We are in the 50's...

I just looked at the ticker and we are now in the fifties. 58 days till Baby Girl Higgins gets here. I can't believe it. Time is flying by. Last night, of course it was a Monday, but as I was laying in bed it felt as if her but was sticking straight up and I feel so big.

More and more blood vessels are breaking on my belly. I would uplaod a photo, but that would be gross. It really is a site. It just means that she is growing and getting bigger by the day.

All is well and feel great!

OBGYN Apt- Dr. Butler

Today we had our doctor visit with Dr. Butler. It was an early wake up call with the appointment at 7:45 am. My vitals were 234 lbs, which means I have gained 9 pounds so far. My blood pressure was 112/60. Baby Girl Higgins heart beat was in the high 135 range. She mentioned that she thought the baby was head down, but did not say she has dropped which is perfect.

All test came back negative from the blood draws from last time. She said the sonograms from the perinatal specialist said everything looked great for BGH's heart. She did say, which was repeated from several visits before that I would have anti-biotic once I went to deliver.

Dr. Butler was chatty this morning. She mentioned that I was perfect "Baby Delivering" material because I am so tall. She said that I could handle delivering a 10 lb with out any problem. I said, "Doc, let's not shoot for 10 pounds." What she meant is that some women were just built to have lots of babies and delivery is often easier.

Melissa Hillen, who is a taller friend of mine, I would say she is about 5'8 or 5"9, mentioned at the shower that a doctor told her taller women have easier deliveries and she agreed was the case with her two kids.

The doctor said that because I have such a long torso and I would be one of the women who could be pregnant for months and then roll in to the ER with a stomach ache and deliver a baby.

When we got home, Mike was trying out the boppy.

Dade City Baby Shower with Girl Friends

Today was the girl friend shower hosted by Mandi and Shannon in Dade City. Wow, what a day! I got to see so many of my dearest friends and feel truly blessed to have each of them in my life. They were so generous toward Baby Girl Higgins and showered her with so many gifts. Some of the notable items was Aunt Ann gave her a stroller. Which will be perfect once Ann has her baby we can push them in the mall together!
Jenn Wagner gave BGH a onesie with the Chipotle logo on it that says, "HIGGINS * Baby Burrito" We also have more books than the Brandon Library! We could read a different book to her every night and not read the same one for months!

At the shower the girls had ordered my favorite cake in the whole world done by a lady in San Antonio named Peggy Beefort. It was so yummy! Plus they had a pottery tile mirror that everyone got to sign and will be baked and put in Baby Higgins room!
They served up Pink lemonade another favorite and mimosas. Plus a honey baked ham, fruit medley, quiche, muffins and lots of yummies!

Judy and Lisa also came all the way from Vero Beach to celebrate too!

But I loved most of all being surrounded by so much love by some of my favorite people. Here are some of my favorite photos:

All Guaced Up

My new work t-shirts. Love this shirt!

31 Weeks

Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. Her irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (She won't pick up anything from her nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.)

Out of breath? Your still-growing uterus is squeezing your lungs, making it impossible for them to fully expand like they used to. Things will improve once baby drops, probably in the next few weeks. Until then, sit up straight with your shoulders back to get a little relief.

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Vegas Baby!

We were in Vegas for five days. Probably 2 days too long. I have always said that you should never stay in Vegas more than three days, I was right. This place sucks the life right out of you. Plus it is very smokey. Yuck. We have had a great time visiting with Aunt Colleen and Uncle Dick on our first day in town. We had a wonderful conference and got to see all our Chipotle folks. We had fun in the casino. I budgeted about $20 a day and hit a couple 5 of a kinds, and full house,but never on a turn where I had big wagers on the table.

Mike was down at one point, then he came back to even, but I think Vegas took his money at the end. While in Vegas we had our first complete stranger ask me how far along I was. At first I thought she said, "How far are you down?" as in how much money I had lost. She then repeated, "No, How far along are you?" I was so excited.

While in Vegas, at dinner I asked for a ginger ale. Well, that must be code word for Tequila on ice. I took one sip and about gagged when I could taste the tequila after taste. It was HORRIBLE! The entire dinner was tainted by that stupid after taste. I stuck with Sprite the rest of the night.

Baby Moon Begins!

We are in Las Vegas. Sin City!

Our flight out was fun! We paid $10 extra dollars, or I should say Chipotle paid $10 extra dollars so we could be the first ones on board at Southwest so I could get an exit row. Well, we were like number 5 on board. As I started to put our stuff down at two vacant seats in the beautiful exit row, this older guy says to me, "THAT SEAT IS RESERVED!" I said in a very loud reply to the flight attendant, "YOU CAN RESERVE SEATS NOW ON SOUTHWEST?" The flight attendant then responded, "NO Sir, YOU CAN NOT reserve seats, we have an open seating policy." I continued to put my stuff up in the bin. The guy, then started to get feisty with the flight attendant who completely had our back.

At the end of the day the guy is an idiot. AND a CHEAP idiot at that. He thought he could just pay $10 get on board and save a seat for his wife or whoever the person he was saving it for. I would never thought to do this for us and would have never assumed I could. Again, an idiot.

After the showdown with the flight attendant, he still got an exit row, the one in front of us. The person he was saving the seat for sat next to Mike. He was still grumpy and asked if we would move, and I just looked at him with complete dumbfoundedness. And I said, "Nope, we are sitting here."

So once we were seated and we didn't get up till 2 hours into the flight. Again, what an idiot. The world is full of them.

Here is a view from our room!


We are about to go have lunch with Uncle Dick and Aunt Colleen.

30 Weeks

As baby's skin smoothes out, her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. She's also adding some brawn -- her grip is now strong enough to grasp.

Your massive belly and nighttime heartburn might be making sleep difficult to come by. If you are able to drift off, you're probably having some strange and vivid dreams -- your subconscious is no less anxious than your waking mind.

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

10 Weeks left till Baby Girl Higgins gets here and here is an updated list of things we want to accomplish:

* Landscape the outside of the house.

* Sod the area just north of the house/driveway.

* Install second level of shelves in baby's closet

* Put crib together

* Get dresser from Vero and get organized.

* Get garage organized and better prepared.

* Take Childbirth classes in September

* Pick Pediatrician

* Figure out Futon and downstair recliner options

Just to name a few. Lots to do!

Prego Humor

Found this on another site. Some is a bit crude, but still funny.


QUESTION: Are you breastfeeding?

ANSWER: Oh, no, thank you. I’m a vegetarian.

QUESTION: You’re not going to let yourself get too big, are you?

For male inquirers:

ANSWER: No, I plan to stay as small as possible. Like your penis.

For female inquirers:

ANSWER: No, I plan to stay as small as possible. Like your I.Q.

QUESTION: Do you want a boy or a girl?

ANSWER: Yes.

QUESTION: How on earth can you raise children in the city?!

ANSWER: Like all other city parents have before us: by letting the kid play in the busy streets, making him grab a cab to pre-school, and hiring the homeless man in the park to be our manny. Duh.

QUESTION: I bet your husband hopes you’ll give him a son to carry on the family name, huh?

ANSWER: Not necessarily. Since we know you, we have more than enough dicks in our life.

QUESTION: Was your baby planned?

ANSWER: No, that *** of a mailman told me he was fixed!

QUESTION: How much weight have you gained?

ANSWER: Enough to make your life pretty miserable when I sit on you.

Car Seat

Here is a photo of our car seat. We received this from our friend Brooke and Joe.
I test drove it yesterday and it does fit in my car. However, it does make my car feel small. This is just something we will have to do with until Chipotle decides to go back to Small SUV's. We don't have car payments, insurance or gas payments. So a little discomfort in the size of our car will have to do. We just need to be more organized about all aspects of our life. Baby Girl Higgins should help us do that.

I absolutely love the patter and look of it. It is perfect!

Vero Beach Baby Shower

Today we had the first of three baby showers. Baby Girl Higgins is very blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family. Judy and Mo hosted the shower in Vero Beach and was attended by 20 people. Guest played numerous games and enjoyed wonderful food, cake and punch. We had so many highlights that I will try to just name a few to share:

* Baby Girl Higgins received some big items for her nursery: Dresser, Bassinet, Crib Bedding, Pack and Play and Car seat.

* Half way through the shower Judy brought out a beautiful diaper cake.

* Each person brought a different book for Baby Girl Higgins bookshelf.

* Pink/White Balloons and many decorations filled the room and made it festive.

* Niece Anabelle and friend Lindsey assisted me with opening presents.

New Paint Job

Finally, after almost 6 days and waiting in between rain drops of tropical depression 5, we have a newly painted house. I think I became "ONE OF THOSE" high maintenance clients for our painter, but that is what happens when you paint a pregnant person's house at the beginning of the the 3rd Trimester. We are very happy with it. The colors, the quality, everything. It looks a million times better and hopefully it will attract some buyers in the spring if we put it on the market.
At the end of the day, we are still next to an ugly blue house. In different, the paint that was on there was 10 years old and covered in mold.












BEFORE PHOTOS (To Appreciate the Difference):

3 pounds 5 ounces

Today we had our perinatal visit to check Baby Girl Higgins heart for any VSD and all looks great! Her heart was beating away at 141 bpm and we saw the four chambers, septum and no VSD. Dr. Ramos said it looks like a healthy baby's heart from what he can see. She also measured 3 pounds 5 ounces and looks great! The sonogram tech also confirmed she is definitely a girl! We didn't have any doubts but always great to confirm.

29 weeks

Baby's now the size of a squash!
Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since she's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs. Thanks to your ever-expanding uterus, it's time to welcome back the constant bathroom dashes. And try your best to forget about any emerging varicose veins -- they might be ugly, but they're harmless and should fade after delivery. Until then, avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time and make sure to get some exercise (it'll boost your circulation).

Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Tomorrow we go for a perinatal sonogram so we will get exact measurements of how big she is growing.

CARPET IS DONE- SCRATCH IT OFF THE LIST!

We are thrilled to report that the carpet is done and complete! Looks and feels great! The guys were awesome and worked for about 5.5 hours straight. It is all the same color, but some rooms have the natural light shining through, where others just have the light from the lamps in the room.
Here are some photos:

78 Days...

Yes we broke into the seventies. I can't believe it. Third trimester has caused me to become more neurotic. Everyone has said I have been pretty calm and surprising cool up until we hit the third trimester mark. This week is flying by and I barely have time to post but here are few updates:
1. Tropical Storm is brewing in the Gulf. We picked one of the rainiest times of the year to paint our house and this four day project is taking forever to get done. Not really the painters fault, more mother nature. Instead of the rains happening at 4 everyday they start at 1 pm. And wind too! Wind is a factor because the paint could be sprayed on to the neighbors house. But the entire body is done. We still need the door, soffit/facia, and bands. Today's forecast is 60% rain and muggy. Not good painting weather. Photo to the left is the upstairs guest bathroom.

2. Carpet is getting installed today. Last night Mike moved all the big stuff and I moved all the little stuff and squeezed two rooms/closet in to two bathrooms. Kind of like a grown up game of tetris. Carpet comes toady and should be finished today...rain or shine. This photo below is of our Laundry room with a printer sitting on top of the washer and the other is the Master Bathroom tub area filled with stuff.














3. Work. Yesterday I spent the entire day with our Op's team. Loved it, but today I need to catch up on emails and plans. Tomorrow, my boss comes into town and we have a guacamole demonstration with summer campers. She is only in town for about 5 hours. She only comes twice a year. I think I can handle it.

4. Fish. I don't eat fish a lot. Probably 3 times a year. Last night I had fish since we went to J.Alexanders for the first time this entire pregnancy. Baby Higgins forced it out of me like 10 minutes later. Not a good site. It was straight up grouper. Some fish is good for you during pregnancy. I googled this morning and found out that you should AVOID and NOT eat Grouper during pregnancy because of mercury. No wonder it came right out. Then all night I have been freaking out that she wasn't kicking as much. I am really driving myself crazy.
This article made me feel a bit better: Science Diet Article.

Rocking Chair

We have our first piece of furniture in the room. What a story. We were out shopping today. We went to take a look at glider at Kanes, it was really rocky to swivel. We saw a big plush recliner, but we thought it might be too big. We went to Macy's and didn't see anything we liked.

While at Kanes, the sales guy said something that stuck, he said, "The best thing about a recliner is that the ottoman gets tucked away. That way, when you are not using the chair, it does not take up space." Genius. This whole ottoman talk I was never considering the space in the nursery, which is not very big.

So that thought stuck with me. I was on the computer IM-ing Judy and we all of a sudden started talking about rocking chairs. I looked up on craig's list and boom, there was a beautiful solid oak rocking chair. I quickly emailed the contact on the post and it was still available. I called my friend Skyra and she jumped on the adventure of going to pick it up. All this time I thought Mike heard me talking about the chair and I thought he saw it on the computer. Well, I moved so fast and Skyra and I went and picked it up in Clearwater.

We came back to the house, I asked Mike to come out to get it out of the truck and found out Mike hates it. He doesn't think it will be comfortable. I told him we would get cushions, but he still thinks we should get a big, recliner. He never came to look at it on the computer and was under the impression that I was going to get something big like a recliner. Well, I brought home a beautiful oak rocking chair instead.

I told him we'll have to wait and see. I think it is perfect size and will match the dresser and crib.

So for now, we have this beautiful rocking chair for Baby Girl Higgins. Don't know how long it will stay, but for now it is here.

Change

I hate change and today I have too much of it. My best friend at Chipotle is leaving us. Today is his last day. He was my buddy from the beginning. I called him almost every day. We been through good times and bad. He is going to work for Home Depot and will do great things.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... we have a yellow half painted house. I was stressed all morning. I thought I had all this figured out, but the painter started asking 100 questions and trying to change my mind. I think we have it figured out, but man what a bunch of craziness. The dog barked all morning as I tried to do Chipotle work. It was a mess.

I am happy the weekend is here. Cheers to that!

28 weeks...

Still an egg plant!
Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit. Sprung a leak? Those thick, yellow drips (called colostrum), are the precursor to breast milk. Try a pair of cotton breast pads and make sure to change them whenever they get damp to avoid the dreaded chafe. Still milk-free? That's normal too -- some women just don't leak.

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.This weekend is our last weekend with nothing big scheduled. I say nothing big as our house gets "washed" today and painting the outside starts tomorrow. Carpet comes next week! We only have 12 weeks till Baby Girl Higgins arrives, but 12 will turn into 8 so fast.
Here is the scheduled for the next four weeks:

Week 29- Vero Shower
Week 30- Las Vegas
Week 31- Dade City Shower
Week 32- Tallahassee FSU Game

Then magically it will be only 8 weeks away! So fast! But lots of great times ahead and I still feel great!

Doctor Visit & Registered with Hospital

Today we went for our 28 week Doctors visit. We saw Dr. Roush. My blood pressure was 127/60... great! Baby's Heart beat was in the high 150's-160... great! I have gained 2 pounds to a grand total of 7 since I have become pregnant.

I did my Glucose Test too. People made this out to be some horrible drink and to be honest it was decent. Tasted just like Hawaiian Punch or a purple hooter shot. I toasted the ladies in the lab and said "Salute" and down the hatch it went. We get the test results tomorrow.

I asked the Doc some questions:

* Am I still Ok to fly at 30 weeks? She said yes, you are doing fine.
* Will there be any effect on Baby's hearing from flying? She said absolutely not.
* How do you know if the baby has dropped? She said usually you don't know, there is less pressure up near your rib cage.
* What is the plan if the baby is breech? Scheduled C-Section (I only asked this cause someone I knew who is 9 months was breech)
* What pediatricians do you recommend? Pediatric Health care Alliance and Health Point
* Did my heart tests come back? She said not yet.

She had a few questions for us?
* Have you consider banking cord blood? I said we have read a bit about it but have not made a decisions. She said at some point during one of your pregnancy she said to consider having one done. The two companies that they go with are: CBR or Viacorp.

* Have you signed up for birthing classes? Yes, we go to St. Joe's Classes in September.

* Have you registered at the hospital? No, I we hadn't but I did this afternoon.

So, that brings me to the next mile stone... registering at St. Joseph's Women's Center. I filled out all the necessary info and click submit. It is amazing how automatic everything is online. Beautiful really. So if I go into labor now or before 10/28/2010, they will be ready for us and can just pull us up on the computer.
Everything from insurance to birth certificate info.

86 days...

Here we are about to enter our 3rd trimester. Time is flying by! We had a great weekend celebrating Mike's birthday with some of his closest friends. Very low key. The photo here is walking into Ruth's Chris. This is pre-dinner, but I am sure the belly was bigger after. I always feel bigger on Sunday/Monday's? I am not sure why?

Still feeling great. Getting warmer as we enter summer's hottest month of the year... August! Tomorrow I go for the Glucose Test. Hope I pass.