“I had always felt that any dog I took care of would’ve done the same for me if it could, and in fact by rescuing them they filled my heart in such a way that I was rescued right back.” –Julie Klam

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I’m a dog person through and through. We have three of them, and I’ve talked about them several times here, but I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that they are all rescue animals. My husband got his dog Eddie as a puppy in the shelter, and I got Cleo as a 2-year-old from the same place. Oliver was a stray from the street with a limp that we really shouldn’t have taken on, but then we saw his big eyes and adorable tongue and his obvious need for affection and we couldn’t say no.

Julie Klam makes me feel better about our crazy dog ways. This truly “short and sweet” memoir about some of her experiences with fostering and rescuing dogs reveals Julie as a kindred spirit in that she has a heart for dogs and will go to extreme lengths to provide them with the best life possible, but she’s no expert on training. Now I don’t feel so bad that our dogs bark at every little thing, pull on their leashes, and don’t always get along with other animals. Also, Julie’s personality really comes through in her writing, and she comes across as funny, down-to-earth, and laid-back; basically, someone I would like to be friends with.

Julie’s stories are so true in that you’d never realize how much of an influence dogs can have on you and your relationships until you’ve experienced it. Some of my best memories with my husband involve our dogs. Each of the three chapters focuses on one specific dog rescue, but it ends up being about so much more. Whether it’s bringing her and her husband together again, taking a step back from materialism, or learning about true sacrifice, dogs are at the heart of it all.

Over the past several months, as I’ve given birth to and learned to care for my new baby, my dogs have been somewhat neglected. After reading Love At First Bark I’ve redoubled my efforts to give them extra snuggles and to reassure them that I still love them as much as ever. After all, we are their whole world.

Read more reviews and join the discussion about your experience with animal rescue over at the BlogHer book club.

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Disclosure: I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

I’m checking in to give you a general update on my life, since it doesn’t seem that I’ve done that for awhile. Some things have been happening and I’d love your feedback.

Pregnancy & Health

Since my hospital visit a couple weeks ago, I’ve had a bit of a rough time. It took me a week and a half to recover from my cold, and during that time I had absolutely no energy. I just barely started feeling good again this week, and now for two days I’ve had a sore throat that won’t go away. I’m really hoping it doesn’t develop into something more, or my immune system and I are going to have words.

On top of that, I’ve had some pretty killer back pain. For awhile I had a pulled muscle near one of my shoulder blades, and that was just miserable. But thanks to Epsom salt baths, a massage, Icy Hot, and patience, that has healed up. What I have now is constant pain around my ribs on the left back side that wraps around to the front. Usually it is a dull ache but occasionally it becomes quite sharp. No idea what’s causing this, but as uncomfortable as it is, it is better than the pulled muscle.

I can feel Meredith moving lots now, and she’s strong enough at times that my husband and family have been able to feel her too. This is really special, because I feel like she’s my little buddy, keeping me company throughout the day.

More detailed pregnancy updates to come next week after I see my doctor again!

My view looking down

Dogs

Oliver has been so good for over a month now that we really don’t want to give him away. Cleo has been doing fine at my parents’ house, but we are contemplating bringing her home for a visit to see how she and Oliver interact because we miss her a lot (even though I do visit frequently).

Strangely, Eddie has been the problem child lately. She is ten years old and has been extremely attached to David since she was a puppy. She’s always been prone to anxiety, but it usually comes out during thunderstorms or when the dishwasher is running. Nowadays she’s the only one out and about in the house during the day since Cleo is gone and we keep Oliver in his crate.

For the past couple of weeks we have noticed things being disturbed in the house, until finally Eddie became downright destructive. She went in David’s closet and completely tore up all the carpet including the foam underneath, spreading it all across our room. We took her to the vet, who said she appears very healthy (bloodwork was normal too) and he believes she is suffering separation anxiety because she senses changes in the family. I don’t know if it’s because she’s lonely during the day without Cleo, if she senses I’m pregnant and is worried, or what. We have her on anti-anxiety medication now, but she is still very needy and driving us just a little bit crazy.

This is what a crybaby looks like

Home Improvement

We finally started working on the house again! Last weekend a bunch of my family came over to help paint. There are several rooms plus a hallway including all the trim, doors, and ceilings to do, so it’s quite a project. So far we’ve completely done the front entryway and the guest room minus the trim and door. We also installed a new light fixture in the entryway. Eventually I’ll get around to hanging art, getting a console table, and retiling, but painting is job #1 for now.

The current state of the entryway

Things are up and down around here, but we’re making it!

So I got to thinking that it might help me to write down an overview of things I need to do in the next 4-5 months. I don’t want to get into specifics yet, but I also don’t want to forget anything. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

Sooner…

>Find a home for Oliver. This is the biggest cloud hanging over my head right now. We’ve decided not to keep our dog Oliver because he just doesn’t get along with other dogs. He has fought with 5 different dogs, in different places, and he has fought with our dog Cleo several times, the last time producing quite a deep wound. On his own, he’s a sweet, loving pet. We shipped our other dogs off to our parents’ house for a week and we found that out. We wish we had the time and resources to train him, but in our current situation it’s too overwhelming for us, and too scary to keep him around our other dogs with a baby in the house.

>Finish painting the house. Originally I wanted to furnish and decorate the rest of the house as well, but I know that’s not going to happen. Painting, though, is a hassle that I want to complete. I have plenty of help from my family and friends, it’s just finding time to actually do it that is the problem. There are several rooms, a hallway, plus all the trim and doors to do.

>Start childbirth classes and formulate a birth plan. Since I’ve decided to do my best to have a natural childbirth, I know I need a lot of preparation. We settled on the Bradley Method classes, and I found an instructor in my area and signed up. The classes are 8 weeks long covering 12 weeks’ worth of material, and they start March 30. From what I hear, they cover everything from natural childbirth to breastfeeding to infant care.

>Start attending La Leche League meetings. I really want breastfeeding to work out, and I’m at least going to give it the best possible chance, so I need to be informed. I have a friend who’s really involved with La Leche League, and I want to start attending meetings with her soon.

>Meet with my doula. I’m lucky to have a friend who is completing her doula training and she’ll have her certification by the time my due date rolls around. I want to get together with her soon to get advice, recommendations, and to discuss my situation and desires in more detail.

At some point…

>Get our carpet replaced. This is an expense I’d rather skip, but the future nursery used to be the dogs’ room of choice to have all of their “accidents.” We’ve since kept that room closed off, but not only are there stains galore but it smells. The rest of the carpet is stained too, as well as chewed and eaten in some places.

>Create a nursery. This is obvious, but it still has to get done. I see so many nurseries that I love, but I need to figure out what kind of style will flow best with the rest of our house.

>Register, have showers, & stock up on supplies. I’m a little bit terrified of this whole process, but kind of excited, too.

>Choose a name. Right now we have several boy names that we like, because we just cannot fathom having a girl. Even after we find out (next week!) what we’re having, though, I don’t know if I’ll be able to commit to a name until the last minute. It’s so much pressure!

>Read up on childbirth and parenting. So far on my list: Creating Your Birth Plan by Marsden Wagner, Nurtureshock by Po Bronson, The Birth Book and The Baby Book both by Dr. William Sears. Any others along the same lines that I’m missing?

>Make a post-baby budget. I’m dreading this and will probably continue to put it off until I can’t anymore.

>Take a short vacation or two. I can’t go crazy with my days off since I’m trying to save them up for maternity leave, but one of my best friends & her family are coming to stay with us in April for a long weekend and I’m looking forward to a couple extra days off to be with them. My husband and I are also planning on taking a long weekend trip this spring to visit my uncle & aunt in South Carolina.

>Figure out maternity leave. This is really just a matter of talking to my manager. It shouldn’t be a big deal because she’s very supportive and just had a baby last year herself. I think I get six weeks plus whatever PTO I’ve managed to save up, but I’m not sure of the details and at what rate I’ll get paid.

>Hammer out childcare details. I’m SO lucky that my mom has decided to retire and stay home to take care of our baby once I go back to work. We’ll be paying her, but it won’t be near as expensive as daycare and I hope it’ll be a little easier leaving the babe with her.

Later…

>Book photographer (maternity & birth). My friend Cio has agreed to be our birth photographer. I know it might be hard to coordinate since she lives a couple hours away and births don’t always happen at convenient times, but I really hope it works out!

>Prepare birth details: phone tree, hospital bag, plans for dogs, birthday cake. Not gonna worry about this for awhile, shouldn’t be too difficult.

>Pick out and prepare birth announcements. It’d be nice to get as much of this done as possible ahead of time, anyway.

>Last minute stuff: go to the spa, have the house cleaned, stock up frozen meals. All very important things, am I right?

So tell me, is there anything else I should add to the list? (Please don’t tell me I’m missing something major. Well, DO, but I just hope that I’m not.) Anything on the list that isn’t really necessary? Help me!

Study for (and pass!) the OCN exam.

This is a priority. I take the oncology certification test on November 30, and I really need to pass. First of all, I’m taking the day off work for it, and I will be SO embarrassed if I come back the next day having failed. But mostly, it cost $265 to apply to take, and another $250 for a review course. If I pass, I get reimbursed. That’s a big incentive.

Get Cleo back in shape.

My favorite pup has become a fatty. Recently I saw this picture of her from a few years back:

And this is her now (oh the shame):

So I’ll be upping the amount of walks and trips to the dog park and switching to “healthy weight” food. Poor girl can’t help it that she has a terrible metabolism.

Prepare for Christmas!

I’d like to go into December with a good handle on all things Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday, and I don’t want it to be stressful. These are some things I want to get done sooner rather than later:

• Finalize my wish list
• Figure out what to give my family and search for deals
• Have a complete list of names & addresses for people to send cards, and make significant progress on getting them out
• Learn to make apple cider
• Make an advent calendar (this will involve some very simple sewing but I am kind of petrified)
• Put up a tree and decorate!

What are you focusing on these days?

My all-time favorite book is The Lord of the Rings, and it’s been a deep sadness of mine that David doesn’t share my love. He’s never shown any interest in reading the book, and according to him he “suffered” through the first movie when it came out in the theater.

But it’s been a month since he’s had to be home from work, and he recently got it into his head that he’d watch the top 50 movies from imdb.com. Guess what? All three of the LOTR movies are on there. And since I already own them, he started watching them at home all by himself. I was so proud!

The best part is, he actually likes them now. He uses subtitles so he can keep track of all the names and places and he doesn’t mind them being so long since he’s in the comfort of his own home and can pause anytime he wants to. He even started reading The Hobbit! And yesterday he took a trip to Half Price Books and came back with The Children of Húrin, the only book about Middle Earth that I haven’t read because it was published after Tolkien’s death.

I know it took a lot for him not to buy anything for himself, but he saw this and had to get it for me. He’s the sweetest. :)

***

I’ve been making more progress on my hopelessly antiquated cross stitch project. It’s not my style at all, but it was free & still so much fun to see it come together. Working on it in front of a movie has become my new favorite way to unwind, and I’ve already found some projects I want to take on after this one is complete. Some of them are: Sherlock Holmes silhouette, birdhouse tree, hidden lily, and so many things from this Etsy shop.

***

It’s true that our pups aren’t always a source of happiness, like when I’m trying to sleep in and they decide to use my bed as a wrestling ring, or when we’re trying to relax and they won’t stop pawing at us, or when we’re watching a movie and someone walks by outside and they flip out like it’s the most! exciting! thing! ever! but gosh, I love them so much that I can’t imagine life without them.

Every cuddle, every lick, the way Oliver lies upside down all twisted, the way Eddie tilts her head to one side, how when Cleo gets excited her whole body wags, I can’t get enough of any of it. Our house may be covered in a thin layer of fur, and we may not always get the peace and quiet we think we want, but it’s so worth it.

***

All pictures taken on the Hipstamatic app from my iPhone.

***

This week has not been my favorite. My mood has echoed the weather, which has looked like this:

This is not to say that I dislike the rain (although I’m not saying I like the rain either), but coincidentally this weather has matched up perfectly with my periodic hormonal imbalance. I haven’t had any energy at all, and no motivation to get anything done. I’ve been working most of the week, but on my sole day off I did nothing but read and play games on the Wii all day long. I’m slowly gaining my happiness back, and the awesome weekend I have planned is probably part of that.

***

My husband has lately taken to calling my dog Cleo “sickly.” I don’t like that term because it implies that she’s a needy invalid with a short life expectancy. I keep telling him she just has a sensitive stomach! But seriously, her gagging and vomiting all over the house is getting a bit old. You know how dogs chew grass to make themselves throw up? Cleo did that the other day, except with our carpet. I’m not even joking, she swallowed a melon-sized wad of carpet and then regurgitated it. First of all, I’m just glad she didn’t choke to death. Second, what the heck? Third, anyone have recommendations for carpet or carpet installers?

(For those of you that may be worried about Cleo’s health, I am too. But not overly. I am pretty sure it has to do with a new food we tried with her. So for now we’re changing to a healthier kind, limiting her treats, and eliminating people food altogether. Hopefully it solves the problem.)

***

Last week I finally gave in and exchanged my bus pass to a parking pass for work. This was my first full week driving every day, and I can say for sure that I have a problem on my hands. Every day on my way home, I become overwhelmingly drowsy. It’s a 40-minute drive in the heat of the afternoon after I’ve worked all day, and I have SUCH a hard time staying awake. I’ve tried calling David, slapping myself, rolling down the windows, and most recently I’ve resorted to listening to pop stations on the radio. This was surprisingly effective, until yesterday when I heard that terrible “California Gurls” song two times within five minutes. That song makes me want to dig out my own eardrums with a screwdriver, and the fact that “gurls” is spelled with a “u”? Don’t even get me started. All that to say, I’m currently on the hunt for songs to add to my “Don’t Die In A Fiery Car Crash” playlist.

***

On the off chance that there is someone reading this who enjoys soccer and the World Cup, here is a really funny & insightful article that my dad sent me: “Soccer is ready to capture our attention.”

And if you, like me, enjoyed the Twilight books back when you read them once a long time ago, but are kind of sick of the whole thing by now, although you still want to see the movies because why not, and now you get more enjoyment out of making fun of the series than anything else, here is a link for you. A dude reads the books and blogs his thoughts chapter by chapter. Why couldn’t I have written this? Blogging Twilight.

Not wanting to wake up any earlier than necessary, I skipped the shower and makeup, threw on some clothes, and harnessed Oliver. Thinking he was getting a walk, he helpfully pointed me in the direction of his leash.

We arrived at the clinic at 7 a.m. and it opens at 8:30 a.m. We had secured our spot in line, but the following hour and a half was less than pleasant. That length of time in an enclosed space with a 93-pound dog (we found out later that’s how much he weighs), especially one who is naturally anxious and in a situation where he can easily see other cats and dogs through the window, never is.

I tried to walk him around the parking lot once, but he peed on the storefront. Then I walked him behind the storefront and he peed on my foot. I decided I’d bear with him in the car.

After an eternity, an eternity in which I somehow managed to read a few chapters of my book, they called his name and I left him there. It was kind of sad, actually. Kind of.

I drove straight home and began tackling the front room, recently painted, which looked like this:

After three hours of work, it now looks like this:

You might be wondering, “What did she do in those three hours? Take a nap?” But what you don’t see is that the piano was splattered with miniature dots of paint all over and required much scrubbing. And you don’t realize the breadth of the joy that I received in organizing our books according to my own personal system.

The bookshelf isn’t complete, though, and I didn’t even move the piano back in place because the floor still needs to be scrubbed. But this room has come a long way, and I’m proud.

Soon it was time to head out to my acupuncture appointment. Who doesn’t love getting stuck with tiny needles?

After that 20 minute nap, I met my pastor at Starbucks to discuss some things about the church we’re planting, specifically website & social media ideas. I had forgotten to eat lunch, so I ate a blueberry muffin to take the edge off so I could make it to dinner.

I made a quick stop at the grocery store, then swung by to pick up Oliver. He was amazingly calm. I know that he was drugged up, but I still delighted in just one day and one night of calmness.

At home again it was time to tackle my inbox, as well as do some chores like gathering paperwork for our home refinance, making dinner (grilled cheese sandwiches), and cleaning up a bit.

Once that was all done, David and I settled in to watch The Bachelorette. For the record, I turned on the Tonys first but David practically BEGGED me to watch The Bachelorette. Looks like I’ll be watching the Tonys by myself later this week.

A little after 9 p.m. my body demanded to be put to bed, so that’s what I did. And it was good.

Everything written down is some sort of engagement that I have planned, and the red numbers in the bottom right-hand corners are my work hours. There is one blissfully blank day next Tuesday, but that’s it. For some reason June has outdone itself.

On Friday David and I are going camping for the weekend with some of our siblings (an excursion that quite possibly could end in disaster), and since I worked this weekend I haven’t had much time to prepare. If you scrutinize the fuzzy picture of my calendar, you will notice that I work twelve hours on Tuesday, eight hours on Wednesday followed by three hours of leading youth group, and another twelve hours on Thursday. That leaves tomorrow, Monday, as my sole day off before the trip.

And what have I decided to leave myself to do on that day off? Oh, nothing ambitious. Just:

• Finally get Oliver fixed/his shots/heartworm pills
• Buy Father’s Day gifts
• Acupuncture
• Meet with my pastor to discuss working with the church’s website & social media
• Watch the Tonys on DVR
• Clean & put the front room back together
• Gather documents needed to refinance the house
• Procure additional camping supplies

My day off isn’t looking too restful, especially since Oliver and I need to be at the clinic by 7 a.m. It’s a first come first served place, so even arriving that early doesn’t ensure us a spot, although I have high hopes. I’m not looking forward to shelling out the $300 cash for everything he needs done (it all costs more than double because of his large size), but I can’t tell you how excited I am to get this surgery over with. I’ve been whispering sweet nothings in Oliver’s ear all day long, things like, “Enjoy your last day as a man!” and “You’re about to be turned into a eunuch!”

I think he’s excited too.

I got a nice surprise on Friday when I was supposed to work until 7 p.m. and they let me off at 3. I was able to beat the traffic and convinced David to go on a mini-date. We went to Potbelly Subs & Sandwiches for dinner and then went back home to pick up the dogs. This part took a lot more convincing, because handling all three dogs at once is no easy task. But I recently bought these adorable tags for them, and now we could legitimately take Oliver to the dog park.

Cute, right?

It was Oliver’s first time there, so we were nervous. He’s still not neutered (I know, I know) so he has a tendency to act fairly alpha. He comes up to my waist and weighs around 100 pounds, but there was a dog much bigger than him there and Oliver had that dog’s tail between its legs just by sniffing. Overall he was very good, but he made other dogs nervous and we felt like we had to hover around him the entire time. I don’t think we’ll be going back until we get him fixed.

On Saturday I was up bright & early to visit the local farmer’s market that I’ve been meaning to go to for ages. My sister-in-law and friend were supposed to come too, but neither of them could make it due to their respective babies so I was on my own. I found it easily and my first impression was that it’s small, but very cute.

Our little farmer's market

I walked around without buying anything once to see what was there, and I was happy to see that there was a big variety of food and other local, organic products. I had my eye on some tomatoes and peaches, but then I realized I had forgotten to bring a bag to carry them in. I ended up only buying some honey because I was too self-conscious. (Side note: has anyone ever tried honey in their coffee instead of sugar?)

I must have really been in a food-buying mood though, because I ended up stopping at a larger organic store which was farther away. I was in the area since I had to get some blood drawn at a specific lab. The book I’m reading is completely changing my perspective on the foods I buy. David doesn’t know what he’s in for. :)

For the rest of the day I had originally intended to drag David with me to the Art Car Parade, but when he told me he’d help me paint instead I couldn’t pass that up. My parents and father-in-law came too, and we were able to get the second coat on the front two rooms, paint the ceiling, and start on the trim. The trim and touch-ups are all we have left there, but it’s such a tedious chore. I can’t wait to finish and actually start decorating!

The dining room so far

Sunday morning found us at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Los Cucos, for breakfast with my family. I’d never had breakfast at a Mexican place, but I have to say the eggs were the best I’ve ever tasted. I was really excited to give my mom her gift, because it was so unique. You may not know this, but my mom was a hippie in her day, and I think the gene is genetic. For Mother’s Day I signed us (along with my mother-in-law) up for a class teaching us how to make soft cheese and other dairy products at home. I can’t wait!

Church was a fluster of activity because my brother and I were leading the music and we were not quite prepared. It ended up going smoothly, but only because we grew up doing music together and know exactly what the other will do. On the way home from church David and I stopped by a local bookstore for an amazing sale. Here are all the books we got, all for $5.95!

Three of these are mine. Can you guess which ones? :)

By the time we got home I had developed quite a toothache that extended into my sinuses and down my neck. I took a Vicodin, read a few pages, and fell into a nap that lasted until my mother-in-law called me to ask me a question. It’s a good thing she did, because we were supposed to meet David’s family for dinner and I would have slept right through it. Dinner was delicious and the company was lovely, and to top the weekend off I took my mother-in-law to the play Harvey at the Alley Theatre, which we both loved.

Only eleven more days until my next weekend off!

I mentioned before that the folks at Brand About Town chose me to be a Nintendo Enthusiast. I was extremely excited to find a Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and a book called The Triathlon Training Bible in the mail one day.

Total score!

I immediately hooked it all up, created my Mii, and did a body test. Then I started reading the book. This time, I want to have a thorough understanding of triathlon training before I begin.

Last week when I had off work I decided that it was the day to begin exercising again. Due to my recent blood loss and stomach issues I’m at a healthy weight for me, one that I want to maintain, but I have lost all muscle tone. Here I am in my workout clothes for the first time in forever:

I may or may not be wearing the shirt I slept in last night

I thought that the Wii Fit Plus was the perfect way to ease back into working out, and it’ll be nice to have in the summer months when it’s just too hot to go outside.

I started out by doing another body test. It weighs you, and then has you do a couple of mind and balance tests. I am TERRIBLE at the balance tests. I mean really. Terrible. Then based on a combination of your actual age and your performance, it gives you your Wii Fit Age. I did the body test three separate times before I got an age that I felt acceptable to display to the Internet.

Much better than 38

One of my 101 goals was to unlock all the exercises in Wii Fit, but the Wii Fit Plus doesn’t have any exercises locked. I am therefore editing my goal to read: try all the exercises in Wii Fit Plus at least once. I jumped right in a started playing around, although it was a little hard to do when I had this to deal with:

Oliver needs to attend a 12-step program for codependency

First I did a little jog. You don’t have to run on the balance board, you just hold the controller or put it in your pocket. I like to hold things when I run anyway, so I didn’t mind. Running in place is kind of awkward at first, and it works my calves more than I’m used to (which might be a good thing). I was sore for DAYS afterwards. It’s not a replacement for actual running, but it’s still a nice aerobic exercise.

Awkward picture of me running in place, taken by my camera on self-timer

Next I did some yoga stretches. One of the changes to Wii Fit Plus is that you can put together your own routines. So instead of just doing one yoga pose at a time you can kind of simulate a flow, although there is still some transition time.

My ridiculous triangle pose

And since I love to ride bikes, I tried this new addition called Island Cycle. You pick your feet up and down as if you’re riding a bike (but not really) and hold the controller horizontally to steer. You hit all the checkpoints and return to the starting point. It was fun!

Wish I had a place to ride like that in real life

The last thing I did was create a profile for my dog Cleo. I think it’s so cool that you can do this! (Works for kids & babies too.) Not only do you get to see a cute little puppy on screen that will show up in your activities (she followed me around when I was cycling), but you can track your pet’s weight. This is actually really helpful when you have a dog who is bordering on obesity and you need to know what dose of heartworm pill to give her.

She's so cute!

Looks a lot like her, don’t you think?

Too bad you can't do the training with me, little Cleo

So my goals are to do a body test once a week for at least 12 weeks, and try all the exercises once. I’ll decide which ones work best for me, and use those on the days where I can’t make it outside.

Anyone else have a Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus? How do you use it, and what do you think of it?