Nico Videos

Nico was born on June 25th, 2 weeks before his expected due date. I started with contractions in the morning and my water partially breaking. I would like to forget all about the labor process and skip straight to the cute 10-second baby videos.

Nico is a wonderful baby, loves to be held, and only cries when hungry which can be every 1.5 - 2 hrs. Oh, he also hates getting his diaper changed, his hands become fists and face becomes red. It's actually quite funny.

Here's Nico wide-eyed staring at his daddy, lips puckered.



When he's hungry, his hand-to-mouth reflex goes into high gear. Here it's only one hand, but withhold food a bit longer, and he tries to stuff both hands in.



And here he is drunk on milk.

Car RIde

This is too cute. Mahala (the dog on the left) only sits on the left side of the car. What to do if someone is there already? Sit on that person or dog, of course! Nashoba was tolerant!

36 1/2 weeks

Still 1 cm dilated, 70% effaced.
I could be like this all the way until the birth date...

35 and 1/2 weeks

1 cm dilated
70% effaced

Drumroll please ...

I passed! And I've already celebrated at BoneFish Grill and Cheesecake Factory! (And thankful for saving all those gift cards from my birthday.)

The night of the Boards, I was so happy that I wanted to celebrate before receiving my actual scores. Paul was super excited for me too. We took a nap and by the time we got up and left the house for BoneFish it was 9:30 PM. We didn't get seated until 10:30 PM - and there was still a waiting list to get in!

The point of the story? (A) Paul and I are always amazed by the cultural differences in S. FL. I'm note sure if restaurants are still that busy in St Pete at that time. (B) We took a stroll while we waited, enjoying these spontaneous moments alone without a baby.

It's now 4:20 AM, and I just finished my BoneFish leftovers followed by a mango cream pop. With a full tummy again, I think I can fall asleep. I've been told that waking up every night is good practice for when Nico arrives. We'll see.

I think I passed!

The FL Board Exam is by far the most stressful exam ever. Every time you send your patient up to get checked, you are praying they get accepted, that you left no caries, the contact is tight enough, your patient's blood pressure stays low. Because all of these things can lead to 'automatic failure.'

Our timed practicals in D1-D2 years had hidden traps of automatic failures. I guess they were just preparing us for the Boards.

The alarm was set for 4:45 AM, but Mahala had us tossing and turning since 2:30 AM since she's now afraid of thunder and whines during storms. "Go to bed, Mahala!" Nope, she instead paces and hides in the closet.

I met my patient at 5:45 AM and we were in line by 6:15 AM to get started. My primary patient had both Class 2 and 3 lesions so she stayed the whole time, finally able to go home at 2:00 PM. When she came down from the final check, with no pink slip or entourage of disappointed examiners, I felt relieved! I think I passed!

And of course, Paul was there from the beginning, with food and drinks, helping organize my backup patients and keeping them company. Just seeing him time to time was helpful - his smile, soothing words, and hugs helped me in a spiritual way.

I officially get my scores on Monday 11 AM. Then I can look for a job in the Fall and focus my energy on packing and on Nico.

Made the Cord Blood Leap

Well, I finally made the call and registered with ViaCord, a cord blood bank. It's a way to preserve stem cells from the umbilical cord right after the baby's birth. Due to high upfront fee, I hesitated but ultimately decided to do it.

PROS

• Can save or change Nico's life (no one expects their kid to get leukemia or diabetes)
• Bypass the need for painful bone marrow surgery to harvest stem cells
• Can be used for future kids (if we decide to have more) or even existing family members if a match
• Can be donated later to research or help someone else
• Low annual fee
• Just good insurance (Paul's older genes, and my first trimester radiation...)
• Amazing medical potential that hasn't even been discovered yet
  

CONS

• High start up cost!

I think about my $600 articulator (lost or stolen), $500 handpieces and when I put it in that perspective, I just feel it's worth it.