My Labor Story Part II

Around 4:30 a.m. on May 21st, we found out our false alarm wasn't false at all...we were about to be parents.

I walked over to my labor and delivery suite (which was really nice by the way) and got hooked up to my IV, got blood drawn, and basically got poked everywhere.  Before we knew it, I was being checked again and had progressed to 5 cm already.  They started asking me if I wanted an epidural.  This ended up being a tough decision.  I am not opposed to getting the drugs.  But on the other hand, I had progressed half way without drugs and managed through the pain really well.  Yes the contractions hurt, but I managed without too many moans and groans.  Once I progressed to 6 cm, they really started asking me..."umm...are you going to get one or not?"  I finally decided it was time to get the epidural because anesthesia could have an emergency and I would have been out of luck.  Turns out, getting the epidural was a pretty unlucky experience.

This guy walked in and gave me the epidural, which was by far the most painful part of my delivery.  I got incredibly nervous, started sweating profusely, and poor Evan had to hold my drenched body while the doctor kept trying to start the epidural.  The doctor, in my opinion a complete asshole who did a horrible job, had to try three times to start the catheter.  He said I was too tilted and moving too much, but honestly, I really don't think I was.  I know I'm terrified of needles, but I actually do an excellent job of holding still.  I would much rather hold still than be poked again.  Evan started getting upset at the anesthesiologist as well because he was the one holding me, so he knew I wasn't moving around.  Anyway, after what seemed like eternity, the epidural was apparently set.  Now, I had two hours ahead of me that consisted of my head feeling tingly, my left leg hurting because it was so asleep, and having complete feeling in my vagina (which was quite horrible when they placed the catheter and my epidural that was supposed to make my live better did absolutely nothing).

After calling the mean anesthesiologist back and him claiming that he had done the best job ever, we called another time and the new nicer anesthesiologist came in the room.  He gave me some tips on how to lay and ordered me some Zofran because I was really nauseated.  My OB came in again and started me on Pitocin just so I would progress fast enough for him to be able to deliver the baby (the med school graduated the afternoon that Liliana was born).  They thought the Pitocin wasn't working very well and put the dosage up to a 10 and the nurse then realized that my monitor wasn't reading the contractions very well and I was actually contracting all the time.  By now, the epidural was working so I only felt two contractions in the next 2 hours.

At around 1:15, Dr. Casanova came in to check me and sure enough, I was 10 cm and ready to push!!  I couldn't believe it.  It all happened so fast.  Dr. Casanova, unfortunately had to be at the graduation ceremony and was crushed that he couldn't deliver (as were we).  Fortunately though, everybody loved Evan during his OB rotation and we had OB's lining up wanting to deliver our little girl.  One of them was even the chairman of the department!  He's a really famous OB who really wants Evan in their residency program.  We chose Dr. Farooki, who had been our very close second choice to being our OB.  Turns out, the way it all worked was perfect. Throughout the labor, Dr. Casanova was calming and reassuring.  During the pushing, I needed someone strong and boy oh boy, Dr. Farooki didn't fail me.

Usually, the OB stays in the room during the last stages of delivery.  But again, everyone including Dr. Farooki, loved Evan in this rotation, so she stayed in there the entire time.  For a first time Mom, I think I did pretty well and pushed for less than an hour and a half.  I really didn't mind the pushing, until the last 3 contractions.  For the first hour, I thought it was really fun.  I liked the challenge and Dr. Farooki gave me a good workout!  She had me grab towels, hold her hands and pull against her, hold my legs up, have Evan hold my legs up, hold the stirrups etc.  I know what I'm describing sounds horrible, but it wasn't...it was so exciting.  After one contraction, they told me they saw hair, lots of it, and very dark.  I was ready to see her!! I was going to do my damned best to ensure we saw her ASAP...I wanted to see that hair!!

Before I knew it, Dr. Farooki was suiting up and getting everything ready for "the time."  They called the NICU team in (they were necessary since Liliana was premature) and then the pain started.  Those last 3 contractions hurt like hell!  I did a little bit of screaming ("ouch that really hurts!") through the pushes and then apologized between the contractions. They thought it was funny that I apologized and said I was tame compared to all the ladies they saw. Once the head was out, I freaked...I couldn't believe it!  Dr. Farooki had me push a few more times because Liliana's chest was the same measurements as her head.  But once she did that, she pulled out my little girl and I immediately started bawling.  She was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen.  I will NEVER EVER forget that moment.  The NICU team immediately took Liliana and that's when I first heard her cry (again, an amazing sound).  The next 10 minutes were kind of a blur.  Dr. Farooki stitched up a slight labial tear (but not 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree tears...she did such a great job during delivery!), delivered the placenta, etc. etc.  This part was not fun and hurt pretty bad.  She thinks my epidural was no longer helping me, so I probably did the last part of delivery and the after part naturally, but it didn't matter...I didn't care...I had Liliana right next to me and was beyond happy.

I cried for the next 20 minutes straight.  Evan says I kept saying "Oh Evan..."  I don't remember.  I just know I was happy.  Our little girl was here, healthy, beautiful, and perfect.   

My Labor Story Part I

Today, on what marks the day that Liliana was supposed to be full term in my womb, I thought I would share my labor story.  I'm a long winded girl to begin with, so I naturally have lots and lots to say about this amazing day.  For that reason, I'll break up my story in two parts.

Last Wednesday, approximately one week ago, we had our 36 week appointment.  I posted here that I was pretty progressed and that the doctor had given us an "any day" schedule.  I was 100% effaced, 1.5 cm dilated, and + 2 station.  I was also starting to get puffy, so my doctor wanted me to come back on Friday for another blood pressure reading just to make sure I wasn't getting preeclamptic.

That evening, I had about 7 contractions and Evan even started timing them.  I told him that he was being ridiculous.  I mean, what were the chances I was going to go in to labor within a week of my Doctor's prognosis?  Isn't "any day" just a figure of speech?

On Thursday, I managed to do pretty well and was contraction free for the most part.  I called my parents and told them things were going perfectly and while I was on the phone with them....ooh no...the cramping and contractions started.  I managed to blow them off (again, I know) and Evan and I got in to bed at midnight.  Little did we know, we wouldn't be sleeping for quite some time.

I started having contraction after contraction.  Some were more painful than others.  Once it reached 1:30 a.m. Evan said "let's get out of bed ... we're not sleeping right now anyway."  He started acting a little panicked which made me act more panicked.  Evan's by far one of the calmed people I've ever met.  When he started acting like tonight might be the night, I knew there was a huge possibility.  After we got out of bed Evan started packing the last minute items that we couldn't put in the bag until it was "the time."  We really didn't want a false alarm and made sure my contractions were really 4 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute, and for one hour...we did that for nearly two hours.

When we finally arrived at the hospital, I hadn't progressed any from my visit with Dr. Casanova.  They kept us there for an hour and of course, I hadn't had one single contraction while there.  I grew very frustrated with myself and started second guessing whether I was having any contractions in the first place!  Right as they were telling us that they were going to send us home, the doctor on call decided to check my progress.  It had only been an hour, so surely not much had happened right?  Well turns out my contractions at home were real and had done quite a lot of work.  As she checked me she said "ok, you're still 100% effaced, and you're...4 cm dilated...let's stay and have a baby!"  Evan and I looked at each other in complete and utter shock.

We quickly called our closest family members (yes, it was about 4:30 at this point).  Nearly every single person answered their phone, as if they had been waiting for the phone call.  Evan's Mom picked it up by saying "is this the call I've been waiting for?"

Evan and I were really shocked, quite terrified, and really excited for the hours that laid ahead.  We had no idea how perfect that day was going to be, but for a recap of the following 8 1/2 hours, you'll just have to read the second part of this story.

Liliana Rose Lacefield

I'm a mother.  Evan is a father.

Liliana Rose Lacefield was born on Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 2:51 weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz and measuring 18 1/2 inches.  She is awesome and amazing.

I will post my labor story some time, because right now I'm supposed to be studying for this stupid bar exam, but what's important is that we're home and everyone is doing well.

She really is beautiful.  I know all mothers say that.  But she just takes my breath away.  I am so overwhelmed with emotion and have had quite a few good cries to myself when I just look at her.  I can't believe Evan and I created her together.  We have never felt closer as a couple.

I love him and I love her.  I feel like my heart has grown twice the size it used to be.

I should be studying...

I should be studying, I should be studying...

I can't focus, I can't focus...

We had our 36 week appointment today and I'm 1.5 cm dilated, 100% effaced, and + 2 station.  He said it could be "any day now" and "if I make it two more weeks."  It looks like I'll be a Mom before June 1st. 

Things going through my mind:

How will I know I'm in labor?  Will I notice my water break?  Who knows...

I go back in to the doctor's office on Friday to at least get my blood pressure checked to make sure I don't get preeclampsia. 

I have an interview with a firm tomorrow.  Hope I don't go in to labor while at the interview.

Ok...I should be studying, I should be studying. 

I need to focus.  Starting...n...o...w???

The Day I've Thought of A Million Times: Graduation from Law School

Well, on Saturday, May 15, 2010, I finally graduated from law school.  It took three long years, countless hours of studying, countless hours of attending lectures, thousands of dollars in books and study aids, and quite a lot of tears, but I can officially say I have my Juris Doctorate.   Man...that feels good.

I thought I would dedicate this post to graduation weekend, because honestly, it was pretty great.  First, on my way home from my last final, I treated myself to a pedicure and eyebrow wax (that one, surprisingly, was much less relaxing than the pedicure).  Right after my relaxing pedicure (where they even put paraffin wax on my feet...ahhh) Evan met me and took me to lunch.  We just relaxed and barely talked about school, which for the past few weeks was a big change in our daily conversation.  Evan had to go back to clinic, so I went home and was supposed to go to the grocery store to buy some ingredients to bake with, but instead, I just layed on the couch for two hours.  I didn't do a thing.  I wasn't thinking about a thing.  I just layed there and relaxed.  Again...ahhh.  Thursday night, Evan and I were going to go to a law school party until I learned it was a kegger with 120 people and decided perhaps me and my fat self shouldn't go anymore.  Nine months ago, I would have been all about going.  A bunch of the people there were my close friends and it would have been fun, but alas,  Liliana calls the shots now.  So instead, we watched a movie together and went to Target to start getting the ingredients for the hospital bag.  Overall, it was an amazing first day off...I had very little to stress about and got to spend it with Evan, who I had practically been ignoring for two weeks of finals.

Friday morning, I woke up feeling domestic and became a baking diva!  I made some chocolate crinkles (delicious) and this pound cake.  This pound cake is really delicious and ubber healthy...it only has three sticks of butter!

Delicious Pound Cake that was gone by the end of the weekend

By the time I was done baking and getting ready, some of my company almost arrived!  My parents, my grandpa, and Titi Oni were at the house by 3 p.m. and I was already getting even more excited for the festivities.  We went to dinner at Triple J Chophouse (I had been craving the bread pudding for weeks).

On Saturday morning, my brother and Annie arrived and company started coming in from all over.  Evan's mom, poor thing, had been delayed 9 hours getting here and didn't even arrive until 4:30 in the morning! We had people from: El Paso, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Puerto Rico, San Antonio, and Garden City.  I have some pretty amazing family huh?

As I walked in to the auditorium that night, I wasn't nervous in the slightest.  I wasn't even all that excited.  I was more aware of my surroundings than I had been in months (pregnancy makes it hard to focus).  I was hot as hell because I'm so pregnant and my feel were swollen and my back hurt, but quite honestly, I just wanted to walk across the stage.  I worked really hard.  I don't think that's conceited to say: I deserved this moment and I was going to enjoy it...and I did.

Before graduation.  The onesie says "Attorney Work Product."   

Underneath the onesie is my 36 week ginormous belly.  I didn't think it looked all that huge, but right before he was about to leave, my brother looked at me with these pitiful eyes and said "God sis, you look like you're about to pop." I think my belly is now in the ginormous category.

The Man that Went through it all...

My handsome husband and I before graduation.  After I walked the stage, I heard someone call my name and Evan had run down the stairs to get as close as he could just to wave and smile at me.  It was such a sweet moment.  I looked at him and blew a kiss.  He knew that I wouldn't have walked that stage had it not been for his pushing me throughout the years, particularly that first year.

After graduation, we went to the parties!  My party was at McPherson Cellars and we had food catered from Stella's.  I think people really enjoyed the festivities.  We didn't get home until nearly midnight and by the time we got to bed it was two in the morning.  By 7:00, Evan was awake because he was throwing a brunch with his Mom before people headed back to their respective homes.  Evan worked so hard on this brunch.  I wish I could have a post just showing my appreciation.  He had bought all the decorations, had spent a week staining and power washing the fence, had been religiously watering the plants so everything would look nice, had made lists and lists of all the food we needed, had ordered muffins, had made the casserole as a practice, etc.  Really, I was so honored and touched that he wanted to do this for me.  His Mom was a great help too.  She had brought her own casserole and really served as a helping guide.  Evan had never done a brunch, much less for nearly 40 people, so having a helping hand was wonderful.

By the time everyone left (our last guest left on Monday), I have to admit I was really tired.  Yesterday my Mom told me that she has never seen me so tired in my entire life.  I had some really strong contractions and we started even worrying I was going in to pre-term labor, but I think it was just the hustle and bustle of the weekend.  As long as Liliana's ok though, it was totally worth it.

I AM NOW A J.D.  

I GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL.

cooooool....

36 Week Survey

How far along? 36 weeks tomorrow!

Maternity clothes? Some of them are uncomfortable even.  I really prefer dresses.  I think after week 34 or so, dresses should be worn 100% of the time.  I  bought a new dress from Target and wore it to my graduation brunch yesterday.  This sounds really cocky, but I think I looked better in it than the model does!  Well, hot damn!

Stretch marks? Still none!  I've heard that lots of women get them below the belly, so I lifted this huge lump up just to take a look and still saw nada...alright! 

Sleep:  I had some really bad insomnia this weekend.  I don't know if it was stress of graduating, excitement of everybody coming to visit, or what, but it was tough.  I had pretty bad back pain last night, but Evan gave me a nice long massage which helped some.

Best moment this week: Graduation weekend! The weekend flew by!  I feel like I had been looking forward to this weekend for three years and it went by more quickly than I had ever imagined.  It went really nicely though.  I'll write a post tomorrow all about it.

Movement:  Liliana still moves all the time.  I know I say that every week, but I am just so surprised by how active she is.  I am obviously way more exhausted than she ever is.

Food cravings: I had some gummies, but didn't crave them all that much this week actually.  I've had an upset stomach this week so I think that contributed to it.

Gender: After this weekend, I got even more excited that Liliana is a she because we played with Sofia lots and I can't wait for them to be the best of friends together.

Labor Signs: Yeah I think so.  This is really scary...I hope everything is ok.  Yesterday, I had three pretty rough contractions during the day (and two at the brunch).  They weren't horrible, but I was definitely uncomfortable.  Then, last night around 6:30 a.m., I woke up with a really painful feeling low on my pelvis.  I thought that I had to pee but sitting up was the worst idea ever because it just made the pain a million times worse.  I started crying because it hurt so bad.  Couple this with my stomach problems and I'm starting to think Liliana might not make it to the full 40 weeks.  I have an appointment on Wednesday (I guess this is why they make you go every week at this stage) and will explain all of this to my OB.  Hopefully he tells me "oh yeah, hmm...she'll stay in there for 4 more weeks." (wishful thinking I'm afraid)

Belly Button in or out? I think it's about as out as it's gonna get,  but considering that I started having an outie around week 25, we gave it it's sweet time to come on out.

What I miss: Feeling better!  I'm aware I sound whiny, but these last two days have been hard!!  I just want to not worry about movements, contractions, stomach issues, boob pain, etc.  It'll be relaxing.

What I am looking forward to: My visit with Dr. Casanova on Wednesday afternoon!  I can't wait to hear what he has to say, although I'm a little afraid he might tell me to take it beyond easy (I don't wanna type the words bed rest) for the next couple of weeks to make sure I don't go in to labor)

Weekly Wisdom: Evan's been on me about packing this hospital bag for the last couple of weeks and I've been putting it off big time.  I have the toiletries and food down (how un useful).  I still need to pack the important stuff and realized that I should have when he was on my case about it.  These contractions have taught me that anything can happen, so you should be ready.

Milestones: I have my J.D.  That's the biggest milestone I've ever reached.

My Finals...

Well, yesterday marked a pretty big day in my life.  I am officially done with law school.  Finals, while I barely talked about them on my blog, were pretty brutal this semester.  I had FOUR of them.

(1) Criminal Procedure - 05/05 - I studied pretty hard for this one, but our professor did a horrbile job preparing us in class, so I did my best with what I could.  So while I read over the outlines a few times like I usually do, they just didn't have the substance they shoudl have had and honestly, the professor didn't do the job she should have to prepare us.  I think I passed though.  This will be the theme here...that's what's important.

(2) Texas Estate Administration - 05/10 - This class was probably one of my favorites this semester.  It's all about the job of an attorney or an executor and how to administer estates after someone passes.  It was SUCH a useful class.  I already started our wills when I had a few minutes between classes (yeah, law school does that to you...you start doing nerdy things like writing your own wills just for the heck of it).  This final was a tough one.  It was really detail oriented but again, I think I passed.

(3) Marital Property - 05/12 - This class had my favorite professor: Hatfield.  He's the funniest guy and his exam for Wills and Trusts last year was really fair, so I wasn't that worried.  Boy, was I wrong.  It was tough!  The reason though was because there were only 38 questions and questions 1- 15 were worth 5 points, questions 15 - 30 were worth 3, and questions 30 - 38 were worth 1 point.  So in other words, the fact that I was really confused by 5 of the first 15 is BAD...really really bad.  Again though, I made educated guessed and had studied, so I think (hope) I passed.  I've thought I did worse before on a law school final and came out with a passing grade, so I think I'll be alright.

(4) Family Law - 05/13 - Yeah, can you believe it?  I had three finals in a four day period.  That's freaking brutal and it's by far the worst I've had in law school.  Your first year, they give you 3 in a six day period.  These exams are long and cover a huge amount of information so it's really exhausting.  I remember in college I tried scheduling finals as close together as possible so I could be done for the semester!  Ha, how times have changed.  I could have done a better job studying for this test, but I have to admit, when I got home after my Marital Property exam, I was really beat!  I tried my  best to focus, but just couldn't.  My body and mind were overwhelmed and exhausted.  I decided to take a break and try to find some shoes for my graduation, and that helped a little.  But that break only bought me about 2 hours of studying before I was beat again.  This final really wasn't that tough, but I honestly wasn't as prepared as I could have been.  I, however, did my best and that's all you can ask for.

Sorry for the most uninteresting blog post ever.  For those of you in law school, you'll probably think "wow she doesn't sound nearly stressed enough about finals."  I assure you, I usually am, but third year is funny like that.  You just start not giving a shit.  You should, because if you're unemployed like I am, your grades still matter a lot, but you're just drained.

So to any third year law students out there, my advice is: do the best you can.  That's what you've done so far throughout law school and obviously you're still truckin', so keep it up...just this last time.  And then, like me: YOU'LL BE DONE!!

Week 35 Survey

How far along? 35 weeks today!

Maternity clothes? I keep wearing the same few outfits over and over again.  Evan gets frustrated with me because I won't buy more clothes, but I keep telling him that for all I know I'll go in to labor in three weeks and what a waste of money for only three weeks of use!  I know I know, I'll be pregnant again some time, but not for a while (a long long while), so I'm not planning ahead of time that much.

Stretch marks? I am still stretch mark less.  I am so lucky! : )  I'm starting to get jealous of women that go in to labor at 37 weeks because in 2 weeks I can't possibly accumulate that many marks, but give me another 5 weeks and it could get sloppy.

Sleep:  I haven't had the most discomfort in my back (or maybe I'm just getting used to it), but I do have weird insomnia moments every evening.  I wake up really hot and have to go to the restroom and feel really uncomfortable when I get back in to bed.  Usually, I get back to sleep and have very vivid dreams after that.  Last night, I had my first labor dreams!  I had a natural and C-section dream.  The C-section dream made me wake up feeling very nervous.  I actually haven't thought about labor that much through this process and these dreams made me realize that perhaps I should start mentally preparing myself for what could be the most exhausting day I've ever experienced. 

Best moment this week: Definitely our photo shoot with Amber!  Our great friend Amber (a third year medical student with Evan) took some shots for us.  She is such a talented girl.  She does photography on the side and had so many wonderful ideas.  We've been trying to take these pictures for a couple of weeks now, but it's inevitably always too cold, windy, cloudy, or rainy.  So, we just decided to at least take some inside the house.  Below are two of them that she edited.  I am obsessed with them, especially the cute one where Evan is pointing at my belly.

Maternity Photo Sample Shot #1

I scoured the internet last week for maternity photo shoots and didn't like any of them!  I don't see why women have to be naked in their shots.  Sorry if I'm traditional, but ... hello ... you're still nearly naked.  That's weird.  As I've said multiple times, I'm not a bare belly fan.  So, maybe this blog can provide some inspiration for women that don't like bare belly shots either.  For that reason, when we get more pictures from Amber, I'll post them on here!

Maternity Photo Sample Shot #2

Movement:  Last week, my husband had the most hilarious blog post and did his own "weekly survey" from a husband's perspective.  So, I'll quote him: "Liliana is moving like a squirrel" (whatever the heck that means!)  Really though, I haven't worried about her movements in weeks.  She moves so often...at least every 15 minutes.  I'm getting really used to it, I wonder if it'll feel weird after she's here and my stomach isn't moving around any more...???

Food cravings:I went 5 days w/o gummies!  I'm so proud of myself (I say this as I eat gummies, so I'm not that proud, haha).

Gender: Oh Liliana dearest, your Daddy today said that he hopes you're in the WNBA.  Poor thing!

Labor Signs:Last weekend, I had a really tough afternoon where Evan was a tad bit scared I was going in to pre-term labor.  I was having some pretty painful back contractions.  But since then, I've been ok thankfully!  I need to make it until Saturday!! (I'd prefer making it at least a couple weeks longer, but Saturday is the main step I really need to reach...I want to walk across that stage damn it).

Belly Button in or out? It's even more out.  I think I "dropped" yesterday.  Even Evan said "your belly looks different today," while I was thinking the same thing.  But, you know what?  I'm not embarrassed about my outie...there's nothing I can do about it.

What I miss: I reallyI miss hugging my husband.  I mean, I hug him everyday, but I mean really really hugging him.  I can't cuddle him anymore.  I mean, I'm a billion inches away from him when we hug! haha.  Soon and soon enough he can squeeze me just as tight as he did the day we got the positive.

What I am looking forward to: Wow, I have SO much to look forward to this upcoming week.  I am taking my last law school final ever on Thursday afternoon and I GRADUATE FROM LAW SCHOOL on Saturday!  I really really am excited to see everyone and celebrate.  We have a great weekend planned.  My parents and some family get in on Friday and then on Saturday, I graduate and we'll have a party at a local winery (I chose the locale before I knew I would be pregnant...oops!).  On Sunday, we're having a brunch here at our house before all our guests go back (it'll be about 30 people total traveling...I have such a supportive group of family).  

Weekly Wisdom: Something I've started doing just the last two visits: throughout the break between doctor's visits, write down your questions!!  At each visit, they always ask "what questions do you have for me?" and I know that I always had some, but I always forgot.  So just recently, I started writing questions down as soon as I thought of them.  That has been fantastic.  I think they find it entertaining because I go through them like a list, but at least I'm an efficient patient! 

Milestones: I have two finals down and two to go...that's been a big milestone, but next week's milestone will be WAY BETTER.

Cord Blood Banking

The new thing is cord blood banking.  When my brother and Annie were pregnant with Sofia (my niece), my Mother, a pediatrician, considered giving this as a gift to all her grandbabies.  Cord blood can be quite expensive, so this would have been an amazing gift.  My mom, in her typical organized fashion, sat down one Saturday morning with an extensive amount of research and read about all the medical information anyone had ever printed. She decided it wasn't worth it.  That's the medical part of this discussion.  Maybe if Evan has time, he can blog about this some time.  Again, that will be the medical part.  Now, I wanted to blog about the legal battles occurring with Cord Blood Banking.

Currently, a large amount of private Cord Blood Banking corporations are being sued.  Why?  Because parents that invested approximately $2,000 are finding out that their good lump of cash is not going to do a thing for their sick children.  The parents leave feeling deceived, disappointed, and defeated.  On the one hand, this hardly makes a law suit.  Something that a lawyer eventually learns is that sh*t happens.  It sounds cruel, but is true.  However, this is not what the parents are upset about.  They are suing for "false advertisement and consumer fraud."

What really convinced me that this legal battle was being won by the consumer, as opposed to the Cord Blood banking companies, is the outcry that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics have caused.  They have both voiced incredible concern over these companies and their only reason to do this is if they truly feel it isn't worth it for their patients.  After all, economically, you would think they would love the idea of cord blood banking.  Their skepticism is convincing.  They also agree that the marketing techniques are dishonest.  Instead, these organizations recommend donating the cord blood to a public bank.  These public banks make it free to anybody that needs them.

I suppose the legal question then is, to whom is it the responsibility of defragmenting the promises of advertising?  One case I read my first year of law school answers this question.  It was a case that involved a little boy dying in a fire due to a smoke alarm that did not go off.  The smoke alarm manual had in 10 point font in the middle of the brochure that said if placed within a certain distance of a corner, it would not go off.  The parents had not seen this, placed the smoke alarm in a corner, and unfortunately the fire spread too quickly.  In the holding, the court said the smoke alarm company was ultimately responsible, not the parents.  They said corporations hold an amount of responsiblity to let laymen know of unique circumstances, such as cord blood not being nearly as successful as they thought, or a random smoke alarm not functioning in certain places in a home.

The smoke alarm company was required to increase the font size, put it in bold, and place this placement statement on the first page of the brochure. 

The cord blood company needs to be honest in a bigger font size, bold print, and on the first page of each brochure.  But, they wouldn't be able to dupe all these parents then, would they?

A - Z Survey

I saw this survey on another blog I follow and decided to do this today as my blog post!  I just finished taking the first of four finals before graduation and doing a mindless task sounds perfect.

A - Z Survey

A: Area Code: Both Evan's and my cell phone are 210 area codes.  That's because we're from San Antonio and have had the same phone numbers for years.  Lubbock has 806 area codes, but I doubt we'll change to that unless for some reason they require Evan to during residency.

B: Bed Size: We have a queen in our bedroom and used to sleep on full size beds in college.  Getting a queen instead of a king was actually my Mother's advice.  She said that my Dad and her switched to a King and she regrets it because they cuddle much less.  I have to admit, I love that advice because it does have us cuddle more often!  HOWEVER...maybe during pregnancy a king would have been nice for Evan because I'm pretty sure my pregnancy pillow takes up 90% of the bed! haha.
 

 The Queen Bed to which I'm referring.  

Evan says it's his favorite room in the house...wonder why! haha.  Actually, he says he likes it because it's really calming.  The other walls are painted a light blue and it is really calming.  I love this room because Evan made those nightstands and I stained them.  So much of our house was DIY which made our first month of marriage so much fun!

C: Chore you Hate: Putting away my laundry!  I don't know why, but I can't stand doing it.  Evan teases me because by the time I finally put my half away, we've done another load of laundry...he's right.  Oops.

D: Dog's Name: Linda Mujer, which means Pretty Woman in Spanish. We had an amazing pointer Maggie Mae that we unfortunately had to give away a couple weeks ago.  Now, I'm having to deal with a depressed Linda.  She lays around looking miserable all day, it breaks my heart.  We'll get a second dog some day, but not for at least another year, so hopefully Liliana can bring some light in to Linda's day.

Linda Mujer the day we brought her home!  (She's about 3 years old now)

Wasn't she adorable?  She was only 3.4 lbs.  Our great friend Mike is the guy with the Mohawk in the picture...sigh...yeah...Mohawk.  I'm glad to report he no longer has that ridiculous haircut.

E: Essential "Start the Day" Item: Umm...well I take a shower every morning.  Does that count?  I also enjoy a glass of orange juice.

F: Favorite Color: I suppose Purple, but not enough to incorporate that in to our home or anything.  But yeah, purple because I like lots of shades of it: lilac, royal purple, bright purple, you get the idea.

G: Gold or Silver: You know, I still prefer silver, but after I got my gorgeous Aggie ring, I really started liking Gold more and wear that occasionally too.

H: Height: I'm 5'6".  I wish I was about an inch taller, but I like being at least as tall as I am...I never have to hem my pants.

I: Instruments you Play: Piano.  I've played for 21 years and minored in Music at Texas A&M which required 3 more semesters of classes.  During those 3 semesters, I was really challenged and my playing became by far the best it's ever been.  I miss those times.  I rarely play enough any more...in fact, I'm gonna go play some today. I want Liliana to hear.

J: Job: For now, being a law student, but that will be done in 10 days!  After that, who knows?  I hope I'll get a job really soon!

K: Kids: Expecting!  Liliana will be here in a little over a month! : )  I can't wait to see what she'll look like.  I'm so curious.

L: Living Arrangements: Evan and I live together in a home here in Lubbock and we love our home.  My parents are the nicest mortgage company ever and we pay a very fair rent every month.  While Evan and I stayed over at each other's respective places before we were married, I am SO glad we never officially lived together.  For instance, I never kept things over at his place.  I know some people do it to save on money, or to "try" things out, but I recommend not living together before marriage.  It'll give you something to look forward to when you finally do get married!

N: Nickname: The main ones that family members use for me is Cristy.  I only let one person (my godbrother) call me Cris.

M: Mom's Name: Rosa Enid Ramirez de Blanes.  Liliana's middle name is after my Mommy!  By the way, to pronounce her name, it's not pronounced EEnid.  My mom doesn't like her middle name, but when it's said properly and not with an English accent, I LOVE it.  Also, it's de Blanes because in Puerto Rico you usually keep your own last name OR you do "de maiden name."  

O: Overnight Hospital Stay: Never!! That'll change in June!

P: Pet Peeve: Hypocrits, Snobs, bad drivers, people that are rude to other cultures, and mainly...mean people.  People that don't think with their hearts and are intentionally deceitful. 

Q: Quote From a Movie: Geez, I dunno.  I quote movies and television shows pretty often, but I just watched Good Will Hunting on TV the other day, so I'm thinking "Well I got her number, so how 'bout them apples?"  I ADORE that movie.  So well written.  Every time I watch it, I enjoy it more and more.

R: Righty or Lefty: Psh, I'm way too cool to be right handed.

S: Siblings: I have one older brother here on earth (Danny, age 32 (well, he'll be 33 in less than 3 weeks)), and one brother in heaven (Carlos).

T: Time you Wake Up:  Normally during the week, I wake up at 4:30 to pee and at 7 a.m. for the day.  I'm so lucky!  My poor husband gets up really early most days because apparently people need their doctors (and therefore, third year medical students) in the hospital at outrageous times!

U: Underwear: Yes?  How am I supposed to answer that?  Well...let's see...I buy my underwear from Victoria's Secret.  I buy cotton to help with my UTI problems.  I always have a coupon.  Is that a good enough answer?

V: Veggies you Dislike:  HAA!!  Pretty much everything.  I don't care for Veggies very much, I know, I'm bad.

W: Ways/ Reasons you are Late: We're always 5-10 minutes late when we're doing things with friends, but I'm ALWAYS on time for classes and work.  We're late though because we always say "we'll leave at 2" which really means we'll start getting ready to leave at 2, so by the time I get my purse and shoes, and go pee, we're 5 - 10 minutes late.  Ooops!

X: X-Rays you've Had:  The only bone I've ever broken was my pinky.  But, I've also had x-rays done of my sinuses quite a few times because when I was little I got sinusitis all the time!  Poor me! (note: it wasn't difficult getting the xrays done since my Momma is a radiologist)

Y: Yummy Food you Make:  I made these brownies with a layer of peanut butter and chocolate on top a few days ago...those are delicious!  Here's the recipe.

Z: Zoo Animals you Like: Aww...it's been over 5 years since I went to the zoo last.  I always liked the "cold" animals: penguins, polar bears.  I also liked the elephants.  I wanna go to the zoo...

34 Week Survey

How far along? 34 weeks tomorrow

Maternity clothes?Today I'm in my stretchy black maternity pants...yep, it's that time. Don't get me wrong, I still fit in to my maternity jeans, but they can get uncomfortable and the second I get home, they're off.  It's funny because this is a time in my life where not wearing pants is the most comfortable option, but I don't want my poor husband to have to see that! haha!  I also have a maternity shirt that isn't really fitting anymore...so yeah, I think I'm getting bigger!  The funniest thing about it all is I still don't feel that huge.  I know that's what bothers most women is feeling humongous.  I am big (obviously since my clothes aren't fitting), but it doesn't bother me too much.  It's mainly on my belly (well, aside from my arms, calves, feet, ass, face, etc.).

Stretch marks? No, but I have to say...I don't think they're far away.  My skin is kinda saggy on my upper back and getting pretty damn tight on this belly.  This morning I got a glimpse of what the stretch marks would look like (my skin has a bunch of marks when I wake up in the morning because it easily gets dimpled by the sheets since I'm getting pretty swollen) and got really depressed.  I am not at all used to seeing my body look like that.  I think it will be hard on me when the stretch marks finally do come because there's really nothing I can do about it. 

Sleep: I've had some tough nights, but not too bad overall.  I'm through the worst schedule wise thankfully because I'm on dead days now to study for finals so for instance, I don't have to wake up early until next week for one of my finals.  That way, if I get a horrible nights rest, I can let myself sleep in.  I had been bragging to Evan that the exhaustion of the first trimester hadn't hit me yet and I was thrilled.  Well, guess who took a one hour nap with Linda by her side today?  OOPS!  I don't have time to be napping!  I have four finals.  I haven't had that many since my first year of law school and honestly am incredibly stressed.  But, the nap happened and I feel pretty refreshed, so naturally I took that energy gained during my nap to heat up lunch and study! : )

Best moment this week: Last Friday (04/30) at 2:15 p.m. I officially was done with attending law school classes!  I can't even describe the moment.  I don't think it's really hit me yet.  Evan was beyond thrilled for me.  He sent me about 20 texts saying how excited he was for me and was waiting for me outside my class room with a huge smile on his face, and I kept thinking "why is he making such a big deal out of this?" But, you know what?? He's right!  It is SO exciting.  I'll never wake up for class again.  AWWWEEESSOME!!!

Movement: Liliana's movements have changed greatly, which is what's supposed to happen at this stage.  She no longer kicks or punches, but rolls around.  They're really interesting feeling.  A 5 pound human is squirming around inside of me! That being said, she's moved amazingly this week and I'm really proud of her.

Food cravings: I made some brownies last night...hee hee...1/3 of the pan is gone.  WHAT?? Evan had a small piece, so it wasn't ALL me. ; ) 

Gender: At this stage of pregnancy, I know I still have quite a few weeks left and yet I want so badly to meet our little GIRL! 

Labor Signs: I had another tough night on Saturday with lots of Braxton Hicks.  Boy oh boy, labor will not be fun.  I'm really uncomfortable for a minute at a time and then 10 minutes later, bam another one hits.  I think this happens when I'm a little dehydrated so I need to make sure and drink lots and lots of water around graduation day! 

Belly Button in or out? This week Evan discovered how fun it is to poke at my outie! DORK!  He likes how soft it is I guess.  Wow, you officially learn a lot about each other during pregnancy. I don't have the outie that goes 100% out because my belly button is strange...in three parts is the best way I can think of to explain it.  Hard to explain.  However, it definitely is an outie.  I don't mind it so much.  It gives character to my outfits.  Yeah, that's how I'll justify it to myself: character.

What I miss: My old body.  It's funny, before I got pregnant, I could stand in front of a mirror and pinch every area and complain.  Now all I can think to myself is "you had it good!"  

I've started feeling sorry for myself much more than before.  I watch "top 20 celeb bodies" on TV and get pretty down on myself.  I know that's stupid.  I know "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant," but I can't help but feel fat.  It's not just the body image.  It's the way it changes my every day life: working out, moving around, getting in and out of the car, and even using the whisk while I was making brownies last night (I had Evan do it, because I was scared I'd give myself some contractions and those just don't feel very good).

What I am looking forward to: I have my 34 week visit tomorrow and I think I'll have our final ultrasound soon too!  Dr. Casanova told me at week 20 that he wanted it around week 34, so I'll ask them tomorrow if we're still planning on doing that.  Honestly, I really want to see her again! : )  I know we just got an ultrasound a month ago, but I'm so curious how much she's weighing!

Weekly Wisdom: Buy Jenny McCarthy's books!  I bought two books a couple weeks ago: Belly Laughs and Baby Laughs.  Belly Laughs is all about pregnancy and Baby Laughs is all about the first year of motherhood.  I already finished Belly Laughs (the entire book took 1.5 hours to read) and I'm half way done with Baby Laughs.  I read 10 pages after every 45 minutes of studying.  It makes me so excited to get back to studying so I can read my 10 pages and laugh my ass off!  The Belly Laughs was AMAZING.  I felt so much more normal after seeing that somebody else had gone through the exact same thoughts I had experienced.  I'll definitely give a more depth book review later this week and maybe go through my favorite chapters.  The lady might have posed for playboy a thousand times and she might annoy the crap out of me with her Autism/ vaccine argument, but damn can she write some funny easy read books.

Milestones:  reaching 34 weeks.  It's funny...pregnancy is all about milestones.  Each week reached is another sigh of relief.  But in general, the big barriers are: 12 weeks (decreases chance of miscarriage greatly), 24 weeks (viability), 28 weeks (babies survive 85% of the time), 34 weeks (babies survive 97% of the time), and of course, full term.  Well, my Mom has been stressing me out through the entire pregnancy and whenever I had reached one of these barriers she kept saying "I'll be calm when you reach 34 weeks."  At 34 weeks, her lungs are fully developed, Abuela's finally calm, and Mommy is starting to get excited/ terrified...