Posted in City Chickens
Okay, I admit that I have lots of random things on my mind right now! So I'm limiting myself to three topics!  So.... I came home today and found a GREEN EGG!!!!! And the third brown egg in three days! One of the Reds has been laying for three days straight and apparently, one of the Araucanas decided that she needed to get in on the action and decided to produce something too! All four of the eggs so far are noticeably smaller than the store bought eggs, but they are supposed to get bigger (or so I'm told!) How exciting!  Yesterday I took the kids in for their annual exam. Their pediatrician is a kindly older gentleman who is great except that I think he's either getting kick-backs from the vaccine manufacturers or has been to vaccination brainwashing bootcamp (or both). He will gently and kindly, in the most non-confrontational way possible, really, really strongly recommend the entire line-up of vaccinations. Personally, both my husband and I are in the middle when it comes to vaccinating, leaning towards not vaccinating. Meaning, our kids both have the DTP shots, but they were done later than the official government recommendations. In my eyes, tetanus is a reasonable concern, and when Brannan was born (at a free-standing birth center) the hospital that we would have gone to (if we'd need to) had a whooping cough (pertussis) outbreak that very week, so that one was brought home as a reality also. So, they get the DTP shots. I think the doctor's office also managed to talk me into getting Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) shot to Brannan at one point, but since then I've stuck to my guns and said No. But it's still kind of annoying to have to deal with this. The doctor has tried to push the Hepatitis B shot on them since they were newborn. That one really bothers me since you are only at risk because of certain behaviors (same risk factors as AIDS) or if the baby's mother is a carrier or at risk. Other than the mother argument, there is absolutely no reason to be concerned about this at all!! His reasoning for giving the Hep B shot is not to protect them now, but so you won't need to worry about it later on as they become teenagers and adults. That just seems like the silliest logic..... So I'll wait until they're older and might actually be at risk. But even more importantly, if I raise them right, Hepatitis B shouldn't even be a concern at all. Oh, well... This time he was pushing Polio... "I really think it would be a good time to get them started on the Polio vaccine. You don't hear about it in the US, but if you travel outside the country, there are a lot of places where it's still a concern." Okay, I won't argue that, but I'm not leaving the U.S. If we do leave the U.S., we will most definitely reconsider the entire vaccination situation, but as it currently stands, we rarely leave our county, let alone the country. That said I don't want anyone to think I'm anti-vaccinations or criticizing people who do choose to vaccinate. I'm NOT saying that at all! After all, I have all my vaccinations (I think). And my kids have some. I do, however, feel very strongly that this is a decision that each family needs to make on their own (hopefully after researching the pros and cons and prayerful consideration). I mostly just wish the doctors would respect the non- (or mostly non-) vaccintating parents' wishes and stop pestering us! I've researched the subject til my eyes are crossed. I'm informed and I don't want to. End of story. (All that, and Heike did get her DTP booster yesterday and was an all-star! Didn't even bat an eye!) The other thing that I had on my mind was a co-worker friend. He has worked at the same company as me for about the same amount of time (7 years). I don't see him very often any more, except I occasionally go to a weekly Bible study and he's usually there. Anyway, he and his family are relocating to Singapore this weekend. He has the most awesome testimony that I just had to share a little bit. We (the Bible study group at work) have been priviledged to watch everything unfold and it's just truly amazing what an awesome God we serve! About a year ago, he and his wife felt called to become missionaries to China. Basically, they answered, "Yes, Lord" and were willing to lay everything down for Him and go. They went on one or two trips, went to missionary training, and got ready to quit his job, sell their house and go. Their hearts were willing, but God has led them down a slightly different path now. I won't go into details, since it's not my story to tell (and I wouldn't do it justice), but suffice it to say that they are going to Singapore instead (at least for now). He is staying with our company and transferring to a newly opened office in Singapore (he found out about the new office the week that he was going to turn in his resignation). In Singapore, the population is 70% Chinese so they'll be able to learn the language, maybe make brief trips to China, and they will feel more confident about the safety of their kids, ages 3, 5, & 7. And who knows, maybe our company will open an office in China in a couple years and he'll be able to transfer again. It has been truly, truly amazing to watch the Lord directing their steps and to see them so willingly follow where He leads. I just think of them and feel like Wow. Wow, because their hearts are so willing, whether it's to China or to Singapore, which may or may not be a stepping stone to China later on. And Wow, because it's just so amazing to see God's hand and direction in the whole adventure. Things that shouldn't and couldn't happen, have happened. And all in His perfect timing.
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