U.S. declares swine flu public health emergency

U.S. declares swine flu public health emergency

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A flu viruses, the CDC’s Web site says. Human cases are uncommon but can occur in people who are around pigs. It also can be spread from person to person.

Health officials are concerned because people appear to have no immunity to the virus, a combination of bird, swine and human influenzas. The virus also presents itself like other swine flus, but none of the U.S. cases appear to involve direct contact with pigs, Eberhart-Phillips said.

History of Pandemics
1918:
The Spanish flu pandemic that started in 1918 was possibly the deadliest outbreak of all time. It was first identified in the U.S., but became known as the Spanish flu because it received more media attention in Spain than in other countries, which were censoring the press during World War I. The 1918 flu was an H1N1 strain — different from the one currently affecting Mexico and the U.S. — and struck mostly healthy young adults. Experts estimate it killed about 40 to 50 million people worldwide.

1957:
The 1957 pandemic was known as the Asian flu. It was sparked by an H2N2 strain and was first identified in China. There were two waves of illness during this pandemic; the first wave mostly hit children while the second mostly affected the elderly. It caused about 2 million deaths globally.

1968:
The most recent pandemic, known as the Hong Kong flu, was the mildest of the three pandemics this century. It was first spotted in Hong Kong in 1968 and it spread globally over the next two years. The people most susceptible to the virus were the elderly. About 1 million people are estimated to have been killed by this pandemic, an H3N2 flu strain.

Secretary Janet Napolitano said the emergency declaration is a warning, not a notice of imminent danger, similar to preparing for a hurricane.

“I wish we could call it a declaration of emergency preparedness,” Napolitano said.

Don’t panic, but get prepared: go to Totally Ready for updates and information on how to prepare.

Name Game

After seeing Mel’s great post with information on baby Hilly’s namesake, I was inspired to let my kids know why we chose their names:

Hunter– I babysat a cute little boy named Hunter, and loved reading the biography of Howard W. Hunter. He was a great man and I would love for my son to look to him for direction.

Robert – Chosen for his dad (obviously), and Pappy, and both of Rob’s grandfathers. The tradition lives on without having the title of “the third” in his name.

Joseph – This was my grandfather’s first name and is also for Joseph Smith the prophet. Both were men of integrity with strong convictions and personality.

In Rob’s family it was tradition to give everyone two middle names. We decided to do two middle names for the boys and one for the girls since they will gain an additional name when they marry.

Emma– We loved this name and agreed on it before we knew Hunter was a boy- In large part because we loved the story of “Emma” by Jane Austen. When Hunter was about a year old I was driving down the road when the thought came to me almost as if someone was talking to me, “Emma is waiting and ready to come.” I came home that day and told Rob that I knew we had a daughter named Emma coming to our family.

Elisabeth- This is the name my parents originally meant for my middle name. My great-great-grandmother in Germany on my mom’s side was named Elisabeth. Because I was born by emergency cesarean and my mom was still groggy from medication when the nurse pressed her for a name, I became Amy Lisa. Only afterward did my Nana tell my Mom that Elisabeth was called Lisa by her friends and family.

Hannah– We were getting very close to delivery and could not find the right name for our baby girl. At the time Keira and Brooklyn were at the top of the list, but we both were still not sure. I asked Rob to ponder it on the last fast Sunday before I was due and let me know of any revelations. He heard someone in the ward talking about their daughter Hannah and it just seemed right. I had always liked the name, but never brought it up because I thought it sounded so similar to Emma.  In the end, we followed Rob’s inspiration and chose Hannah.

Brooklyn- Both of my mom’s parents (who passed away before our children were born) were born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

Sabrina– The day before my scheduled cesarean, Rob and I were putting names on pieces of paper and drawing them to determine the winner. But since neither of us could leave things completely up to chance, this helped only to narrow things down to either Gina or Sabrina. Rob favored Gina because of it’s Italian connection, and I favored Sabrina because it sounded sophisticated and was also the name of one of my best friends in junior and high school. Rob told me I could make the decision because I had a difficult pregnancy with her; and well, he felt sorry for me. After she was born I was leaning toward using Gina and told Rob. He asked, “Are you sure?” and I answered, “…I don’t know.” Then shortly after I decided that Sabrina was a better fit for her, and we never looked back.

Isobel- Chosen for Rob’s grandmother who was born in Scotland and raised in Ireland.

Every name fits each child perfectly, and we love our kiddies all so much.  Each one came to our family with special talents and gifts that are unique to them and it is a great blessing to be their mother.

Great Taste, Friend

I have a friend Kyla who also blogs and she tipped me off to a couple of fun things:

Daytripping Mom: A blog for anyone interested in exploring Southern California with a family. She has information on all sorts of destinations, and even a list of things to do that are free. I love it, and will check it often. Even more when the kids are out of school I’m sure!

The next blog is called Give Away Today, and it’s just what it sounds like. You go there and enter to win something new every day. Fantastic for those of us who love free stuff, and also fabulous if you have a home business you would like to promote (just email them to get your merchandise listed for a give away).

Princess Playtime

This morning we had so much fun playing princess dress ups, eating popcorn & grapes, and playing dolls. They all got along so well that they didn’t need any other entertainment! (Hannah really wanted Sabrina to wear her pirate dress so they could match, but Sabrina didn’t want any dress ups. That really irritated Hannah so that’s why Sabrina is in her sundress, and Hannah is hidden.) Super cute!

Welcome to YW

Today I was called to serve in our ward as the first counselor in the Young Women presidency.  I haven’t been a part of YW since I was in high school, so I am really excited! I meet tomorrow with our YW president to discuss my responsibilities.  So far I know that I will be spending a lot of time with the Mia Maids (age 14 & 15) and that the advisor (teacher) I will work with is fantastic. I feel a bit like I’m playing house right now, and wonder if I’ll ever feel like a grown-up.

This is a huge responsibility that I have been given.  I know it will take a lot of time, but also be very rewarding.  I feel like the teen years are the most important in discovering who we are and how we will live out our lives. I am so grateful for the organization and doctrine of our church that has such an emphasis on the success of the children and youth with the Primary and Young Women/Young Men programs.

I really feel like this church embodies the idea of “it takes a village to raise a child.” I recently had a conversation where we discussed how great it was growing up knowing that there were other adults (besides our parents) that felt responsible for and cared about us. And now as a parent, I have been so appreciative of the Cub Scout program for Hunter.  There are adults who care enough about him to teach him and make sure that he stays on track to fulfill the requirements of his den each year.  It feels more important to Hunter because he is getting encouragement from these adult leaders who show such dedication to him.

I recently had my friend’s children over to play while she worked on preparing a talk for sacrament meeting. She happens to serve in the Primary presidency and spends a great deal of time preparing to teach my children. So if I support her needs, she is better able to serve my children. It is such an amazing cycle to me. I will undoubtedly need help with my children while I plan or attend YW activities, and I know that there will be someone there to offer help. This turned into a bit of a ramble, but I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ has service at its core. I am a better person because of the requirements I have placed upon me as I serve. What a blessing.

Sweet 16

I was remembering some of my past birthdays, and thought it was great to read about my sixteenth. I know I have a picture from this somewhere, but haven’t found it yet.

From my journal April 3, 199?:

Only 6 days until my 16th birthday! I’ve been counting down the days for 2 months. Now I’ll probably be disappointed. Denine called me to babysit tonight. I have a small feeling that it might not be babysitting. I’m probably wrong, but everyone’s been acting weird the last 2 days.  The phone’s ringing a lot and Erica always gets it. I’m just wishing- so “don’t expect anything” I tell myself….

From my journal April 13, 199?:

…There was a party for me on the 3rd. Only it wasn’t at the K—‘s house like I thought; It was here. Jason and Jared said that they were going to Modesto for errands but they were really decorating at my house.  When they came back about an hour and a half later, they stayed around for like 20 minutes before they brought me home.  When we got here they said they would walk me to the door. I opened the door to see my buddies! I was so surprised! I was shaking all night and half of the next day. MaryLynn, Joel, Jason, Jared, Dalen, Sergio, Jason M, Roy, Jay, Therese, Cory, Stephanie, Amy R, Adam, Rebekah, Erin, April, Robby, Jennifer, and Cynthia were there.

We played murder in the dark, Taboo, and broke a pinata. I got all kinds of cute “16” presents: Kisses, date book, car key with keychain, and a toy car. It was pretty fun…

My birthday was pretty fun. Mom and Dad sent me flowers at school. I got a song in 5th period and a test in 6th period. Lisa, Cory, Jessi, and Stephanie gave me little notes all day and a final clue that led me to my present in Mr. Riley’s room. It was a scrapbook! Pretty cool! Mom and Dad gave me an awesome camera. Erica gave me a locket with our pictures in it. Chris gave me a pair of shorts, Matt gave me a car air freshener and a tape holder for the visor – no car though. Pa, Grandpa, Aunt Jeanette and Uncle Dan gave me money.

It’s not really any different to be 16...

That last line cracks me up because I have discovered in my thirty something years, that age does not make you feel any different. Neither does marriage or parenthood. I’m still the same goofy girl that thinks things are “pretty fun.”

Beauty Parlor

I recently discovered some hair blogs and today gave some of the more adventurous styles a try.  Here is Hannah’s French Braid Halo and “Messy Bun” (I guess that is the technical name for it) inspired by this hairdo. The girl in the picture has way more hair than Hannah, but I think it turned out pretty well for a first try and no special hair products; just water and hairspray. It did take me about half the length of “Lady and the Tramp” to finish it though.

Sabrina wasn’t quite as easy to please. At first she really wanted the same thing as Hannah, but then it took too long just to comb it out and I had just started braiding when she said, “I want something different.” I knew she would never sit still long enough for me to finish, so I tried out this Knotty Chain with a Half Ponytail inspired by this post. I was trying to go for the chain effect, but Sabrina was wiggly and I thought it looked cute this way too, so I just left it. Oh, and she also insisted I give her bangs a “shortcut” this morning. I’m telling you this girl has an opinion on everything!