Loquacious Lady

From Baby Skeletor and her parents. =)

~Meghan

We got our pups back from the trainer yesterday, and we are so glad to have them home!

Unfortunately, the night before they came home, something happened to Liam’s foot. No one knows what exactly- even the vet said that there was no puncture wound or reason they could find for it to be as swollen and painful as it was. So we’re wondering if something stung or bit him.

At the vet’s office they agreed it was too painful for him to go on walks for a few days. It’s so swollen and bothers him to the point he doesn’t want anyone to touch it and licks it constantly.

Since the licking could make it worse, they had to put a cone on his head.

He hates it.

Poor pup. He is so miserable.

Last night we got home and gave him his first dose of medication. He is on steroids and antibiotics to deal with the infection and pain. We were also told to call if anything changed, if we saw drainage, etc.

Around 9PM, we saw his paw looked moist. We managed to get his inside toe away from the rest of the paw enough to look, and there was clear, red-tinged liquid all in there. I tried to wipe it up with a tissue, but he wasn’t having it.

Around 4AM, we woke up to the sound of licking. Somehow he had knocked his cone down his neck far enough that he could reach the paw, and he was licking it.

We looked at it and saw that his nail bed was bleeding, and there was now pus instead of clear liquid between his inside toe and the rest of the paw. It was also crusty underneath.

Poor baby. He was hurting so much that that picture we took to send the vet was all he would let us do. We fixed his cone back into place and went back to sleep.

This morning, I guess he got his cone down again, because his toe looked cleaner than before from some licking, and still smelled awful.

I’m about to head to the vet’s office to get him a rinse for his paw and a bigger cone so he can’t keep licking. This cone already is awful with him walking into things on accident because it gets caught on everything, but it isn’t doing its job.

Glad to have my babies home, but it breaks my heart to have to take him to the vet and put a cone on him as soon as he gets back. And having to watch them constantly to make sure neither of them is licking it is no fun either.

Le sigh.

~Meghan

In a few months, Josey will be here, in my arms instead of in my belly. Kind of hard to believe.

Outside of my wedding day, I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a date more.

Here are some of my top things I look forward to about not being pregnant anymore:

1. Josey will be here. I love her so much, and I can’t wait to know what she will look like or how she will act. I can’t wait to dress her up in all her cute clothes and shoes. I can’t wait to HOLD HER. I can’t wait to know her eye color.

She’s such a sweet little mystery right now.

2. I can sleep on my stomach again. And my back. I can’t tell you how much I miss being able to simply sleep however I want. I miss lying on my stomach so much.

3. I can take my Nexium again. I have never hated heartburn so much in my life.

(source)

I was already on prescription heartburn meds before getting pregnant. Imagine having to come off that and have pregnancy heartburn on top of the regular. OUCH.

I hate it. And I hate the taste of Tums. And I hate how they only work for so long before I need more.

4. I can put on shoes, boots (especially boots- especially, especially my cowboy boots), etc. without wasting 10 minutes and grunting like a pig the whole time. When I have to lean over to get anything, it’s harder than ever before.

But shoes? Fuhgettaboudit.

It’s getting colder outside, and I can’t just put on flip-flops anymore. I have all these cute boots, and it’s hard to get them on. I actually have to have Tom help stuff me into some of my boots. Like I’m two.

(source)

On the plus side, boots means less people can see my toenails- which are really hard to paint these days.

5. I will be able to see my feet again when standing up straight. My belly is huge. I’m not quite 5’3″, and it’s got nowhere to go in this short body but out. I know people further along who look tiny by comparison.

As for me, I’d just be happy to realize when I’ve dropped food in my lap or gotten something on my shoes without having to count on someone else to tell me. I don’t see it anymore.

6 & 7. These two shall go unlisted because neither makes a great blog topic. But trust me, they both deserve to be a part of the list.

8. I can have a glass of wine when I go out to a fancy dinner with my husband. It’s been a while.

Even though I’m not someone who has alcohol much or often, I think it’s more that I miss the option of eating/drinking whatever I want when I go out.

(source) 

9. No one will kick me in the bladder.

(source)

Amen.

10. I can stand on a step-ladder/bed/etc. in my own house without getting scolded. I’m short, people (see #5). I can’t reach things easily.

Being pregnant is wonderful and weird and lasts a long time. According to my book, I’ll hit the third trimester this Saturday. Bring it.

~Meghan

Yesterday afternoon, Tom and I returned from a wonderful, long weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with his parents, brother, and sis-in-law.

We had a really fun time, and when I get the pictures onto my computer, I will blog about it all.

But one thing Tom and I both noticed on this trip is how getting away is so good for us. It is SO nice to take a break from work, plans, and all the other little realities of life.

I could feel the change in us both when our biggest concern was what store to pop into next, what fun thing to do after that, which craving to satisfy- nachos or hotdogs (answer= both), and if it was possible for me to go more than an hour without a bathroom break. (Between all the hot chocolate/hot cider and the pregnancy, I was constantly looking for bathrooms.)

Barely any checking in online for anything. I didn’t even carry around my camera for most of the trip. I just wanted to experience the moment and enjoy it.

We both talked about how different we felt when we could do that- just remove ourselves from our lives for a few days and be carefree.

An hour or two after arriving home, I burst into tears about missing the dogs again. (They come home Thursday. YAY!) We both had emails from clients about work. And it felt like an extra 50 pounds settled back into a familiar place on our shoulders.

Back to reality.

So I’ve decided that we have to go on at least two vacations a year. Holidays aren’t enough, because you are still checking in on your computer, traveling constantly back and forth to various family members’ houses, and generally feeling exhausted.

We need a true vacation- away from the familiar, to a place where work isn’t supposed to follow us, and we can do whatever we want.

Last year, it was the beach with my family in the summer and Ellijay with Tom’s parents and our pups in the fall. This year, it was the beach with my family in the summer, and it was Gatlinburg with Tom’s family in the fall.

This year, there is chatter of Disney World with my family in the summer of 2012. Since we’ll have a little one, and that’s a busy vacation anyway, I’m thinking our fall vacation might be in Ellijay again- complete with NOTHING to do but read, watch movies, hike, eat, and enjoy the changing leaves.

I also think I might plan some long weekends away to Panacea, Florida, where Tom went on vacation growing up- fishing in the ocean, boat rides, and a pool.

Don’t get me wrong- we LOVE our life together, our house, our pets, and even our jobs. But without a break every now and then, I think we’d go insane.

Where do you go for a little R&R?
~Meghan

Saturday, some of my wonderful friends (Jenn, Megan, Jessica, and Sophe) and awesome sister-in-law, Lisa, threw me a really fun baby shower.

We invited some Atlanta area girlfriends and my mom, sister, mom-in-law, and sisters-in-law (all my family but Lisa are out of town…some are out of state!) to this shower, and it was so fun!

The hostesses know me so well. They made an animal print banner for Josey, and they used accent colors that will be the same colors in fabrics for her nursery.

Jenn also made this Coco Chanel quote into framed art for me- I had wanted it for Josey’s room for a long time, and instead of charging me to make it, she and the hostesses went in together and gave it to me, along with all the clothes you see in the decor! =) So sweet and thoughtful.

I wish you could taste the food through your screen. YUM. It was so delicious. I definitely ate a lot.

One thing that I thought was so creative was this idea Megan had to create an ABC book for JoJo. She had printed the letters onto different colored paper, then we spread out at a table (or a bench, as seen below), and all decorated it with words, names, etc. that start with that letter as well as drawings.

She is going to laminate it and bind it for me.

I have had so much fun looking through it. It cracks me up to see what all made it into the book.

Someone put “Facebook” on the page for F, and “Bit” with a drawing of a computer on the page for B. Of course, chili cheese dogs were referenced on C and hot dog on H. hahaha!

The girls and moms just heaped me with wonderful gifts for Josey. I have bottles, things to clean the bottles, precious clothes, gift cards, a boppy, books, itty bitty monogrammed bracelets, thermometers, an adorable ornament, and more! Such sweet and giving friends and family. Josey will be well stocked!

I really loved getting to catch up with my girlfriends and celebrate this new girl joining our circles in a few months.

I’m so grateful to bring her into a world full of such amazing women. They each have a place in my heart, and I’m so grateful for each of them!

Thank you, hostesses for such a wonderful shower!

xoxo,

Meghan

Yesterday, three of my nieces came over. We had lunch, painted pictures, watched Princess Diaries 2, and ate popcorn.

When Tom got home, they excitedly squealed, giggled, and jumped all over him for a turn to be spun around, tossed onto (soft) furniture, and tickled. They adore their Uncle Tom.

Then my sister-in-law arrived to pick up the girls with my nephew in tow. He and his sisters ran around in the backyard while Tom worked at his computer and Lisa and I caught up a little.

Then they came inside and ran around in the office while Tom’s eyes about popped out of his head while he tried to work, and Lisa and I didn’t notice the noise for a while.

When one of my nieces told us that her 8-year-old big brother had a needle and was going to poke her unless she told him a secret, we both realized that they should all clear out of the office. And I realized that I need to move my pincushion out of the reach of children.

Lisa told him to put the needle back, and that was all I thought of it.

A few hours later, I was sweeping the downstairs, and I turned a corner to find this sticking out of the wall. The wall where my nephew was standing when told to put up the needle.

I grabbed my phone and took a quick picture before returning these odd, new wall decorations to the office.

And as I took the picture, I just started to laugh.

Boys.

For hours, I had 3 girls here, doing crafts and watching chick-flicks and giggling at Tom. Then for 20 minutes, I had one boy join them, and it was totally wild. And I had a needle sticking out of my wall with a random rubber band hanging from it.

I love it. It is so funny to me how different boys are from girls right from the start.

~Meghan

Our dogs have some behavioral issues. Here are a few:

*They jump on people when they come in the house.

*They pull on the leash.

*Liam bites big dogs and tries to keep them away from Samantha.

*They are both terrified of children and have fear aggression.

I could go on.

But the thing is, they are SO sweet (when they aren’t scared). They are just the most cuddly, playful, wonderful dogs–to adults.

They’re like gremlins that have been given food after midnight when they’re around kids.

And we know it’s just not working. Not only do we have a little one on the way, but we have nephews and nieces. And friends with children. We’re tired of not inviting people with children over because it’s so stressful for us, the company, and the dogs.

So we asked our vet for recommendations for trainers, and we’ve done lots of research. We settled on Angie Woods at U.S. Canine, which is only a few miles down the road from us. After talking to her on the phone, I felt confident that this was our best shot.

So we packed up our pups last Thursday and drove them over for a two week stay. Seeing her interact with them in just the one hour we were there made us feel like we’d made the right move. They were already better behaved. Really.

When people came in the door, she had them not jumping or being disrespectful. I think the most work she will have is with me.

I want to pet them and hold them and “comfort them” when they are stressed. But that’s rewarding anxious behavior, so I can’t. I’m so worried I’ll mess up all their training.

She is having us come out on Thursday to work with her and Sam and Liam for a couple of hours. Then they stay one more week, and come home.

She will come to our house with them and work with us (and our nephew, Tyler, and nieces, Madeline, Anna Kate, and Violet) at our house.

I’ve been in serious puppy withdrawals. I miss them so much. It’s harder than when they are kenneled because usually we only kennel them when we go out of town. Being at home without them is tough.

I’ve only cried 3 times. So far. And by crying, I mean full out sobbing on Tom’s shoulder.

That’s not too bad for a hormonal, pregnant lady. Right?

Right?

Bueller?

~Meghan

Have you ever had that worry that you were going to go up to a complete stranger and greet them by name before realizing you only know them from Facebook?

Or how about that you might take it a step further and say something where they KNOW you’ve been stalking them on Facebook and not just wondering if you’re someone they know and whose name they forgot?

Well, I took the awkwardness a step further.

I have some friends (a couple), Kristen and Davey, in Seattle, and I don’t know a single person who they are friends with out there.

But I do know their sister/sister-in-law. Her name is Laura, and we used to cheer together. And she is also pregnant with her first child, a little girl.

The other day, Kristen popped up on my homepage because Laura had tagged a gift from her in a nursery picture. In the picture, I noticed that there was a baby lying on a rug beside the crib.

An adorable baby that was a few months old. But I knew that Laura hadn’t had her baby yet, so it completely caught me off guard at first. Then, in teasing, I said, “Wow it comes with a baby? lol ”

And that was that. I moved on in my newsfeed, and I totally forgot about it. Until a day later.

I got an email on my phone telling me someone else had also commented on the photo. I didn’t know the commenter, which is no big surprise, but then I realized I didn’t know the person whose photo the comment was on either.

WAIT.

What the…???

Why would I have commented on a photo for a person I don’t know at all??

So I opened it back up.

Laurie. Not Laura.

Oh No. I hadn’t even looked at the last names. This was a friend of theirs in Seattle.

And as for the big “ANNIE” on the wall, as far as I knew, Laura and her husband had not picked out a name for their little girl yet, so when I saw “Annie” I just guessed that’s the name they’d gone with.

So here I was, some total stranger to this Laurie, friend of a friend, and I had commented on a photo of her nursery and her baby.

And what I’d said made absolutely no sense. I’m sure that is her precious baby or a baby of a friend or family member, and I’m just the freak stranger who made a joke at said baby’s expense.

Oh my gosh.

I jumped up from the couch with my phone and RAN to my computer to delete my comment. Tom asked what was going on, and I told him.

I was mortified, but at the same time, I was so shocked at what I had done that we started laughing. And we couldn’t stop. I laughed until I almost peed my pants and had to run for the bathroom.

This girl was probably trying to figure out who this random person was commenting on her baby, and I was in total oblivion thinking I had made a harmless joke to a friend.

I think I won the Facebook Faux Pas Award for the week.

~Meghan

Just the fact that it’s Thursday evening and the first time I’ve blogged all week should clue you in to how hectic this week has been. Last weekend was exhausting. And I came back worn out and a bit beaten down by my allergies.

But last weekend was also amazing. And even though I’ve been tired, sick, at doctor appointments, and handling other busy things, I wanted to blog about attending Frequency with my Transit girls and co-leaders.

The seventh and eighth grade students attend a fall weekend retreat called Frequency. It’s called that because the point of the camp is to help these students get “on the same frequency as God” like you would tune into a certain frequency to hear a radio station.

We had so much fun.

Friday night, we had our first big group talk and worship. But before they did that, we were introduced to our entertainment- “Coach Hassel” and “Coach Hoff.” These guys basically spoofed southern coaches, and it was hilarious.

They kept telling us to “take a knee” before spouting out random “wisdom”…which pretty much read like the back of every sports tee from high school. They made appearances all weekend.

On Saturday, they had “pool olympics.” Yes. In October. The pool was freezing, and I only know because I sat on the edge with my legs in…after a couple of the girls forced my legs in.

They had it divided by gender and grade, so there were plenty of kids competing in the pool- voluntarily. Including one of our own girls, Bayley.

First there was the Shamu Relay.

Then there was “alligator wrestling.”

And then they had a relay where they kids had to swim the length of the pool in a sports coat. That’s the one Bayley was in.

Did I mention she swims competitively? On a team? Well, she does. And she kicked butt.

The reason there is no one else in the water in that picture is because she was leaving them in her dust wake. Seriously. That was the only thing the 7th grade girls won. Boom!

After that, we all went back to the cabin. While Janet and I chilled, the girls went on walks all over camp, hung out in the cabin, ate way too much candy, and had “wars” with each other. Which were both funny and really loud.

I have no idea how they had the energy- Janet and I only got about 4 hours of sleep the night before.

At the end of free time, we got ready for the “Freq Out.” Basically, you get your whole group as ridiculous looking as you can.

Our group had glow in the dark necklaces, masks, bracelets, and wands. We also had crazy hair with bandanas and pipe cleaners woven in and sticking out everywhere. And face paint. And bracelets made out of florescent duct tape. We were loud and proud.

 After getting ready, we all were to gather at one location in camp. Each group is given a set of clues, and we followed them all over camp doing fun stuff together.

Our first event was using a huge slingshot to hurl water balloons at moving targets.

Did I mention that my girls are a bit…um…competitive? And a good shot? Because they definitely got a golf cart that zoomed by.

And they might just have nailed a Transit leader that was running around with a sign for 200 points attached to her. As she did a cartwheel, our girls might have beaned her with a water balloon. And it might just have burst on her face with so much force that it knocked her over.

And she just might have been the leader for the group right next to us. Yeah. Poor thing- she was  good sport!

Next we had to run to a new location to get our t-shirts and sign them all. But before we could earn our camp tees, we had to get a picture where only something like 11 feet and 10 hands were touching the ground. We had 21 people in the picture. It was interesting!

After that we had to eat everything that was given to us in a bag- baby food, warheads, dry ramen noodles, vienna sausages and more (I almost puked downing some baby food; it did NOT taste like green beans!).

When that was done, we were given a stack of napkins and a bag of flour. We had to make “flour bombs” and fill a trash bag with them.

We headed up a huge hill next (and I used my baby bump to get a golf cart ride- it was a long trek) to do a team-building activity with ropes and bucket of water, take a quiz, and then do an obstacle course.

I don’t have pictures of any of that stuff because I was too busy being a part of it and laughing at the silliness going on around me.

After dinner, there was a HUGE flour bomb war. Just imagine 800 middle schoolers and their leaders smashing each other with flour filled napkins. The girls had flour in their eyes, their hair, and even in their ears.

But the best part of the whole trip was later that night. We had an outdoor worship service, where Britt, our speaker, shared about the amazing life changes that only God can bring about in us.

In case you noticed and wondered why Britt was holding cardboard, it was to illustrate the idea of a “cardboard testimony.”

Never heard of it? Neither had I until a couple months ago. Here’s a video that shows them being done at a church. Fair warning- I cry every time I watch it. You might too.

They had 12 leaders come up and share theirs in front of the camp. It was awesome.

After they shared that, we had communion together. It was a really neat thing to get to do that with my Transit girls.

I grew up in a  church that did this regularly, and at a church the scale of Northpoint, it is done only occasionally, and as far as I was aware, never during Transit. It was so special to do this with them at camp.

We headed back to the cabin after that for small group time. We sat in a huge circle, each of us with a small piece of cardboard and a marker. We wrote on the front something that we had gone through or were currently going through, and on the other side we wrote how God redeemed that situation or left it blank.

Janet shared how she lost her baby boy only a few days after he was born and how God used that to grow her trust in Him and her love for others even bigger.

I shared about my miscarriage- about how it broke mine and Tom’s hearts and how I struggled to trust God after it. And then I told them how He used others (like Janet) to remind me that I was still being pursued by His love even when I had been too angry or doubtful to trust it.

(As a side note, the song that I talked about in the post about my miscarriage- it was the first song played as we got to camp and the last one played before we left. Awesome.)

None of them but Janet had known about the miscarriage, and I could tell they were surprised. With each girl that opened up about things that they others didn’t know about, more and more things came tumbling out.

Struggles with friends, family, and themselves. Their wondering how to deal with situations- some of which no middle schooler (or any person) should have to face.

I looked around at those precious girls and cried. In fact, every person in our group cried. My heart just broke when I heard what some of them were facing, and I was also filled with joy when I heard how some of them had come through to a better place.

It was amazing to see how God was moving into these situations, and to see how others had been completely protected from some tough things.

Yet lots of those situations have not been resolved yet. Some of the girls are still waiting to see God show up in those times, and that’s a struggle for them. They were so honest about their questioning it, and their trying to hold on to faith in the middle of a storm.

I didn’t have answers for all of them, but I did lots of hugging. I can’t imagine facing what some of them are living with day to day.

But just knowing that they have leaders and friends they can talk to about it, and a God who loves them…it’s good to know they aren’t alone in these times where they are facing hard stuff.

After we had small group, there was a worship service. I hear it was awesome. But I stayed back with a few girls that were wanting a few more minutes to talk. I don’t regret that. I love connecting with these girls and hearing their hearts.

The next day was much like Friday night- a little food, a talk, and some more worship. The “coaches” and Janet all played a game on stage with some of the kids first.

Britt gave the wrap up talk of the weekend.

And then we sang and sang and sang. The floor was shaking as 1600 feet jumped up and down.

Fists pumped the air, and praises rang out.

After demanding (and receiving) a double encore, the kids accepted that camp was actually over.

And we loaded on the bus to head home.

I feel like I get where these girls are coming from now. I thought I knew before, but this weekend really opened my eyes. And they have friends in their groups who they can talk to as well as leaders who love them and pray for them.

Some of them have texted me already to let me know certain girls are on their hearts. It is so sweet to see them open up to each other and be received with that kind of love.

It really was an amazing weekend. I’m so glad I get to be a part of a church that creates opportunities for these students to be completely real about their lives and their faith.

I sure do love those girls.

 ~Meghan

I love my Transit girls. And my co-leaders. Janet planned an entire surprise baby shower with them for my last Sunday at Northpoint. There were balloons everywhere, a huge cake,  and a huge pile of presents.

And a huge pile of girls. This is not all of them, just who was there that day, with me and Janet in the middle.

(You’ll have to excuse the lighting. I didn’t have time to mess with my camera before handing it off. And I don’t feel like editing.)

Anyway. They are so sweet, and I was overwhelmed. These girls have been so excited for me ever since they found out I was pregnant. And especially excited since they found out Jellybean is a girl!

Some questions I have gotten from the girls over the last few weeks (and my responses to them):

Q: “Will you still be our small group leader after she is born?”

A: “Absolutely! But I will take a few weeks off to recover. And I’ll be at Gwinnett Church by then.”

Q: “Can we come visit you at the hospital after you have her?”

A: “I would love to have y’all visit! I am the kind of person who thinks visiting babies and their parents at the hospital is awesome.”

Q: “Are you excited to be having a girl?”

A: “REALLY excited! I would have been excited either way. After all my time with you awesome girls, how can I not look forward to having a daughter? I hope she is as great as y’all are.”

“She will be the best dressed baby ever.”

That last one’s not a question, but it was my favorite comment. =) You should see some of the cute things they gave me. She really is going to be stylin’. I will have to take some pictures of the adorable gifts and post them later.

Here are Jenn, Janet, me (duh), and Tracy. Jenn is on staff for Transit, Janet is my fabulous co-leader, and Tracy is the coach for the 7th grade girl leaders for the 9AM service. I love each and every one of those ladies.

Also, can I just say that I look HUGE in these pictures? What the heck?

I don’t feel like I look that big all the time, but maybe I do. Or maybe it was the shirt….Yeah, or maybe it was my flabby arms and baby belly.

I mean really. My stomach is sitting in my lap. Good grief. I’m going to have to be spokesperson for Weight Watchers after Josey gets here.

Anyway. Back to the gifts. The thing that stood out to me the most- even more than soft blankets, monogrammed clothes and frames, zebra print rain boots, diapers to supply me for months, and more….what stood out was their excitement to give.

These girls are precious to me. I love each and every one of them. I am fiercely protective of them.

They have called me, texted me,  emailed me, befriended me on Facebook, sent me their youtube channels, invited me into their personal lives and opened up to me about issues they are facing.

I get their hugs, their smiles, and their fears. I get my hair played with for hours, silly antics, and cheerleading stunts at midnight while we are at camps.

I get to cheer on their talents- tumbling, cheerleading, swimming, soccer, art, music, and more. I get to encourage their gifts- friendliness, kindness, humor, honesty, and so many other things.

I see them developing a faith of their own. And I see their hearts.

It is a gift to be a part of their lives.

They are so loving and sweet, and when I was instructed to open presents, they were so eager to give. So excited to see what I would get, and how I liked what they picked out, made, or put together.

They were laughing as they fought to be next to give. “Open mine!” “No, mine first!”

And then whosever I opened would be sitting quietly as I did, watching my face, my reaction. I loved every single item. But it wasn’t just because they (and their parents) have fabulous taste. Though that didn’t hurt.

It was because I love every single girl. And each gift represented them to me.

And their sweet notes, precious gifts, and eagerness to shower me and my own little girl with love just about made me start crying. About a million times.

But I held it together. And my heart was so full as I hugged each girl on her way out the door.

Today I’m heading to Frequency, the fall camp for Transit. It’ll be my last weekend with most of these girls. I’m going to treasure it.

Please pray for them- that God will move in their hearts, that He will use me to help them grow closer to Him.

He has certainly used them to grow closer to me.

~Meghan