I realize I�m a week away from my due date, and I really shouldn�t be so antsy. But my durned OB made such a big deal about �if you go late, blah blah blah� that she�s got me spooked.

Had a fun shopping trip with my Mom to Costco (one of those �warehouse/bulk stores�) today. I made several impulse purchases, including:

A package of two sets of flannel pajama bottoms for $10
Two books
A five-pack of lint rollers (with two cats, two dogs, these will be used quicker than you think) for $8
A huge bag of dog treats

Whee!

There�s nothing like impulse purchases to comfort the soul.

I took two naps today.

That�s two yesterday and two today, if anyone is counting.

Obviously, I�m needing more sleep than I have in a while � and I can only get about 1.5 quality hours of sleep at a stretch (day or night). That�s about all that my bladder can take, because the baby is just so low.

I�m starting to feel more settled about having the baby � less anxious. There are some things I wanted to finish around the house before the baby and I�m not going to get to them � and instead of stressing about them, I�m feeling very relaxed about them. I�ve even thought, �Eeeh, Blue can do them!�

I thought my dog adjusted pretty quickly to being in the crate again �

� I was wrong.

She was settled for the first few nights, but after she realized it was a permanent thing, she started getting whiny.

Originally we had the crate in such a spot that we really couldn�t hear the whining, so I didn�t worry about it.

But it�s been unseasonably cold here in Texas and we had to move the crate (it was on an outside wall and it was definitely in a chilly spot). It�s closer to the door of the bedroom now and I can hear every whine, every cry, and every door-rattle she makes.

I finally lost it last night and went out there and barked at her to �BE QUIET!�

It worked, but I felt bad.

I hate crating my dog. I hate that she�s unhappy. And I hate that I had to yell at her to get her to be quiet.

I know it�s the best solution for our pee issues right now � but that doesn�t make it feel good.

(I have a feeling a lot of parenting issues that are good for the kid aren�t going to make me feel very good � so maybe this is really good practice!)

If I can get out of bed when the alarm goes off tomorrow, I�m going to head straight for the car dealership and get the oil changed in my car. The tires need to be rotated and the brakes need to be checked, too.

Ugh. I have no desire to be at the dealership at 7am, though.

I really wish Blue would say, �Gee, honey, I�ll do that for you. Don�t you worry about the car!� But I don�t think he will.