2 weeks to go!

Wow, where has the time gone? I'm in shock still that I'm even pregnant. I get so teary eyed when I think of what an awesome blessing God has given us. I am so nervous about taking care of him, but excited too. I can't wait to hold him.

It has been a busy month. I was so blessed to have 3 baby showers and JW had one too! A man shower :). As you'll see from the photos it was fun, and really funny.

Thanks to Amber and Brenda for a really Tiggerific Shower!

My CenterPoint Church Family was so wonderful. What a huge turnout.

JW's work, at NCTR, gave a really nice shower. It was sweet of them. They are good people. Thank God for a wonderful job.

Our friends Don Martin and Martin Jackson were nice enough to head up the daddy shower. JW said he had a great time. It was really awesome to see Brandon again. (His friend from college, we miss him a lot! He lives in Fayetteville, so we don't get to see him very often.) Our friend Angie Griffin made the cake, it even had a baby in the treasure chest. So cute (sorry guys, I know that cute isn't manly but it is so cute!)

We've been seeing the doctor regularly and now a specialist to make sure Joseph is growing normally. We see the doc tomorrow so we are looking forward to another good report. I know you'll probably think no way she's 8months by my pics but I promise I am! Joseph was 4lbs and 8oz two weeks ago, I'm expecting bigger tomorrow b/c he feels like he is growing a lot. I'll try to report again tomorrow. Keep the prayers for a healthy baby coming, they're working.

The picture on the left is in our nursery. I'll post pictures of all the drawings I've done once the crib is up. Hopefully that will be tonight! Well, I'm off to work on the nursery. It's almost done!

The Rocky Mountains

Okay, so I had not seen real mountains before and our hostess, Teal Elliott, took us to Rocky Mountain Park by way of Estes Park on Wednesday. Thanks Teal! It was so beautiful. Above are pictures of Estes Park. You could only drive about 35mph because it was so curvy and you never knew if you turned a corner if wildlife would be on or near the road. The far right pic is a stone top. It was just cool looking.

When we entered the park I was in awe. God has really created so much beauty. I got to see elk for the first time. They are huge! The mountains still had some snow on them. If you haven't been there, go. It is so pretty. I also saw these little animals called pikas. They are bigger than a chipmunk, but not by much. I couldn't get a picture b/c they were so fast. They are cute though. The mountains are so impressive.

Road Trip!

Monday, April 27, Debbie (my mother-in-law) and I left for Denver. We arrived Tuesday afternoon. What a trip. We drove to Salina, KS on Monday and than to Denver (Aurora) on Tuesday. Such an interesting trip. I have never been further than Kansas City, I think. I have an uncle who lived in KS at one time, but I don't remember where. I tell you what, I haven't seen such stretches of land with nothing practically on them. It was really cool at one point we turned this corner and here were all these wind turbines. Amazing!

We both really need this trip. Who knows the next time I'll get to take a long trip and Debbie has been helping Granny recover from her fall. So far it has been great. Two things we found really funny was the tolls you have to pay and one had a sign that said "Exact change, coins only, no pennies." Since when are pennies not coins? The other thing was that winds were really high, like 20+ mph. When we came toward the end of the windy area there was an electronic sign that read, 'High Wind Advisory.' We were like, really? Duh! We've only been driving in it for the last 3 hours!!!! Some things are just dumb.

7 months and counting

We had our 7th month appointment on April 22. Things are looking good. I was a little surprised to find I had gained 9lbs this month! So overall I have gained 21lbs. I sure don't look like it, thank God Almighty :) Dr. Breniman is so good and makes me laugh. He measured my belly for the first and said, "Yep, you're pregnant." It was funny. BIG NEWS: we set the birthday! So mark your calendars: June 29 Joseph Martin Higginbotham will be arriving at 7:30am. OMG! I can't wait and am nervous all together. It is only two months away and it is barely real. However, setting that date made it very real. He is a healthy little boy who likes food already. He seems to move as soon as I eat to say, Yeah food.
To me, Ethan, my nephew has had the most memorable things to say. He is so smart, and only 3, and he remembers I'm having a baby. Every time he sees me he asks, "You have a baby in your belly, don't you?" And I tell him yes. A Couple of weeks ago I got to go to gymnastics, eat lunch and go to the park with Amber, Randy and Ethan. It was so much fun. At lunch Ethan asked his question than said he wanted a baby in his belly and daddy's belly too. Amber and I told him only girls could have babies and he gave us a look like, 'that's not fair.' We laughed and he broke out in a smile. Last week my visit produced a very special moment. He asked his question and than just said, "He's a good baby." And we talked about babies crawling and pooping (poop is always a big topic :) ). I always enjoy my visits with them, thanks Amber for letting just drop in. LOVE YOU! Praise God for little boys.

Entering the 7th month

Wow, the time has went by so fast! Over the past few months we have been steadily getting ready for Joseph's arrival. Last month we discovered that Joseph is set to be about 7lbs. We are getting the house ready by flooring the attic and cleaning out his room. We are talking about what to do with all our swords, we are huge collectors with about 27 swords I think! And looking at everything in the house that needs to be moved, packed, given away. Speaking of which, we have decided to find a new home for our boys, two male cockatiels. We love them, most of the time :), but they require so much more than we can give. It makes me sad because we have had them almost 10 years! God will help us find them a great home, it is the best for them and us. Other changes: We had our last night being youth leaders on March 29 and April 12 was our last offical day in the coffee shop at church. We are hoping that this new time we have will be filled with family. We miss them and they miss us, hopefully. :) My Premier business is growing and doing well. I love giving away jewelry!

As far as the pregnancy goes, things are wonderul. Joseph is moving more and more. I love it when he moves, except when he presses hard on my bladder (that really hurts!). My weight is great, only 12pounds so far. I still get tired and from time to time food doesn't agree with me. My off list currently is broccoli, carrots and beans. I love them but they cause the worst gas! I am happy that my biggest problem is gas, pretty funny huh?

We have been registery for baby stuff. Baby R Us and Target so far with Walmart to go still. there is sooooo much a kid needs! It's going to be so fun, even if it is a lot of work. I can't wait to meet my son!

I'll post a picture soon of me. The last one I took the shirt was too busy to tell anything.

IT'S A BOY!

After the all the waiting and antipation we found out today we are having a boy. Joseph Martin Higginbotham. He's already cute! He's also ahead of schudule. I am at 20 weeks and 5 days and he is at 21 weeks and 2 days. He weighs about 14oz. The doctor said everything is in order and he looks great. I too am doing well. I have gained another 2 pounds, a total of 8. Very thankful for that. He is making sucking motions already, we got to see it. He has my nose :) and long legs. As you can see they are almost as long as his little body. His femur was very visible. His little heart beating at a healthy 167 bpm. We are so excited and JW can't keep from smiling. I'm so glad for him, having a son is a great thing for a guy. He's going to be a wonderful dad. How awesome is God?!

It's My Birthday!

So, the day was a good one. After lunch I went home and worked on my computer for a while. JW came home a bit earlier (love you dear!), and we went to TaMolly's for supper. We had a great time, as you can tell:

After dinner JW and I went to see 'He's not that into you.' It was about a 7 out of 10, a few areas I didn't appreciate. I did get a gaint pickle! JW beat me up in Galaga before the movie, I think that is a first!

It was a great birthday, thanks everyone for the great gifts. I love you all!

The ups and downs of pregnancy

So I'm in my fifth month now, the pic is from a couple of weeks ago. Things are going good. I still have tiredness and nausea issues, but I'm assured these will pass. It is still so hard to believe that there is life growing inside me. I'm looking forward to feeling the baby move. We had our last Doc appointment about 2 weeks ago and the heartbeat is good and strong (still 150bpm).

A couple of nights ago I had the worst gas EVER!!!!!!!!! Because of certain medical issues I can only really burp and the other night my stomache starting expanding. At first it hurt so bad I thought I was having a flare up! Finally I called the doctor to see what I could take. It hurt so much I couldn't eat dinner. He told me I could take some Gas-X, which I did, to almost no avail. It started at 4:30pm and lasted until like 1:30am. My gosh it hurt so bad. That was not fun AT ALL!

After our doc appointment a couple of weeks ago we went to Burlingtons to look around and well, I could'nt resist this outfit: How adorable is that? That evening we stopped by my brother's house to see everyone. I was talking with my nephew, Ethan (who is 3 tomorrow!) about the baby and he was so sweet. He told me to open it up because he wanted to see it. Than he said to open it up so he could give it his toys. He is ready for his cousin to get here so they can play. It is going to be so interesting to watch them grow together.

Today is my birthday, a big 33! I started Physical Therapy this week to help stregthen my body while baby is aboard, and come to find out a lot of my neck and hip issues are getting resolved. I was there this morning and they wore me out! After I got to have lunch with my dad and Jim. It was a great time. Thanks for lunch, Jim! it was soooo good. BTW, I did go home and take a nap :)

We are supposed to try and find out if we are having a girl or boy on Feb 23. I am so excited, I can't for that day to arrive.

New Day, New blog!

So, my first 'new' blog wouldn't accept comments, so I hope this one works. Today is so pretty, but cold. There was a huge cardinal in my back yard just a while ago, but I couldn't get my camera quick enough. So, I thought I would finally put out the bird suet I have had for months now. In the front there are several little birds and a few blue jays. They compete with the neighborhood cats for our yard. Most of the time that is okay with me, unless the cats dig in my garden. Anyway, that is my current ramble of the moment!

Posting Again

So, I finally thought I would get back to blogging. JW and I are excited to be at 14 weeks pregnant. I had a rough emotional day but my wonderful husband brought me flowers. I'm thankful for him. We go the doctor in 2 weeks. I can't wait to see the baby again!

A Busy time of year

Easter is almost here. Spring is offically here. I've been really busy. I've planted two new gardens, I should have pics soon. I've also been working extremely hard on our Easter Program. Everyone is invited. I bet you've never seen one like this (unless, of course you've been to JR before.) Come out to CenterPoint Church. April 1st at 10am and 6pm to see Jesus Revolution. You won't want to miss it.

Is anyone out there?

Just wondering if anyone is reading this blog? If not I will stop writing in it.

N.O.W

This past Sunday we started rehearsals for Easter. Wow! Sunday night we had NOW (Night of Worship). I just love being a part of helping others worship God. If you have never seen teenagers praise the Almighty as one group you are surely missing out. I get to run lights. I love it!

Our Pastor has really been preaching some great stuff. I am going to be making a website with my sermon notes. Anyone interested? Current teaching is on Jesus: The Open Door.

Easter is too close

So I just finished Christmas and tonight had a meeting for Easter. Wow! Things go really quickly. So busy at times. Looking forward to summer already!

I started a myspace

Tonight I entered another world and started a myspace. Want to see it? Just go to: http://www.myspace.com/meltigger

Let me know what you think!

New Year's Eve Disco Party

Our Youth Group XS had a New Year's Eve Party from 10 pm to midnight. We had a blast. The leaders had more fun than the kids though, as you can tell.

Christmas

Christmas this year was so wonderful. Last year was hard but this year watching my family and friends was just great. We had Christmas Eve at my parents and Christmas Day at JW's parents.

Watching my little nephew was hiliraous. He would get into one present just to have it taken so he could open the next and he didn't understand. He would just start crying b/c we took his toy until he saw the next one. Although, I think the adults enjoyed his toys almost as much. All the guys played with Ethan's maracas. Very funny. At one point of the night Dad hit his toe that he had already injured and it hurt really bad. You could tell by the look on his face. However, Ethan thought it was the funniest thing ever. He would look at Dad, laugh, get a bit closer and laugh again. Sorry, Dad.


JW's family from Lousiana came up. Both his uncles haven't been here in ages. Dulane always comes up but Dewey usually has to work. It was great seeing all the family together. Don, Jennifer and Rachel over and enjoyed time with the family. I'm so glad they came.


The Martins, Powells & Higginbothams


Dad, Rach & Peppi


Uncle Dulane


Higginbothams, Wiltheis, & Powells

Mayhem in Bethlehem

Dec. 17, 2006
I've finally gotten a few minutes to update. December was a BUSY month. This day we had our Christmas program. It was fun, but exhausting. We found out the day before after dress rehearsal that our t-shirt guy was not going to come through. So, JW and I spent all afternoon buying shirts and materials, then spent until 2am making the shirts. They turned out great and everyone loved them, thank goodness.


The program was so wonderful. We had almost 400 people there! The program was what if a news team had covered the birth of Christ. It was great. The kids had worked since September on it and it went off without too much trouble. Our 'camera operator' was gracious enough to step in and sing a solo, and Laci did fabulous. Can that girl sing! Brandon, aka Noah Lott, made some recoveries that I haven't seen professionals do. Good job. There was one scene that had the Wise Men looking for Jesus (of course they never show up b/c Biblically they didn't arrive for about 2 years after His birth). I had made this camel for the boys to have in tow and wouldn't you know it one of the boys decided to give the camel a jump started and smacked his backside, this made everyone laugh so he did it again, about 6 more times. Very funny. All in all I'm so glad to have done this play. I know God was pleased and I was blessed. Thank God for little children.

Ah, Christmas

I love Christmas! It IS the most wonderful time of the year. JW and I took advantage of Black Friday. We actually got up at 3am to go shopping. I was a bit surprised at the people that were doing the same and got up even earlier than we did. We spent the whole weekend doing Christmas stuff: shopping on Friday and decorating on Saturday. For the first time since we have gotten married we have Christmas lights on the outside of our home. It is so great to be able to do these things. People really don't know how well they have it if they can just walk around for a bit, never mind climbing ladders and yard work.

Here are pics from our fun-filled, and sometimes frustrating decorating day.

JW got a new ladder. Lights go up. JW cleaning gutters, yuck!

Here are the great results: