19 Weeks

On Friday morning I went into Phil's office to give the secretary something and he was standing there on hold waiting to talk to someone on his cell phone. I began talking with Betsy and we took care of the business we needed to. Then all of the sudden Phil's eyes got really big and he proclaimed,
"You really look like you are with child. You must have popped in the last few days, because up until now I didn't think you looked pregnant."

Do you want to know what I thought? Well if not, I am going to tell anyways. I thought,
"Yes, Someone, other than Garrett after constant prodding, actually thinks I look pregnant!"
It was a small moment, but one that was very validating. The belly obsession continues, and its not looking like it will dwindle anytime soon:)

Yesterday was a tough day. Grant had his first slalom race of the season, and something happened in the 4th turn on the first run. He twisted his knee, blew out, hiked to get through the gate he missed and tried to finish. He told me he was in so much pain that when he got to the flats he just couldn't finish and ended up falling.

We ended up in the clinic and saw a great doctor, Dr. Price. He was optimistic that Grant had not torn his minicus, wanted to get and MRI to be sure. He was leaning towards a tear or strain of his Left LCL or lateral collateral ligament. Grant begins PT twice a week asap, and hopefully will recover soon enough to race well this season. He is such a good skier and it was so hard to see him thinking about the loss of something he has worked so hard for.

After the doctor we went to Subway for a treat, and while in the car he looks at me and says, "Well if I cant ski, I can hunt! I guess its not all bad."

Such a Higerd. If its not skiing then its hunting. I guess being 14 in Mammoth could be a whole lot worse:)


So I have been feeling the baby move a lot in the past few days. It has been so fun because I now know what to feel for. Whenever I am still I can feel the little one flipping around in there. The baby seems to be quite a little in utero acrobat. I am really enjoying this stage of my pregnancy.

So onto week 19 Development:

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and s/he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The baby's arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on the scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

So exciting:) I cant wait to know if the baby is a him or a her. Whats your guess?

Garrett is Smart

So on Wednesday night Garrett and I were headed to Crowley for a bible study. He rushed home from Bridgeport, I fed him something quick, I believe it was left-over lasagna, put Gus in his kennel, and we headed out the door. While driving to Crowley he looks at me and says,
"After the baby comes I don't think we'll both be able to attend very many mid-week meetings."

I replied, " Yeah I guess so. But what made you think of that?"

He says, " Its not like were going to be able to put the baby in a crate and leave it for three hours."

I started laughing. He is exactly right. We will never be able to leave the baby at home alone, in a metal cage and head off to do something alone. I have no problem leaving the dog, and have no moral qualms about it. In fact, I am a strong proponent of crate training any and all dogs. I am so thankful to have such a brilliant husband who can show me the difference between our child and our dog:)

Anyway, I thought that was a funny little anecdote from our lives and thought you might enjoy it...

19 weeks and going strong. Ill post some development stuff tomorrow:)


Here is a picture of Gus as a 9 week old pup in his kennel, just for reference:)

Does Every Preganant Woman Think Things Like This?

So I woke up this morning thinking about the movie "The Abyss" , its an obscure 80's movie by James Cameron, and was wondering about Ed Harris' character and if he could really have breathed liquid oxygen. In the movie he must travel down into the abyss and its so deep that regular oxygen wont work. They fill his tank with liquid O2, and they tell him to breathe it in and his body will remember how to breathe like when he was in the womb.

Now I am not stupid enough to believe that this could actually happen, but it did get me thinking about my baby and how it will be breathing. Everything I have read suggests that the baby's internal organs are developing and that includes the lungs. Lung maturity wont be complete for a awhile but does the baby breathe while in the womb? I know the first breathe outside the womb is a big deal, its the moment everyone waits for, the moment that gets people worries if the baby doesn't scream.... Nevertheless, I am just wondering about it.

I am sure other pregnant mothers wonder strange things, but I think this might be an extremely strange one...

O Christmas Tree!

Last week sometime Garrett told me that he wanted to take me on a date to cut down our Christmas Tree this year. I was so excited because the last three years I have bought $20 trees from IKEA, and having grown up in Mammoth that is quite unacceptable.

Yesterday afternoon after church we loaded up Gus in the backseat of the cab of the truck, since it was 20 degrees outside and I refuse to have a frozen dog, and headed up past Bridgeport almost to Walker to hunt down a nice fir tree. This past week we received some snow, so it made it feel all that much more Christmassy. We played Christmas Carols and drank hot beverages. It was a really fun time.

We found our tree after hunting for about 20 minutes in the 15 degree weather. I wouldn't have lasted much longer. And besides I had to pee.

I wanted a picture with the tree too!

Look how cold we are... you can see it in our noses.

Garrett tying the tree to the truck...isnt he a handsome mountain man!

Grant came over to help us decorate the tree, and decided I was too picky about the lights so he left the light stringing to me. I guess I am more like my dad in some areas than I thought.

Here we are much warmer, and with a decorated tree.
If you look closely you might find some thing that could remind you of Gus
as Phil so delicately put it.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you love your tree as much as I love mine:)

I love my belly!

So at week 18 I have started showing so much that I think I look really pregnant. I dont' know how much others agree with me but I am constantly looking in the mirror and touching my growing belly. I am so happy to look like I am growing a baby and not just chubby. Garrett has begun touching my belly more and even at night when we are going to sleep he reaches over and rubs my tummy to tell the baby goodnight. It makes me smile.



On to Week 18 development:

How your baby's growing:

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she/he weighs almost 7 ounces. The baby is busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. The blood vessels are visible through the thin skin and the ears are now in position and stand out from the head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that will continue for a year after the baby is born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. (http://www.babycenter.com/)

I am getting anxious to find out the baby's gender. Unlike Mari and Liz I haven't a name for the baby in utero... so its been challenging to limit the reference to "it". Hopefully we will be able to schedule an ultrasound before Christmas and do a big reveal when all the family is home. But we will just have to wait and see.

I am excited to start calling the baby by name once we know the baby's parts. All that depends on us deciding upon a name. Little boys names are hard.... Any suggestions? I know that is a dangerous request, but at this point I am starting to get desperate. I refuse to have a child that is three weeks late because his daddy can't/won't decide on a name:) ha ha!

I think I felt the baby move in the middle of the night the other night as I lay awake between 2:30 and 3:45 am. It felt like I had a butterfly flying inside my tummy. I felt something move and I wasn't moving. It was surreal, but I am still waiting to feel the baby in a way that makes me know with out a doubt that he/she is moving around in there.

I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and will hopefully be able to schedule the ultrasound then. So until I have more news...

I think Ill go and eat some Ice Cream:)

Pregnancy Week 14

Ok, so I am a huge slacker and have been the worst pregnancy blogger in all of pregnancy blogging history. However, I have only had functioning internet at my apartment for 5 days so all things considered I think I am doing pretty well.

That being said, the last seven weeks of pregnancy have been externally uneventful. I haven't popped yet, but I think I am just now beginning to show. I have felt well and have regained my energy. I have been so thankful that I can stay awake for more than two consecutive hours. Around week 9 Garrett went with me to the first OB ultrasound. It was so neat. We saw the little baby and heard its heartbeat. It sounded like a train, " Chuga-Chuga, Chuga-Chuga..." It was incredible. Thankfully Garrett kept his color during the visit and didn't have to leave unexpectedly like he has had to do in the past. I am gaining confidence that my otherwise steady and resourceful husband will make it through delivery without his own set of nurses.

I had another ultrasound this past Friday and I am so greatful to the Lord because the ovarian cyst I have had for over an year and a half has shrunk to 1/3 of its original size. I have an appointment with the doctor to evaluate the ultrasound measurements, but if the cyst remains as is, then the threat of surgery during pregnancy has all but gone away.

I found this today and it captured my feelings this afternoon so here it is:


A few weeks ago I read that the baby's ears had developed and that he/she could hear us. So both Garrett and I have been talking to the baby. I have contemplated reading to the baby, but I haven't gotten up the nerve. In all seriousness, isn't it kind of strange to read books, play music, or even talk to, a small little person growing inside of your belly. When I start to really think about what is actually taking place inside my body, I can get a little freaked out. I am growing a baby. A person is growing and developing inside of me. Sometimes I wish I could shut down the part of my brain that engages in critical thought.


Week 14 Development:
Your baby weighs almost one ounce, and is 3 to 4 inches in length. Your baby's bladder is beginning to function and, believe it or not, your baby actually begins urinating. In fact, although doctors are not really sure how or where your baby's urine is produced, they do know it is one component of the amniotic fluid, which regenerates itself every 3 to 4 hours.

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active. (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-14-weeks_1103.bc)

Pretty Exciting Huh. Well thats all for now, and I promise Ill do better in the near future:)

Week #13

Week 13 Development:

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce

Pregnancy Week 7

So this is what's happening in the babies development this week:

Your baby’s fluttering heart would show up on an ultrasound performed this week. He or she is between 0.56 and 0.8 inches from crown to rump - or about the size of a grape - its liver is churning out large amounts of red blood cells, and will continue to until the bone marrow forms and takes over this function. Week eight marks the beginning of a very busy developmental stage: its face continues to change as the ears, eyes and the tip of the nose appear; the intestines start to form in the umbilical cord; and your baby's teeth begin to develop under the gums. (www.pregnancyweekly.com)

I have started to feel nauseous the past few days and have not enjoyed that in the least. It seems that I am most prone to feeling sick between Breakfast and Lunch. At about 10:30 I am hungry and need to eat. I have yet to throw up but have wanted to to relieve the yucky feeling.

Thats all I got for now, I am going to go take a nap.

Pregnancy and Sleep

I have always been a girl who could sleep. In high school, I was the one who slept until 7:20 threw on some clothes and barely made it to school on time. Saturday and Sunday consisted of little more than sleep and football. I remember my Mom being concerned that I wouldn't wake up before noon if I didn't have someplace to be. Since being married to a man who doesn't like to sleep as much as I, I have slept less, but was always able to sneak in a nap here and there. Saturday mornings I would sleep in until 930 or so, but nothing like my teenage years.

Let just say that being pregnant has changed all that! I can sleep like never before. I have been going to bed, well actually falling asleep on the couch at 9:30ish, and sleeping there until 10. I then stumble to bed and immediately fall back to sleep like I never even woke up. I sleep wonderfully until 1:30 when I wake up having to go to the bathroom so badly its like I have forgotten to pee for the past 6 months. I stumble into the bathroom, I have learned to leave the light off it helps the falling back to sleep process, do my business and return back to bed. I sleep until about 5:30 waking occasionally having had some random dream which I never remember. At this time I must pee again. What! I haven't had anything new to drink since before I went to bed and I emptied my bladder like 4 hours ago... What gives. I then return to bed and sleep nicely until Garrett lovely asks me to make his lunch at about 6:45. At 7 when he leaves for work, I go back to bed and can sleep until 9:30 or so. I get up and eat because I am awoken by a feeling that says, "Eat now or you will regret it in 5 minutes." I usually eat a bowl of cereal, the 3 berry blend fake Cheerios from Trader Joe's have been hitting the spot. I wash that down with some Gatorade, and my vitamins that make me gag.

After breakfast, I have been reading a book Abby gave me called Great Expectations. Its great...haha. It breaks the pregnancy down weekly rather than monthly which is helpful. I like it a lot. Did you know that during pregnancy your blood volume grows causing you to gain aprox 4 lbs.? Crazy. Well after my morning reading, some days I take a nap. I have been sleeping on the couch with the wonderfully soft blanket KK gave Garrett and me for Christmas last year. It's a great nap blanket. I can sleep until 11 or 11:30, because by then that awful feeling of eat or die returns. So I eat.

The afternoon passes by with some occasional nausea and the reminder that I must be eat. But I am for the most part normal...

It's the evening that is hard. After I make dinner, eat and do some cleaning up, I am so tired that I must rest. I must say that Garrett has been wonderful and has really been helpful in the chores department. I think he has done the dinner dishes every night for over a week. He is a wonderful man. This is the time that I can be found back on the couch under the fabulous nap blanket, with some sort of a book nodding off here and there in between chapters. I am out cold by 9:30 and the process starts all over again.

Women who work while pregnant are women to be honored. I don't know how they keep their eyes open let alone stay productive. And the whole multiple children thing, how you are this tired and must continue being a Mommy is unbelievable to me! I am thoroughly impressed by Mom's who have little ones and are pregnant. Especially having 2 under 2! :)

All I can say is that I am glad that Garrett had enough wisdom to encourage me to finish school before trying to get pregnant. Finals and pregnancy would have sucked!

Praise Songs vs. Hymns

I ran across this today and thought it was pretty funny as well as a nice honest criticism of each.

Praise Songs explained…

Not long ago a farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”
“Praise choruses,” said his wife, “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this—If I were to say to you:
`Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Martha Martha, Martha,
Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,
the cows, the big cows,
the brown cows,
the black cows,
the white cows,
the black and white cows,
the COWS, COWS, COWS
are in the corn,
are in the corn,
are in the corn,
are in the corn,
the CORN, CORN, CORN

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.”

Hymns explained…

A young, new Christian from the big city attended the small town church one weekend. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns,” said his wife, “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The young man said, “Well it’s like this—If I were to say to you, `Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn.
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.

Then, if I were to do only verses one, three, and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”

Pregnancy Week 6

Ok, so I am pregnant! Its very exciting and also very overwhelming. I have been feeling a little nauseous in the evenings, but nothing incapacitating... Garrett is also very excited. He is looking forward to being a Daddy. When I told him I thought I might be pregnant, his response was, "Are you kidding me?" I guess it happened a little sooner than we expected. But, nevertheless, we are overjoyed.

Food Issues:
I love hard boiled eggs. They are a great source of protein and easy to eat on the run. However, I will no longer be eating hard boiled eggs. I tried the other morning and was unable to finish it. Food Aversions, Here I come! Isn't that sad.
And, I hate taking vitamins, they make me gag. I almost puke every morning when I take them!
I am loving everything Gatorade. It tastes delicious to me, and is much more flavorful than plain water. But don't fear, I am drinking plenty of water too!

So here are some interesting facts about what is happening in the little baby's life:

Fetal Development Week #6

Your baby's heart is dividing into chambers and will soon find a more regular rhythm. Your little embryo is about 0.08 to 0.16 inches from crown to rump (about the size of a BB pellet) and looks more like a tadpole than a human. But it undergoes a tremendous growth spurt this week: Its major organs - including the kidneys and liver - begin to grow; the neural tube, which connects the brain and spinal cord, will close this week; and your embryo's upper and lower limb buds begin to sprout, which will form the arms and legs. The intestines are also developing and the appendix is in place; and its facial features are starting to form, the nostrils are becoming distinct, and the earliest versions of the retinas of the eyes are forming.(www.pregnancyweekly.com)

Thats all for now:)

Why the Sierra's are Great

Having spent the last 5 days in Round Valley and Mammoth I cant help but be happy. In anticipation of moving back up there I was struck by all the things I like about Mammoth, which surprised me much more than I expected. Yeah, I grew up in a small town so I know what small town life is like, but having lived in the city for the last three years, I had forgotten the subtleties of small town life.

Did you know it is impossible to "run in" to the grocery store?

How about the impossibility of getting gas with out seeing someone you know even at 2 in the morning?

What about the Post Office being the most likely place you will see that person you have been avoiding.

Where the conveniences of the city, aka: places to spend money, don't exist.

Now at face value these observations don't seem all that great. But its perspective that allows me to see that although these circumstance make life just that much more difficult, make life just that much more inconvenient, make life just that much more intra personal, for me it makes life just that much more enjoyable.

I had forgotten what the stars looked like. I had forgotten what quite sounded like. I had forgotten what it was like to wake up with the sun shining in on my face. I had forgotten what it was like to take a nice walk. The kind I use to take with this particular boy I fell in love with.

All these things I miss. I guess its time to admit to my self that I miss the Sierra's.

But will we move back? That is still unknown. Garrett's interviews went well, and once we know more about a job, we can make the biggest decision we will have ever made:) And I mean that with all seriousness. The decision to move back to Mammoth has been the most difficult decision we have had to make, and we haven't even made it yet...

Sunday Afternoon

So today after church I decided to go out to the pool and finish Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I did and can't wait to start book #2, but Garrett said he wanted to stay in the house because Gus isn't allowed in the pool area... Well just look and see what took place...



Gus is a great little swimmer and Garrett is so proud of him. Truly its like a son. At times I am worried we have become those weird people who "really love their dog." If you would agree, please help us... How do you overcome the weird dog-owner status? I really don't want to be that woman who incessantly talks about her dog.

On another note, I am loving Harry Potter. I made the mistake of watching the first movie the other day with my brother and sister, and I am very sad I did so. I kept seeing the story as the movie depicts it and I hate that. Luckily, I don't remember much of what happened in the other films. I watched them long ago, and I am not the person who remembers a movie scene for scene... I have been doing some Harry research, with all my free time, and I am wondering why J.K. Rowling calls the Sorcerer's Stone a Philosopher's Stone.... It is an English thing? Also, Nicholas Flamel is a real guy. He, according to legend, did manufacture and Philosopher's Stone, whatever that is, and he was also mentioned in Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. Who knew?

Graduation Weekend

Graduation Weekend was very fun. It was wonderful how so many people came to share in the party. Here are a few pictures.

Payne Family at SDSU Grad

Me and my Babe at Graduation, notice the Cal Poly colors, not on accident...

With little Bing at Grad.

It was cold at the park, we had to spoon to keep warm.

I love kissing pictures!

Kathy and Phil at Buca di Beppo.

Mom, KK and Michael in typical form.

Little Nissi made it to the party and was a very good girl.

19 at Buca di Beppo!

Grams and Jimmy at our home.

At the Wild Animal Park on the Carousel.

Hannah looked cute on the white Tiger.

Last day of classes

So today was my last day of classes, and I must admit it feels a little anticlimactic. I came home after getting a frozen yogurt treat with Katie, took the dog for a walk, made dinner and got on the the computer. Ummm, nothing in my life has changed. Now I realize that I might sound strange, but I had some expectation that it would feel different, feel exciting, feel relieving. (Granted its only been like 6 hours) I took my very last exam ever... but somehow it feels like any other semester. I am sure once the family gets here and the real "fun" begins it will feel much more like a party, but as of right now, it feels mundane.
Its interesting, the whole idea of a resolution. Accomplishment is weird. Finishing and reaching goals is an important part of being an adult, as well as being a Higerd, but shouldn't it feel like something when you get there. The truth is, I am actually glad I am wrestling with the lack of feeling. More often than not, I am lead to a weird place by my feelings. My sinfulness is deeply linked to my emotions and this linkage is how I get myself in trouble. Now I am not saying that it is wrong to feel, but I am saying that I am thankful that my feelings are not in charge.
I am however, so excited for this weekend. Its overwhelming to have so many people coming to share in this accomplishment. The mixing of extended families is always so fun to see. I'm graduating from college, I wonder what I will do with the rest of my life?