It's Snowing!

The other day when I was talking to my Aunt Kay I was telling her how beautiful and warm it had been. I was expressing my thankfulness for the warm weather because it means I don't have to bundle Jude excessively every time we leave the house. But during the conversation I did say, "Well you know, it could snow again anytime. It is still pretty early in the spring, and it often snows in May." But to myself I was thinking, "I really hope it doesn't snow. I'm over the cold. I am ready for summer."


Guess what it did Yesterday and is doing right now... That's right snowing! I think, if my brother will come and get me, I'll go to Round Valley and get out of the cold. Hopefully its warm down there.

Here are two videos from this morning's disbelief...

Three Outings

Yesterday was the day for outings I guess.

Garrett's new favorite things is to get Jude all bundled and take him out on Gus's morning walk. They are outside together for about 20 to 25 minutes and I think its the highlight of his day. Garrett totes Jude around in the front pack and takes his puppy out for a walk. Its really sweet to see...Then later in the day my Mom, Dad and I decided to take Jude on his first trip to Starbucks... He thought it was so much fun that he slept the whole time... It was nice to get out and about however. Kathy and Hannah joined us for a little while and it was nice to sit and chat with everyone while drinking a decaf mocha frapichino!

Garrett got home from work right at 6:00 pm which was wonderful. We had a great dinner that was prepared for us and then decided to take our third outing for the day down to Church on the Mountain to go to Bible study. Again Jude was so enthralled that he slept the whole time...


I am not in the least complaining about much Jude sleeps. He is wonderful. He is eating great. He is sleeping great, and when he is awake he is alert and very content. He rarely cries and as far as I am concerned is a perfect baby. I love my son!

The Introduction

Gus had been at my parent's house since Tuesday, and finally got to come home Yesterday afternoon. I wasnt at all nervous about the dog meeting Jude, but I was feeling a little hesitant about how the dog might behave.

Here is a picture of their first meeting...

Things seemed to go well the rest of the afternoon, but Gus pretty much ignored everyone and sat in the corner chewing on his bone. I think he was a little upset at us for leaving him for so many days. He is quite a sensitive dog you know:) Garrett went out to wash the car and do a few other things and took Gus with him later in the day. I think that relieved some of the tension because upon their return Gus was much more himself, although he didn't come over to say hello to me.

He kept his distance for the rest of the night and even when we went to bed he didnt want to sleep in our room with us like he has been for the past several months. Around 3 in the morning when I was up feeding Jude, I noticed Gus had made his way into the bedroom, but was not sleeping in his usual spot, (next to Garrett's side of the bed) but over by the baby. So somehow in his doggy brain I believe he has reconciled the fact that the baby stays, we still love him, and that he must too love the baby.

Here are a few more pictures from this morning's interactions...

Daddy and his two best friends...

Baby and Gus!

P.S. I remember Mari saying that when they returned from the Hospital with Annabelle how big Caroline had become. I know you cant compare a baby to a dog, but Gus is huge now. I always thought he was kind of on the smaller side, but now with such a little baby I no longer think that. My dog is HUGE!

Birth Story in Pictures

50% effaced and 2 cm dialated. We had just begun the pitocin drip...

After 7 hours of pitocin and no change along with the fact that my water had broken 18 hours before, I had tested positive for Group B Strep, and his heart rate didnt rise the expected 15 beats per minute during each contraction, we decided to opt for the c-section. Thankfully the Lord led us to that decision, because Jude's umbilical cord was tightly wrapped around his neck three times.

Daddy triming the cord.

Our first family photo.

Jude Paul Higerd in all his glory.

Please forgive the immodesty, but its the only picture we have of my doctor who reminds me of Molly Shannon from Saturday Night Live.

My contimplative son.

At home after his first ride in his car seat:)

His first nap at home.

Two poops at the doctor's office this morning in the 20 minutes we were there.

Oops, he peed on Daddy!

Jude's First Ride in his swing:)

Mother's Day

Well still no action from baby Jude. From what I can tell he is very comfortable on the inside and would like to stay there for a while. I am getting pretty close to being very ready for him to be born. And I say that in all seriousness. I am getting ready, because I am not sure that I can actually be ready until he decides to make his arrival.

We had a very nice low-key Mother's Day at my parents house. After church we went out to lunch at good ol' Tom's Place and then headed down the hill. We sat on the back porch (another one of my favorite things to do) and then played ping-pong. Well, Mom, Dad, Michael and Garrett played ping-pong, I took pictures. In my condition I would be even worse than I am with out a 25 lb. belly protruding from my abdomen.

Needless to say we missed Chandler:(

Here are a few pictures and a classic "Pam Video"

Feel Sorry for me, Look at those swollen feet:(

And my huge belly, with all those stretch marks...

But, nothing makes me laugh more than my mom!

Quite the Scare

So Thursday evening at about 20 until 6 I started feeling nauseous and light headed. I was at my parents house in Round Valley and Garrett was headed home from Bridgeport. I didn't feel up to driving home to Mammoth by myself, so after 3 text messages and 2 phone calls to Garrett, he agreed to pick me up in Crowley; my mom was willing to drive me that far.

About 15 minutes before we left Round Valley, I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom. To say it nicely, I had some very loose bowels. And afterwards, I was let down because I experienced no relief from the nausea.

We met up with Garrett, headed home and called the hospital. We spoke to the nurse who encouraged me to drink fluids and try to stay hydrated. I attempted to do so but over the next three hours the nausea worsened to vomiting, and the diarrhea continued. I had not been this sick in years. It was the kind of sickness where you aren't sure which way to face the toilet because you aren't sure which side might explode first...:(

After two more phone calls to the Labor and Delivery Nurse and diminished movement from the baby, we decided to go to the hospital at 11:45 pm Thursday night.

Turns out it was a very good decision to go to the hospital. I was so dehydrated that they hung three bags of fluid. The baby was fine and not distressed, but I was glad to have him monitored. The doctor came to visit me and was very encouraging and very helpful in explaining the situation.

I was discharged Friday Morning around 9:00am and spent most of the day on the couch at my in-laws watching television and drinking Gatorade:) I love to do both of those things, so all in all it worked out pretty good.

I was so thankful for all that the nurses and the doctor did for Garrett and I. I cant imagine life without modern medicine...

Baby Name Announcement

So we have decided on a name for our son. Here is something Garrett wrote to explain the name, meaning and significance to us.

Jude Paul Higerd

Drum roll please………………..Yes we have finally decided on a name for our son! Before you decide whether you like it or not (probably too late), we want to share with you all how God has been leading us over the last months while we anticipate the arrival of our son.

Definitions:

Jude is a variant of JUDAS, which was a popular form of JUDAH in the first century. JUDAH comes from the Hebrew name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah) which means "praised". Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the ancestor of the tribe of Judah in the Old Testament. This tribe eventually formed the kingdom of Judah in the south of Israel. King David and Jesus were descendents of Judah. Jude is used in many English versions of the New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. This is the apostle the Catholic church calls Saint Jude - the patron saint of lost causes. This is why there are many hospitals named after him. Jude is also the name of the author of the New Testament book of Jude who was James’ brother and Jesus’ half-brother.


Paul comes from the Roman family name Paulus, which means "small" or "humble" in Latin. The apostle Paul was originally named Saul, the Pharisee and zealous persecutor of the church, but God changed his name after He called him on the road to Damascus. Paul became an apostle to the gentiles and authored most of the epistles in the New Testament.


Thoughts:

We love that both of these names have a Biblical context that showcases God’s redemptive work in history. Both names are honest about the problem of sin in the world (specifically with Judas Iscariot and Saul) and are testimonies to the wonderful power of the gospel. Our prayer is that we would be able to help our son see where he fits into this story – a sinner like his dad, in desperate need of a savior – created to worship and glorify God and experience great joy in doing so. We hope that our son will grow up to be “a proud man seeking humility by the grace of God” like C.J. Mahaney.
We also want to honor Grandpa Paul Payne. Paul experienced the tragedy of losing much of his family as a young man and has been a source of stability for the family ever since. We see evidences of God’s grace in his life and are very thankful for him.

A few months ago ReAnnon had an impression that we should be praying Psalm 71 for Jude. These verses have been especially meaningful to us.

Psalm 71:4-6 and 17-21
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.

This is another scripture verse that has been meaningful to us.

Jude 1:24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.