Stand your ground!

Well, oh my- we made it through the birthday festivities! So much has happened & I wonder why I wait so long to write!?! I have a million & a half things running through my mind all the time & I can't find time to write any of it down!

it started a few weekends ago when my aunt so graciously offered to watch my baby girl. J hasn't stayed with her in a very long time. So, naturally, I was talking to my aunt about the things she eats/ doesn't, what she drinks, how much, nap times, the important stuff! If you know me at all, you know I'm not super strict! And, you know that I can take a joke & I'm fairly easy going about most things. Wellll... so my aunt starts joking about feeding J some doritos & Mt. Dew & chocolate milk & other junk food. Then she tells my other aunt how I was freaking out about nap times ...I wish I could go into detail here but #1 it's long & ridiculous #2 it still really pisses me off! But she goes on to say that I can just leave & what I don't know won't hurt me & she can handle this- she has a kid & she practically raised me!

J likes to feed herself so I make her organic spelt or buckwheat pancakes with vegetables, applesauce, bananas, frozen fruit... things like this. She drinks organic milk b/c I'm freaked out by all the hormones! So, for me to even think about my daughters tiny little body trying to digest Mt. Dew is like a nightmare! Anyways, I laughed at first until she wouldn't give it up... I nearly cried. I nearly cried & told her that this is important to me & if she can't respect that than I'll not have my daughter spending time with her.

You might not think that's a very big deal... but it was! For some reason, I am still not expected to have opinions or a voice which is weird but I'm realizing this about my family! They always think they know best & as long as you agree with them you're good to go but challenge them & *gasp* eat vegetables... you're a freak!

Now, for her birthday, I bought all compostable & recyclable tableware & hand made the decorations. j had an organic, vegan carrot cake (which i frosted with 'real' sugar!!) & I had a good variety of healthy & not so healthy treats. This was a pretty big deal apparently! I'm not sure why it bothers them or that they had to mention anything! What's so wrong with trying to help the planet a little bit? It is my gift to my child who has to live on this beautiful Earth for the next 90 years or so.. God willing!

Now, onto the Dr. for our one year check up! Vaccinations! Oh my! I had no idea that this was such a touchy subject! To make a long story short... we're looking for our 3rd pediatrician. Most Dr.s won't take you if you don't fully vaccinate your children at 2,4, & 6 months. If you find one's that will be flexible, you still have to start by one. I'm not even totally opposed to all of them. In fact, J has one of her shots in full. It's just that I stay home with her, for the most part, & we don't travel much or eat out so I don't feel it necessary to start her on all these toxins at such an early age. And, why wouldn't i want her immune system to have a chance! ...amongst the many other reasons! The big deal here is that the Dr. was a HUGE B with a bad itch! She yelled at me, reprimanded me, told me I could pick which one I wanted to give her but I HAD to choose on... which one was it going to be? I told her neither & I didn't appreciate being talked to like that & she told me to find a new Dr. & stormed out of the room. Wow! I was floored! What really gets me is a.) that i was able to stand my ground like that & b.) what if I hadn't been an educated adult? What if I had been your run of the mill... do people expect to be treated like that by their physicians? Do most people think that they don't have a say in their health care? Do most people just go by what the Dr. says... assuming they know best? And why do we, as parents, not have a say in our childrens health & well being? Why is it up to the government to make these decisions for us? I understand the ups & downs of it all & I can see the horrific things we might encounter if we did not have these vaccinations. And, I am thankful to live in a place where I don't have to worry about these diseases & that there are vaccinations available. However, at the end of the day, if I don't think my child is at risk, if I have weighed all the options, if I have done my research, shouldn't it be my decision & shouldn't I be supported in that decision by my health care provider?! ARG UGH... blah!

Our health is our responsibility. Our home, our bodies, our planet... these are our responsibilities too. These are our choices. We have to know what we stand for, we have to know what is important to us & then we have to take a stand & stand our ground against our family, friends, physicians, or whoever!