually hope it never costs anyone anything! :), but it would be nice to be thought of in that way! :D
As always I have so much to tell you, but I lack the time - apparently, I can't blog today either!! So I bid you adieu for now and hope that you always enjoy "stopping by the shop!"
Freida

Tough times call for stupidity...

Monday, October 13, 2008

Wow! I was in such a good mood this morning - the realization that I had tons of 'real work' to do and that I was going to be allowed to do so in relative calm and peace caused such a feeling that I thought, "man, I'm actually giddy with excitement!!!" lol Then it happened -

I was in the front room, folding clothes to deliver to my sleepy heads when the news started in, blasting me with all of the warmth of an arctic storm! :(

I'm so sick of the candidates, the weather, the problems that people like O.J. Simpson are having, news that Paris Hilton has feelings and emotions like the rest of us, and disaster after disaster - but the stock market and the 'bail out' are just flat out pissing me off!
When one of my many bill collectors call and viciously harass me for payment can I tell them, "Hey, my tax dollars are bailing your butt out, so quit calling me, unless you want to say 'Thanks!'" After all, it said that we will be infusing the bailee's with billions of dollars to help them out!?
But NO! Ever since the news hit that these unfortunate victims of tough times are going to get this tremendous boost in the financial arm, I've been inundated with phone call after phone call of debt collectors that want their money, NOW!
Everyone wants the Iraqi people to be grateful that we're 'saving' them, so why wouldn't I want the financial institutions to be grateful that we're 'saving' THEM?!?
We're suffering and losing our homes and retirement funds, and no one's running to help us!? Bush says that "we have to sit down and work this out together..." but I haven't received an email or phone call from him? And what exactly does his new catch-phrase mean anyway? Is HE going to be tightening the 'ol belt buckle and chipping in? Are our law makers, candidates, congressmen/women, and state government heads going to be taking a pay cut? Are they at risk of losing everything?
Hey guys/gals I need a bail out too! But it's not because I mishandled my funds - it's because I've had to try to live amongst the chaos that you've created, and you've taken away my funds so now there's nothing to save!
It's time for answers. And no, McCain, I'm NOT "your friend." I hate that phrase he's using! lol I was so excited about Palin - she was 'one of us'; a mother, a woman, a sensible soul - but, no, I guess I was wrong in that assumption... they're all the same - and as good as Obama talks, he's ingenuine too... I'm going to vote for Homer Simpson and wish that Andy Taylor were running!
I guess that's it for my rant - I've run out of time, energy, and am just flat too depressed about it all to keep on - isn't that the way they want us? Too tired and depressed to fight what they're doing?? Spirit broken and homeless? I'm beginning to think that that might be a fact...

Trip to Adams State Universiy

Friday afternoon we farmed Austin out to a neighbor, dropped Tyler at his buddy's house, loaded up Ryan's girlfriend and headed to Adams State College in Alamosa for Ryan's first college concert (well, there were some other kids in it too!). It's really kind of silly as the college is only 2.5 hours from here, but for me and my back it was an epic journey!
I packed everything but the kitchen sink, checked at least a dozen times to make sure I had everything, especially my pills - can't forget those!!
As we pulled into the meeting place, the corner "Loaf n Jug", Kylie was on the phone trying to get Ryan to hurry faster... After all, we hadn't seen him in almost a week!! She and I were both out of the car the moment his weirdly angled driving lamps came into view and as he stepped from his car my gut turned again as I watched him desparately embrace his own true love and leave me standing there, looking stupid, as usual! lol I don't think I'll ever get used to sharing him with this interloper, ummm, well it's not really sharing - she's got him and I don't... that's motherhood! It's a good thing that I really like her!! =D
When we arrived at his hotel room, I mean, dorm room, we started to unpack and take inventory of what we would wear to this monumentous occassion - for all of my thourough packing and careful checks and re-checks, Roger ended up without his shirt, and me without my trousers!! ugh! Everyone ended up being in extremely casual attire, so we fit in just fine - again proving that I worry too much and pack way too much!
It was a great concert, even if I did only capture the top of my darling's bobbing and weaving crown of dark tresses! He sounds so much more polished now than when they ruled the small high school of Cotopaxi, Colorado, so I guess the college courses are working :)
It's really pretty sad though that I can never get good footage - for years other parents nodd warmly at me as I arrive at concerts and events with massive electronics in tow, knowing that the most precious moments of their children's school lives are being safely preserved by the lady that always has the best of the best in HSN home video recording equipment!
I know they wonder why I've not complied with their many requests for copies of the events, but I am sure that I would be totally exiled from future school functions if they only knew! Not to mention, when your oldest son is one of the best bass players in the State of Colorado and his best friend the best drummer of the Western U.S., get to 'jammin', the camera is not going to be steady!! I'm deathly afraid to even look at those, but the sound came out good! ;->
After the concert we went back to the dorm and made ready for a good night's sleep - Ryan had managed to scrounge up a mattress from David's room and took the 'drapes' off of the windows for our covers. We would assuredly have the best rest ever! Roger and I haven't slept "side by side" in over 9 years as we have a massive California King bed that assures we will never bump into each other, but this night we would sleep on the smallest twinmattress I'd ever seen and quite possibly get reacquainted in the most inhumane manner! I wisely commandeered the inside of the mattress that was against the foot of Ryan's humongous bed. I guess throughout the night Roger found out how cold the floor in a dorm room can be and finally ended up at 1am, resting comfortably on a nice hard cafe' chair. I didn't notice, I wasunconscious! At 5:30am I was roused by my loving man holding a luke -warm cup of Micky D's exotic brew and, what I'm sure was, 1200 tiny packs of sugar. He knows me well! I haven't slept in my clothes in some time and remember now that it was a wise thing to grow out of when I was quite small! It was an experience and I dare say that the next time(?!?!) I will sell something and get a room!!
So I'm back home now, safe in my sweats and medic scrubs. I've been beyond sore today, but am still victorious in knowing that we 'did good' and my empty bank account made a young man look good, once more, in front of his friends.
Spare me monthly concerts ASU, please! Now, back to work! =D