As of 9am this morning both of my kids are vaccinated. Well, the first shot at least, but that's good enough for me for now. It wasn't easy - I basically had to hold my son still so his pediatrician could administer the shot - but we got it done. (Kid's been grumpy all day, and was still mad at me 12 hours later.) Both kids were complaining about sore arms by bedtime, hopefully their side effects won't be too much more than that tomorrow, but we'll see.
Ever since the beginning of what we in our house call 'the kerfuffle' I've been terrified of what would happen if my kids got really sick. Now I am a little less scared.
My parents, my wife, and I have all been vaccinated pretty much since as soon as we became eligible. We've all gotten boosters by now as well. I haven't been that frightened for my personal safety or that of the other adults in my life for many months, but my kids go to school every day with hundreds of other unvaccinated children, and that scares the heck out of me.
Like so many parents I've been following the news about a vaccine for the under-12 set with bated breath for many months. We wondered if we should have tried to get the kids into a study, and we despaired that a vaccine seemed as if it might never arrive. When, late last week, the news came that the FDA was going to approve it, it felt like a miracle had happened. Then we got an amazing email from our pediatrician saying that appointments were available almost immediately once the final approval came through, and I was able to nab appointments for the kids.
I know that there are still many hurdles to clear. The kids need another shot, and a couple weeks wait before they can be considered fully vaccinated. And of course the country and the world has seemingly insurmountable problems remaining with covid. But at least for today I can begin to breathe a little easier.