Gracie

As a child, we never had real pets (that required anything other than water changing in a tank). Jeramy always had a dog growing up, so naturally, he thought we needed one a few years back. We were still without children, living in a 2 bedroom apartment and both working full-time and going to school - so a dog made perfect sense, right? We got Gracie, a Jack Russel Terrier puppy. We learned really quick that she was smarter than us.
The first day we left her home, she got out of her cage, opened the cupboard where we kept her food, spilled it all over the house and ate herself sick.
So I got all domestic and sewed a blanket on top of the cage. She chewed the blanket up and got out again.
We bought a wire net thing and used wire to get it on the top. She chewed that off, too.
She then learned to go under instead of over her cage, so more wire net stuff. She figured that out as well.
We started leaving her on her leash in our bedroom while we were gone.
She chewed my phone up.
She tore apart my feather pillow.
She hated to have a bath. Every time I would get her out, she would run around the house like a mad dog, then jump up on my bed and pee. Jeramy would just laugh.
She chewed up her "Perfect Puppy" training book.
We took her to Puppy kindergarten and she would never do her tricks for the teacher - making us look like the idiots that couldn't teach the smartest kind of dog.
She cost us a small fortune to buy, and to fix, and for hernia surgeries.
She was not allowed on the bed or couch - can't you tell? That lasted all of 2 days.
Along came Maddie.
Goodbye puppy.
In the first 5 minutes I was home from the hospital she jumped on my c-section incision.
She quickly realized that when I was feeding the baby, I couldn't take her out, so she'd look right at me and poo on the floor.
She also learned that I couldn't climb under the table to get things from her, so she'd grab things and hide out from me.
Final straw was nipping at Maddie.
Gracie went to stay with a friend for a few weeks. Gracie found a happy home with a big yard and 2 little boys to wrestle with her. She lasted a whole 5 months with us.

The reason for this post is for my 2 sisters that decided getting puppies was a good idea for Christmas. I know that Santa brought one, so Kerry had no idea what she was getting in to (ha ha), but Cindy, seriously - you should have known better. I wish you both the best of luck, and I will count my blessings that Maddie got Nintendogs for Christmas and is totally satisfied because she doesn't have to clean up a pretend dog's poop.

Sigh. All right, I do miss my dog. We only had her for 5 months, but we loved her and still talk about her all the time. She slept with us, curled up on my legs. I missed that a lot at first. So, I guess congrats on the new puppies. I know one day I will lose the battle and we will have another dog, but until then, I will just love your dogs and leave them!

Meia

One night Jeramy and I were at a movie.  His mom called.  

Weird.  

Why did she call me and not him?

I called her back and she asked me if we wanted her dog.  

No.

That was my gut response, but I knew I'd be in trouble if I didn't at least tell Jeramy why she had called.    (That's why she called me first.  She knew I'd be hesitant since it would really end up being my dog).

They have 4 dogs.  3 of which they breed.  Meia is a shih tzu/bichon mix and fixed so she's a pet and not a source of income.  They decided to get another dog to breed and well, 5 is a bit much - even if you live on 2 acres.  So Miss Meia was getting the boot.  

Lexi loves Meia.  My in-laws have had her for a year and a half and Lexi calls her "Meena" and it's her dog.  

Jeramy let me know we were getting a dog.  

We waited a week to let it sink in for me before telling the kids.  

They were thrilled!

Jeramy took a day off work and we drove to Idaho and Lexi bought Meia for one penny.  

 Meia is amazing.  Nothing like Gracie the dog we had before we had kids.  Meia doesn't bark unless there's someone outside in our yard.  We've had her 3 weeks and she hasn't had any accidents in the house.  When she gets tired at night, she'll go put herself in her kennel.  We just have to go shut the door when we go to bed.  She's calm and very patient.  She loves to cuddle.  She's a tad bit spoiled if you ask me - she has to have a 1/2 teaspoon of plain yogurt mixed into her food before she'll eat it, but that is seriously my only complaint!

 Lexi and Meia have a love/hate relationship.  Mostly hate.  Whenever I see Lexi heading for the dog, I think of that little girl on Finding Nemo that shakes the fish - Darla, right?  Lexi isn't all that kind to her pup.  Meia usually bolts when she sees Lexi coming.  Sometimes they play fetch.  Until Lexi decides they are done and hides the toy and says, "you can't find it now."  Lexi loves her and will constantly ask me during the day, "mom, where's my pup?"  And I love that when we've been gone shopping for a while, she will say it's time to go home and let Meena out of her "cave."

 Macie took a while to warm up to her, but they are finally buds.  Macie came home sick one day and Meia laid on her on the couch and Macie loved that!  (She's my cuddly kid).

 This picture cracks me up...Meia was laying by me on the couch all cozy.  Lexi came and pushed her off and got in her spot.  Yeah.  Jealous much?

 She hates when I sit on the couch in the front room.  She'll just growl at me when I do and bring me a toy to play fetch with.  I guess it's her way of letting me know I'm not allowed any downtime.  I have to be entertaining her and Lexi all day long.  The other day I was sorting pom poms by color into muffin tins with Lexi with one hand, and the other hand was playing fetch with Meia and that's when I realized I now have twins.

 This week she realized she can see out of the front room window.  She sits on the arm on the couch all day watching out the window.  The other day I was reading on the couch and she was perched up on her usual spot.  She fell asleep.  And then she fell off the edge of the couch.  She was so shocked and I seriously think she thought I did it!  She was giving me this look of betrayal.  It was so funny!

I don't hate her.  I'm not a dog lover, but as far as dogs go, she's great.  Everyone loves her and I do love watching her take off for the girls when they get off the bus.  Lindsay still freaks out about her jumping up on her, and there is a "No dogs allowed" sign on he door, but Lindsay is always the one to remember to give her treats and do tricks with her.  Macie is our official Dooty duty girl.  For some odd reason she really enjoys cleaning up the poop.  Meia sleeps in Maddie's room and Maddie takes her out in the morning.  We all take turns taking her for a walk.  Our dog is pretty cool!

What's in a name?

We are 7 weeks from Baby.
Sometimes that seems like forever, sometimes that seems like way too soon!
It seems like daily I am asked, "So, do you have a name picked out yet?"
Nope. 

With Maddie, she was always going to be Madison. 
Lindsay was a little harder.  We wanted a "family name" and we were struggling to find one.  About 4 weeks before she was born, we were at the rodeo in Malad and the little girl that won the mutton racing (if you don't know what mutton racing is, go to YouTube and watch a few videos.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder what kind of parents let their children do such a thing).  Any who...the girl was named Lindsay.  Lindsay.  Huh.  I liked it.  Jeramy liked it, and then it hit me - it's a family name!  My grandpa and great grandpa were named Lindsay.  (yes, Grandpas)
Macie was going to be either Tyler or Ryan.  Yeah, she was going to be a boy, remember?  The night before she was born, we heard Macy Gray on the radio.  We both liked the name Macie, and we have an adorable neighbor named Macie.  So, that's how we named her. 

So, baby # 4...we're running out of girl names!
Here's the run-down of what's not on the list...
Bailey - I love it, but hate the "double ley" with our last name.
Marley - same thing
Allie - same thing, PLUS, we have a Kallie and 2 Ellie's in the family already.  AND an Alisen that sometimes goes by Allie. 
Sydney - I have a sister Cindy and I think I'd struggle with those names being so close.
Olivia - our good friends have an Olivia.  They say they are fine with it, BUT
Haddie- Um...Maddie.
Lucy- in-laws named their dog Lucy.
Lily - I have this fear of this child not being able to say her "L's" and she'd be Wiwy.
Gracie - um...Macie.
I'm sure there are more that have now slipped my mind, but you get the idea. 

We really like Paige, BUT, that's Lindsay's middle name.  We told her she could choose her own new middle name if she let us take Paige for the baby.  She is holding her ground refusing to change it.  While we are having this conversation Macie says, "You can change my name if you want to."  We laughed.  A few hours later, she said, "So, are we changing my name or not?"   

Lindsay does want the baby's name to start with an "L" since there are 2 "M's."  That's why Lucy and Lily made it on the list. 

I honestly think this baby might just be called Baby. 
It's funny, pretty much every boy name sounds adorable right now.  Probably because now I know I'll never need one.  (and this is when my mother will say, "never say never.")

And now I know you'll give us some ideas.  And I'll politely nod and file that name under "Probably not going to happen."  It's funny when people suggest a name, and I'm learning (slowly) that I shouldn't react quite so drastically like "You're kidding, right??"  My nephew (who is 28) suggested a name last night and I pulled a face.  He said, "Well, I think I know how Heidi feels about that one."  You're right, Todd.  Totally wasn't for us.  But if you want to name your child that, go for it. 
To each his own. 

I do have a name picked out, and in my mind, that's her name.  Jeramy is not 100% on board with it yet.  And I'm hesitant to share for the above stated reason.  I don't want to tell you, and have you pull that same "you're kidding, right?" face.  So, you'll have to be satisfied just calling her "Baby" like we are around here.