The Sweetest Thing!

Sometimes your kids are so bad your face lights up like Christmas lights. Other times, they surprise you with the most unexpected, thoughtful gestures! My kiddos got up at 7:00a.m. today(which is brutal when you work second shift!) I was so tired when my oldest walked into the room that I didn't even get out of bed. He went and got his little brother and they both came trotting into the room. I turned on my T.V. and continued to stay underneath the covers, wishing I could just go back to sleep. I am sure you all have done that at one time or another!

My five-year-old says he's going downstairs to get something to eat. He comes back 15 minutes later with a piece of peanut butter toast and a glass of water with ice cubes in it. He walks over to the bed and says, "Here you go Mom, I thought you might be hungry!" It was the sweetest, most wonderful moment. The next time he gets in trouble I will think of this day and remember what a thoughtful little boy he can be. Isn't life great?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Allergic To Motrin

Reader Question: "Can someone can have an adverse reaction to Motrin when that same person has taken it in the past without problems?"

Dr. Jared C. Rogers, Medical Director, Hospital Medical Affairs at Methodist Medical Center:

The answer to that question is: "yes." It is not at all uncommon to have taken a medication in the past and experienced no problems only to subsequently have an adverse reaction with taking the same medication. If the reaction is truly an allergic reaction such as hives, swelling of the inside of the mouth or trouble breathing, a person actually has to have had exposure to the drug, or one very similar to it, previously in order to have that type of reaction.

If you have a question you need answered, post a comment or send me an email and I will see what I can find!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Head Lice OK at School?

FROM MSNBC: For generations, children with signs of head lice were summarily sent home by the school nurse to their everlasting shame. Now schools have become less nitpicky.
With the backing of some major health organizations, a majority of schools across the country are allowing youngsters to stay in class if they have nits — that is, lice eggs — but no crawling lice in their hair.


It’s a change recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses, and it has been welcomed by many educators and parents, who worried that students were missing too much school, moms and dads were missing work, and children were being made to feel ashamed.


“Our children miss enough school without having to add this to it. The no-nit policies are as much a nuisance as the pests that we’re dealing with,” said Astrid Cruz, a mother of three from Palm Coast, Fla.

When Cruz’s daughter got lice in second grade and was removed from class under the school’s no-nit policy, Cruz had to beg administrators to let the girl ride the school bus home. They relented, but made the girl and her siblings ride alone — and the driver sprayed the seats down with Lysol afterward. When more nits were spotted, the girl had to miss school and go to work with Mom.


Other parents, like Debbie Cornell, want to see schools go back to taking a hard line against head lice. Cornell grew frustrated when her daughters each got head lice twice last school year. Their San Francisco private school lets kids with nits stay in class, a policy she blames for her daughters’ infestation.


“I wanted to go to the school wearing a T-shirt that said ‘Got Lice?’ and have rice in my hair,” she said. “I was like, ‘Come on, people, get with it!’ ” The U.S. has anywhere from 6 million to 12 million cases of head lice each year, though that is only a guesstimate, said Dr. Barbara Frankowski, a Vermont pediatrician who has studied the subject. It is not clear whether there have been more infestations in recent years as a result of the new, more relaxed policies.

The switch came after a 2002 pediatrics academy study said students with nits shouldn’t be kept out of class. The real problem, according to the medical experts, is the lice, not their eggs.
“Nits don’t spread. They don’t jump from one person to another,” said Amy Garcia, executive director of the National Association of School Nurses. “So to withhold a child from school due to nits really interrupts the educational process.”


Once nits hatch, they generally take 7 to 10 days to become full-grown adults that can lay eggs and begin the cycle all over again. About 60 percent of schools now allow children with nits to stay in class, Garcia said. The pediatrics academy also says that kids who are found to have crawling head lice should be allowed to stay in school for the rest of the day but discouraged from close head contact with others. But not many school districts have gone that far.

To be honest, I am surprised schools would even know if a child has nits. When do they have time to check a child's hair? Doesn't the itching coincide with the lice as opposed to the nits? Hmm.. I haven't had to deal with this yet, but it sounds like I will soon if more kids are going to be at school with nits. That being said, it is insane to think a parent could take an entire week off work because their child has head lice. What happens when there's a real emergency and you have no time off?


-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Babies: Keep couples together or tear them apart

FROM BIG NEWS NETWORK.COM Melbourne, Feb 17 : Marital bliss may depend on your decision to have a baby, say psychologists. For many years, it was reckoned that the prescription for marital malaise was having a baby.However, now, two psychologists from the University of California at Berkeley have claimed that if both partners are equally pleased about a pregnancy - and careful not to backslide into traditional gender roles - most couples are satisfied in their relationship, reports the Daily Telegraph.




To reach the conclusion, Philip and Carolyn Cowan, who are also fellows with the Council on Contemporary Families, followed 96 couples for six years after their first babies arrived.Those who welcomed their children saw more positive feelings return at about 18 months. But those who were ambivalent or disagreed on the new addition - about one-third - continued to be caught up in tension.And all those couples were either separated or divorced by the time the child reached kindergarten.

"Given these findings ... it isn't wise for an eager spouse or would-be grandparents to pressure couples to become parents before both are ready," reported the Cowans, who will present their findings at the council's annual conference in April."In light of the long-term consequences ... the decision should not be rushed," they added.

I sound so sheltered saying this, but I can't think of any couple I know who had a baby even though they didn't really want to. Most of my friends planned the occasion and were ecstatic so I don't know if I am a good judge of this one. I think babies bring couples closer together!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Prescription for thicker eyelashes!

FROM CNN: Some women are willing to try anything to improve their skimpy eyelashes. There'ss a new FDA approved prescription drug that might help.

The lobby of a medical spa isn't your typical venue for a cocktail party, but these women aren't just here to socialize, they want better looking eyelashes. "Just a little more length without the mascara. Dark, thick, fabulous lashes."

Jennifer Altmeyer is first in line for a new prescription drug called Latisse. It contains a compound used in medication for glaucoma patients. One of the side effects is thicker, longer lashes. It's something you do every night just before you go to bed only on the upper eye lid. But Dr. Randy Rudderman says be patient. If you use latisse between 4 weeks and 16 weeks you're going to see a significant growth of eyelashes.

He also warns about negative side effects such as eye irritation, darkening of the lash line and hair growth in other areas of the skin if you miss your target. Breast cancer survivor mary johnson is willing to take her chances. Until you have lost your eyelashes you don't really realize how hard it is to put eye makeup on. Without lashes, she says you just don't look the same.

At first I was thinking no way would I do this, but maybe I would. It seems pretty harmless. I would just want to make sure it couldn't make your eyes swell or make you go blind or something crazy like that!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

4.0 Cheerleader dying from Gardasil?

Warning: This is sad, but important.

FROM ABC: It's a drug that is supposed to help prevent the virus that causes cervical cancer, but one Wichita teen wants Gardasil pulled from the market because of what she says are dangerous side effects. 16 year old Gabi Swank and her mother are on a mission. They want the government to pull the popular Gardasil vaccine from the market. Gabi along with many other girls are dying.

Gabi's mother Shannon Schrag said, "We do have bad days, we do, we can't change what happened to Gabi" Her home is filled with support from friends and family, but the once four point oh cheerleader, so full of energy now is home bound she has seizures, swelling throughout her body and migraines she's suffered two mini strokes. She's surrounded by a dozen different medications as she tries to make it through each day. Last year 16 year old Gabi Swank and her mother Shannon decided the Gardasil vaccine was important.

The family has a history of cervical cancer. Gabi Swank said, "It was a preventative for when I do when i am married" Gardasil is the vaccine recommended for girls and young women ages 9-26 . It 's approved by the FDA for preventing the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer. But after the first shot, Gabi started feeling different. Schrag said, "Her muscles were sore, her joints were hurting, by the time she had the third shot last August. Schrag said, "It was Sept 12 of 08 and she collapsed we thought she was having a heart attack."

Doctors couldn't figure it out, but after months of testing, a Wichita neurologist diagnosed Gabi with Cerebral Vasculatis, a terminal disease, and he blames it on Gardasil complications. Swank said,"Oh, I'm sorry. Don't cry." Gabi's mom said, "I made the choice for her to get the shots, so I deal with the guilt." The FDA has received reports of 28 deaths in the U.S. from Gardasil, but it continues to find that the benefits of Gardasil outweigh the risks.

Gabi knows she's dying, but she is on a mission. Her mom said, "She looked at me with the most somber face and she said if I have to die to save other girls than I am prepared to do that." Swank said,"I want this drug off the market, I want it off the market."

A group called the National Vaccine Information Center is studying the side effects of Gardasil and is reporting to the FDA. The makers of Gardasil still maintain the drug is safe and are now hoping to vaccinate boys with it as well.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Parents aren't convinced about Vaccine Ruling

FROM CNN: A special court's Thursday ruling that no proven link exists between autism and certain early childhood vaccines seems to have done little to change the sometimes-passionate opinion fueling the debate. Amanda Guyton, a mother of a 6-year-old boy with autism, was "incredibly happy" with the decision and said it reaffirmed her belief that her son's autism has nothing to do with vaccines.

"We're ready for them to get on real research like educational strategies and help for kids," she said. "An awful lot of money and effort and time were spent on vaccines when three or four studies said no, there isn't a link."Meanwhile, John Best, the father of a 12-year-old boy with autism, said: "The whole thing stinks."

Guyton and Best were not involved in the cases, but were following the news because of their interest in autism.

Three families -- the Cedillos, the Hazlehursts and the Snyders -- had sought damage awards from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program for their children who have autism, a disorder that the parents contend was triggered by the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella combined with vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. Watch Campbell Brown's take on the controversy »

The panel of "special masters" ruled that these petitioners had not presented sufficient evidence to prove that the childhood vaccines caused autism in their children.

A vocal segment of autism parents has contended that childhood vaccinations recommended by the government cause the disorder. Health agencies and the scientific community have disputed that notion. In defending its conclusion that no link exists, the Institute of Medicine cited five large studies that have failed to prove any connection between autism and thimerosal and 14 large studies finding no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

"As the scientific community has been saying for a long time, there is no good, credible, reproducible research that supports the hypothesis that MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine causes autism," said Dr. Max Wiznitzer, an autism expert at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.

Wiznitzer testified in two of these three lawsuits brought against the government's National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

"What the decision tells us is that these vaccinations are safe," he said. "The medical evidence tells us there is no association between vaccines and autism. This is one more piece that helps confirm that conclusion."

The defendant, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, released a statement Thursday: "Hopefully, the determination by the Special Masters will help reassure parents that vaccines do not cause autism."Meanwhile, some autism advocacy groups such as SafeMinds also criticized the HHS saying the "deck is stacked against families when they enter 'vaccine court.'"

National Autism Association president Wendy Fournier agreed."If you have a vaccine injury, you're forced to sue Health and Human Services instead of suing the manufacturers. It's the government that oversees these court cases," said Fournier, who is the mother of a 9-year-old girl with autism. "The conflict of interest is so huge in so many levels by having the government responsible for not only promoting vaccine program, but also responsible for overseeing the safety."

Fournier said her daughter was a happy, healthy toddler who developed autism after receiving shots. She said she's heard countless similar stories from other parents.

The special court denied Mike and Theresa Cedillo's claim that vaccines caused autism in their daughter, Michelle, 14, who can't walk without help and receives nourishment from a feeding tube.

"We're obviously really disappointed," Theresa Cedillo said.

Tom Powers is an attorney for a litigation steering committee representing thousands of families that fall into three categories: those that claim that MMR vaccines and thimerosal-containing vaccines can combine to cause autism; those who claim thimerosal-containing vaccines alone can cause autism; and those who claim that MMR vaccines, without any link to thimerosal, can cause autism.

"We're disappointed in the outcome of the court's decision," he said. "However, these decisions are the first step in a long process. The whole process was designed to raise every possible issue in these cases -- hear all the evidence in these cases, knowing that ultimately appeals courts will be making the final decisions."

This week's ruling brought a different outcome from the Hannah Poling case. In November 2007, the Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation concluded that the Georgia girl's illness that had predisposed her to symptoms of autism was "significantly aggravated" by the vaccinations she received as a toddler and that her family should therefore be compensated.

But Thursday, Special Master George L. Hastings Jr. wrote in his ruling in the Cedillos case, "The evidence advanced by the petitioners has fallen far short of demonstrating such a link" between autism and vaccinations.

Wiznitzer said the ruling sent a message.

"Instead of spending resources investigating ideas that are hypothetical and have no proven value, we need to invest our time and resources into projects that will better determine the reasons for autism and the interventions that are best needed," he said.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

The Thomas Room is Finally Done!

Our new bedtime ritual is to say good night to all the trains on the walls. Oh what fun! 

-NewsAnchorMom Jen