Lots of Little Things

I haven't really blogged about life in a few posts, and I have a lot of things that I want to talk about (surprise surprise right?), so I decided to do another post full of lots of little thoughts I've been having...

So You Think You Can Dance

Does anybody else love this show?  It's by far my favorite show of the summer and I look forward to watching some of it every Wednesday.  I always take at least 30 minutes study free to see my favorite dancers.  This year, my favorite is Alex.  He's amazingly talented.  In case you missed his dance last week, it was a hip hop routine with Twitch (a contestant from seasons past) and it was freakin' awesome.  Even Evan enjoyed it.  The guy is a ballet dancer...would have never guessed it when he danced like this. 

Fourth of July

I love this holiday.  This year was different from normal though.  Since I can remember, the fourth of july has been spent at the lakehouse.  Evan and I have been together for 8 fourth of july's now and this was the first year that we didn't spend it at the lake.  Normally, we go to Medina and all of our friends and family join us.  We ride around on the boat, jetski, eat too much brisket and watermelon, and then put on a hell of a fireworks show.  I'm always in charge of getting money out of the guests before we go buy the fireworks.  Usually, I accumulate well over $100, so we get a show that lasts quite a while.

This year though, thanks to the stupid stupid stupid bar exam, we stayed home in Lubbock.  My Dad and Grandpa came up for the weekend and you know what?  We still managed to have a pretty great time!  Evan, my sweetheart of a husband, knew how bummed I was not to be doing fireworks, so he bought this little package of fireworks we could do in the front yard.  None of them involved fire per se (not allowed in city limits), but we all were outside throwing confetti around our front yard with Liliana in our arms and Linda scared as crap because of the noise.

That being said, I can't freakin wait to go to the lake next year.   I missed not chewing out Evan and my brother for not playing safe with fire...it had become somewhat of a tradition. ; ) 

Liliana, of course, was dressed up with her pretty fourth of July outfits! She had to take part in the festivities too after all.

Toy Story 3

As I said, my Dad was in town this last weekend.   My Dad and I have this tradition where I take him to see a Pixar movie as his Father's Day gift.  We've seen Wally (bummer of a movie), Cars (kick ass movie), and both Toy Story's.  So this year, the timing couldn't have been better.  And let me tell you people...this movie was amazing.  Somehow, the Pixar guys did it again.  It's just as funny as the previous two and my Dad, as usual, was laughing harder than anyone else in the movie theater.  We had a great time even though we looked pretty dorky in our 3D glasses (that was his request).  Anyway, highly recommend you watch it.  I guarantee you'll love it. 

Bar Subjects

Last week, I received YET ANOTHER book in the mail for my bar prep.  I was kinda angry at first until I realized it's an ultra-condenced outline of all the subjects.  Do you know how many subjects are on this thing?  26!!!  Yeah, 26 subjects that I have to completely memorize.  Apparently, they want me to be a lawyer that can do it all.  Here's the thing, I don't wanna be!  So, can I opt out of those sections that I'm not particularly interested in?  I wish...

So, for your reading pleasure here are all the subjects one has to master to pass the Texas Bar Exam: Torts, Contracts, MBE & Texas Real Property, Criminal Law, MBE Criminal Procedure, MBE Evidence, Constitutional Law, Oil & Gas, Trusts, Guardianships, Wills, Texas Criminal Procedure, Texas Civil Procedure, Federal Civil Procedure, Texas Evidence, Commercial Paper, Bankruptcy, Agency, Partnership, Corporations, Secured Transactions, Community Property, Family Law, Consumer Law, Federal Income Tax, and last but not least, Federal Estate & Gift Taxation.

No problem right?  Oy...

Haircut

On a happier note, guess what I did today?

That's right, I chopped off my hair finally!  It was so long overdue people...long long overdue.  It had been approximately 5 months since I had been to get it cut.  I want to look respectable during interviews (if I'm lucky enough to land some). 

Personally, I love it!  My brother usually hates when I cut my hair short, but he'll have to understand that I'm going to be a professional woman and I have to look the part!!  So, Danny, if you're reading this blog ever...deal with it! : ) 

"Baby You're Turning Heads"

People, go to Hobby Lobby...now.  My Mom went to Hobby Lobby today and found these things called "baby, you're turning heads."  They're a bunch of bands or hats with separate bows that you can buy and change out.  They are the cutest thing I've ever seen.  My Mom came back with a band, two little hats, and three bows. The bows are each $2, the band is $1, and the hats are $4, which I find really affordable.  It's a heck of a lot cheaper than Etsy. I'm in LOVE!!

I Hate You Mr. Texas Bar Exam

Dear Mr. Texas Bar Exam:  

I want to write you a letter and express to you my hatred of your existence.

Unfortunately, my life as of late has been studying all your boring information.  I am ashamed to admit that I spend more time (actually, much much more time) looking at these books and getting 50% on all my quizzes than with my darling daughter or handsome husband.  Therefore, I figure it's only fair that I give this blog a post dedicated strictly to how much I despise you.  And let me tell you, I'm aware hate is a strong word.  In fact, my Mom always told me not to say I "hated" someone but instead "strongly disliked" them.  Well Mom, sorry, but I want to say, I HATE this exam.

Ironically enough, one of the most important events in my life (Liliana's birth) is supposed to coincide with my preparation for this exam.  Balancing those two has been much more difficult than I ever expected. I didn't foresee the guilt and emotions I would harbor while studying.  I know she'll never remember that I studied this much during her first two months of life.  I understand that.  But... I'll remember.  I feel like a horrible mother.  I really do.  Other Moms get maternity leave and they stay home watching their babies every single move.  I, on the other hand, missed the second time she rolled over.  Had Evan not videotaped it, I would have missed it.  And to make matters worse, I probably got 50% on that quiz that I was taking as she was making such a big step.

So, Mr. Texas Bar Exam...I hate you.  

Let me count the ways:

- I can't be with my daughter like I want to be. 
- You require a billion hours of studying every single day.  It's impossible. 
- You make me feel stupid.  I don't like it when people make me feel stupid.  I especially don't like it when the scores show me I am indeed stupid.
- I barely spend any time with my handsome hubby anymore.  That sucks.  Dates are a thing of the past.  I have a feeling we won't get a free moment sans bar on my mind until I see my name on the bar exam website as someone that passed.
- I hate that I never have a moment where I'm not thinking about all the studying I have to do.

Ugh, I can't even write on my blog.  This blog was supposed to be an outlet to free my mind, but thanks to you, I still can't do that without getting stressed.

So thank you for making these two months that were supposed to be so treasured a completely and utter horror.

I hate you and don't forget it,
Cristina

The Little Things in Life

I unfortunately haven't had time to blog lately.  I have so many things I am DYING to write about:
(1) the hospital bag: what we packed, what we used, what we forgot, (2) taking pictures of newborns and advice on that, (3) recovery after labor, (4) the dynamic with your marriage and how, for us at least, it's made us stronger and more connected than we've felt in a long time, (5) the bond you feel with this bundle of joy that makes you feel this amount of happiness you've never known, and (6) the horrible bar exam and how I stay up until 1 in the morning nearly every day and still can not get caught up.  See...told you...I have lots of posts I want to write.

But, for today...let's talk about the little things and joys in life that have kept me going the past two weeks while I've been studying constantly.  I'm not going to lie, I've felt an extreme amount of guilt while I study during the day and how much I wish I could be holding her and kissing her full time instead of looking at my damn computer screen and watching video lectures.  But, it's as if Liliana knows how to make her Mommy happy...here are some great moments we've shared with her so far:

(1) I had a good laugh when a first happened...I got peed on already.  She was about three days old and we were giving her her first bath at home and I was silly enough to carry her from the bathroom to her room without a diaper on...mistake.  As I felt the pee on my shirt and skirt, I just started cracking up.  Evan looked at me and we couldn't stop laughing.

(2) On the potty topic, she has projectile pee!!  She peed all the way from her changing pad to her rocking chair while Evan was using the cleaning wipes.  I was studying in the living room and heard a "holy crap!" and run over to see Evan in amazement...I think he thought projectile pee was only an act that men could do...au contraire my friend...girls, especially Liliana are impressive!

(3) The biggest accomplishment she's had: she rolled over at 11 days of age!  I know you're thinking we're crazy and want to convince ourselves of this, but 4 days later, she did it again and this time we actually caught it on video!  She already has nearly 100 hits on youtube.  Our little girl is a celebrity.  Most babies don't roll over until they're at least 2 - 3 months of age.  She's a strong one, especially for a preemie.  In fact, just in the time that I've written this blog post, she has rolled over 5 times. 

I'll leave you with some parting pictures...we tried to be artistic parents because we wanted to get some shots for her birth announcement.  Thankfully, our friend Amber (who took our amazing maternity shots) is coming over on Thursday night to take better ones for us, because a photographer I am not.  But, it was still the best part of my weekend taking them and spending time with my family...

Hope you liked these pictures!  I'm not posting them on facebook yet incase we don't get some decent ones with Amber because I want people to be surprised with the birth announcement.  I can't decide which one is my favorite...but one thing I can conclude with absolute certainty is that she's pretty darn cute.