Flu Shots

Today, I got a call from my pediatrician's office, letting me know that they were doing a pediatric flu study, and wanted Matthew to participate. They're compensating us for our time and travel, and the flu shot itself is, of course, free!!! With most places charging $25-$30 for the flu shot alone, this sounded like a great opportunity for us! Because Matthew only had one shot last year, as his first year, and was supposed to have had a booster as well, he is going to get 2 shots this year. Today we went in for the first shot. They also did draw blood, as part of the study. That part was sad, but he did so well!!! Now all we do is take his temperature every night for the next week and record it in a diary. We're also supposed to record any other symptoms as well. At the end of the week, we mail back the diary pages in a pre-paid envelope. For the rest of the study, we go back in a month for his second shot, and I believe we go back one month after that. There are also a couple of phone calls involved in the following months. I believe the entire study takes 6-7 months (in case you can't tell, I need to re-read the material again!)
Anyway, another great thing, is that if Matthew gets sick at all during the study, even if it's a non-related sickness, the office visit will be free, as they will take note of how any additional treatments may affect this flu vaccination.
I'll keep this posted as we go, in case a similar opportunity ever opens up for someone else, you will know what to expect. And because my obsessive-compulsive disorder won't allow me to post without pictures, I've included some of test-subject A!

Kindergarten

Yes, my baby is in school. She actually started Kindergarten on August 27th, but I'm just now getting around to posting about it. Her teacher's name is Miss Nybo, and PJ thinks she's pretty great! Every time we do her hair a different way for school, or if she wears a new shirt, she asks me, "Do you think Miss Nybo will like this?" Of course!
She's really excited to learn new things. I love it on the days that she comes home and teaches me a new song she learned, or shows me how she learned to write a new letter.

Although she loves to go to school, she has already missed one day, due to an awful tummy bug that attacked our house. She was so bummed that she couldn't go. That morning, she said that she felt better, but I told her to lie down for awhile. After being sick again, later in the morning, she said that she felt better again. I told her that she wouldn't be able to go to school because she was sick. She was so sure that she felt better, so I let her get dressed and we put her hair into a cute ponytail, but sure enough, she was sick all day! Poor little girl. Anyway, luckily it was about a 12 hour bug and she was more than ready to go back the next day!

Rainy Days

One of our favorite things to do this summer, is to sit on the porch during thunderstorms. It's so relaxing to watch the gutters slowly fill, and hear that pounding of the rain, while enjoying that beautiful smell. This year has also been a great year for rainbows.

Lagoon

We finally made it to Lagoon again this year for the first time in 3 years! We all had a blast and can't wait to go again. Although Keyana was a bit scared of some of the rides, just the morning she was telling me she wants to go again. Kaiden had the most fun, I think. He loved every ride, and the faster and higher they went, the better.