Weekend Update...

Here we are again, the end of another weekend and the beginning of another week.

Let's recap...

Vaccines, crowds, farewells, Christmas gifts, eating out...

In no particular order:

We braved the cold and crowds so T Rex and I could get our H1N1 vaccines. T Rex Dad was not considered "high risk" so he has to wait until more vaccine becomes available.

I did a lot of research on the vaccine - it is not "new". It is made the same way as the "regular" flu shot. From my limited understanding of virology, H1N1 sounds to be similar to influenza A. The "regular" flu shot is a combination of influenza A and influenza B. And the H1N1 vaccine is grown the same way. If you can get the mist, do so - in the "regular" flu there is 50% better protection than with the shot. There are some groups which are excluded from the mist (pregnant women, kids under 2, and anyone with a chronic illness like asthma).

Oh, and the reports about Guillain Barre, the paralyzing disorder, being higher with this batch of vaccine are not true. It is based on reports from the 1972 swine flu and there were actually more patients getting the syndrome in the non-vaccinated group than the vaccinated group.

So, short version - get your vaccine! It's safe and free (in the US). Let me know if you have any concerns or questions that I might be able to assist with.

Left: Trying to entertain T Rex during the long wait. Right: With another expectant mom and a very close family friend - we waited in line together. (Remember those safari pants from a couple weeks ago? Well, those are for her baby boy.)

Inside the "old K-mart" - this was where the clinic was held. They did a great job moving people along. It was crowded and busy but at least it was warm inside! What made it hard is most of the folks in line for their vaccines were young children (under 4) and pregnant women.

We had T Rex Grandma and Grandpa over for farewell dinner as they are headed to Arizona for the winter. We will miss you!

This past week at playgroup, the three original founding moms had our photo taken. Caitlin's photos turned out the best so you might head over to her blog and see the full set. These ladies are very special to me, and it is so wonderful that we can share this journey together. Thank you for your friendship, Caitlin and Colleen.

Left to right: Colleen (37 weeks), Caitlin (25weeks), T Rex Mom (27 weeks)

We also enjoyed some soup, salad, and bread sticks at Olive Garden - T Rex friendly restaurant. Always an adventure going out to eat with a toddler - can anyone relate?

Because he was so good, he picked out a new toy at Target - we stopped over for supplies. This is what he selected. I posted more photos of him playing with his letters on his blog.

Note the Target sticker on his shirt - he was very happy to receive one.

I did sneak in one project this past week. Did you ever do those book report dioramas when you were a kid? Well, this is a glorified version of that, with a Christmas twist.

T Rex Dad liked this one so much we'll be keeping it. If I pull together another one, it will be a gift. This weekend I did also get to go to the fabric store, minus a T Rex, and picked up a few more things for more Christmas projects. So stay tuned, as midterms pass, there will be plenty of time for projects.

And, of course, lots and lots of studying (with a few distractions from my little one) - midterms start this week. Wish me luck - I will need it!

These are the books for my pharmacology class - I could recycle them as a booster seat in a couple months! The top one has so many pages that it is numbered by chapter then page. There are over 100 chapters. Yikes!

How was your weekend and what's on your agenda for the week???