All Vaccinated!

Today is the day that the last of us got our second COVID vaccine! 

That would be Lex. Connor got his second shot a few days ago. Connor asked for Chick-fil-A as a post-vaccine treat. Lex asked for Jimmy John's. 

Two weeks until "fully vaccinated" status for the whole family!

Another Vaccine is Done

And all of the sudden, everyone in our family has been able to get a COVID vaccine.

The kids still need second doses, but we are protected!

It's a huge relief.

On the way to immunity

Yesterday, the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12 to 16.  When I woke up at 4 am, I already had many emails offering to schedule the vaccine for Connor.  So, I selected an appointment for later in the afternoon and felt really good about the state of the world.

Connor asked if we could get lunch from a restaurant when we went out for his vaccine.  We haven't been getting food from restaurants during COVID, but as part of our reintegration into the world, I thought this sounded fine. While we were waiting the 15 minutes after his shot to make sure he didn't have a reaction, he chose a restaurant, and we ordered our food online so that it would be ready to pick up when we got there.

He chose Scoville Hot Chicken, which is a new place we have never been to.  I was very nervous at first, but after we started ordering, I realized that you get to choose how spicy you want your chicken to be.

I chose "Not Spicy."  Connor went one step further and got "Chill."  He says that next time, he will get "Not Spicy," too.

It was delicious.  So so so good.  Better than Chick-fil-A, Popeyes or KFC.

The fries were amazing and the fry sauce was a garlic aioli.  Definitely get the fries. And the fry sauce.  

The sandwiches were huge.  I cut mine in half and gave half to Lex.  I still wasn't able to finish my half.  Connor didn't finish his either.  Lex tried some of that one as well, and said he would get one with more spice next time we go.  Lex really likes spicy chicken to be spicy.

Two Week Countdown

I received my second dose of the Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine today, so the two week countdown to full immunity has begun!

T Minus 14 Days!

Covid-19 Vaccine

Today, I received my first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine.

I drove a little bit north of Atlanta to a center set up by the National Guard.

It was a drive-through mass vaccination site.  There were huge electronic signs directing me to the site from the highway, and there was a radio station broadcasting the directions and information.

Everything was very efficient and everything was electronic.  There were iPads everywhere.  I spent about 30 minutes from the moment I pulled in, to the moment I pulled out.

I even got a sticker!

Here's to our health!!

Football Injury Report

Sunday night, while throwing the football, Connor sustained a finger injury.  He thought it might have been broken, but we decided to see what it looked like in the morning before going anywhere.

In the morning, it was gray and black and blue, and he couldn't move it, and it hurt.  So we made an appointment to get x-rays at the Children's urgent care.

It was broken.  So, we made an appointment with the specialist.  Who said that it was broken, but that he should try to move it and use it as much and as soon as possible.  No more football for two weeks, though.

The doctor prescribed lots of playing video games and piano for finger therapy, which are Connor's other two favorite things to do.

COVID-19

I was really sick in January with some unknown viral bronchitis, so every time I read that the virus had been in the USA for longer than we previously thought, and that it had been circulating in January, I figured that I must have already had it.  So, as soon as I could, I went and got tested for the COVID-19 antibodies.  

It was an easy test.  Expensive, but easy.  I filled out all my personal information ahead of time, paid for it, and scheduled the test time.  Once the test time arrived, I simply arrived, scanned the QR code they sent to me to check in using their self-check in kiosk, and settled in to wait.  I had only been waiting for a few moments before they called me back.  Then, there was a blood draw.  They took a large vial of blood, told me my results would be back within 24-48 hours, and then sent me on my merry way.  It took about 5 minutes.  I didn't even have to pay for parking because I was under the grace time limit.

My results came in less than 24 hours.  They were negative.  I didn't expect a negative result.  Nor did I expect to be upset about it, but it was very disappointing.  I had been sick, and it wasn't the right kind of sickness.  And it had been so bad!  It lasted a long time and I had trouble breathing and I was so tired for so long.  But, I can still get sick.  We were hoping that I had been sick, and then maybe that would mean that Kevin and the boys had also been exposed, and then we could get them tested and everyone would have antibodies.  We wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.  But no.  

Not so.  

So sad.  And it's hard to feel sad that you didn't get sick, because that just doesn't make sense.  We were trying not to get sick, what with the masks, and all the staying home.  So we should be happy that worked.  But...

But.

Ugh.

Boys' Club Bowling

We weren't supposed to have Boys' Club two days in a row, but after moving things around for schedule changes, that's just how it worked out.

And so, today, Connor went bowling with his friends.  Lex decided to skip it, because he had gone to the eye doctor in the morning, and his eyes were still dilated.

Redstone Academy: Breaking Update

Classes have been cancelled and the school has been closed for the remainder of the week due to the Influenza Type A illness that has swept through the student population.  School officials expect classes to resume next week on Tuesday.

In which Connor goes to the eye doctor

Today I took Connor to see the eye doctor.  He didn't really need to go, but I figured that since everyone else needs vision correction, we should at least keep an eye on Connor's eyes.

So, we went.  And the eye doctor told Connor that he had "the healthiest eyes he has seen in recent memory."  Then, he proceeded to tell Connor that as long as he doesn't notice a change in his vision, he does not need to have another eye exam for 10 years.  He told him to schedule something around the time he is set to graduate from college.

So that's great news.  We just crossed ten years worth of eye doctor visits off the to-do list.

Pokemon Go Level 40 Alert

Today while we were at the eye doctor for Lex, I was playing Pokemon Go in the waiting room, as any good Pokemon Go player would.

Sidebar: Lex had an annual check up today, and everything is great.  It's so nice to be past the eye patching days and the eye exams every few months.  He just got a new prescription for a new pair of glasses.  End sidebar.

That's when it happened.

I reached Level 40!  I am now the highest level trainer I can be.  I am the very best, like no one ever was (sing it with me).

I couldn't have planned the date any better.  I started playing on July 7, 2016, and I reached level 40 on January 7, 2019.  It took me exactly 2 and a half years.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

Poppy Post-Op

Today we took Poppy back to the vet for a post-op photo op.

Actually, it was a check-up, and she is doing just fine.

She took a nice nap once we got home again.

Poppy Puppy

Yesterday was a hard day for Lex.  We dropped Poppy off at the vet first thing in the morning so she could be spayed, and he missed her and worried about her all day long.  And then he had to go to sleep without her, and that was super hard because she has slept with him every night since he got her.

He was very pleased when the vet called this morning and said that Poppy was ready to come home!

He made her a sign, and hung it on the fridge.

She's such a little trooper.  She is in good spirits and doesn't seem to mind her cone collar.  She has been resting on Lex's lap ever since she came home, which is exactly what they both wanted.

Lex had an eye exam

He can still see!  We got a slightly updated prescription for his glasses, and all is well with his eyes.  He has truly graduated from the eye patch days, and he could not be more thrilled about that.

How Big is Lex?

Lex got measured today.  He is 70 lbs and 4 feet 5 inches tall.

20/20

Today we took Lex back to the eye doctor to check his vision since he stopped wearing his eye patch on December 1st.

He is still 20/20!  So, unless he starts noticing any changes in his vision, which are not expected, he should be good with just his glasses from now on!  NO MORE EYE PATCHES EVER!!  Lex is very relieved and excited about that.

We celebrated with ice cream and french fries from Freddy's on the way home from the doctor's office.

In which we say goodbye to the era of the eye patch

Today Lex had a visit with his ophthalmologist to check to see if his vision had decreased at all while we were weaning him off of his eye patch.  If you remember, he had only been wearing his eye patch for an hour a day since his last visit in October.

Well, he totally rocked his vision test!  He did the 20/20 lines with his glasses, one eye at a time, no problem.  He even read the 20/15 line with both eyes and his glasses.  He even read most of the 20/10 line!

So, he doesn't have to wear his eye patch any more.  No more eye patch!

NO MORE EYE PATCH!!

He has had to wear an eye patch every single day for most of his life.  He's been doing it for four whole years, and he is only seven.  And he really doesn't remember a time before he had to wear the eye patch.  It's a whole new era around here.

He was so excited that he ran all over the doctor's office, dancing.  He did the victory lap/dance combo thing again at home, too.

So, to celebrate, we had a party.  Nana and Grandpa and Uncle Kevin got him a cake.

The cake has eyes.

If you want to eat a cake with eyes, you have to sneak up on it from behind.  I mean, obviously.

So, we are having a great time here, not wearing eye patches anymore, and being able to see clearly with our glasses.  It was a ton of hard work, and there were lots of tears, but it worked!

Malarkey. Bologna. Shenanigans. B.S. (I think you can only buy one of these at the store.)

Family Selfie

We celebrated Lex's good news from the eye doctor last night with a special family game night.  We played Dominion and the kids had their first ever bologna sandwiches.  Which was their idea, not mine.

To explain:  I had said that something was malarkey the other day, and Connor asked what malarkey meant.  So I told him it meant bologna, and he asked what that tasted like, because he had never had it before.  I told him he could try it the next time we went to the grocery.  Fast forward to our shopping trip yesterday on the way home from the eye doctor.  He remembered about the bologna, so we stopped by the deli so he could get a sample.  Both the boys liked it, so I bought a half-pound, and they ate it all last night.

Three cheers for only having to wear the eye patch for an hour, and for bologna!

It's a Happy Day!

Today we are celebrating.

I took Lex to the ophthalmologist today for a check up, and he is still seeing well.  His glasses are the correct prescription.

And, since he is turning seven next week, we are going to cut the number of hours that he has to wear his eye patch down from four hours to JUST ONE HOUR A DAY!

We will return to get another check up in two months, and as long as there is no loss of vision, he will be done with the eye patch forever.  In just two months!  He seriously can't wait for that, but in the meantime, he is super excited that one hour is so much less than four hours!

Also, we caught a Charmander while we were waiting for the doctor.

All is right with the world.

In which the end is in sight (pun very intentional)

Lex wants to have a huge party when the doctor says that he can stop wearing his eye patch.  He is planning to invite everyone he knows, and honestly, Kevin and I are totally on board.  We will throw him such a party!  The biggest party ever.  He has really earned it.  Wearing his eye patch has never gotten easier for him, and he has been doing it every. single. day. for most of his life.  He is currently wearing it for four hours a day.  It's like a bad part time job that he doesn't get paid for.

But.  But.  But.

It's totally working.

We went to see his eye doctor today, and with his glasses on, using both eyes, he is 20/15.  20/15!  That's better than 20/20!

With his glasses, in his good eye, he is 20/20.

With his glasses, in his weak eye, he passed at 20/20, even though his missed one letter.  He read one letter C on the chart as an O.

Totally huge news!  Totally great progress!  This kid can actually see!

As to his eye patch, we have an end game officially planned.  He is going to continue to wear the patch for four hours a day until he is about seven years old.  He turns seven in October, and the week before his birthday, we are scheduled for a return trip to the eye doctor.  As long as his vision is still good then, we will start the process of weaning him off the eye patch, with frequent visits to check his eye sight to make sure that it doesn't get worse at all during the weaning process.  She doesn't think it will, though, because by the time he is seven, the neurological pathway between the eyes and brain is supposed to be totally solid.

Hopefully that means he will get his epic eye patch completion party sometime later this year, or early next year, when he is seven years old!  Stay tuned.  Your invitation is in the mail, as they say.