Table Talk

Today was the day for that yearly doctor appointment that every woman looks forward to (NOT!)...so imagine my surprise when at the supper table Tony addresses us "gals" and asks the following question, "What was the worst thing that happened to you today?"

First of all, on any other day his mind is usually preoccupied thinking about ways to make a few extra bucks, tweak a recipe or find a better solution to do something in his daily recruiting process that he struggles to focus on us while we chatter on about our day (like females tend to do =)

Second of all, HE is often the one who groans when I ask similar questions to get conversation going at the supper table.

So for him to spring this one on us and especially on a day when he was fully aware I'd had an unpleasant doctor appointment, seemed cruel. I shot him a look of complete disgust and his eyes just smiled and sparkled in return.

The girls began sharing their worst moments and all the while my mind is trying to figure a delicate way out of this one. When he opened his mouth to speak, I fully expected him to prompt me to share. And then just as quickly it hit me. He'd volunteered to baby sit Megyn the bulk of the day and suffice it to say, she doesn't just have one poopy diaper a day.

Yep, he was so proud of himself for changing what he thought was only a wet diaper and in reality turned out to be, as he described it (at the DINNER table), "green and slimy." And for once I didn't rail on him too much, after all, the spotlight was no longer on me!

I Thought I Would Always Remember

It’s only been a week and already I’ve forgotten. The eye that was bulging and black; the fear that coursed through my veins when she wouldn’t focus on me; the way her body hung limp on my arm as if she was made of rubber.

I was working around the house, getting ready for a trip north to see family and left her to wander the house at will. She explored the living room, then crawled to the computer room. I heard her whimpering and found her under the gate that was purchased to keep her out of trouble but has been more of a nuisance than a help. And still I didn’t remember. I rescued her and soothed her then set her back down on the floor to play again. I went about doing other miscellaneous things and eventually met up with her in the dining room. She was getting into her sister’s new Christmas presents, stored in the corner for safe keeping.

There was nothing there to harm her but it was while I was standing, observing her play that I noticed the dining room chair and remembered…

…seven days ago I was standing at the dining room table talking to Britnee. Janae was sitting on the register in the corner behind us doing her homework. We were all there in the same room and Megyn snuck in unbeknownst to us. We saw the dining room chair fall, heard a thud and then a whimper. Britnee reached her first but she started to hold her breath. I took her from Brit’s arms and her body was limp. Her cry didn’t sound right but I could still sense that she was distraught. I tried to calm her to no avail. Tony came and took her from my arms. Again, I tried to sooth her. She wouldn’t focus, instead staring straight ahead. A huge knot was quickly forming under her left eye and I also thought I saw a ridge taking shape from under the temple to the back of the head. By now the whole family was gathered around our hurting 6 month old baby girl-some praying aloud and others praying silently.

After what seemed like forever but was probably mere minutes, Tony asked for the phone to call 9-1-1. I immediately started doling out instructions for quick living room cleanup to give the EMTs room to work (6 month olds have a way of making the rooms they play in look like they’ve been hit by a hurricane =

We found out pretty quickly that if someone is dying, you probably want to just hop in the car and head to the hospital yourself. Our town has a volunteer fire department and they aren’t always on site. But they finally arrived and other than the lengthy wait they were great to work with. Once we heard the sirens, there was a flurry of activity out our window and at our door. Vehicles from every direction poured into the yard and people swarmed toward the porch.

We gave a quick rundown of why we called and they did an initial assessment. Then they asked if we wanted them to transport Megyn to ER. They were concerned about whiplash, which in an infant can cause spinal injury. They wanted to stabilize her head and have her checked out by a doctor. By this time she was screaming gustily and acting a bit more like herself but we weren’t inclined to take any chances, recalling how just minutes before she was limp, unable to focus and falling asleep in my arms.

I was concerned about the fact that they would more than likely transport her to the nearest hospital, which is small and not always competent in my eyes. I wanted so badly to take her to Riverview where she was born and where our new (wonderful) pediatrician is. I was wishing that we’d just taken her in ourselves. It was too late for those thoughts but little did I know God was already at work.

The EMTs wanted me to ride in the ambulance with her while Tony and the girls would follow in our van. By the time I gathered my coat and the diaper bag, Tony had already made arrangements with a friend from town to meet us at the hospital to get the girls. As I walked to the ambulance, one of the guys met me part way and asked where we wanted them to take Megyn. I asked where they COULD take her. Their response was, “Anywhere.” Tentatively, not wanting to get my hopes up, I questioned, “Riverview?” They said, “No problem.” And we were on our way.
Two hours and a CT scan later, Megyn was acting normal and was declared by the ER doctor to be healthy and whole. The only thing to show for all the excitement was that nasty bulging, black eye.

Remember the Banana Seat?

We drive by a location on our way to church or the girl's school several times a week. The owner often has things for sale in the yard near the road. A few months ago, we were driving by and he had some older bikes for sale-old enough that they reminded me of the style of the first bike that I learned to ride. That launched my brain into sharing a story with Tony and any of the girls who might have been listening.

I had been handed down a turquoise metallic finish bike from my sister, Barb. It bore a glittery turquoise seat which was a bit beat up having been through two of us. One day, I carelessly vacated the bike and left it to rest in the part of the yard where my dad and brothers often backed their vehicles. That evening, my brother-in-law, Dan, backed up into the yard, and you guessed it, over my bike! He felt terrible even though it was my fault. My parents did NOT feel sorry for me because they felt like I had been careless.

Not many days passed until the next time I saw Dan and when he arrived, he presented me with a new bike seat...a white banana seat with bright colored flowers all over it. I LOVED it!

End of memory. Back to the present. A few days later, we were passing by again and low and behold, would you believe, out by the road for sale was a turquoise bike. I quickly pointed it out noting that it was very similar to bike I had as a child. And then we got closer and I couldn't believe my eyes...it had the EXACT same kind of seat that my brother-in-law had bought me! I wanted a picture so bad but we were running late and though Tony was willing to turn around, it seemed silly to me for him to make that sacrifice. I figured we would get a picture later. But later it was dark. The next time we drove by, it was gone. I was so bummed and watched and watched. Then one day, I was on my way to pick up the girls from school and there it was. But this time I had no camera. I was delighted to find out when I got to the school that Britnee had her camera with her. So we made a stop on the way home and got these. How cool is it that I now have photos to scrap this memory?!

Our Little Hoosier

Kerrigan was working on English today and needed help coming up with adjectives for various words. She kept telling me the noun and I was NOT understanding her pronunciation. She repeated the word several more times and insisted it was not "walk" - what I thought she was saying.

I finally asked her to spell it. R-O-C-K. But she was saying rawk. "Oh, I said, 'Rock!' You need to open your mouth when you say it." She tried. I laughed.

"Say it like a Michigander," I advised. Her reponse? "But I'm NOT a Michigander; I'm an Indianer!"

Hate. H-A-T-E. Hate.

Kerrigan had the spelling word "hate" this week. Try using that in a sentence appropriately while striving to instill character and goodness in your child! The examples in the PACE was that we should hate sin. True! But tonight I discovered a few more.

• I HATE these Mexican bean beetles that are taking over my house!
• I HATE allergy attacks that go along with this glorious fall weather!
• I HATE that mess in the corner of the computer room and hope it's not there when I wake up tomorrow morning!
• I HATE that my girls and I have the same color underwear (makes for a frustrating time when you grab some from the not-yet-folded tote of clean laundry and get halfway up the stairs to discover they aren't yours! lol!)
• I HATE that Megyn is having another growth spurt and want time to slow down just a little bit!
• I HATE that my nephew was diagnosed with H1N1 today and that it's likely the rest of his family will get it =(

Yep, there's more to hate than sin. But look closely and I bet you'll see that sin is the common denominator to many of those things on my HATE list.

Why I Fell for Fall

I wasn't planning to post on my blog today. But I'm taking the challenge from Sarah Fry to talk about fall.

Fall is my favorite season. I don't really know why or when it happened. But maybe it's because that is the time of year that I fell in love with my husband. Maybe it's because that is when we got married (a year later =) Maybe it's because that was the first season of my first pregnancy. Or maybe it's all those reasons combined.

To me, fall seems like a beginning. Fall signals the beginning of a routine that has gone by the wayside with the relaxed schedule of summer. Fall signals the beginning of another year of marriage - October 30th. Fall signals the beginning of another round of family gatherings.

To me, fall is full of contrast. I don't care for cider but I am intrigued by the workings of a cider mill. I hate Halloween but I enjoy selecting the perfect pumpkin to share a step on my front porch with a gorgeous mum. I dislike cold, rainy days but I savor each and every day filled with glorious sunshine bouncing off the red and gold and orange of the trees.

To me, fall holds many memories. Fall revival and nights spent around the kitchen table with various evangelists. Harvest parties with bonfires, hayrides, yummy food and fun fellowship. High school football games on nights so chilly you could see your breath and where I enjoyed the marching band more than the game.

And so there you have it...some reasons why fall has become my favorite season. Thank you, Sarah, for challenging me to put it into words. And to the rest of my readers, happy fall, y'all!

Presidential Prayer for Healing

Rushing for an appointment with the President and some other officials, I dropped Megyn in her car seat down a huge flight of steps. I watched in horror as she bounced with excessive force down each concrete step. The car seat flipped over and slammed her head before coming to a stop when it whammed into Kara Plank who was carrying Sadie in HER car seat.

By the time I caught up to Megyn, she was listless and had a nasty gash on her forehead that was bleeding profusely. I was distraught to say the least.

Suddenly, I found myself whisked to a stage in front of a live audience where I was seated with Michelle Obama and Joe Biden. Tony was across the stage from me visiting with Mr. President and some other important looking men. We were enjoying snacks, namely Doritos and Wheat Thins (which Joe Biden had never had before and wondered if they were good. Michelle concurred that they were, though it had been a long time since she'd had them!)

And then, I heard a voice. It was that of Mr. Obama, who was using a lapel mic to pray for Megyn's healing. Just as he was about to pray "in Jesus name", the mic crackled and cut out. There was an immense amount of commotion as we started to verbally speculate whether this was a convenient "out" when I woke up and found out it was all just a dream.

Coincidence or God?

Do you ever wonder just how much detail God cares about? Something happened early this morning that left that question in my mind: "Does God REALLY care about such trivial matters?" I'll tell you the story and let you draw your own conclusion.

This summer, we were out garage saling and happened upon a house that had old edition but still packaged Nascar cars and collector cards. Since we moved over to this part of the state, my life-long friend, Janiece and I usually buy small gifts for each other's kids and it's no secret that we often glean them from clearance aisles. No need to be pricey because after all, it's the thought that counts. Tony got to thinking that these might make great gifts for her boy's September and November birthdays so we picked up four of them.

This morning, I was getting Talon's ready and realized it was his 13th birthday. I was feeling kind of bad that I hadn't thought to get him something more special than OLD edition cars. And yet, I knew there probably wasn't much to be done about it since in this struggling economy we are pinching pennies every which way we can.

It was then that I noticed the year in the upper right-hand corner of the car package...would you believe they were put out the very year he was born?!

Now you tell me, was it coincidence or was it God?

Lessons Learned from Megyn

• The world doesn't revolve around me
• When something isn't going right, don't give up
• There is more to life than pets
• God promised strength in our weakness
• God loves to answer prayer in unexpected ways
• Life is not always a well-rehearsed drama; sometimes God asks for an encore!

A Girl's Best Friend

This post is a little belated but my arms have been a bit too full to type lengthy posts. I think Tony will understand.

When I found out I was pregnant last fall it was really no surprise when at my ultrasound they told me I was carrying another girl. Wish as we might, I have always said if I had boys they would probably turn out to be wife beaters - I don't consider myself to be top-of-the-line mother material and I know that the relationship between a mom and her son is pretty important to how he will turn out. Equally important is the relationship between a father and his daughters. Look at our little family of four girls and you have to conclude (and rightly so) that Tony is an AWESOME dad! I think God gave our girls the best.

Happy Belated Father's Day, Tony! Thanks for caring about all your girls (me included =) We often hear our Sunday School teacher, Sis. Campbell, say that her adult girls know they can call their dad anytime during the day if they need him. I know that you will be the same way when your girls are grown. And you are certainly the one they will be turning to...because you care and they know it!

Planning Ahead

It's almost impossible to get a decent picture of my father-in-law. Anytime the camera is aimed in his direction, he puts on a goofy face. Shortly after the death of both of my parent's, I told him one day, "We are going to have a really hard time finding an appropriate photo for your obituary!" Though the comment took him by surprise, it didn't change a thing.

I reminded him of it again when they were down recently to help us the week of Megyn's birth. And again, he was uncooperative.

Last night, we met them at Culver's in Greenfield, not far from where they are working at their General Youth Camp. I was snapping pictures of him with Megyn while he was chatting with Tony. I kept getting terrible expressions (not his fault for once) and asked him if he would please give me a pleasant face. Somehow I got this expression and was totally shocked.

So shocked in fact, that my next comment was, "Hey! I think we might be able to use this one for your obituary!"

He has decided not to eat my cooking anymore :)

Megyn, Bill or Both?

A week after the surprise discovery that we were expecting our fourth child, we had already decided on a name for each sex. Our three daughters weren’t overly thrilled with the first name we had chosen for a girl. But we figured that we would wait until our ultrasound to stress over whether we wanted to make a change or not.

The weeks came and went, and the day for the ultrasound arrived. We were told we were having daughter number four. The news was incredibly devastating to our youngest, who had built up her hopes for a brother in spite of our suspicions that it was indeed another girl. By this time, she was the only one who still didn’t care for the girl name we had chosen, so we knew it was time to get down to business and decide if there were other options.

I had been tossing around the name Megan for a girl, but I liked it spelled with a “y” – M-E-G-Y-N.  My husband, Tony, wasn’t sure about the name because he had a cousin named Megan and didn’t know if he wanted to duplicate. Because twins run in my family and because I LOVE picking out names, I always enjoy thinking about possibilities for two boys, two girls or one of each. I was trying to talk Tony into Rylan or Riley for a twin alternative. He determined early on that if we were to have a child named Riley it would be for a girl, not a boy.

A week after the ultrasound, our family of five was sitting at Steak ‘n’ Shake and discussion turned to the baby’s name. We talked about various combinations and finally Tony’s eyes lit up and half joking, he said he MIGHT be able to consider Megyn if we said she was named after Megan Kelly on Fox News. He googled her name on his phone to show me who she was and low and behold, we discovered that her name was spelled with a “y”, exactly the way that I preferred. It seemed like a sign.

Then Tony got a mischievous glint in his eye and said, “Hey, you liked the name Riley. We could name her after Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly and call her Megan Riley!” We laughed about it but for the rest of the day, we tossed it around in our minds and aloud. My hang up was the fact that we had started a pattern without realizing it. Our first daughter’s name started with a “B” and each of the other two daughter’s middle names started with “B”. I wasn’t sure I wanted to break that pattern with our last child. Each daughter also had an unusual name and a more common name. Megan Rylee didn’t exactly fit that criterion.

Several hours later, getting ready for bed at 1 a.m. my mind was still swirling and we were still saying the name, “Megyn Rylee”. Thinking out loud, I mused, “What if we combined the “B” from Bill and the “riley” from O’Reilly and made Briley?” It would fit the pattern of the middle name with a “B” and the common name combined with the unusual. Again, Tony googled the name Briley to see if there was such a name and how we would spell it. I consulted the baby name books lying on the floor beside the bed. One had the name; the other didn’t. And though I’d never personally HEARD anyone with the name, there were several spelling variations to choose from.

Over the course of the next few days, we finally decided on Megyn Brylee – and that is how two Fox News reporters were the inspiration for our fourth daughter’s name!

She's Here!

You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

Today, I was looking through my box of misc memorabilia for something and happened upon this ultrasound picture from when I was pregnant for Kerrigan, 8+ years ago. I was amazed at the difference!

Ultrasound of Kerrigan, 8/18/00 at 18 wks, 2 days

Ultrasound of Megyn, 1/23/09 at 20 wks, 5 days – approx 8.5 yrs later
(she’s giving us a thumbs up =)

Adjectives or Nouns?

Today, Kerrigan decided she didn't want pizza for lunch like the rest of the family was enjoying...she wanted an omelet. So Tony made her one. When she finished, she wanted another and of course, all the stuff was put away. So I told her to ask her fairy godmother.

She thought about it for a minute, then said, "I don't know who my fairy godmother is." Then she modified that statement with, "Well, I know who my mother is, but I don't know who my fairy or my...well, I know who my mother and my God is, but I don't know who my fairy is."

(By the way, she didn't get another omelet. One item for the short-order cook was enough...just in case you thought she was spoiled. Well, okay...she is, but...=)

What We Only Think, She Says Aloud

Tony and I had to chuckle this morning when Kerrigan was looking at a postcard advertising the Talley Trio's appearance in the area. She looked it over and then remarked, "She's pretty [Lauren]. She's ugly [Debra]. And him? (long pause) I don't know WHAT to say about him."

In Memory of Mom

Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of my mother’s death. Last year, I had cried so much throughout the year that when it came to this day, I didn't want to schedule a day to mourn. I just wanted to relive the good memories. So we chose to do something happy in her memory. Tony took me to town and we picked out two hanging baskets of flowers for our front porch. Every time I looked at those throughout the spring and summer, I smiled.

This year, again, I wanted to celebrate her life rather than mourn her death. So I decided to splurge and shop at a store in the town where the girls attend school. The Jack ‘n’ Jill Shoppe reminds me very much of the New Yorker in her town where Mom loved to buy baby clothes for all the grand kids.

It was fun looking at all the beautiful clothes and trying to see them through Mom's eyes. There were two or three outfits that were definitely her style but this one just stood out to me. When I finally took it to the counter, the sales clerk told me she thought I was right in going with it. She said that it was the one I reacted most strongly too of all of them. I cannot wait until G4 is big enough to wear it.

Mommy's Having a Baby

The sibling next to me in my family line-up is a sister 7 yrs and 10 months my senior. Welcoming me into her world was not an easy thing for her. But unfortunately that detail wasn't discovered by my parents until many years too late. Having that knowledge and knowing that Kerrigan will be getting her eight year position as "baby of the family" usurped, we have been making an attempt to involve her with my pregnancy in anyway we can. She was especially looking forward to the possibility of a little brother (so she could still be the baby girl - her actual words upon finding out I was expecting!) We tried our best to prepare her for the fact that we were most likely having another girl. So it was even more important after the ultrasound to make sure she felt a part of the changes happening around here.

I was very excited to find out that the hospital offered a "Mommy's Having a Baby Class" for siblings ages 3-8 yrs old. And how much cooler was it that she was the only one of our girls to qualify. It was all about her. She has been waiting quite impatiently since my first doctor appointment for the opportunity to attend this class and last night was finally the night.

The first thing they did was draw a picture of their family for the new baby. Then Nurse Chris read a story to the group. After the story, each child was given a teddy bear of their very own, a tape measure, an I.D. bracelet and card, a diaper, t-shirt with the hospital name and a hat - all the same as the ones that will be used on our new arrival at the hospital. They measured the bear's length, head and chest, weighed it on the digital scales and then dressed it up for it's trip home. We were then given a tour of the awesome maternity ward. It was too beautiful to describe. All I can say is it compares to a hotel room without the carpet!

While we were in the class, a little chime went off with the first few measures of "Rock a Bye, Baby". About 10 minutes later, it went off again. The song signified the arrival of a baby, so we were privileged to see two brand new babies in the nursery during our tour. Of course, all that made us anxious to see our little one and yet apprehensive for all we know that goes along with her arrival. All in all, the evening was a huge success.

What I've Learned While Baby Shopping (recently and in years past)

• JCPenney’s baby socks stay on
• JCPenney’s has the softest receiving blankets and if you can catch them on sale, they aren’t much more expensive than Wal-Mart or Target
• Cloth diapers (which I use for burp clothes and which consequentially became my children’s “bankies” b/c I would put them under their face while sleeping – and which was doubly AWESOME b/c I had not one special bankie but 12 or 18!) are cheapest at Wal-Mart
• Target has the best deal on gowns anywhere around…Chico brand are soft and three in a pack for $10 (even Wal-Mart wanted $10 for a pack of two!)
• Target’s Chico brand onesies are actually thicker and softer than my previously preferred JCPenney’s Okie Dokie - and cheaper to boot
• And last but not least, everything looks so tiny I can’t believe it will fit anything other than my daughter’s dolls but my sister says I will be surprised.

Progression - Nov thru March