This Just Blew My Mind....

I haven't posted an article yet, but this one was so heartwrenching. It really makes those on both sides of the abortion issue stop and think. This article was published today, February 5, 2009, via The Buffalo News.

FLORIDA DOCTOR INVESTIGATED IN BADLY BOTCHED ABORTION
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO
Associated Press Writer
Eighteen and pregnant, Sycloria Williams went to an abortion clinic outside Miami and paid $1,200 for Dr. Pierre Jean-Jacque Renelique to terminate her 23-week pregnancy.
Three days later, she sat in a reclining chair, medicated to dilate her cervix and otherwise get her ready for the procedure.
Only Renelique didn't arrive in time. According to Williams and the Florida Department of Health, she went into labor and delivered a live baby girl.
What Williams and the Health Department say happened next has shocked people on both sides of the abortion debate: One of the clinic's owners, who has no medical license, cut the infant's umbilical cord. Williams says the woman placed the baby in a plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.
Police recovered the decomposing remains in a cardboard box a week later after getting anonymous tips.
"I don't care what your politics are, what your morals are, this should not be happening in our community," said Tom Pennekamp, a Miami attorney representing Williams in her lawsuit against Renelique (ren-uh-LEEK') and the clinic owners.
The state Board of Medicine is to hear Renelique's case in Tampa on Friday and determine whether to strip his license. The state attorney's homicide division is investigating, though no charges have been filed. Terry Chavez, a spokeswoman with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, said this week that prosecutors were nearing a decision.
Renelique's attorney, Joseph Harrison, called the allegations at best "misguided and incomplete" in an e-mail to The Associated Press. He didn't provide details.
The case has riled the anti-abortion community, which contends the clinic's actions constitute murder.
"The baby was just treated as a piece of garbage," said Tom Brejcha, president of The Thomas More Society, a law firm that is also representing Williams. "People all over the country are just aghast."
Even those who support abortion rights are concerned about the allegations.
"It really disturbed me," said Joanne Sterner, president of the Broward County chapter of the National Organization for Women, after reviewing the administrative complaint against Renelique. "I know that there are clinics out there like this. And I hope that we can keep (women) from going to these types of clinics."
According to state records, Renelique received his medical training at the State University of Haiti. In 1991, he completed a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Interfaith Medical Center in New York.
New York records show that Renelique has made at least five medical malpractice payments in the past decade, the circumstances of which were not detailed in the filings.
Several attempts to reach Renelique were unsuccessful. Some of his office numbers were disconnected, no home number could be found and he did not return messages left with his attorney.
Williams struggled with the decision to have an abortion, Pennekamp said. She declined an interview request made through him.
She concluded she didn't have the resources or maturity to raise a child, he said, and went to the Miramar Women's Center on July 17, 2006. Sonograms indicated she was 23 weeks pregnant, according to the Department of Health. She met Renelique at a second clinic two days later.
Renelique gave Williams laminaria, a drug that dilates the cervix, and prescribed three other medications, according to the administrative complaint filed by the Health Department. She was told to go to yet another clinic, A Gyn Diagnostic Center in Hialeah, where the procedure would be performed the next day, on July 20, 2006.
Williams arrived in the morning and was given more medication.
The Department of Health account continues as follows: Just before noon she began to feel ill. The clinic contacted Renelique. Two hours later, he still hadn't shown up. Williams went into labor and delivered the baby.
"She came face to face with a human being," Pennekamp said. "And that changed everything."
The complaint says one of the clinic owners, Belkis Gonzalez came in and cut the umbilical cord with scissors, then placed the baby in a plastic bag, and the bag in a trash can.
Williams' lawsuit offers a cruder account: She says Gonzalez knocked the baby off the recliner chair where she had given birth, onto the floor. The baby's umbilical cord was not clamped, allowing her to bleed out. Gonzalez scooped the baby, placenta and afterbirth into a red plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.
No working telephone number could be found for Gonzalez, and an attorney who has represented the clinic in the past did not return a message.
At 23 weeks, an otherwise healthy fetus would have a slim but legitimate chance of survival. Quadruplets born at 23 weeks last year at The Nebraska Medical Center survived.
An autopsy determined Williams' baby - she named her Shanice - had filled her lungs with air, meaning she had been born alive, according to the Department of Health. The cause of death was listed as extreme prematurity.
The Department of Health believes Renelique committed malpractice by failing to ensure that licensed personnel would be present when Williams was there, among other missteps.
The department wants the Board of Medicine, a separate agency, to permanently revoke Renelique's license, among other penalties. His license is currently restricted, permitting him to only perform abortions when another licensed physician is present and can review his medical records.
Should prosecutors file murder charges, they'd have to prove the baby was born alive, said Robert Batey, a professor of criminal law at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport. The defense might contend that the child would have died anyway, but most courts would not allow that argument, he said.
"Hastening the death of an individual who is terminally ill is still considered causing the death of that individual," Batey said. "And I think a court would rule similarly in this type of case."

So I've been a bit lazy lately....

Okay---I know I've been getting lazier on posting to the blog. But honestly, not much exciting has happened. Just same old, same old here. I'm sure there will be more going on in the weeks to come (and when it is WARMER again), but we've been relatively "low key" here lately. Logan and I had the opportunity to be "childless" Friday evening (Dickey and Cinda kept Weiss) and have an evening with Matt and Kelley Homeyer. We went to eat at the Texas Pizza Company in Burnet, to Starbucks, and then to see "The Reader." It was a fun evening. Saturday I had the pleasure of sleeping in (until 8:30 AM--woo hoo!)... No "long run" on Saturday morning. I have been very LAZY since the marathon and have not been doing any kind of exercise whatsoever. Not good.

Anyway, Weiss and I spent the afternoon together after Cinda returned him home and Logan and I watched "American Gangster" with Denzell Washington that evening. It was great. Sunday was church, and I was feeling down with allergies, so Logan played with Weiss and took him outside while I moped around and did nothing but sneeze and snort. Yesterday I was feeling better (besides the sneezing). Because Logan is out of town on Monday evenings, Weiss and I went to Karen and George Gurganus's home to keep their two kiddos, Clayton and Anna, while they went to see the MFHS production of "Music Man." We had a good time, and I'm glad we kept the kids. It really perked up a boring Monday. Weiss and I came home and he went right off to bed. 

This morning was CBS Bible Study at Kingsland, as is every Tuesday morning. Weiss really, really loves his teachers there, and they are absolutely great with him. I always look forward to the study, as well. I love my core group and how much I learn from a collective study with others. We are studying Genesis, and it has been so very interesting. He's napping as I type, and we are heading to Home Depot when he wakes to buy paint for our bedroom. Yes, I am finally getting some stuff accomplished around the house!!!! 

I know it's a "play by play," but that's really all of what's been going on.... Ahh---the glorious life of a mommy/housewife/cook/cleaning lady...... Those "Real Housewives of Orange County" don't have nuthin' on me!!! haha

 

A Great Book....

As most of you know, I am always reading. And because Weiss absolutely LOVES Sesame Street, I got the new book, "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street." It had received good reviews, and I agree: I cannot put it down!!! Being a former teacher, during my training, most of the educational material would praise Sesame Street and what it has done for children's television programming. It was originally conceived for urban minorities (hence, the more urbanized setting and the colorful cast). I love it because Weiss is learning from the characters, he is being exposed to people who are different from him, different languages, and even children with disabilities. AND Sesame Street is not unbearable for adults to watch; I get a kick out of the humor adults can catch, the celebrity guests who modify their music to teach a concept to the kids (a few seasons ago, Norah Jones was on and sang "Don't Know Y"), and the continually bantering duo of Bert and Ernie.

So I knew I would just HAVE to get my children to watch Sesame Street! And now, Weiss is obsessed with Elmo and his new favorite, "Yellow Bird" (aka Big Bird). (He cycles through favorites---one week it will be Cookie Monster, another week it is Bert, etc. His mainstay, however, is Elmo.) I do know he is learning from the shows (we don't really watch TV, only DVD) because he can count to ten, recognize all of the numbers from 1 to 10 and knows some letters at this point. He has most of his colors nailed, and we are working on shapes. I give much of this credit to Sesame Street shows AND products. He has some Sesame Street place mats with numbers and colors, and he looks at these several times each day. I really enjoy seeing him learn at this age.

I have always been a Jim Henson fan; as a young child, I loved the Muppets (Miss Piggy especially) and "Fraggle Rock." Unfortunately, the television stations in West Texas did not offer PBS, so I never really saw Sesame Street unless it was in a book or on VHS. (We finally got PBS when we got "Primestar" satellite---do any of you products of the 1980s remember this??? However, by that time, I was too old to enjoy learning from Sesame Street.) If you are a Sesame Street fan or want to know more about the "hows" and "whys" during its making, read this great book.

This Week's Recap.....

We've had a relatively laid-back week. With Weiss and I coming off of the stomach bug, Daddy got some yucky flu-like stuff when he got home from Dallas. He missed work on Monday because he had a high fever and was achey all over. I put a child-proof lock on our bedroom door during the day and Logan camped out there in the bedroom. I know he could still hear the shrill squeals of a happy toddler during the day, but he was a good sport about it. He is finally feeling better, but the junk sure did hang on for awhile...

It was so cold this week Weiss and I didn't really get out much, only to go to the grocery store, library, and a little trip we took yesterday to the McKenna Children's Museum in New Braunfels. Weiss absolutely loves it there, and he had a great time. He saw two newly hatched baby chicks, and he played for over two hours. We got to New Braunfels and ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A. He had chicken noodle soup and a fruit cup; he doesn't really like their awesome French fries or any of the breaded chicken. But he LOVES the soup!!!! We then went to the children's museum. He had a great time. Last night when we got home, Logan and Dickey had gone into Austin for a conference, and I had Cinda over to eat French onion soup I had made. 

This evening Weiss is spending the night with Dickey and Cinda so Logan and I can have a date night!

Another Adventure...

This weekend has been not so fun for me.... As of yesterday, Weiss is over his stomach bug. He only threw up on Friday, but still had some leftover tummy trouble until about 1 PM yesterday. Although I stayed in my PJs (because I was scared to expose anyone to the virus, including the babysitter--I had to cancel my movie night with Kelley), I felt great and got some cleaning done, some laundry, and some other things. Hannah knew I couldn't leave the house (because of Weiss's continued tummy troubles and Logan being gone), so she brought me my new favorite drink from Starbucks. Thanks so much!!! Weiss didn't take a nap because I didn't want to sit down with him and cause him to get upset. He was feeling so much better, and I was worried if he would cry, he would possibly get sick again. So by about 6 PM, he was falling asleep in my arms. I gave him a quick bath and put him down to bed at 7. He was a bit fussy, but by this time, my stomach was, too.

Well, that was perfect timing, because at 7:15, I began to get sick..... YUCK..... Thank goodness Kelley and I didn't go to the movie; that would have been AWFUL....I was sick on and off until about 11:30, but my stomach churned all night, and I couldn't sleep. I got on Facebook at 4 AM this morning because I was bored in bed. I slept from 6 AM to 8, though. I hated to miss church because the choir was singing several songs today and there was a brunch, so I wish I could have been there.... Anyway, Weiss basically watched movies all morning and had Goldfish (I was still worried about him eating "solid" food) while Mommy was a zombie. Sweet Royann Williams brought Weiss and I some food after church; thanks so much, Royann--it made my day! Weiss loved his Schlotzsky's pizza! 

This afternoon, Weiss and I took a LONG nap!!! (We slept from 1 to 5 PM---YESSSS!) Now, I am starting to feel better.... This afternoon I had to miss the Mom to Mom spring semester kickoff, which I was really looking forward to! However, I would not want to expose anyone to this fun stuff we've had! Logan is currently on his way in from Dallas, and he doesn't want the gunga, either......

Adventures in Motherhood (Day 2)......

Well, today started like any other day. I didn't go to MOPS in San Antonio because, quite frankly, I didn't want to make the long drive there and back with a two year old. (I have a guilt complex of him "tethered down" in his carseat, even if he is watching a movie...) I also started teaching piano lessons again, so I was anticipating my student this morning. However, her mom called and said she and her sisters had a fever and sore throats. So Weiss and I decided to get some work done around the house. We read some books, played in his room, and stacked some blocks for awhile. I needed to run to Home Depot right before lunch to get some new light globes for the half bathroom I am painting, so we made a quick run there and stopped by Arby's and got roast beef sandwiches to take home. 

After we ate lunch, Weiss and I did our typical afternoon nap. However, I noticed he slept much later than usual--three hours instead of the normal one or two. I got up to do a few things and then sat back down in the recliner with Weiss. All of a sudden, without warning, he began getting sick. (WARNING (again): If you are squeamish, you may not want to read this!!!) I caught most of it with the blanket, and it was a lot!! It got on the floor, on the leather chair, all over Weiss, and all over the blanket. I immediately took him to the bathroom for a bath. By this time, he was saying, "Hands, hands!" (He doesn't like his hands dirty.) We ran two sets of bathwater--one to clean off the gunk, and the other for him to play in. However, he threw up in the bathwater, as well. So I took out all of the toys and put some "fresh" ones in the bath. The yucky ones were going to soak in a bleach water bath before their next use....

Weiss seemed to be feeling okay, so I called Logan (who is in Dallas for a dental convention), Cinda, and my mom to tell them the news. All the while, Weiss was happily playing in the bathtub with me watching. 

After I got Weiss out, I felt brave enough to venture to Walmart for some Pedialyte, snacks, and a movie. I usually don't let Weiss watch a movie in the car when we are in town, but I let him watch Veggie Tales. He seemed happy, even though I put a big towel in his lap in the car and in the basket in the store. We got home with no incidents! He wanted some Ritz crackers, so he had a "dinner" consisting of crackers and Gatorade (it was already in his cup before I had the Pedialyte). Weiss played, I read to him, brushed his teeth, and he went down easily. I checked on him a few times throughout the night, and he was doing well. I finished painting the half bath, and it looks great. I really like the color.

Anyway, this morning, Weiss got up, greating me in his bed, jumping up and down, going "Boing, boing!" He had Elmo juice, Goldfish, and some more Ritz crackers. However, he still must have a touch of virus because his diapers are not "solid," if you know what I mean. So Kelley, I'm sorry to call off our movie night! I was really looking forward to seeing a movie and hanging out! We'll take a raincheck! (Kelley Homeyer and I were going to have a girl's night out, and Kaili Dellinger was going to babysit for me....) I have been frantically cleaning the "germy" house---doing laundry, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, you name it! So it has been a good day to play catch-up! 

Adventures in Motherhood.....

Weiss throwing food to a big bison.....

Weiss and the zebras....

The exotic deer kept nibbling him at the petting zoo, but he thought it was funny...

Sophia and Weiss----how cute!!!

Yesterday (Thursday) Weiss and I had a lot of fun..... I woke up and ran with Lexy for the first time since the marathon; I feel pretty much fully recovered now!!!

Later in the morning, Weiss and I went to the Exotic Animal Zoo with Hannah, Sophia and Gabriella, right outside of Johnson City off Highway 281. We've always passed by it, but I'm glad we actually went, because it was really fun, and we all plan to go back and stay in the cabins there. Anyway, we all arrived at about 11:15 AM and had a sack lunch with the kiddos. In the play/eating area, you can walk around and see lemurs, a big male turkey and a female, and a large pen of African pygmy goats with plenty of cute babies. Sophia and Weiss really enjoyed walking around and checking out the animals. After we ate, you can go in a large pen--the "Petting Zoo." There were plenty of exotic deer (which were tame), llamas, and goats. There was the cutest baby llama that was only one week old.... Weiss really liked it, and he enjoyed petting the animals. He laughed when they would come up to him and nibble on his clothes, which smelled like food! After this, we loaded up in a modified trailer behind a Kubota tractor to go see the BIG animals!

Right after we crossed the cattle guard, there were HUGE buffalo. We had a large bucket of feed, and so we had plenty of treats to give them.... Their tongues were very long, slimy and raspy, kind of like a giraffe's (for those of you who have been to the Abilene Zoo and fed the giraffes). There was also a camel named "Goober" which followed alongside the trailer and stuck his long neck inside to get another person's feed bucket. He knew all the tricks of the trade.... There were plenty of exotic cows and llamas, emus and gazelle. We also had the opportunity to see an ostrich egg, which had been laid out in the pasture. The guide said it was the first one of this year. I enjoyed seeing the ostriches---they were SO BIG!!! Typical of the animal world, the male was the "beautiful" one--his name was Elvis. The two mature females were Priscilla and Lisa Marie. There were some juvenile ostriches running around, but they were smaller. There were also African goats and a type of Indian cow, which was cinnamon in color and hairy, with small horns. We also saw zebras, which immediately ran up to the trailer for food. The guide explained they are very social and LOVE food and a good back scratch. Hannah, the girls, Weiss and I had a good time!!!!

Weiss and I made it home in time to see Daddy off to Dallas. He had a dental convention and continuing education this weekend, so he'll be gone until Sunday. After Logan left, I decided to re-pot some small plants in the kitchen while Weiss was laying in the floor watching Sesame Street. I had just changed his diaper, and I could see him laying there, quietly. In a few minutes, however, he ran up to me, saying, "Hands, hands!" 

(WARNING: If you are squeamish, do not read on....) He was wearing a onesie, and stuck his hands in his diaper, which he had just pooped in. He had poo all over his hands, and had touched his feet, as well. I immediately stuck him in the bath. It was really gross. Aaaahhhh, the joys of being a mom..... I cleaned him up, and we went to Home Depot to get some more rose bushes and flowers.

Since Weiss didn't have a nap, he fell asleep on the way home. I let him sleep with the car running while I ran in to heat some brie to take to dinner at the Homeyer's. We were celebrating a late "birthday" dinner for Matt Homeyer. Logan was disappointed he didn't get to make it... Kelly made HOMEMADE chicken-fried steak, and George and Karen Gurganus and kiddos Anna and Clayton were there to play with Weiss. We had a great time.... Logan and I  always love spending time with these two families, who where some of the first people we met here in Marble Falls! Anyway, Weiss and I left so he could get in bed. I stayed up late, painting the first coat of paint in our half bath. (I have been recently inspired to begin painting....) 

All in all, it was a very fun day! As a mom, I have learned you take the good with the "bad." I would much rather have poop on the hands than a cranky, unhappy kiddo. (For some of you, this may sound absurd, but a mom knows....)