Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mexican Birth cirtificate

Oh boy here we go again with paper work. This is one big reason I'm done having more babies. Ok it really wasn't all that bad but here goes. In Mexico as many of you know you dont get to just fill out paperwork while in the hospital and they send you the birth certificate. Here you have to take your newborn to the Registro Civil to register them. We knew we had to have two witnesses and one of the papers from the hospital. Attempt one went something like this. First we crammed my family into my Jimmy, me driving, mom in front seat and papi in back with all three girls holding my 4 year old. Yes I said holding. We only have two seat belts in back seat so Alana has been with out one. Its driving me crazy and hopefully we will have the money soon to put one in for her. Sorry that was off subject.
Then we went to pick up Melissa (thank you so much, we couldn't have done this with out you). She then was the one crammed in the back seat with two car seats and Alana and Papi sat in the back of the Jimmy together. Needless to say we did it true Mexican style crammed in like a clown car. We find the Civil office and go on in. The lady took one look at our paper from the hospital and said it was missing a date. It had the babies birth date but that it was missing the date that it was filled out. I said, oh well it was only two days after she was born just put the date on there. No, she says that now along with the date we need it re-stamped by the hospital to prove they were the ones to put the date on it. We leave a little upset but really we know as always that soemthing was bound to happen. We brought Melissa to work and went to get a bite to eat. So much for having my mom as one of the witnesses it was her last week here.
Last week we got my boss with us in the Jimmy and Melissa followed us this time and we went to find a different office. (because we just filled in the missing date). After finding the office which was all tagged up with graffiti we went in and told the lady why we were there. Ok she said, let me see your paperwork to be sure you have everything. The second she started examining my FM2 I knew we were in trouble. Why you may wonder well with Joslin they didn't even ask for my immigration status. My FM2 is currently in process at the immigration office of being renewed. I did not bring the paper stating this because like I said before it never even came up. She noticed that the date was up in December and said we would have to wait until I get the new one back. This was not an option for us for a couple reasons. For one this was the second time I had pulled two people out of their daily activities to witness for me, and two the baby needs her immunizations and cannot get them with out a birth certificate. After some discussion with the jefe Issac said they can do it but will have to put a note on her birth certificate that I am here illegally. The man assured Issac over and over that this would never cause us problems nor cause us to have to pay a fee at any point. I sure hope he is right. So we got copies of everyone's passports and current visa status (because everyone except Issac where Americans)and a copy of the babies hospital paper. We all signed and almost an hour and half after getting there we were finally on our way. So for the rest of Lily´s life it will appear that I was illegal. I really hope this never comes back to haunt us somehow.
So in case you didn't catch it all you need is the report of birth from the hospital (totally filled out) the mom, dad, two wittiness and copies of everyone's ID´s and immigration status if not Mexicans. And you walk out with the birth certificate. You can always go back and request copies. Dont get copies right away because most of the time when you need them they have to be copies you received with int a certain time.

Ok I need to go now Alana is sitting in the floor next to me singing a song about how mommy wont talk to her. lol
Let me know if I left anything out.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Palabra de Vive

I think I have mentioned how much I love our new church up here. Im again excited about Sunday mornings. They have recently been doing a great job updating their web site. For the Christmas service the kids did little songs. At first the had Alana in the back because she is so tall but very quickly the teacher pulled her to the front because she was doing so good. Im going to try to get the video on her but if not here is a link to the pics on the church website. Oh yes shes the pretty one in the blue jean dress. :) http://www.hay.com.mx/ipv/board.php?board=qqqgallery&command=body&no=86



Oh I hope this works she was so darn cute.
Anyway check out our church web site there are other cool things on there.

Last week I had the privilege of helping a mission of Doctors to provide Prolotherapy and fix varicose veins. I only got to go help three times in the week but it was a great experience.

labor and delivery in Mexico

Some asked for more details on how things went down here so here it is. Some of you may not care to read it and that's OK but this way those who want to know can. I went through the private hospital again with this baby. I'm so thankful that God provided for us so that I could. For most of my pregnancy I was gearing up and trying to prepare myself for an epidural free labor and delivery. I wasn't to excited about this but was prepared to do it because well to be honest I didn't have much choice. Then God provided us with new jobs and a move so we decided we could afford the private doctor and hospital. So my last month of pregnancy went something like this.
We found what I feel like is the nicest and best OB in Guadalajara and visited him almost every week. He was so kind and well to be honest my age that we felt like we were visiting a friend who happened to want to ultrasound the baby every time he saw us. Seriously him and Issac would talk about X-box and other things during our visits. Two weeks before my due date he said he could tell that she was ready to come at any time and that if she did it would be ok because she was developed. He also said that if I did not go into labor by the following week visit we would talk about inducing. So as any 8 1/2 mo pregnant lady would do I began walking like crazy and looking up other natural ways to induce my labor. ;) By the next Wednesday when it was time for my visit I was of course still pregnant and having random contractions that were not staying around long (I had been having these for about 2 weeks at this point). My doctor said he would induce me on Sat if I didn't go into labor and until then to rest so that I would be well rested to labor over the weekend. So home I went to prepare for Thanksgiving the next day. I promised to rest except for the cooking that needed to be done. Thanksgiving went well and my contractions continued as they had been. Friday night some of Issacs family showed up (who were invited for Thanksgiving, mind you) and we let them know what was planned for Saturday morning. Saturday at 9am I left a house full of people to go see the doctor. He explained that he didn't believe in a strong induction of labor and would rather just kind of kick start the natural process. We very much agreed with him on this. At this point I was only dilated to 1cm with no thinning. So he gave me a half pill of pitocin by mouth and a half pill vaginally. This is an extremely small dose. The plan was for me to go home and go about my regular day and call in 4hours to check in. He sent me home with more pills to take in 4 hours if nothing was happening. Well I this little nudge is all my body needed. By ten o´clock not even an hour later I could tell the contractions were getting stronger and more regular. By eleven o´clock I was laying down in my bed to see if they were going to go away with rest. By eleven thirty I knew they were not going anywhere and Issac called up the doctor. We were sent out the door with lots of prayer and kisses from the family that was at the house. My doctors office was at the hospital and is where he wanted us to meet him. After talking to me and seeing me go through a couple contractions my doctor was ready to admit me. He called a wheel chair to meet us and off the pushed me to the main desk at the hospital. On the way there I met my anesthesiologist who was a very nice lady also. At the front desk I waited in my wheel chair and hospital gown while Issac talked to them about payment and they picked out a room for me. My doctor obviously knew what he was doing and refused the first room due to construction going on near by and we ended up getting one of the big nice rooms for no extra charge. ;) Have I mentioned how great our doctor was. Then I was wheeled into my room and they turned down my bed. I asked if I could stay out of the bed because the contractions were easier to handle while standing. This was no problem for them and my husband helped me through each one. This was the first time Issac got to be with me during this stage of labor and it was great. Except that he kept making me laugh during contractions and I still want to punch him for it. When the doctor came in to check me he was surprised to see I was dilated to 4 1/2 already and asked if I was ready for the epidural. I said I could wait a bit because I was tolerating the contractions ok at that point. Not even 15 min after he left the room I could tell they were getting stronger very quickly so we asked him to call the anesthesiologist. They then asked me if I would rather walk or have a wheel chair bring me into the delivery room. I wanted to walk because at that moment the thought of sitting down was not a good one. The nurses where all very good with me and stopped and held on to me when I would go into a contraction on the way. At this point Issac was asked to wait outside until they got the epidural placed. The doctor came in and between contractions got the epidural in. At this point my contractions where coming very fast and hard. For some reason the anesthesiologist was under the impression it was my first child and was just not listening to me when I said that it was time for the medication. I was screaming at her to give me the medication. Thankfully my OB was quick to come in and check me and when he noticed I was dilated past seven she quickly gave me the medication and once I calmed down she told me she didn't think I was going to that fast. Of course the medicine didn't kick in before it was time to push but I was feeling it ok when she was crowning. To be honest I felt more with her than I ever did and I would never ever ever want to feel more than I did with her. At one point the anesthesiologist told me to stop yelling during my contractions and to push. I said to her, "Gracias a dios puedo empuje ahora?" She said yes and by golly I got that kid out in like six pushes or so. You women who go all natural have a pain tolerance out of this world because mines pretty high and I would never volunteer to feel all that nature intended. Even though I was screaming at the anesthesiologist at one point she told me I did wonderful and my OB decided I wasn't really American. lol He kept saying you must be Mexican the way you dealt with all that. Lilian was born at 250 only five hours after the pitosin and 4 hours after true labor kicked in. My OB swears I need to have more babies because my body did so well with the labor, delivery, and recover. I keep telling him hes crazy and if its up to us we wont be doing any of that again. God willing Lily is our last. They kept me in the hospital that night and the next night. We headed home around noon the second day after she was born. Here is another picture just because I know how cute she is and want to be sure you all do to. ;)

moms last month here

The pictures speak for themselves. We miss you Maw Maw.

The week before my mom left Alana told her she couldnt leave until after we take the tree down and then put it back up when Lily is bigger. ;)

Sorry I had to delete the pics off my blog, I have decided to keep my blog public no matter how many hateful comments I get. If I made my blog private it would defeat the purpose so instead I will just delete the pictures and refrain from using names in attempt to keep things safe for us. 












New years

This year for New Years my mom was here to watch the girls so Issac and I decided we needed a night out alone. We were all excited about it but didn't have a chance to find a place that would for sure be open that night. We know that here in Mexico most people celebrate at families homes but we figured since we were in the city this year we wouldn't have to much trouble finding a place that was open. We were way off on this one. Our truck was in the shop so we were going by taxi and we had to have the guy drive around for like 15 or 20 min before we finally found a little wings bar open. We had planned on a nice dinner because both of us were on Antibiotics and couldn't drink. It was still nice to get out and the wings were actually really good. We didn't stay long though because the reason I was on medication was due to an ear infection. The music wasn't as loud as some bars but it felt loud to my sick ears. We were home by 11pm and I'm pretty sure we were not up at midnight. ;) I looked at my post from last year and I filled out this little questioner thing and I think I will do it again.

I got this great idea from http://laurieishere.blogspot.com/ last year and I thank her for it. I love to reflect on the past and find out what I can learn from it and to look forward to the future and what I can hope for.

3-4 words that describe this past year... Acceptance, tolerance, and Blessed

If 2009 was a book, I'd title it... Accepting Gods Path, no matter where it leads.

I am really glad I tried... living in the City

Something that really surprised me.... How much my online friends have done for us. We are so blessed to know you all. Things I have to thank you all for is my job, learning opportunities for my girls, and my sanity.

The most courageous thing I did this year was. . . Driving around Guadalajara without Issac. Oh and having a baby that takes some guts. lol

I tried to hold on to.... My relationships with friends and family in the states.

I felt more hopeful about... Life- I know that cant be more vague but its true.

I felt less anxious about ... The Future

A relationship I feel extra grateful for this year.... My husband, he surprises me constantly with what a great partner in this life he is. This is the same from last year. But again I have to say my relationships with friends on line. They grow stronger every year and help me to grow as a person.

This year, I noticed God at work in .... Teaching me that he will always take care of me. And although he may keep me on my toes I will never want for my needs to be fulfilled.

In 2011,

Words I hope describe this upcoming year.....Challenging. I cant believe Im saying that but I look forward to the Challenge my work is bringing into my life.

Something new I really want to try... visiting other areas of Mexico which brings along trying new foods.

A relationship I want to pour more of my heart and time into . . . My relationship with Christ deserves more effort this year. This is from last year and I must leave it up. Christ always deserves more time. But also with being busier Issac and I have decided we need to be sure and pay a lot of attention to our relationship to keep it tight.


A way I want to reach out to others is . . . I want to be more of a support to many of you who are in tough situations. I have received so many blessings and I hope to give them back in return.

I'm going to need God''s courage to ...Trust him to provide daily for my family no matter what the physical world looks like.

This year I hope I let go of ...fear and anxiety, Im sad to say this is from last year and I have to keep it up again.

This year I hope I can hold on to ...The passion and love between me and Issac, and one on one time with each of my girls.

One dream I have for 2010 is . . .Ok I have to show you what I put up last year.
(To be working and to be in a town we want to buy a house for our family to grow in.)
Thank you God for helping us to accomplish this.
I think my dream for this year is to adjust appropriately and the way God wants us to into our new living situation. Also I would love to see Issac get some schooling under his belt and maybe even get me started on some more also.

Alanas school party



As seems to be the norm these days I'm a little behind. Gees can you imagine with the new baby new job and new city. :) I am getting a little better at keeping things up around the house and so the blog upkeep comes next. Yes sorry folks house come first. lol
Here is a little post on my 4 year daughters school Christmas party. In this post you will see the joys and pains of the government school system here. Thankfully I have read enough of Leslies issues with the school that I kind of expect this type of thing. We were told almost a month in advance that her party would be held December 20th and that her class was to dress like angels and we would be pitching money in for one of the moms to prepare tocos durados and to buy tambourines for their part in the pastorela (christmas play). A week before we were told that the party would be changed to the 17th. This was no problem and my mom was here to help me get Alanas costume ready. I also made little yarn angels for all the kids in their class. (My mom keeps telling me to read a book called, Im not supper woman, I haven't yet because I'm still trying to be, lol)
So we show up on that Friday with Alana all dressed up and us ready to party. Of course nothing was ready to start on time and once it did start I needed to go feed the baby. I went into Alanas class room and let Joslin play while I feed Lily. Soon the maintenance women and another women came tearing through the class room looking for something. I asked them what they were looking for and they looked at me as if I had just appeared there. They asked if I had had my baby. Well yes I'm feeding her right now I said. Then they got all excited and asked if when she was done eating if they could use her as baby Jesus. Well of course my baby can star in the play, as long as no kids would be touching her or picking her up. Mind you she was only a few weeks old at this point. So Alana got to be an angle and Joslins so cute the teacher handed her a tambourine to play with Alanas group and Lily got to be Jesus. Oh yes I'm a proud mommy. lol
So then when the play was over everyone was packing up and leaving. I asked what about the food and the piñata? Well Monday is suppose to be the last official day so they decided to spread out the party and the rest would be on Monday. Ok no problem we will be there of course. We showed up on Monday and some of the parents were putting on another play about the diablo (the devil) trying to corrupt people. Then while we were eating I was told that they found out that Tuesday was the official last day and that they were saving the piñata for Tuesday. Up until now this American mommy was being tolerant but this I can not deal with. Alana already had her tambourine, got to eat the food and was given her gift that we paid for so no, I'm not coming back a third day for a piñata. Instead we made our own at home. Im going to post pics here of her party and of our piñata.

Sorry I had to delete the pics off my blog, I have decided to keep my blog public no matter how many hateful comments I get. If I made my blog private it would defeat the purpose so instead I will just delete the pictures and refrain from using names in attempt to keep things safe for us.