Adopted?

Isaac: Mom, Dad, was I adopted?
Aukai: Of course. Can't you tell you look nothing líke us?
Isaac: Cool!!!
Aukai: We're just joking, you weren't adopted. Mommy made you in her tummy. How do you feel about that?
Isaac: Wierd!

Potty Tales

1. I was at a public restroom with Isaac and my mother. While my mom was using the restroom, Isaac proudly announced to her, "Hey Grandma, that is the same potty I used!"
"Well , it must be a particularly clean potty, then," said his ever-validating Grandma. (Although, I must admit, I didn't quite follow her logic.)
"Oh yes, Grandma. I peed on the seat, but don't worry . . . I wiped it up!"

2. Ashton blocked Grandma into his bedroom and said, "Grandma, you can't leave until you say the secret password."
"Hmm, Ashton is wonderful?"
"Nope, that's not the secret password."
"Ashton is handsome?"
"No, that's not the secret password."
"Ashton is adorable."
"No, that's not the secret password."
"Please?" I chime in.
"No, that's not the secret password."
"Well, what is the secret password, then?"
*chuckles* "Poo-poos-pee-pees."
"Well, I think it should be Ashton is wonderful," Grandma affirms.
"Nope, that's not the secret password."

I had to leave for school at this point. I am not sure how long it took for my proper mother to escape her captor or bend down to saying "Poo-poo-pee-pees." If only I could have enjoyed it longer. :)

A case for vaccination

So I realized something important yesterday. Vaccines are like airplanes.

I have to be careful here because many of my favorite people have not vaccinated their kids. Why? Because they love their children very much and don't want to do anything to hurt them. There are many theories about the 'badness' of vaccines. Most of them are unfounded 0r disproved (like the autism theory); however, there are also very rare but very real instances of serious complications from vaccines.

I have a friend who is petrified of flying. He climbs, skis, mountain bikes, and kayaks, but you get him on a plane and it takes 3 shots of vodka before he is sloshed enough to sit still. It doesn't take his PhD to know his flight over the Atlantic is much safer than his every-day activities, but he cannot stand the feeling of being out of control should something happen.

The truth is, the risk of developing serious Chicken Pox is much greater than the risk of developing a serious side-effect from the vaccine; riding in a car is much more dangerous than boarding a plane, but few people have phobias of car rides. Just like riding in a car, illness feels familiar. We all know people who have gotten chicken pox, and most of them did fine. Besides, we have medicines, so we can control the outcome, right?

Well . . . kind of. Just like we can try to regain control of a spinning car.

When Isaac was born I did a lot of research on vaccines. I was terrified about knowingly giving him something that had even a small chance of HURTING him. And in truth I felt empowered by the idea of saying 'screw you, I've researched this' to my pediatrician. But in the end I decided to vaccinate because the evidence overwhelmingly showed its importance. Besides, I felt like I was doing something for the greater good. After all, the reason small pox virus is now extinct is because of a simple vaccine. Measles and polio could go the same way . . . if people would just universally vaccinate.

Answer to Yesterday's Riddle

Question decoding:

1. It fights white blood cells.

2. It gets inside your body.

3. It is really tiny.

Answer: A virus.

(Yes, he came up with this himself. This is the unfortunate side-effect of a mom as an (almost) doctor.)

Can you guess it?

For show and tell, Isaac brings three clues to help the class guess what his object is.
Here are the clues he wrote (by himself) for tomorrow:

1. It fits whiy blud sels.

2. It gits insid yuur bode.

3. Its rele tine.

Any guesses? (Hint: Tomorrow is "V" day.)

Sigh

My sister took this pic recently on a cabin trip in Utah. Oh, how I miss the mountains.

Reality Check

Today I sat through a lecture on military trauma in Iraq. I looked at pictures of children treated for injuries and thought about my conversation with Ashton. He wants a forcefield to protect himself from an imagined danger. These children need a forcefield to protect them from a real danger. The irony made me feel very small.

Ashton's Gift

As I sat trying to figure out something to do with a rare moment of free time (free time, what is that???), I heard Ashton yelling out, "Isaac . . . . Isaac! . . . Isaac!" I walked in the room and noted Isaac had drifted soundly to sleep listening to one of Ashton's stories. Ashton then turned to me.

"Mom, I have an awesome present for you and Isaac and, well, all the good guys."
"What is that Ashton?"
(whispering) "I have a force field, well actually, I have 9 green force fields, and I am giving them to all the fighting good guys."
"Well that makes me feel very safe."
"AND I have one, and it is the biggest one, and I am the Master of the green force fields."
"I see."
"AND, you know what is hilarious Mom? *chuckles* There are nine cake force fields, and the people that get forced with the force fields, they wear cake hats."
"That is funny Ashton."
"AND Isaac has all the colors of force fields, but I am the Master of the green force fields."
"I see Ashton."
"AND I have a force field for you. Which force field do you want?"
"Well, what colors do you have."
"I have 60 force fields for adult girls."
"What color are they."
"Oh, red, purple, pink."
"I see, do they have a blue one for girls?"
"Yeah. Actually I have a very special one, a dark green one all the way at the end that is for a special adult girl who is named Heather who is a mommy. Are you an adult girl named Heather?"
"I am"
"Then I have a force field for you, so don't forget."
"I won't Ashton."

10 minutes later, I had to cut him off and say goodnight, but what an incredible imagination. I can't wait to see his comic books!

80's or 90's

OK, so my med school class is having a back to the 90's party, and just out of curiosity I did an Internet search on what "90's" clothes were supposed to look like. I WAS TOTALLY OFFENDED! Somehow, all of the worst trends I associate with the 80's have been assimilated into stereotypical "90's" wear. Granted I graduated in '99, so I was on the late end of the decade, but still.
So I thought I'd turn the question to you all. Which of the following trends do you associate with the 80's and which are truly from the 90's?

-Big bangs, preferably cemented with aqua hairspray.
-Baggy pants
-Hammer pants
-Bright, fluorescent colors
-Those ring things to cinch up the side of a baggy t-shirt
-Hemp jewelry
-Belly shirts
-Overalls
-Grunge
-Hoop earrings
-Long, loose shirts
-Tight, small shirts
-Flannel, preferably tied around the waist
-Stirrup pants
-Leggings
-Tube socks
-Sunflower hats
-High-wasted pants
-Vests over body suits (leotards)
-Layered hair
-Saved by the Bell fashion
-90210 fashion
-Clueless fashion

I'm excited to hear your thoughts. :)