In just over a week, my baby, my infant, my little bundle of innocence, he who just arrived, what, yesterday? will turn one year old. Weird. I mean, yesterday I was seventeen. Today I'm thirty-seven. And my tiny infant whose birth just happened mere minutes ago is turning one.

Turning one is, of course, a Very Big Deal. It means he's going to get his first cake, and we'll let him have a little ice cream as a super special treat - milk intolerance be damned. He'll receive a shiny new red wagon (but don't tell him! It's a surprise!) and he'll get to swim in the pool and see all his favorite people.

It also means I get to make a cake that I like as opposed to the hideous Bob the Builder or Barney monstrosities I'll be forced to endure later in his life. And we'll have some official one year photos taken, and he'll get his one year vaccinations.

Oh, that's right, I said vaccinations.

Johnny has gotten all of his vaccinations, on the regular schedule, since the beginning of his life. Which was yesterday, right? Seems like it.

I am big on this. I am big on kids getting their regular vaccinations. That's right, I said it. This is not one of those issues where I'll just say "Oh, to each his own. What works for one family might not work for another," like I do on most issues. This is one issue on which I have an opinion, and it is a strong one.

Because if people don't vaccinate their kids? Not only does it put their kids at risk, it puts mine at risk. And, it turns out, there is no link between autism and the vaccines. In fact, the study that created the panic over the link has been officially retracted, as the results were falsified. So can we put that to rest already?

Most people hate taking their babies to the vaccine check-ups, but I don't. I mean, yes, I hate to see him cry when he's poked at, but I get all psyched about the vaccine itself. "SAFE!" I think to myself, after every round of shots. It's a relief. There are plenty of childhood injuries, viral infections, and challenges to avoid that we can't just vaccinate away. But whooping cough? Measles? Hepatitis B? Those, we can control. And, I'm a control freak. So I'm all over those vaccinations.

As the school year starts, it's time to think about those vaccinations. Are the kids in your child's class vaccinated? How will you know? This is not a problem I have to worry about yet, but it already makes my palms sweat.

But for now, I'll just look forward to our one-year check-up and the knowledge that my child is as medically safe as he can be. And, I'll look forward to cake.