Two Months Already!

I can't believe another month has gone by. Julie is already 10 weeks old! She had her two month appointment last week, and boy, has she grown! At her 2 week appointment she was 7 1/2 lbs and 21 inches long. Last week she weighed in at 12.0 lbs and was 23 1/2 inches long! Craziness. She has almost outgrown her 0-3 month clothes because she is so long! But she is such a sweet baby and we love having her in our family. She loves to cuddle (although NOT in the cradle position), look at books, and she loves to smile and laugh and be tickled. And since it is now Christmas time (hurray!) her new favorite thing to do is stare at the Christmas tree lights. Also, since yesterday was St. Nikolas Day (a holiday where you put your shoe out at night and St. Nikolas comes by and fills it with goodies and -in our family- a Christmas ornament), Julie now has her first Christmas ornament. We can't wait to celebrate the rest of the season together as a family. Anyway, here's some photo updates:

Julie on her Blessing DayA tired mom and dadHappy Julie... Look at those chubby cheeks! Yes, she gets it from my side of the familyJulie loves her carseat... she's already getting ready for the car ride, where she pretty much always falls asleep

Update and Smiles

Ok, so I have been a BIG blog slacker since our baby was born. Julie Michelle Higgs was born on Spetember 28 which means she is already 6 weeks old (as of tomorrow). We are all doing great. Postpartum period is officially over and both mom and dad are finally adjusting to the new sleep schedule (or lack thereof). The main reason I haven't updated before now is because we don't have the internet at home and it has been difficult to get out often enough to check my email, let alone blog. The other reason is because I am a lazy blogger. Yes, I admit it. But, I will try to update at least once a month. But right now I have to go pick up Arek from school, so I'll leave you with Julie's newest trick - smiling. She is a little camera-shy... this is the only photo we could get of her actually smiling, but she loves to be tickled. She can't laugh yet but her face lights up. It's super cute.

Feels Like an Early Christmas

Tomorrow is the day! Had our last doctor's appointment today (to make sure she hadn't decided to turn at the last minute) and everything is all set for the delivery tomorrow. What have I been doing on my last day without baby? Pretty much nothing. Cleaned the apartment a little bit (I really should dust tonight because I am sure it will be a few weeks before that ever gets done again!), took a walk, watched a movie, took a nap, tried to get into a new book (just finished Jane Austen's Emma... LOVE it!) , and now I am blogging. Hmm... I feel like I need to be productive on my last day before this baby is born but I can't seem to want to. Maybe I will tonight when Arek is done with work and homework...

I still am having a hard time believing tomorrow is the end of this pregnancy and the start of mommy-hood. Where has the time gone?! It has been so awesome being pregnant, feeling this little one grow inside of me, I can hardly believe it is time to meet her! Arek and I are super excited (and scared and intimidated and...) to become parents. We are so excited, it feels like an early Christmas. I already have that Christmas Eve feeling, and I know I am going to toss and turn with excitement all night and not get hardly any sleep. Oh well... starting tomorrow I won't ever get a decent night's rest like I used to (or so everyone has told me)! So... tomorrow we have to check into Labor and Delivery at 5:30 a.m. for pre-op stuff. At 7:30 the surgery is supposed to begin and by 8 (or shortly thereafter) we will have our little baby! Craziness. I better post this before I keep rambling on. It may be a week or two before I have access to the internet again to update... so be patient please :)

Yellowstone

Finally... documented evidence of our trip to Yellowstone. One of my best friends has been working at a bakery & motel up in West Yellowstone, MT, all summer long. Labor Day was the first weekend we were able to go up and visit her. It was SUPER fun to see all the sights (and have such an amazing tour guide... since she spends all her free time there!) and we were also VERY grateful that Arek's cousin Drewann could come up with us.
We made it! :) Actually, this was one of the last photos we took before we LEFT, but still...
Our first geyser... we were pretty excitedOne of the many hot pools... the colors were gorgeous! If only the smell of sulphuric acid wasn't quite so strong!Waiting for Old Faithful to be "faithful"... it sure did take a while
Finally... the grand sight we were waiting for!
Drew, Brynn, and me on a bridge just past the Upper (?) Falls
"A buffalo... a real buffalo!" Yeah... we saw about a million of these. This one was right along side the road while we were driving by, though
Our last geyser for the day... we all forgot our hoodies back at the motel and we were freezing! To emphasize how cold it was: it started snowing on our drive out of the park!

That's all for now... One week from today until Baby's here!

"Funny" baby

Ok so Yellowstone pictures are still coming, I promise. Suffice it to say (for now) that we had an awesome vacation and I have just been too lazy to go through photos and update. But I will...
Anyway, last Friday we had our 36 week appointment (see above belly photo). and at said appointment we discovered that our little girl thinks she is pretty clever or funny or both... take your pick. Either way we found out that she is footling breech. What exactly is that, you might ask? Well at this stage a baby is supposed to be head down. That is good and normal and safe. Frank breech (the most common) is when the baby is bum down (meaning the head is right under the ribs). Footling breech is when the baby is feet first... meaning our baby is pretty much standing straight up and down inside of me, with her head pressed right under my ribs and her feet in my pelvis (see photo). Anyway, so what does this all mean? Well, our doctor let us think things over during the weekend and on Monday we came back for our 37 week appointment (yes she is still breech) to decide what we want to do. The options? Try to turn her or just schedule a c-section. She can't be born the way she is because footling breech babies come out feet first... and that means that the umbilical cord almost always comes out first, too, which is BAD. So, after asking lots of questions we decided to forgo trying to turn her. Our reasoning: The odds were against her turning - the way she is positioned and this being my first pregnancy (i.e. my uterus isn't super stretchy since it hasn't done this before) and my having an anterior placenta. So instead of risking having an emergency c-section, we have scheduled a normal c-section for our baby's birth date. So unless I start going into labor early (hopefully not!) our baby girl will be born around 8 a.m. on September 28 (at our 39 weeks, 2 days mark). That is 2 weeks from yesterday! Needless to say we are super excited to meet this little one and are SO glad to live in a day and age where our "funny" baby can be born safely!

One Month...

Today is September 3rd... which means it is just one month until our baby's due date. The past few weeks I have just been amazed at how close we are to having our little girl. Are we ready?!?! Baby item-wise I know we are not, but that will be rectified in about a week (my baby shower is next Saturday and then we can finally begin buying baby things that we don't get but need/want). Anyway, we are both super excited (and nervous!) to be parents and I think we are just going to be counting the weeks/days for our little one to arrive. Luckily there are lots of things happening this month to keep us busy. For instance: this weekend we are visiting my best friend who works in West Yellowstone, Montana. Next weekend is my baby shower. September 18 is my parents' house party - their house is 100 years old this year. September 25 is my birthday. Mix in doctor's appointments and more baby shopping, Arek's school and work schedules... and I think/hope September (and however much of October she chooses to stay inside) will pass by quickly. Anyway, this is mostly just my rambling thoughts... next week I promise to post something with pictures, which is almost certainly to be of our Yellowstone trip!

Ugly Cupcakes

The other day I asked Arek what treat he was in the mood for and he said cupcakes. Well, it had been a while since we last made cupcakes (or a cake, for that matter) so we quickly whipped up batter for cherry chip cupcakes (they sound weird... but they are not cherry at all; they actually taste like almond extract which reminds me of my favorite childhood candy: divinity... yum!) and put them in the oven to bake. Anyway, for some reason or another the cupcakes mushroomed when they cooked. And when I frosted them... well, you can see for yourself that it didn't turn out pretty. Honestly, I think these are the ugliest-looking cupcakes I have ever made in my life. Good thing looks have very little to do with taste! Regardless of their homely appearance, we are still enjoying eating them! I have learned a valuable lesson, though: next time I make cupcakes that have huge mushroom tops I am definitely going to use a icing bag and just squirt out frosting on top instead of trying to spread it with a knife.

Newest Craft Project

It has been a while since I last did a craft project (since I finished my quilt) but I have been thinking for a long time about what I wanted to make. I knew that I wanted it to be something for our baby but exactly what. Here was my dilema: 1) my mom has made a cute cross-stitch picture that will have the baby's name & birth date whenever she is born, and 2) Arek's mom is making our little one a beautiful quilt. So... what else is there for me to make? Well, I decided to whip out my dusty crochet hook and try my hand at making our little girl a blanket for her baby blessing. We are going to be able to use the baby blessing dress that my mom used for me and all my sisters, but I thought making my baby her very own blessing blanket would be sweet.

Anyway, here is what it will look like when it is completed (hopefully) except in white because, well, it's for her blessing:
And here is how I am progressing... nearly half the rows are completed, then I get to do the border!And I know I am about a week and a half late in posting this, but here is me at 32 weeks! I know to YOU I may not look huge (that's what everyone tells me), but it is so exciting to me and Arek how big our baby and I are getting! :)

Bingham Copper Mine

Last weekend I got off work at three and Arek and I looked at each other and asked, "What should we do this afternoon?" Our answer: drive down Bingham with my dad and two younger sisters and visit the Copper Mine. Turns out, for being "just" a big hole it was pretty cool. We watched two videos about the mine and how they make copper and learned a ton! And for a souviner we bought ourselves a postcard (we buy one for every place we visit) and a copper Christmas tree ornament. Here's some of the sites:
The mine itself. Holy cow, it is a big hole! I still find it fascinating that it can be seen from outer space! Also, the entire town that my grandma was born in is now somewhere in the middle of where the hole is
Kat and I in front of one of the trucks they use for hauling the dirt. It's looks pretty small to me...
Me and Arek in front of an actual-sized tire from one of the trucks in the picture above. The tire itself is 12.5 feet and weighs over 10,000 lbs! And the truck... it's as tall as a two-story building! Wowzers...Arek trying to "steal" the copper sheet on display... it's 99.99% pure copper. Me and my seestors by the official mine plack. It was a really fun day trip!

Baby Shopping... Finally

So on Tuesday we went shopping for our baby. We do this all the time but this trip we actually BOUGHT something. Amazing, I know, especially for me. I have a hard time buckling down and making buying decisions, especially ones I think are important and/or expensive. So we have officially bought our SECOND item for our little one. At almost 32 weeks, I figure that isn't too bad... :) Anyway, what did we buy?...

A stroller and car seat! Hurray! Yes, it is green and brown... we figured that green was a more gender-neutral color than blue or pink and since we plan on having more than just this one baby... Anyway, buying this has got me giddy with excitement about this baby. I mean, I have always been excited, but we actually have something for her now! (the only other thing we've bought is a one-sie that Arek fell in love with) Of course, there will be lots more to follow, but hey, we've still got 8 weeks (more or less)!

Foutz Family Reunion

Last week we were able to go on vacation to Bear Lake with my mom's extended family. It was a glorious 2 days away from work, just relaxing and playing with family. Here's a little of what we did:

the HUGE cabin we all stayed in... it slept all 30 of us! And it had a GORgeous view of the lakeMy family on the balcony of the cabin just before leaving. Don't we all look great? :)My Uncle James took us on a long drive up bumpy dirt roads to Bloomington Lake, just a few miles into Idaho. It was gorgeous! All the boys (and a few of the girls) did the rope-swing into the lake. It was fun to watch (and to have an excuse NOT to jump... because, honestly, rope swings scare me)Arek and Rachel playing on the beach... they are such good buddies (not that you can tell by this photo!)

Playing at the beach at Bear Lake. The water was WARM (well... for Bear Lake). Unfortunately, this is about as wet as I got... we didn't think the baby would like how cold the lake water typically is.

On our way home to Logan we stopped at Tony Grove and walked around the lake. As always it was absolutely beautiful! Arek has decided we now need to buy a plastic dingy so we can go rowing on the lake!

Long Overdue Update

Wowzers, it has been a long time since my last post. Sorry for the absense. This past month has been very eventful for us and time continues to fly by. I’ll try to update the biggest news items in the order they happened, so this will probably be a fairly long post. Also, we keep forgetting to get our camera out lately, so sorry there aren’t a lot of photos, sorry.

On the 18th of June we welcomed my family came home from England FOR GOOD. It has been so nice to have them close by this past month. We’ve already had my younger sisters up at our apartment for the weekend, and are just so excited to be able to spend time with them again! They are all very happily situated in their old home (which turns 100 this year!). They are also having a garage built so it is always fun to see the updates as it is getting closer to being completed. Arek was very excited to be able to help with the concrete on the floor of the garage, since it was his old boss who was doing it. He sure does miss working with the “mud” as they call it. I am glad he still gets occassional opportunities to help his old boss out.

Anniversary! On June 26th we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. It is amazing to me how fast these two years have gone by. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man as Arek! This year he gave me a dozen beautiful roses and after work we went and got soup, salad and dessert at the Olive Garden. It is still crazy to me how short a time we have known each other because it feels like I’ve known Arek my whole life. He is my best friend and can always make me smile and laugh no matter how grumpy I want to be. I am so glad we get to spend eternity together!

my beautiful flowers

Our 4th of July weekend was a little more sobering this year than it usually it. That was because my Grandma Glad passed away the morning of the 4th after battling with a rare kind of cancer for 6 months. We all felt very blessed to be able to say our final goodbyes to her and to just have had her in our lives. She was a wonderful, loving woman. The funeral was held on July 10th, and it was just beautiful. The spirit was so strong and all the thoughts given by my aunts and uncles and dad were truly touching, just focusing on the celebration of what was Grandma’s life.

my grandma and grandpa two years ago when I recieved my endowments

The rest of the month has been filled with work and family. We are now officially in our third trimester of this pregnancy and the baby (and my belly!) continues to get bigger and bigger. It is so exciting to read about how much she is growing and feel her moving around inside me. Arek was finally able to feel her moving about a week ago, which was a very exciting experience for him. Previous to that occasion he was confinced that she knew when he was feeling my tummy and that she purposefully was avoiding moving when he was trying to feel her. :) We are so excited to meet this little one in less than three months! Oh, and we also made our first purchase for our baby - a onesie that Arek fell in love with that says: “My Dad Can Fix Anything”, which, since Arek is her father, is pretty close to the truth.

my belly one week ago at 28 weeks

Well that is it for the updates. I promise to post at least more frequently than once a month now! It simply takes WAY too much time to update when it’s been that long!

Happy Birthday, Mumsie!

Today is my mom's birthday. She is pretty much one of the most amazing people I have ever known, and I love her so very much. She keeps her hosue amazingly clean and makes yummy food (especially her Christmas caramels... the best I have ever tasted!) and is super funny and gardens and sews up a storm and... yep. She is my inspiration. I hope I can be as good a mom to my little girl as she has been to me! And the best news is that she and the rest of my family are home for good in one week! :) Happy Birthday, Mumsie!

Also, my little brother graduates high school today! Congrats, Ben! You are so grown up and I am so proud of you! And we do have a graduation gift for you... it is just waiting here for you. it wasn't worth it send... you'll understand when you see it :)

Temptation Cupcakes

Arek has recently found his new love... at least it's his favorite place to splurge on treats. It is a little shop called Temptation Cupcake right beside/behind AT&T on Main Street, which is right beside IHOP. They make DIVINE cupcakes. I have to come up with excuses why we can't go, otherwise Arek would be there every day eating their scrumptious treats. The only kicker is that, because they are a small family-owned business, they only make a certain amount of each kind each day. So once they are sold out, they are closed for the day. That happened to Arek last weekend when he went to buy us some cupcakes while I was at work... poor boy. He was sorely disappointed. Anyway, to wrap it up, if you are ever in/passing through Logan stop by Temptation Cupcake... you won't be disappointed! Here's a photo of the two we've tried: Oreo and... some rich chocolate one that I can't remember what it is called. Oops. Arek would be ashamed of me :)

We're Having a...

It has taken me a couple of days to update, but on Tuesday we had our 20 week appointment where we got to peek in on our little one. It was so amazing! Arek wasn't with me at my last ultrasound, and, honestly, you couldn't really see anything because I was only 6 weeks along. So being able to see what our baby looks like was so wonderful! We got to see all of the organs and the spine. We have a very ACTIVE baby! So active that the ultrasound technician couldn't get a decent picture of it's face. She did some 4D images for us (really, just 3D with the 4th dimension of time) of the baby's face so we could actually see it. Pretty much, it was the neatest experience to see our baby. Arek and I were both super excited to find out that we are having a GIRL! And here she is: (the images are blurry because our little girl was moving so much but hopefully you can see her face and arms/hands fairly well)

Furniture!

After almost two years of marriage having very little furniture, Arek and I finally bought a coffee table and two end tables (we finally bought a sofa a few months ago when our futon died). My favorite part? They are REAL wood and have rounded edges. :) The photos aren't the greatest but they give the general idea

For Mumsie

So... since hardly anyone looks at this blog and those who do already knew (I hope) I never announced that I am pregnant. If anyone didn't know... surprise! We are SO excited! We're a little over 18 weeks now and get to find out if we are having a boy or a girl in about 2 weeks (hopefully... if the baby cooperates). Anyway, since my family lives in England (until June... can't wait for them to come HOME!) my mom has been pestering me for prego photos. So mom, these are for you. :)

Arek says this is my favorite pasttime now (I admit, it really was for the first 12 weeks but I am rarely this tired during the day anymore)
Here is me and the "bump" at 16 weeks

My first maternity shirt... I probably didn't need it at the time, but it was such a good deal I couldn't help myself!

Same shirt, different view

Now this one was not my idea but Arek coerced me until I agreed... too exaggarated, or is this what I should expect? :)

One Year Older and Wiser, Too!

Saturday was Arek's 25 birthday. Here are some photos of the festivities:

Arek decided he wanted a decorated cake... I thought and thought and finally decided to make him a car cake. This is the before-photo

And here's the finished result! :) Arek and I were both very impressed with my abilities (and it tasted good, too!)

Saturday was the only day we were able to visit Arek's cousin who just got back from Afghanistan. So we spent all day up in Idaho playing with his cousins. Of course, being Higgs boys, they had to go shooting!

Here is one of the surprises I did for Arek: 25 things I love about him. I also gave him a bag of salt water taffy and a book he has really been wanting, "The Pacific"... HBO has recently made a mini-series about it.