Photo Shoot

I don't know if anyone else struggled with the issue of whether to vaccinate, not vaccinate, delay vaccinations...but I sure did. I read all the books, got online and looked at the research, and even talked to friends about what they did with their kids. I have a diverse group of friends when it comes to this issue so I feel like I got information from all sides. I found a lot of interesting information, and after looking at the research it seems like vaccines are much more safe than the media or some of the more conservative books or people say. Most of the reasons for delaying or not vaccinating at all are based on case studies of very few children or a person's untested hypothesis. The fears that vaccines cause autism is also unfounded (talk about unscientific evidence!) Unfortunately we'll never be able to conduct clinical trials, since a valid scientific study would be unethical. It is also difficult since no one knows the long term effects of vaccines. In the end I decided to vaccinate my child based on the recommended schedule. We went in today and Shannon was a champ. She screamed for a few seconds and then she was fine. I've heard more intense screaming when her bottle was a few minutes late! We'll see how she reacts over the next few days, but no matter what happens I feel like I made the best decision for us and we are very informed. I'm sure this is the first of many difficult decisions I'll have to make concerning her.
Here she is in our photo shoot a few hours after getting her shots. Shannon is a very happy little girl! She is 9 weeks old today.





She's even happy in her sleep!