'Hello Mommy and Daddy!' Or maybe it was 'Go Away'

Every time we visit the doctor our little guy hides his face, today was no different. Though he was looking straight up, he was squishing his face into the placenta. Kinda gross but the doctor said he's seen babies lick it as well...at least our baby wasn't doing that. After measuring every bone and organ in his body we swung around to attempt to check out the face one more time...we got a small glimpse. In the picture you can see him waving (technically he wiggled his fingers), just below his hand you can see his disgruntled smile, and to the left the umbilical cord. The fuzzy stuff above his head is the placenta.

During the visit we learned that Baby Boy is growing well, 3 lbs 15 oz, and moves A LOT...but I could have told you that. Besides being camera shy and abusing my ribs we left the appointment feeling excited and at ease.

Baby Shower

February 15th I was able to spend the afternoon among friends attending a baby shower hosted by my dear friends Sarah Clatterbuck and Stacy Schieber. It was the perfect Sunday with tasty snacks, great conversation, and of course lots of cute baby goodies.

Hostess Sarah Clatterbuck, future momma, and hostess Stacy Schieber

Grandma Holz & Jessica Hovermale

Two of the cuter guests

Just hanging out

Lots of ohhs and awws over the baby gear

The Curtis girls

Two of a kind, BFF Erin (due 3/23) // Me and Grandma Roosmann

As you can see it was a great day! Thanks to all who attended and generously showered Andy and I with love, support, and baby essentials. Special thanks to Sarah and Stacy who planned and prepared for the day, and my momma for giving up more than 5 hours of her Sunday.

Nesting

10 Signs You're Nesting

1. You find yourself scrubbing the bathroom tiles while taking a relaxing bath.
2. You watch yourself transform into a drill sergeant and insist that in one weekend your bedroom be painted, curtains hung, head and foot-board are attached and decor hung on the walls.
3. You recruit/convince family members to clean your home.
4. You sneak into your husbands dresser removing shirts you're sure need to be cleaned but that he's hording.
5. After a shower you realize you're standing on the toilet naked wiping down walls.
6. You're convinced that 'Magic Erasers' are actually magic.
7. The bed sheets must be straightened and folded to your specifications before you can even consider sleeping.
8. At 10 below zero you are in the garage sweeping.
9. You cannot leave the bathroom unless you have taken a damp cloth to the floorboards.
10. One day after being released from the hospital your husband must forcefully remove you from the kitchen where he has found you on all fours wiping down cabinet doors.

Famous by association...

While God is busy knitting a baby in my body he has been very busy knitting two in Andy's sister and brother-in-law's hearts. Kara and Ryan have been planning, praying and working for months with the intention of adopting two children from Rwanda. While Andy and I feel amazed daily to see our little guy moving inside me (a bit creeped out sometimes too) we are equally encouraged to see God's hand in the multiplication of the Higgins family. Just recently God passed word to the Kansas City Star that the Higgins family is doing His will and the word is out in the state of Kansas.

***Click on the post title to read the article***

Update/Detour

After almost one full week at home taking it easy I ventured back to work Monday with some anxiety. My Braxton Hicks contractions have continued but with time spent sitting and staying calm they have been less regular and less intense. That being said, I'm a teacher and it's no desk job, so I'm feeling pretty stiff/sore and tired. My students have been awesome, well-behaved, and a bit curious about the entire process, so all in all it was a successful workweek.
The weekend started off less successfully however. Friday after work, Andy and I met at our doctor's office for our first appointment since the bladder infection trauma. Dr. Bassett wanted to preform a FFN test to see if there were any signs of pre-term labor. Andy and I were excited at the idea as we would like some finite results to tell us if anything is going on or if I'm just that lucky girl who will experience Braxton Hicks contractions starting at 26 weeks. The down side is that it meant waiting 24 hours to get the results. When we told Dr. Bassett we had planned a trip to KC he was hesitant to offer the okay for travel. After a busy workweek, three hours up and back in the car, and little down time, Dr. Bassett wasn't sure it was a wise idea.
Andy and I were really looking forward to our weekend plans and thought, Doctor shmoctor, what does he know. So, at 6pm we picked up Andy's dad, Craig, and headed to KC. I was feeling uncomfortable and a bit uncertain about our decision but holding strong...until I saw the sign "Kansas City 170 miles". Though I've made this trip countless times it suddenly hit me that we were going to be 171 miles away from the medical staff I'm comfortable with, and was suddenly overwhelmed with homesickness. Tears developed out of nowhere and plans were changed. 20 minutes outside of Nebraska City I made a call to the Roosmann household and asked them to meet me in Neb. City and take me home. Craig (the poor man experienced more drama than he thought possible for one car ride) dropped us off with our weekend gear leaving Andy and I sitting in the gas station looking like two abandoned kids. With my puffy face and Andy's concerned brow, I'm sure we could have gotten a ride to just about anywhere. After several odd looks from fellow travelers, my mom came to the rescue. So, we took a detour to Lincoln via Kansas City. Special thanks to Craig and Sue whose weekend plans were changed by our indecision. Thankfully, today we received good news that the test came back negative, and we are in the clear, at least for the next two weeks.