// Reminder //

You are enough

Even when it feels like you're not

You can do hard things

Although it seems impossible

You can't please everybody

And you shouldn't want to

You can achieve your dreams

Never stop believing in yourself

You are perfect the way you are

Don't try to be anything other than you

You are enough

Even when it feels like you're not

A slightly comical and VERY informative blog post about our dog Jagger

I've decided to write about one of the most important relationships in my life: the relationship I have with my dog, Jagger. (I see your eyes rolling at me, I do. But I also don't care.) But seriously, this is important stuff... :) Not only is the topic of my dog and his many quirks quite comical, it is down-right adorable.

This is Jagger. He's a 2 year old white lab. We got him in Mississippi when we were there for a summer in 2012. He is our furry child. Yeah, we're kind of obsessed.

Since Jagger will only be an only 'child' until June, I thought I would document more fully all the funny things he does.

Let me take you through a pretty normal day in our lives.

The Morning Greeting
I come down the stairs to find Jagger waiting for me at the bottom. Now let me explain: One rule that we have been really diligent about since moving into this house is that Jagger is NOT allowed upstairs. This was a hard adjustment. But the hair- OH THE HAIR!!! There's just too much of the stuff. We trained him with a baby gate, but have long since abandoned that, seeing as he is now trained without it. Anyway, after coming downstairs in the morning it is my duty to sit on the bottom-most step after which Jagger will promptly place his head in my lap, inviting me to massage and pet his ears and neck. After about 30-40 seconds of this, he turns around and sits his bum on my lap so that I may scratch his bum. Then I let him outside and feed him.

Daily Occurrences
Of course, Jags loves to play. So as other dog owners will understand, I quite often find the ball being nudged in my hand or dropped at my feet accompanied by a very intent playful look and wagging tail.

Something that I don't think all dogs know is when it's time to stop playing for the time being. But Jagger does. Like when your dog WILL NOT leave you alone and you are become extremely annoyed.... Well when he hears "Ok, that's enough Jagger, go lay down" he goes and lays down (although sometimes it takes a "THAT'S ENOUGH, GO LAY DOWN"). When we're both home and I tell him "That's enough", he'll look to Logan. If Logan repeats it, he'll go lay down (and vice-versa). Pretty cool trick, I think. Although it doesn't mean that he won't try again 15 minutes later.

No matter what's going on throughout the day, there comes a time- usually around 3 or 4pm- that my pup gets unusually ansy. He doesn't want to play, but he won't leave me alone. He doesn't calm down until I sit on the floor and cuddle him. He backs his butt up and sits on my lap. He's NOT a lap dog. But boy, he sure thinks he is. I'm pretty sure we've raised one needy dog....

Dad Comes Home
This is probably one of my favorite times of day. Obviously, I get to see and kiss my husband after his day at work. But I also get to see SUPER SUPER DUPER excited Jagger. It's like he can't contain himself. Dad opens the door and immediately Jagger runs, quite wobbly due to his wagging tail, straight to him and starts jumping around in excitement. It's so cute. Jags loves his dad.

The insistent cuddling happens again sometime after dinner. Jagger can be so bossy...

Bedtime
It's funny which words your pets understand. Our pup understands 'bedtime'. We'll be sitting in the family room watching a show or something, with Jags laying at our feet. Once it's time for bed, all I have to say is 'bedtime!' and he gets up and goes over to his bed. Then I begin the 'bedtime routing'. It's actually quite simple. After he's in his bed, I go and sit down next to him. I proceed to rub down his legs, which immediately calms him down. After a few minutes of petting him I say goodnight and head upstairs. Every night this happens. Call me crazy but I love tucking him in. Call me crazier, but I think he loves it to.

Like I said, we raised him needy.

But we love him more than words. It's amazing to have a soul that loves you unconditionally and would do anything to make you happy. He is so fun to take care of. I love all his personality quirks!

I know I should probably write at least one post that doesn't mention babies, but sorry, I can't. I just can't.

I am SO excited for Jagger to meet our babe. My friend and I were talking about how our dogs would react when there's a new little boss around. It will take some getting used to, seeing how much attention Jagger gets now, but I think after a while Jagger will be so attached and protective of our baby. He will have to learn to be more aware of himself, since he's 90lbs and thinks he's a lap dog, but having a small human around 24/7 will be good practice. I can't wait for our little family to grow!!!

More fun-facts about Jagger:
-He has amazing super-speed reflexes and is phenomenal at catching the ball.
-He LOVES running and goes crazy every time I come down in my running clothes.
-His ears perk up whenever we say the word "GO".
-He likes holding hands.
-He's a maniac after baths.
-He goes absolutely crazy when he sees us bring down suitcases and put them in the car. He knows something's about to go down.
-He loves being at the lake and swimming.
-He likes playing hide and seek. With us and with his ball.
-He understands that I'm 'Mom' and Logan is 'Dad' so whenever I say, "Where's dad?" He'll run over to Logan and look at him, wagging his tail. (We use this especially when we're annoyed with him and want to pawn him off on the other person.... :D)
-He's super friendly to everyone. We never have to worry about him when we go anywhere.
-He's amazing with kids! With small babes he still doesn't comprehend how large and strong he is, but he's getting better!
-He takes victory laps around our dining room table after especially hard catches.

HE'S JUST THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD.

hello

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to keep up with my blog. And boy, is this the perfect year to do it! We ended 2014 on very, very good note.... Logan got a promotion, I am extremely happy with being a Substitute Teacher, and, most importantly, we are having a baby!

My husband and I had been trying for a baby for about 2 years. Doctors visits, monthly disappointments, the whole deal. Nothing was really wrong. It just wasn't happening. I was put on a medication called Clomid to hopefully help. Months and months went on and still nothing. Now I know that many women and couples struggle with this, sometimes with even more devastating circumstances. But I was going through my own hard time with it all.

Then, on October 15, I took the test. It was about 15 minutes before Logan got home from work. Here I was, a few days late, thinking "don't get your hopes up, don't get your hopes up".... And BAM! One little word. 'Pregnant' the test said. But I didn't believe it.

Just as I was in the midst of my disbelieve, Logan got home. I quickly put the test in a little box (yeah, yeah, gross) and went downstairs to greet him. Before I could think of anything creative, I said, "Logan... Look in this box!!!!" (I pretty much shouted at him.) He opened it and just stared for a moment. Finally he looked up at me. My sweet husband had tears in his eyes. "Wait, is this real?" he said... I quickly explained that I had just taken the test, and since it was the last one I had, I told him that we needed to go, NOW, to get more. Just to be sure. It was dinner time so we grabbed some tests and headed to Cafe Rio, where I snuck off to the bathroom to reassure us both. It was faint, but there were the two little pink lines.... We ate and talked in awe and shock. Still not believing it....

The next day, when I woke up for my morning pee, Logan got up with me. Once again, I took another test. One little word... 'Pregnant' showed up. Groggily, we jumped around in joy!! It's real, this is really happening.

At week 8, we went in for our first doctor's appointment. Because I was on that specific medication, the doctor wanted to check to see if I was carrying multiples, so we did an ultrasound. WE GOT TO SEE OUR BABY! There's just one in there. It was just a little alien-bean thing but it was really there! Words cannot describe seeing that. We also saw the heart flutter.. yippee!!!!!!

A month later, we went back. Now most of you know what it means when you go in for the 12 week appointment: heartbeat. Heartbeat, heartbeat, heartbeat. Possibly the sweetest sound expecting parents will hear!!!!!! It was overwhelming.

Fast forward to now.

Pregnancy Update:

How far along: 15 weeks and 3 days

Size: Pear. A PEARRR PEOPLE!

Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I will be in the market very shortly. At this point I need to unbutton my jeans while sitting down... hehe.

Sleep: I think I have sciatica pains happening right now, which is why my lovely mother got me a pregnancy pillow that works WONDERS. But I still get up to pee.

Food Cravings: Nothing too specific.... My staples are string cheese, cereal, and applesauce.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Preparing and cooking raw meat... YUCK! Oh, and doing dishes most of the time. Thanks to Logan for being on the ball with that one. ;)

Have you started to show yet: Um, yes, a little. It's not much, but there is definitely something there.

Boy or Girl: We don't know yet. But I have had some feelings that it's a boy.

Names: We will wait until we know the gender to get real serious about names. :)

Shopping: So far I've bought a bouncer rocker (on sale- booyah) and a few white onesies. Otherwise I've stayed strong!

Wedding ring on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy for the most part. I get a little moody when I'm hungry or tired, but that happened before pregnancy too.

Most nervous about: The lack of sleep. Uhhhhhhh....

Most excited about: Feeling the first flutter! And of course, finding out the gender. Also: showing a little bit more so there's no question that I'm pregnant and getting the nursery together!

Stay tuned for more!

xx

about me

Back in 2010 I met the love of my life. In a hot tub. It didn't take long for me to realize that this relationship was a forever kind of thing. Luckily, he felt the same way! Since then, our life has been full of love, laughter, trials overcome, and new adventures. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada where I work as a Substitute Teacher. We have just about the cutest dog alive, our not-so-little white lab Jagger. I absolutely love books, music, and being outdoors.

Possibly the most exciting news to date is that we are expecting our FIRST BABY!!! A GIRL! I am due June 22. For almost 2 years we struggled with trying to conceive. Now that we have, our joy is full! I cannot wait to hold her in my arms. I cannot wait to see my husband hold his firstborn child in his. To feel that love...

I am in no way a professional writer. I didn't start this blog to gain loads of followers and become popular in the blogosphere. I created this blog to share my life with those who wish to follow. More importantly, to aid myself in seeing the good in life, savoring the simple things and breathing in every moment.

xx

Linds