Calling the Shots

Get it? It's wordplay, because this post will be about shots. And calling them. 

We chose not to vaccinate Cruz in the hospital, so him turning two months old signified many fun things (lifting up his head! sleeping through the night! big smiles!), but it also meant that we needed to start talking to our pediatrician about vaccines. 

Let's change that wording. Not talking to, talking with.

We have a great ped. She is a fabulous combination of Christian, professional, and crunchy granola. 

Or at least the Santa Barbara version of crunchy.

The waiting room at our doctor's office

Obviously, vaccines are a loaded topic. Everybody has an opinion, and the internet is rife with loud voices on all sides of the debate. And all those voices are enough to make a Mama-in-Training in crazy! What if vaccines are as scary as the theories say they are? 

What if we don't vaccinate and our precious boy gets sick from something we could have prevented?

At our last appointment, the doctor asked us to read The Vaccine Book by the younger Dr. Sears. 

{You may recall what happened when I followed the advice of the elder Sears!}

The book was great. No matter what a parent decides about vaccinating their child, I think it's empowering to know the ins and outs of vaccines. After all, we know our children best, and can work with our doctors to ensure that we're giving our babies appropriate protection. 

Together with our doctor, based on Cruz's risk factors, we got to make a decision about how to appropriately and wisely vaccinate our child.

Again, Cruz hadn't received any shots in the hospital, so today was his first.

I held him on my lap, all roly-poly in his diaper. We chose to do one shot and one oral vaccine. 

I kissed the top of Cruz's head, preparing for the wail that was sure to come.

Nothing.

Such a trooper! Cruz didn't cry at all!

At least, I like to think that it's because he's a trooper.

And not, as one lady called him, passive.

{Lady, Cruz was calm and quiet because he was gazing at his One True Love right behind you. The Christmas Lights.}

He has spent the rest of the day feeling snuggly. 

And Mama feels good about making an informed decision for her boy.