When I was pregnant for Hailey I remember getting all sorts of magazines and information and freebie type things in the mail.  There was so much information and so many things I wanted to buy or do or get more information about- it was really overwhelming.  And then, thanks to the Internet, I was able to research and overwhelm myself even more.

One thing I remember seeing in a lot of magazines and on a lot of sites was information about cord-blood banking.  I ordered more information and read all about it, trying to figure out if we were going to bank Hailey’s cord-blood.  The stem cells taken from the cord can treat over 75 diseases.  This could be used to save a family member’s life.  Cryo-Cell is one of the companies that makes this possible.  If you are pregnant you can enroll now at cryo-cell by checking out their website.

When we went to the child-birth class another couple there asked about cord-blood banking.  The lady teaching the class said that there was no one in our area that would do that.  And we lived near some pretty good hospitals- so I was really shocked to hear that.  Another problem with cord-blood banking- it’s expensive.  If you know someone who is expecting and they want to bank their baby’s cord blood you may want to help them pay for it.  Sometimes you can get deals- like they were recently offering a discount of $725 by using the code HOT.  That ended on June 28th, so be sure to check back for more offers.

It’s certainly something to consider if you are expecting.

I am usually good at keeping up with all of my giveaways but I have fallen really behind.  Usually I just announce the winners of the giveaways on the actual post but since I am so far behind I am going to do one post and announce the winners here.  If you see your name here, please send me an email (me (at) ourhappyhappenings (dot) com) to collect your prize.

Picture Keeper Giveaway- Sarah Z

FullBar Giveaway- Tracy L

Nowali Moccasins Giveaway- Pam

Mag-Tagz Giveaway- Judy B

KidsCards Giveaway- Carrie

EcoTools Giveaway- Angela

Rich and I are talking about taking a little getaway for our 9th anniversary that is coming up in July.  We went away in January and left Hailey with my parents- it was the first time we had ever left her.  I did so much worrying about her even though she was totally fine.  I think if we do end up going away for our anniversary I will have a better time knowing that she is going to be perfectly fine.

So I was checking out the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel in Branson Missouri.  I have never been to Missouri and think it would be a lot of fun to visit.  There is so much to do in Branson that I know our day would be full.  If we started out with a fantastic breakfast at the hotel we picked we could head out to some of the many shops and enjoy the Payne Stewart golf course as well.  I know our day would be full of fun and we would have several great restaurants to choose from for dinner.

How often do you get away with your spouse?  Where is the best vacation you have taken together?

So we’re planning a vacation for this fall.  We can’t agree on how to get to our destination.  Rich wants to drive.  I want to fly.  Driving will take about 18 hours (according google maps).  We would leave in the evening and hope that Hailey sleeps for most of the night taking up a good portion of the trip.  I would rather fly and be there in 3 hours.  But, I would also like to save the cost of 3 plane tickets plus $20 for each piece of luggage we bring.  If you’ve ever taken a long trip with an almost 3 year old is your opinion?

When I was pregnant with Hailey I remember seeing all sorts of ads about banking your baby’s cord blood.  I did a lot of reading and research about it.  It seemed like the right thing to do.  A baby’s cord blood can save lives and what if our baby got sick or one of our family members got sick?  I wanted to bank Hailey’s cord blood.

At our classes that we took before Hailey was born the subject was brought up about banking a baby’s cord blood.  We were told that it is not very common and the hospital we were using was not equipped to do the banking.  I researched it more and found out how very expensive it would be to bank Hailey’s cord blood.  It was not something that was in our budget, so we decided not to do it.

I have since read about Cryo-Cell and how it is a more affordable company to use to bank your baby’s cord blood.  They run promotions from time to time too as people sign up.  For example, by this Sunday June 28th you can save $725 on Cryo-Cell’s U-Cord service by using the promotional code HOT.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything more precious than the life of my child.