It’s been kind of a whirlwind day in The Autism Dad household. I had 2 interviews scheduled this afternoon and ended up having to reschedule one of them for a later date. I hate inconveniencing my guests but it was unavoidable.
Eariler this week, I received the callback I had been waiting for in regards to Gavin’s first dose of the COVID vaccine. He was scheduled for 3:40pm this afternoon.
That sorta turned our day upside down because not only did it mean breaking quarantine, but we’d be going somewhere with a lot of other people. It was a calculated risk and one that we couldn’t avoid.
I was able to get my first interview done before shutting down and making sure Gavin was ready to go.
He was so excited to get the vaccine and I don’t blame him. I wish I could have received mine as well but it’s not my turn yet. Gavin spent some time doing his version of research about the vaccine so he knew what to expect. I was actually impressed with that because I hadn’t expected him to show that level of interest. Normally, he just goes with the flow and trusts that I’m leading him in the right direction.
Gavin recieved his first dose through the Stark County Health Department. Here’s how the process went..
No one enters without an appointment. You go through the first stage of check in outside the building. They’re very focused on safety so they kept everyone social distancing and when the next stage of check in was open, we were able to go inside. Once we made it through that stage, we were both temperature checked before being escorted to our spot in line.
The wait was nothing and before we knew it, Gavin was answering a few questions and the very nice nurse had given him his first dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine.
Normally, Gavin likes people to count before he gets a shot or blood work but he didn’t today. He was a little worried about side effects but so far so good.
After the vaccine was given, we were sent to wait with the medics for about 15 minutes to make sure Gavin didn’t have a serious reaction to the vaccine. They kept everyone social distancing again. Once our 15 minutes was up, they called us forward and Gavin recieved his COVID vaccine card. We had to walk along this yellow line to reach the checkout, where we scheduled his second dose for 28 days later.
Gavin did fantastic and I’m so grateful to my friends at the Stark County Health Department, specifically Chris and Renee. They helped me navigate this whole thing and made sure we got where we needed to be. The whole staff was amazing and while I absolutely hate breaking quarantine, I have to say that I felt surprisingly comfortable with this process..
On the way home, we stopped by Lizze’s house because the second half of Gavin’s birthday present finally arrived and I figured I save them the trip. We picked up pizza on the way home and had our family Friday.
I keep meaning to mention this but always seem to forget.
Every Friday, the boys and I order food and have a family night. Sometimes we watch movies and sometimes we play the Xbox together. Last week we worked on a puzzle. Anyway, it just something small to look forward to each week.
Unfortunately, there is a bit of bad news. Our basement drain backed up again and it’s not too bad but it’s only a matter of time before it is. I had to call tonight and have someone come out to the house in the morning to snake it out. I wasn’t expecting that additional expense this month but not much I can do. It absolutely has to get done and better now when it’s manageable than waiting until it floods the basement with sewage. Right now, it’s just drainage from the washer that’s taking time to drain. I don’t need it getting worse.
I always use the same local business. I called and explained about Gavin. I asked them to please wear masks and they said no problem. I’m going to give them 2 brand new KN95’s, so they have them if they need them.
That’s about it. It’s been a busy, somewhat stressful day but we survived it and Gavin’s got half his COVID vaccine done. That’s hugely positive and totally worth the effort.
If you have the opportunity to get the COVID vaccine, please do it. It’s so important.
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I’ve been dreading this, what you’re going to experience . I need someone to come and clean out my dryer vent. I want to wait, because I worry if it safe to have someone come into the house. I’m like Gavin, and have CVID. I’ve been quarantining too. But it’s not safe to let a dryer vent go. Balancing my fear of C19 and fear of a house fire, I’m choosing to call Stanley Steemer. They cleaned it out two years ago. I know they offer that sanitizing fogging service that you see done in public spaces, on planes, etc., that I’m going to buy as well so that they can clean the air and surfaces in that small area after they’ve finished cleaning out the vent. I don’t know what that will cost, but i’m willing to do it for my peace of mind.
They can access the house through the attached garage. There’s a short hallway, half bath to the left, then the laundry room to the right. I’m going to use plastic painter drop cloths cut to fit and tape off the open doorway into the kitchen, and tape shut and hang plastic over the half bath’s door so that the little hallway and laundry room are isolated from the rest of the house. I’ll get the house nice and warm beforehand, and shut off the HVAC so it isn’t sending any air into that space or circulating it while they’re here. I’ll have N95 masks waiting outside the garage door for them to put on, as you will do. Luckily, I have some that are individually wrapped so they will know they’re new and sanitary.
I’ve tried to think of everything. I’ll still be scared, but I’m almost at the point of being scared to dry laundry, so I have no choice.
Good luck tomorrow! Glad that Gavin got his first dose of vaccine!