28 Days to Go - Until my Due Date!

It's been a long week of heart burn and acid reflux this week... not to mention lots of pressure and soreness in my pelvic region. This baby is pushing down with all this weight... at least that is what it feels like! I go to the Doctor for my strep test on Thursday, I'm hoping that I am not carrying it giving it a chance to transfer to Ryan once I go into labor. I hope to hear that Ryan is still healthy and growing. I'm so ready to meet my little man, it's not even funny.

Mom took me shopping this weekend and I spent a few gift cards that I received from my showers. I got Ryan some clothes and I also got some sheets for the bassinet/pack and play. We plan on using it in our room the first few weeks so that I can be close to him for night feedings. I look forward to all the changes to my routines that are coming.

Here is what 3D Pregnancy has to say about 36 weeks:

Your baby continues to put on weight at about ½ pound each week. This layer of fat will help your baby regulate his body temperature after leaving your climate-controlled womb. In fact, your baby will be 15 percent fat at birth (and you ... well that's another story). Even in the womb, your baby can listen, feel, touch and see. The only thing separating him from living in the outside world is a little thing called the birth canal. Other highlights this week:

His gums are firm with ridges that look somewhat like teeth, though his actual pearly whites won't start breaking through until he's between three months and a year old.

Your baby has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening his eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. Your baby will become alert and turn his head toward light and sound just as a newborn would—except when you put on that Celine Dion CD. Then the baby puts his hands up, turns away and gurgles, "Oh no you didn't!"

Your baby is now around 18½ inches long and nearly 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox!

Future Friendly Giveaway!

My cousin has blogged her reactions and thoughts about this product on her blog, Atlanta Military Mom.

About the Product:

• Cascade Action Pacs are designed so that you don’t have to pre-wash when putting dishes into the dishwasher, which can save you up to 2,600 gallons of water per year. (based on a household usage of of 12.5 gallons of water per year.)
• This product is available in Fresh, Citrus Breeze, Citrus Lemon, Apple Blossom, and Pure Essentials scents.

Check out her blog to read what she thought about the product and to see how to enter to win your own package to try out! (:

Book Recommendation: Time Riders

Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

Scarrow has been a rock guitarist, a graphic artist, and a computer games designer. He is the author of several adult thrillers, including Last Light and A Thousand Suns. The TimeRiders series is his first for young adults. He lives in England with his wife and son.

I picked up this book from the Young Adult shelf at the local book store... it looked interesting. As soon as I read the inside cover, I knew it sounded interesting enough for me to give it a shot. Not to mention the author sounds like a pretty cool guy!

The book is about these teens that should have died... but they are given a second chance at life to work for this secret agency. Their job is to stop others from time traveling and changing the future too much. In the first book, they have to go back to 1941 and stop this man who traveled back in time to take Hilter's place and change the current world.

It's an interesting plot and I look forward to reading more. This book is #1 in what is supposed to be a series of 9 books total. Book #2 comes out in October - I plan on picking it up as soon as it comes out! (:

Easter Weekend!

This weekend was not like crazy awesome or anything, but I did get some good quality time with my family and with Wesley's family.

On Saturday, Wesley had some plans with friends all day, so when my Mom got done volunteering for work, I went up to her house and we went and did some shopping. She got me some nursing bras and sleepwear and we also got some clothes and things for Ryan. I spent a few of the gift cards that we had gotten at baby showers. We had a fun time... it's not often that I get to spend time alone with my Mom, so I was glad to have that. We had dinner with Daddy and then I came on home.

Then, of course, Sunday was Easter! We had lunch plans at my sister in law's house next door, and plans for the kids to have a HUGE egg hunt. We had BBQ grilled chicken for lunch with mac and cheese, squash casserole, green beans, okra and rolls... cake balls, and coconut cake for dessert. We had some fun fellowship with my family by marriage. Also, my brother in law's sister and her family came into town as well. It was good to see everyone! We hid over 200 eggs for all six kiddos to search for... I can't wait until next year when Ryan will be able to participate! (:

Here are some photos from the egg hunt!

A Book that Makes You Happy

One of the books that make me happy is "Love Comes Softly" by Janette Oak.

It takes place in the Old West, the wagon trail days and is also an inspirational fiction story. It's a story that touches my heart and makes me smile.

Marty moves out west with her husband, just to have tragedy strike. She's left alone, not knowing how to survive. She meets Clark - a widower father of one little girl. They marry and eventually this union leads to love and a family for them both. The story revolves around Christian faith and is the first in a series of many books.

Wordless Wednesday - Besties!

35 Weeks! (:

Well, this week has been interesting! On Monday I went to the doctor's office and found out that apparently Ryan is measuring closer to 37 weeks... I have a feeling he's going to be a BIG baby for sure! (:

I'm 35 weeks today...
I'm sleeping more than normal. I'm lazy more than normal.
I'm just plain ready to have this baby, to see his precious face and to give him hugs and kisses for the rest of his life!

I have lots of plans the rest of the week. I'm going to see my sister tomorrow, her birthday was Monday and I miss her tons!! On Friday night, my best friend and I are going to see 'Water for Elephants' and then this weekend is Easter! I hope to spend lots of time with family and enjoying my niece and nephew's on Sunday.

Oh, and last night I got my first real dose of pregnancy heartburn. Eventually it subsided and I could sleep... but that did NOT feel good and I hope that I don't have it anymore! (:

Here is what 3DPregnancy has to say about my baby this week...

This week the final touches are being added to your mini-masterpiece and most of his development is going to packing on the pounds. While baby's movements may be becoming less jerky, he may do his final somersault in the womb soon—to put himself into the head-down position for birth. Other fascinating facts:

Your little Karate Kid can't quite pack the punch he used to due to the limited space inside the womb these days. You're likely to feel more wiggles, stretches and rolls than kicks and jabs. The extra layer of fat your baby is adding will create those cute dimples on your baby's elbows and knees. His liver has begun processing his waste products, so you know which organ to thank when he has his first blowout up the back of his onesie.

Baby's nails are growing so long they may curl over the tips of his tiny fingers and toes before he sees a pair of clippers. He'll be in serious need of a mani-pedi once he's born (as will you).

Your baby is now about 5½ pounds and over 18 inches long—about the size of one of those price-club sheet cakes.

34 Weeks, 6 Weeks Until My Due Date!

Well, hopefully it's LESS than six weeks!! (:

I am really still excited about meeting my little man! I can't wait to see what he looks like, how much hair he has and how tall he is going to be! I have a check up tomorrow at the doctor's office - hopefully everything still looks good. I had great blood pressure and Ryan's heart beat was really strong. I hope that the same goes for tomorrow's appointment.

Last weekend, I had my last baby shower. I will share those photos here on the blog soon. But I got the rest of what we really needed for baby Ryan. Also, a friend of mine is going to let me borrow her pump so I don't have to buy one! That was a blessing! This weekend we celebrate my nephew's 9th birthday and my sister's 23rd birthday. It should be a good weekend... next week I don't have a lot of plans, just cleaning up around the house, working on getting things ready for Ryan and eventually going to see Water for Elephants after the 22nd with my best friend. (:

Here is what 3D Pregnancy has to say about my baby this week:

Your baby kind of looks like she's coated in a layer of cream cheese these days. The thick, white substance that protects her skin from pruning in the amniotic fluid is called vernix. When she's born you'll probably see some vernix lingering in her "hard-to-reach" places like under her arms, behind her ears and around her va-jay-jay, if she's a she.. Other news from the womb this week:

The soft fur, lanugo, that covered your baby's body for much of her stay in the womb is now almost completely gone. Your baby begins to develop her own immune system, instead of relying solely on antibodies received through the placenta. This will come in handy when some grubby relative manhandles the baby without washing his hands first.

This week, your baby measures about 17¾ inches, as almost as long as an American Girl Doll and weighs almost 5 pounds, as heavy as a bag of sugar, minus the cup you put in your decaf this morning.

30 Reasons Why Star Wars Is Better Than Titanic

1. Titanic’s big, but it doesn’t have hyperdrive.

2. Star Wars has WAY cooler action figure potential.

3. Yoda could use the Force to lift Titanic out of the water.

4. Leia is a princess, a senator, a freedom fighter, and Jedi material; Rose is just marriage bait.

5. Ewoks throw better parties than either first class or steerage.

6. When flying towards the Titanic, Wedge can’t say “Look at the size of that thing!” and really mean it.

7. It would be much scarier to get chased around the boat by a raving madman with a lightsaber as opposed to a handgun.

8a. Titanic is egalitarian by portraying poor people as sympathetic characters. Star Wars is egalitarian by promoting bug-eyed amphibians to Admiral.

8b. Said bug-eyed amphibious Admiral manages NOT to lose his ship.

9. We know Cal is the bad guy because he sneers at the poor and treats his fiancee like property. We know Darth Vader is the bad guy because he strangles people and blows up planets for fun.

10. Yeah, Leo can dance, but can he fly an X-wing?

11. People have not lost their lives trying to recreate scenes from Star Wars on the bow of a cruise liner.

12. Rose braves icy water to rescue her man. Leia braves Jabba the Hut.

13. Two words: John Williams.

14. There are always enough escape pods in Star Wars.

15. Do you know what the Empire does to self-proclaimed “kings of the world”?

16. If Luke were handcuffed to a pipe below decks in a sinking ship, he would use the Force to get the key.

17. “I’d rather be his whore than your wife” just doesn’t have the same sting as “I’d rather kiss a Wookie.”

18. Han is frozen in carbonite and turned into a wall ornament. Leo simply freezes.

19. We knew the boat was gonna sink. But who could’ve anticipated “Luke….I am your father.” ???

20. Han Solo would’ve missed that damn iceberg!

21. Storm troopers blast big holes in stupid minor characters; everyone in Titanic was a stupid minor character.

22. Dead people have that cool glow around them in Star Wars. In Titanic, dead people just have little hungry fish around them.

23. When Star Wars was proclaimed coolest movie of all time by half of planet earth, George Lucas did not make an a** of himself at the Oscars.

24. 1979 special effects in Star Wars still more believable than those stupid computer shots of the Titanic.

25. Titanic morals = gamble, cheat on your husband, pose nude for pictures, premarital sex is OK if you’re in love, etc. Star Wars moral = fight evil, do good, respect all life even if it’s Ugly and slithers, rescue princess, save planet.

26. R2-D2 - enough said.

27. When was the last time you heard our global defense system called “Titanic” - puts some faith back in the government don’t it?

28. Han and Chewie could have repaired the ship!

29. When the titanic broke apart, did we even get any type of explosion, much less an explosion with a ring around it.

30. And who invented THX?

The Three's of Megan

Three names I go by:

1. Megan
2. Iggy
3. Mommy (Well, soon anyways!)

Three Jobs I have had in my life:

1. Camp Counselor/Kitchen Aide
2. Cashier/Retail @ Eddie Bauer
3. Marketing Specialist

Three Things that Describe my Personality:

1. Creative
2. Adaptable
3. Trustworthy

Three Things I can't do:

1. Draw Freehand
2. Eat Salad
3. Fly a plane

Three Places I have lived:

1. Barnesville, Ga
2. Jonesboro, Ga
3. Milner, Ga

Three Things I can't leave home without

1. Cell Phone
2. Keys
3. Book

Three Favorite drinks:

1. Sweet Tea
2. Orange Juice
3. White Wine (When I'm not pregnant!)

Three TV Shows that I watch:

I watch way more than this, but these are TOP THREE!

1. One Tree Hill
2. CSI: Vegas
3. Army Wives


Three places I have been:

1. Washington, DC
2. Philly, PA
3. St. George Island, Fl

Three Things I love:

1. The beach
2. A good book
3. My puppies

People that text me regularly:

1. Summer
2. Renee
3. Stephanie

Three of my favorite foods:

1. Mexican & Margaritas
2. Italian
3. BREAD!

Three Things I don't Understand

1. Stupid People
2. Politics
3. Physics

Three friends I think would also post this on their blog:

No clue....
1. Kim?
2. Mandy?
3. Jumble Mash?

Three Things I am looking forward to:

1. Having a Baby
2. Graduating from College one day...
3. Teaching in my own classroom one day...

Favorite Book of Your Favorite Series

In my previous 'book challenge' post about my favorite book series, I mentioned my love of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books (The True Blood series).

My favorite book in that series would be... 'Dead and Gone'.





This book involves vampires, weres, shifters, and fairies. Sookie's in a romantic relationship with the vampire Eric, is a friend to the local Were pack, works for a man who is a Shifter, and has a brother and sister-in-law who are werepanthers.

This book brings a lot of her history and she finally meets her great-grandfather, Niall, a fairy. This book lets us see inside a deadly war of supernatural beings, and reveals some very important information to her about her parent's death many years before.

I thought this was one of the most exciting books in the series, and reveals a lot more about the past of all these different species and characters. It opens up a lot of plot for books ahead.

Pregnancy Dreams!

I was forewarned about crazy dreams while you are pregnant... and I have had some messed up ones! I don't have them every night and I don't always remember them... but some of the REALLY crazy ones I do remember for a while and enough to share them with my husband.

The one that made me laugh the most was about myself playing World of Warcraft, a few weeks ago. I played a Warlock that could transform into a Hippo, a Giraffe, and a Tiger. It was a bit strange I admit... but still kind of funny. I don't remember much else about the dream.

Night before last I dreamed about Dr. Phil's television show... but it was about people that had been on his show before and were back to chew him out because his "advice" ruined their or someone in their family's lives. The one that stands out is this woman that was addicted to chocolate. Dr. Phil had told her to stop eating it, but if she was truly craving some then she should allow herself an indulgence every now and then... so she did. She ate so much chocolate in one sitting that she ended up in the hospital with food poisoning and she blamed Dr. Phil for all those problems.

Last night, I dreamed that I was back in high school and actually dating my ex's little brother. That was REALLY strange and messed up!! In the dream, I had apparently already dated Matt - and that had ended badly, so when I started to date his brother - we had to keep it a secret. There was a lot of sneaking around and secret rendezvous. I woke up thinking "that's effed up". LOL

I'm not saying that I would interpret these dreams a certain way... I'm chocking it all up to this pregnancy and all the hormones and things going on in my body due to the baby and all. I just wanted to share with people how crazy my dreams are! (:

Favorite Book Series

My favorite book series is the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series by Charlaine Harris!

Honestly... I have heard a lot of people talk bad about this series because everyone expected to read it and for it to be exactly like the Twilight series vampires. It's not - this is the series written for adults, and I can relate to many things in the book with Sookie and all of her relationships with people in the books! I like the plot and I like where Harris takes these characters and how she develops them.

Now... I'm also a fan of the television show, True Blood - although I can't compare it to the books at all because it's SO DIFFERENT! (:

7 Weeks to Go! (:

I can't believe that in hopefully less than 7 weeks I will get to meet my baby boy and see his sweet little face! I can not wait to see what he looks like... what color his hair is, what color his eyes will be and if he has my nose! (:

Also, this weekend is my last baby shower - when all my family is coming to town to celebrate Ryan's arrival. I can't wait to see them all, and my closest friends - the ones that are basically family to me!

Tomorrow I get to go have my pre-natal massage done at Spa Sydell in Midtown. I'm really looking forward to the one hour of relaxation and getting pampered the way a woman deserves to get pampered! I've never had a professional massage before... so I'm looking forward to the new experience. Then, tomorrow evening my SIL is helping me add some blonde to my hair for the summer... I'm so excited for the change!! I've been wanting to do something different with my hair for a while now.

On friday, I have to go to the dentist to get a molar looked at. I broke it last weekend, well, a corner of it, and so I need to go find out what my options are on getting it fixed! I hope that it's not in too bad of shape that I need a crown... I hope that he can just take the filling that's already there out, and re-fill the tooth. I guess we'll see what happens on Friday.

Here is what 3D pregnancy has to say for 33 weeks:

The big news this week is lung development—baby's respiratory system is almost completely mature. That means if your baby was born this week, odds are he'd be a healthy bouncing baby with a just a little help from his friends (aka, the NICU). Some of the specifics are:

Your baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day (of course that ability will miraculously disappear once he's born and up all night screaming). His pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may shy away from the light as if to say, "Cut it out, Ma. You're soooo annoying."

The bones in your baby's skull are soft and are not yet fused together. In other words, now is not the time to teach him how to do a headspin while breakdancing. This pliability allows the bones to overlap; making that trip down the tight birth canal possible (and resulting in that surprising cone head look your baby will sport for the first few days post-birth. Don't worry, it's totally normal and that's what hats are for.)

Your baby will continue to pack on the pounds gaining around ½ pound a week from here on out.

Your baby weighs about 4½ pounds, as much as a grownup duck, and is approximately 17.5 inches long.

The Best Book I've Read More than Three Times

Much like most people that attended public high school... I read this book for the first time in my English class in tenth grade. It was a book that I wasn't too keen on reading... I had heard many stories about the book, many classmate's opinions based on not liking the way it was written or the story line.

Turned out, I LOVED it...

The book was published in 1960 and is basically deals with serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The book is used in English classes to teach tolerance for others... and takes place during the Great Depression in a small fictional town in Alabama.

One of my favorite quotes in the book is by Atticus Finch, the father and hero of the story...

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."

I own my own copy of this book now... and I have read it more than ten times I'm sure. There is a lot of the book that I can quote over and over again.

Power Outage in Georgia!

So, Monday night was CRAZY! The power went out at about 12:30am that night... it woke me because my phone charges next to the bed and when the power went out, it stopped charging and the screen lit up. Not to mention the loud thunder that was rolling in the distant skies. The lightening was weird too... it looked like strobe lights and was very constant for a few hours. It kept me awake for a while - when the power went out, my husband came on to bed. We chatted for a few minutes before he fell asleep. I was kept awake for a few hours before the thunder finally stopped and I could fall asleep.

I've always been nervous about storms... worrying about tornadoes and trees falling on the house. There was a house not that far from us that had a pine tree fall on it, killing a three year old little boy and his father. Trees were up-rooted all over the place and caused a lot of damage. We were out of power until 8pm on Tuesday night. I spent most of the day with my SIL and her family... they had a generator hooked up to the television and then we left the house, just to get away. She also had her fridge hooked up, so I moved a few groceries to her house to keep them from going bad. I had to replace all the things that went bad while I was at the grocery store today.

It has been a very interesting week... and I look forward to what is ahead for my weekend! More about that in another post!

The Best Book I Read Last Year

I read a lot of books last year, although I don't know exactly how many I really read, there is only one that stuck out over a lot of the others for me.

The second book of the Witch and Wizard series is the book I'm talking about; 'The Gift'.

This is the post I made on it after I read it last December. I know it's posted for January, but I read it just after Christmas time. Check out my thoughts on book one here.

This book has such a mysterious plot - the New Order in the book is the new government and they have banned everything from the lives of the citizens that still live on Earth. Whit and Wisty are brother and sister - a wizard and a witch. They learn a lot about more about themselves in this book and about their parents. The plot is very captivating and kept me interested.

I recommend it to anyone that likes some mystery and some fantasy.

New Challenge: 30 Days of Books!

I read this list on one of my friend's blogs and wanted to challenge myself to do it as well! I look forward to sharing all my favorite books with my own blog readers! (:

This is my last project to help count down the days until my Baby Boy is born... I can't believe it's almost seven weeks left!

Here is the full list... look forward to Day One later today! (:

Day 01 – The best book you read last year
Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favorite series
Day 04 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favorite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favorite writer
Day 14 – Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 – Favorite male character
Day 16 – Favorite female character
Day 17 – Favorite quote from your Favorite book
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favorite romance book
Day 21 – Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favorite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favorite title
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your Favorite book of all time

Deathy Hallow Part 2: Opening Scene!

OMG OMG OMG!

I can't wait for this movie!!

My dog caused me to have a panic attack...

Every morning after the dogs come out of their crates, they both go out on leads for potty time. We put them out at the same time this morning, sometime around 9:45 am. I got to cleaning up the house, doing some laundry and about 30-45 minutes later I went to let Larson inside. He doesn't stay out all day like Buster does. He wasn't there on his lead... I ran to the bedroom, woke up Wesley and slipped on some flip flops to run outside. I started calling for him...

We both walked up to the road and I walked down to my MIL's house and back and no sign of him. At this point I was already worried we weren't going to find him and I was crying. He's not an outside dog at all and living in the country, there is so many directions he could have taken off in. I made my way back to the house - Wesley was grabbing keys and putting on shoes to head out and drive around, see if he could spot our little white dog. I decided to stay at home.

I started yelling for him, calling his name and whistling the way I always do when I want his attention. I circled the house for about ten minutes calling for him before I head his bark. (When you live with a dog for over four years, you learn his bark and Larson's is very distinctive.) Anyone who knows me and Larson knows how much I love this dog... I was crying and calling for him, hoping he'd bark again. He did. Off towards the left of the house, towards the William's place (our neighbor with the cow that comes to visit us through the woods).

I still couldn't see him at this point, but I started to make my way into the woods a little more towards the neighbor's pasture. I kept calling and whistling for Larson, hoping he would come to me. I stood still for a few minutes and then I heard him... well, I heard his tags on his collar clanking together which sounds like a little bell. I'm so thankful for that collar right now!! I heard him coming before I saw him. I started calling for him in a sweet baby voice like I talk to him at home... "Come on Larson" and "Here boy". Then I saw him... and I started to cry again. I ran to him and grabbed him up.

I held him close as I made my way to the end of the driveway to flag down my husband... he didn't take his cell phone with him in the car. I was already starting to hyperventilate because of all the excitement, I breaths were short and my heart was racing. I remember praying the whole time to let him come back to my voice or please let a neighbor find him and see that he's local and bring him back home.

Needless to say, this Momma is not going to let her puppy dog be outside un-supervised for a while. He's going to have to go out with me on a leash so I can make sure this doesn't happen again. This is the first time he's EVER gotten away from me and I would lose it for a long time if I ever really lost him. I love that little dog like a kid and I would hate myself if anything happened to him!

I am recovered from my panic attack and he's home safe and munching on some of my Cheetos at the moment... so life is better. But let me tell you, I don't want to go through that again anytime soon!!