Baby Shower

I'm having one of my baby showers on Saturday, and I'm really exited. I'm having 3 baby showers, the one on Saturday is going to be in Puyallup with most of my family that lives over there. Its going to be a mixed shower for both men and women and all the little kids in the family. Their planning on ordering the boxing match which is going to be fun because all my family is into boxing. Yesterday me and my mom went to buy all the thing we will need for it and there was so many thing to buy, and so many different choices. My aunt is going to bake a tres leches cake that's so good and my mom is making some lasagna. One of my uncles is making a liquor drink, it has different types of white liquor and a bunch of different types of fruit in it. Too bad I'm not going to be able to have none. The second baby shower is going to be at my house with all my friends. My best friend Linda and Melissa are planning them for me, and according to them they invited about 60 people, but we're not counting with everyone coming. The cake is going to be from Costco, they are cheap, big and really good. And we're not planning on having food just a couple different salads and some jello. From my friends baby shower I'm not really expecting a lot more like clothes and small things. I expect all the big things from my family baby showers, like the stroller and car seat and more expensive things. The last baby shower is going to be at my house as well and its going to be my aunts that live in Seattle. This one is going to be only got females no males. I'm planning on having all my showers in late November because then Christmas is coming, and then everyone is going to be broke.

Having Your Baby: Labor And Birth

I already want Raymond out of me, but giving birth is the scariest part. In chapter 5 in the book I'm reading it mentions everything about labor and birth. It talks about contractions and how they come and go during labor. It compares contractions to a wave, saying "Each contraction is like a wave: It's weak at the beginning, it builds to a peak; and then gradually goes away." Just thinking I'm going to have to go through the pain of labor makes me regret getting pregnant. As far as I've heard its the worst pain ever. In the book it says how everything that the mother does during her pregnancy it can affect her labor. Like if she smokes, has an infection, uses street drugs or has a lot of stress it can cause early labor. Which is not good because then the baby wont be a full-term baby and might not be fully developed. But as long as the mother stays healthy then you will have a healthy full-term baby and be able to take him home sooner, and leave the scary hospital faster. When the cervix is dilated it means its fully open which is 10 cm dilated. So the baby is suppose to fit through your 10 cm uterus, which is still pretty small.

Dream Act

The story I posted up yesterday is a story I wrote last year in my Latino club. You may have heard of May 1st being the day Latinos protest. At Evergreen High School the Latino club known as ALAS decided to take the challenge and do a silent protest without having to walk out. We bought white and black shirts with the words dream in Spanish in the back which was Sueno. And we also wanted to inform other students about the Dream Act. For us to be able to do this we had to let the HS3 staff members know what was going on and inform them as well. Our Advisor Brenda Espinoza had us research the Dream Act so we can prepare our speeches, and had a couple group members write stories about how immigration is effecting them. The day before May 1st after school we got up in front of all HS3 staff members and we began describing the Dream Act. The Dream Act is a proposal that was being introduced to the US Congress. This bill would provide millions of immigrant children the opportunity to receive a US Residency only for those who have arrived in the US since before the age of 16, who is between the ages 12 and 35 at the time the law is enacted, must have resided in the US for 5 constant years since their arrival year, Must have graduated from a High school or received a GED, and must have a clean criminal record. After six years with their temporary residency, they may earn a permanent residency. Meaning they have to attend college and earn at least a two year degree or serve in the US military for two years. After completing that they will be granted a permanent residency which then leads to US citizenship. After we informed the staff member with all this information, we began sharing our stories. I never knew it can get this emotional, as I looked at the staff they were in tears. I remember most of my friends including me couldn't even finish reading the stories, we would break down in the middle of them. Finally we told the teachers how most of us have the same fear, which is coming home to an empty house, finding out our parents were being deported, that's the fear that not only Latinos but immigrant's children have in common. We explained to the staff that they can help us out in buying a shirt to wear on May 1st with us. All the teachers bought one which made us very happy knowing they supported us. After our presentation was all over staff and students were still in tears, I remember one teacher saying "I never imagined you guys as the cheerleader, ASB officers, football players, soccer captain, students in general would be going through this, I'm sorry but I cant look at you guys in your eyes knowing what you're going through"

Story I Wrote

Crossing the border, putting herself in danger, just to give us a better life. Leaving memories, loved once, 16 years of her life behind, just to give us a better life. Not being able to go out the country with out her, because she might not be able to come back with me. Driving pass an immigration car without her panicking. She's not able to hold a good job, she worries about bills, but still gives us what we want. She doesn't have enough money to buy groceries, has to go to the food bank to feed us. And yet we'll always see her with a smile on her face. At least she tries, because deep down inside she's hurting. She misses the rest of the family haven't seen them in years. The holidays is when she gets the saddest, she missed her father's funeral. All this just to give us a better life. But is it really a better life, hearing her cries at night but when it comes to the day time her faking her happiness, just to give us a better life, Am I selfish? No, lets just say I'm a lucky girl, to have a wonderful mom that gave up a lot, everything, her life, just to give her children a better life. No one else would do the same, not even the love of your life. That is what you call Amor de madre, Mother love.

Work

Now that I am farther along in my pregnancy I been getting more and more tiered. Especially when it comes to work. Since I work at Orange Julius I'm always standing up and doing something. After work my legs are so sore, I can barely even walk. My co-workers understand so they mostly just have me work the register. In a way I think is harder thorough since I'm just standing there and not moving. Closing has been the hardest part, I feel bad when I close because I feel like everyone is doing all the work and I'm doing just the easy stuff. Ever since I had to go to the hospital last week my doctor said I should slow down and take a couple days off work. But you see I'm going thorough some family problems at the time and really need the money not for me and my son, but to help my family out. And taking a few days off work is the last thing on my mind. I plan on working all the way thorough my pregnancy, unless there is complications. I been talking to my manager and i told him about my plans after birth. My plan is to take at least a month off work after birth maybe even less if I feel better, and if my grandma does fly up here from San Diego. And I told him how closing has been kind of hard on me and told me to just do what I can, but if I still feel it hard on me to let him know. The thing is that if I tell him I cant close the only times he'll be scheduling me for would be the weekends. And like I mentioned earlier I really need the money to help my parents out, so the more hours the better.

Preparing For Birth

According to the book I've been reading, its time for me to start preparing for my birth. Just thinking about it scares me. Listening to my mom and family talk about it, make me not want to go through it. I plan on having a natural childbirth, meaning giving birth without using pain medicine. I really don't want to take the epidural, and a cesarean birth is the last thing on my mind as well. My mom had natural births with all her kids except my youngest brother, and that's because she had high blood pressure and my little brother was wrapped around the cord. Some risk of a cesarean birth are, pain for several weeks after giving birth, more problems with a future pregnancy and an increased risk of a cesarean for next birth. There is other risk too, but just knowing this risk scares me. One of the biggest advantages of having a natural birth is that you can have control of your body. Since my doctor said that the baby can come out anytime i already have my bags ready, one for me and one for the baby. Just thinking about it gets me so exited, just not the popping him out part.

29 Weeks

On Saturday I became 29 weeks into my pregnancy. Which is almost the end of the 7th month, meaning 11 more weeks to go. I'm so exited I really cant wait. My mom says that as time gets closer, time will go by slower, especially if it goes passed the due date. As I was reading yesterday I finally got to the section that talks about 7 months, I found so many facts I didn't know about. Like that my son is between the size of a honeydew melon and a spaghetti squash right now. The baby's brain and nervous system are almost mature, and he can suck on his thumb. I think its pretty funny that being inside of me he can recognize my voice. Not only is he aware of familiar voices but he is also aware of the changes in light. He can now open and close his eyes and his eye lashes are growing, and since he's a boy his testicles are forming. Since I'm getting closer to my due date my uterus is now 3 to 4 inches above my belly button, and the baby is getting crowded in there. In the book it mentions how most babies will settle into a head down position, and some stay that way for the rest of the pregnancy. And now that I remember on Monday when i went to the hospital and they did the ultrasound Raymond was in a head down position. But not only is Raymond going through some changes but I am as well. Like one of the big thins is getting harder for me to sleep, and heartburn especially when I eat a lot of hot stuff which I cant help. Another big thing is that I'm suppose to be gaining 3 to 4 pounds, I already feel fat and I keep telling myself it's because I'm pregnant but it wont go through my head. Other changes that say in the book is feet, ankles and hand swelling, but I haven't gotten to that part yet. Well like I said 11 more weeks for Raymond to be out, Finally!!