They did at least one when you were out of town, I recall.

That's okay because I got to play Cranium Pop 5 and see ND sculpt Blazing Saddles and Pix try to fruitlessly act out Crystal Pepsi. Sorry Pix for my lack of lame beverage knowledge!

On vaccines & autism-- one variety takes hold around the 18 month mark, where the child loses speech and other symptoms. Right around the time they get a lot of shots these days.

HOWEVER the 18mo regression has been observed from way before childhood vaccinations were routine.

I wondered at one point if the back-to-back vaccines with a possible mix of mercury contributed to Reed's autism.

The only study that claimed to show a link between vaccinations and autism was not only thoroughly discredited, but the author lost his medical board standing. So, you know, it's pretty unlikely. The latest stuff I read on autism is that it's multi-variable and there is probably no one thing that can be pointed to as the reason why a child is non-neurotypical.

Wedding cousin just sent out a fuck-modest-attire email to his guests. I have to admit, it makes me nervous that one side of my family has such different ideas of the wedding than the other, and I worry because my family is a bit of a juggernaut, but I trust him and his fiancee are on the same page, and they're more important to me than the family of the bride.

Also, I can be less panicky about finding just the right wrap.

Thank you, Sue. I've bookmarked it.

Yeah, I'd say what your cousin who is actually the one getting married said counts for more than anyone else's opinions in this case.

I am feeling under the weather, and the actual weather is kind of crappy, so I'm gonna stay in and work on clearing off the DVR most of the weekend. The Meyer sale is going on and I want to tour their new facility, so I'll probably do that tomorrow, and Walter ges to the vet on Sunday, but other than that I plan to be on the couch. I might have to mow the lawn, but I hope to put that off until Monday.

Yay shadow! Good on ya.

Weekend plans. Finishing the last bibs and bobs of Xmas shopping. (Nephew, you are getting socks!) There's a couple of printmaking sales tomorrow and a pet holiday parade that I don't think I can resist.

one variety takes hold around the 18 month mark, where the child loses speech and other symptoms. Right around the time they get a lot of shots these days

Er, actually, no. They don't. I've been working on a childhood vaccination clinical trial for the past two years, and...a lot of clinics don't even have an 18 month required visit. The kids often get about 2 shots at 15 months, and don't come back til 2 years. Or they skip 15 months and get shots at 18 months. But they get a lot more shots (or actual diseases-protection things, even if they're combined into one injection) at 12 months and earlier, each visit (which are more closely spaced, as well). (ETA: and usually one of those two shots at 18 months is something they've gotten before)

Several of the childhood vaccines actually wear off after a while - pertussis is one of them - so even if you are vaccinated, it's possible to get the disease later if you don't get a booster. And more likely you'll get the disease later if there's a large enough pool of non-vaccinators to help harbor it. I gather there is a big push to re-vaccinate adults in contact with infants in CA for pertussis.