Change of Plans!

Jay has to work Saturday, April 11th, so we will NOT be going to Brunswick/Jesup that weekend. We are hoping to be able to come the next weekend.

2nd Trimester woes!

I am officially in my second trimester now, in my 14th week. I had what seemed to be a leaking of amniotic fluid, at around lunchtime today. I called the doctor and they wanted me to come on in to get checked out. To make a long story short, I went in, They did an ultrasound to re-check cervical length and as it turned out, my cervix grew a centimeter! There was some infection however. They will check again next week. This is so great, thank you all for your prayers and well wishes! Baby was great, very active. He looked like he was break dancing. They told me that he definitely has a penis too. I am still not buying anything blue for another month (because I am superstitious), but it is so cool to know! His name will be Grayson Parker Hightower (Gray). Very cool!
Here is the baby, who is now about 4 inches crown to rump (not including legs):

Boy proof between the legs:


I had my first prenatal massage last weekend and it was heaven! Can't wait for the next one. Everything else around here is going well! I posted another belly pic from today down below!!

Just as an FYI...

I just wanted to say very publicly, that I have the best husband in the world. He is the best support system (mentally, spiritually) and has always had nothing but unconditional love and respect for me. He really goes out of his way to make sure I am happy and comfortable and always has since the day we met. I am so blessed to share my life with this guy! He is going to be such an amazing father and he deserves this so much. He works so hard and has a heart of gold. I seriously don't know anyone else like him. He has truly "aged" to perfection and I feel sorry for people who don't know him like those of us who are close to him know him! He irritates the snot out of me sometimes (just like I do to him), but I wouldn't have it any other way. Anyway, just wanted to shout it from the rooftop for a second...
Love you Jay :-)

Try to keep this in mind!

One can overcome the forces of negative emotions, like anger and hatred, by cultivating their counterforces, like love and compassion.
-Dalai Lama

Extra! Extra!

What a day! I am 12w3d and I had an appointment today to check on things. Mostly my cervical length. I had some cancerous spots on my cervix a couple years ago and had to have a procedure called a LEEP to remove them. This can cause complications including pre-term cervical shortening/dilation. For that reason, I have to have frequent ultrasounds to measure my cervix. Today was my first measuring. It was a little short at 28mm. They want to see me again in 3 weeks to measure again. If it has gotten any shorter, I will have to see a specialist and have a cerclage put in, which is basically stitches to hold my cervix closed until 37 or so weeks. Hopefully it won't come to that so keep me in your thoughts/prayers. Other than that, the baby looks beautiful, measuring exactly to date with a strong heartbeat of 166. Here are some photos and a video of my ultrasound today! Make sure your volume is LOUD so you can hear her gender prediction! She gave a 90% chance of a boy, and her co-workers said she is never wrong. Pay attention to the end part of the video to see the "package". HOWEVER, I am not ruling out pink just yet!!
This is the best profile shot we could get.

You can see from left to right the head-abdomen-legs

This is an illustration of the position the baby is in, in the photo below it. Knees to the chest and fists against the eyes.

A day in the life...

Greetings followers!
It is Saturday here at the Hightower home and we are on the couch watching movies after a long day. We were at the car dealership most of the day looking at more family friendly cars. Didn't land anything today, but we have a few more months.
To be honest, I have had a pretty rough time getting used to it here so far. I have been very emotional and sad a lot. I am sure it is worse because of the hormones, but I am having trouble with my job, I miss my family and friends and THE BEACH! Lately I feel like I live in Forks, OR. I feel so sorry for these people who have never lived near the water. P.S.- could someone please come visit me?! Jessica... I am talking to you! Fameball ATL is very soon, and I believe I have a ticket for you!

Ok, I have one more thing to say. I am very disappointed in Starbucks. They do not offer decaf iced coffee. Great. I hope they read this.
And, please learn about Twitter and "get familiar". Follow me there! katiehightower
How else would I have known that Jimmy Fallon was at The Varsity for lunch today, or that Frank Warren is switching from a PC to a Mac? This is what I'm saying.

Anyway, here are a few pictures to brighten up this posting:










Ahhh...Memories that keep me smiling!

Graduation Day

I am 11 weeks today and my little gummy bear has offically graduated from an embryo to a fetus! It now has developing fingernails, tooth buds (under the gums of course), can make a fist, and is peeing all the amniotic fluid that he/she is swallowing! It is all really so amazing, and such a blessing.
I just got home from the American Craft Show with my grandmother, Franca. It was unbelievable to say the least. The sheer talent and individuality and IMAGINATION of these artists, was worth the admission cost. There was one guy, a chairmaker, who had the ultimate product- it looked like this:



You lay the baby down on the bassinet looking side, and you rock on the other side. Of course you put bedding on the little bassinet side. Amazing. Why have I never seen anything like that? I swear if I had $1800 laying around I would get one tomorrow. Franca brought over some potato, spinach and leek soup for us, which I just scarfed down. It was AMAZING Franca, THANK YOU!! I took a nice bath, and now I am in my favorite spot lately- the bed, with the laptop, watching TV. Very productive, I know. Tomorrow I am looking forward to being totally lazy again. (Besides doing laundry and working on the blanket I am crocheting.) The weather here has just been repulsive after it was beautiful last weekend and snowed the weekend before that... So weird.
I have looked at some crib sets for fun- and I thought I would share the styles I am liking! For a girl I liked these...







And for a boy...





Cute huh? I know it is early, but I like to look. Realistically, I only have 6 months to get everything organized, bought, and put away. That isn't very long. We are going to start buying diapers every couple of weeks to stock up. I guess I will go for now. I will depart with the next few dates to look forward to:

3/19- Orthodontist appointment, AKA, one month closer to the removal.
3/24- Beginning of Second Trimester U/S and appointment
4/4- TN to see Madraye and Halle (any ideas on fun things to do in Cleveland?)
4/12- Easter Sunday (I don't know why, but I always love Easter)

Powerful Quote

I love this...

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
-The Buddha

Thursday Night

Hello! First of all I want to tell anyone who reads this, that is female, to PLEASE start getting yearly mammograms at age 35. That is the recommended age to begin. I have seen so many young women with Breast Cancer over the last month and once you feel a lump, it is often too late.
Ok, onto another, lighter subject!
I am almost 11 weeks pregnant now. I am pudging a bit for sure. The 12 week photo should definitely look more impressive. It makes me realize that when I go see Lady Gaga in April, I will be 15 weeks. People are going to be like who is that pregnant girl at this concert? Hahaha...
So! I need everyone to place their bets on the gender of the baby! The heartrate has been high (girl) and the Chinese Gender Chart says girl, so we shall see! Either way I will be thrilled, but I would love to see what you think. Take the poll on this page! I am going to get one of those "intelligender tests" too, just for fun! My friend Dani did it and her results said BOY! Haha. I know it isn't accurate, but it is all so much fun. I found the Babies R Us today! It is very close to my house!! :-)

Lunchtime Chatter

I am at lunch right now, and so I thought I would type a bit before I go back to work. It is Tuesday here at The Breast Center, and it is going to be a BUSY afternoon. I seriously debated napping for lunch... Anyway.
Yesterday I went to the doctor after feeling bad for the weekend, and long story short- it is a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). So, here is sit with my gallon of water, trying to flush my kidneys. Pregnancy is such a blast sometimes! The upside was that I got to hear my baby's heartbeat again! They were able to do a doppler, which isn't always do-able at 10 weeks! Still strong and in the 170's! Rumor has it, that higher heartrates are girls. My midwife seems to think so too. We shall see. We have many names that we like, but are not set on any names if it is a girl- if it is a boy it is only between two names, but if it is a girl- we had an amazing name idea last night that we love. It is top secret though! As soon as I find out the sex we will finalize the name... for now at least :-)
This weekend will be rainy and cold again!! I am starting to really miss the sun and the beach! Grr. I am planning to come visit Brunswick/Jesup in May. Probably at the end of May. I will let you all know sooner. At this point Jay says he doesn't want to go with me, but he may change his mind before then. Sunday, I went and FINALLY found some stylish Maternity jeans at Macy's. They are super cute and I am excited about them. I am really ready to start registering for fun stuff, but I guess I will wait another week or two. I am almost out of my first trimester!! YAY! I am SO looking forward to the labor/delivery. I will have my own personal Massage Therapist for Labor/P.P. (Kate), Kendyl to keep me laughing, and my mother to, well, help me stay sane for the first few days! It will be a blast. Being pregnant is fun, especially if you are creative and into it like I am. The photos time lapse will be so cool, and I am super excited about my belly casting in July! I get my braces off in August or September, which is huge. I may be AS excited about that as I am delivering my first born child. On a completely other subject- I am really mad at blogger, I have NO idea why everything is in one column! I can't figure it out! If anyone knows how to get me back to two columns let me know!
Peas and Love...

10w1d

from 8 weeks 4 days!!

These are U/S photos

Today I am 10w1d pregnant. Morning sickness was gone, but it seems to be back since yesterday and today. I feel pretty gross. Yesterday I had a horrible headache and I have just been really tired. It is pretty irritating. Still, I plan on going out today and getting some fresh air. Maybe a walk at Kennesaw Mountain? Anyway, I need to take a 10 week photo today sometime. I found someone who does Belly Casting here, so that is good. I can't wait for my first prenatal massage... I NEED IT! My next appointment is March 24th at 10am, where I will get another Ultrasound. They wanted to do an U/S at the beginning of my 2nd trimester to measure cervical length. I had cancer removed from my cervix two years ago, and they just want to make sure that my cervix isn't dilating too early. Lucky for me, that means I get to see my beebee again! (and so will you, via my blog) I am not really showing yet, but I can certainly tell a difference in my lack of waistline.

More next week about how I am feeling. I hope it is better than today!

Bump Watch

The dramatic changes from 6 weeks to Full Term!

36 weeks...

30 weeks


26 weeks


17 weeks


14 Weeks


13 Weeks (trying to suck in- the bump remains)


12 Weeks (maybe a little bloated...but bump somewhere in there...)

10 Weeks (maybe something starting...)


8 Weeks (nothing, except maybe gas)


6 Weeks (nothing)