No church this Christmas :(

I have been sick with something flu-like for the last three days. No problem, we thought, I'm feeling better already. Then The Dreamer developed a red rash. Too many satsumas, we thought. Tonight also His Babyness got a rash and it got worse and worse - he is happy, just likes to sleep more than usually.

If you have little kids and something like this happens at nine in the evening, better have a relative or friend who knows about medicine. WonderfulHusband phoned his mother who has worked over 30 years as doctor. I was sent to rub the kids' skin. Is it velvety? No? Scarlet fever ruled out. Do they have red-rimmed eyes? Good, no measles. They had no fever anyway, so those two seemed quite unlikely.

We still are quarantined until next Wednesday. Most likely this is rubella. And we have no idea who comes to church on Christmas Eve and if they could be pregnant. We only know one pregnant woman, but rubella is supposed to be the most dangerous during the first 8 weeks when the mother herself has no idea about the baby. Most women are vaccinated against rubella, but my MIL said that it could be some other (milder on kids) form, that means that vaccines may not work against it. I am probably not pregnant right now and my mother thinks that I had rubella as child, so I'm not worried about myself, just sad that we have to stay at home on Christmas Eve when we have always gone to church.

Most children get the rubella vaccine around their 1st birthday, but His Babyness was so sick then and later we had the epilepsy scare that I decided not to have him immunized. If he wants to travel to um ... Peru or somewhere like this when he is grown, then he can have all the vaccines he wants, but I will not risk his developing brain. Also, we have no idea what kind of immunizations The Dreamer has got - their bio mother was not really careful with her children's health and the doctors hardly ever saw the boys. We will just stay at home and do a lot of homeschooling. The boys are not supposed to go out, but since there is no snow (no white Christmas this year, either - but it is such a welcome thing compared to last year!), they actually prefer to stay inside. And I have information - shhh! - that there will be new toys and books for Christmas. :)