Let�s see.

We took a little 3-day vacation last week. Well, it was vacation for me, work for Blue. So I got to read a few books, catch some sun, and play a bit � and he got to work and play a bit. Then we came home. Pretty simple, really.

Of course, it wasn�t a real vacation. We honestly haven�t had one of those since � mmmm � our honeymoon. (�How do you classify something as a �real� vacation?� you ask � it�s simple. If we go somewhere work-related for Blue, regardless of how much time we tack on the front or back end of the business part to see stuff � it�s simply not a real vacation.)

So the time is ticking away. I have about four and a half more weeks of �freedom.� Freedom meaning time that I can travel anywhere I want, without worry. (My OB won�t let me travel after 24 weeks.) Freedom meaning the fall semester (my last semester, and last class, thank GOD) hasn�t started (but starts at the end of August).

I�m itching to get away, NOW, if only because I can.

Of course, life is complicated, isn�t it? Blue has worked really hard lately. And traveling feels like work to him � even when it�s someplace good. Plus he has traveled more than I have over the past year (for business), so it has even less association with �fun� for him.

Basically we�re the PushMe-PullYou of vacations right now. I want to go! He doesn�t!

I feel like if I really stomped my feet and said, �WE MUST GO!� then we�d go. But he�d resent me. And who wants their husbands resenting them? Not I, said the goose. Of course, of I don�t stomp my feet and say, �WE MUST GO!� then we won�t go. And then I�ll be resentful that I didn�t get my last hurrah.

Sigh.

I realize it�s a small problem. I mean, come on. We�re happy and healthy and financially comfortable and we�re having a baby in December, which is a dream come true, and we have everything we need.

So the vacation, yeah, it�d be totally gravy.

And I guess that makes me feel a little better when I put it in that perspective.

But I�m still a little cranky that we can�t gooooooooo somewhere.

I�m 19 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Pretty much halfway there. Hmm. All of a sudden in the past few days I�ve gone from looking a little poochy to TOTALLY pregnant.

Some of the pants I bought about six weeks ago when I started not fitting into my real clothes � well, I�ll be durned! They�re getting tight.

I�m a little irritated that I may have to buy MORE maternity clothes right now � because, well, let�s face it � I am not enjoying shopping for maternity clothes. Have you BEEN in a maternity store lately? Egads, the clothes are awful. Big loud patterns (paisleys, diamonds, flowers, and whatever else they dream up). Ugly cuts and shapes (think gathered material at the shoulders and lots of pleats). Plus the extras (way too many buttons, plus huge bows and lace and crap).

It�s hard work to try and sort through all of the ugly stuff to find things I�ll actually wear. Seriously hard work, people.

So I�m balking at shopping for more clothes right now. I just keep wearing the same three pairs of pants and the same four shirts, over and over and over and over again.

Again, a small problem in comparison to the rest of life. But still, it�s an irritant.

Spent some time last week feeling a little anxious about having a baby. Not the actual labor and delivery stuff. Or really even the �will I be a good mom� stuff. It�s more the Major Life Changes Forever and Ever stuff.

The vacation/no vacation debate is what kind of brought it all up in my brain to begin with. Because frankly, if we didn�t have the baby-induced deadlines, the debate wouldn�t matter. We could just plan a vacation for whenever was convenient for the two of us, and that would be that.

But Life As I Know It is changing � and that is freaking me out. Partly because life as I know it now is so awesome. My husband is absolutely the most terrific man on the planet. Seriously. (Except he won�t plan a vacation with his pregnant wife � selfish bastard. Ha ha.) Life with him and the dogs and cats is pretty idyllic. We eat out at lots of fun restaurants. We swim in our pool. We goof around together. We go for long walks. We have it good.

And I know � in my head and my heart I know � that life will not only continue to be good, it�ll even improve. We�re adding an extra person to the family. That�s more people to love and be loved by. More people to take care of. More adventures to have. It�ll be great.

But it�ll be different. And that�s currently freaking me out a bit. (Well, that and the whole breastfeeding thing. My nipples are as sensitive as the fire of a thousand suns � when cotton brushes past them (or, god forbid, my husband�s hand), I shrink back in horror and scream �OWEEEE!� So how a human being is supposed to latch on there and get nutrition is just well beyond my powers of comprehension. I am absolutely terrified and horrified at the thought. But that�s probably a post for another day.)

Anyway. To sum it up, life is great, life is going to change, changes are scary, changes will be great, blah blah blah.

The dog training is going well. He is a fast learner, and so am I. So we�re figuring out how to make it all work.

He is to the point where most behaviors are working for him � in isolation. That is, when he and I are �working� on walking on a loose leash, he does great. He needs very little redirection and he�s pretty well behaved. However, when we go on our nightly walk with the husband and the other dog, all bets are off. That is not a �training� situation, and therefore, he forgets that he has the capability to exhibit manners. He pulls on the leash until he�s turning blue (or until I put the halti on), he jumps at other dogs, and he�s really an embarrassing menace.

So we�re making progress, sort of. I know it will take time and consistency. We�re working on it. He will have manners. Oh yes, he will have manners.

I�m still on my crazy fruit kick. I eat about four different fruits a day. Yum!

This week I�m focused on the cherries we got at the grocery store. At first, it was because of the triumphant way that we got them. I was looking over the cherries, and everything within reach was looking a little sad. I spied a bag of cherries up high on the display that looked absolutely PERFECT. So I called Blue over and pointed and said, �Get those cherries.�

�I can�t reach those,� he replied.

My face fell. �But the rest of them don�t look good,� I waved my hand at the crap cherries. �THOSE are the good ones!� I pointed.

He grinned. He rolled up his sleeves. He leaned forward, braced himself on the display, hopped up, and grabbed the good bag of cherries.

�YAH!�

And they are perfect. There hasn�t been a bad cherry in the lot � and we started with a 3-pound bag.

Yum. Yum.Yum.

And did you know that cherries have a nice, natural laxative effect? They are not only a pectin-containing high-fiber fruit source, they also stimulate peristaltic action in the intestines. So bada-bing (pardon the pun), they are the perfect pregnancy food.

That�s not to say that the apples, plums and grapes that we got aren�t also fabulous. But until we finish off the cherries, I think most of the other fruits are going to be waiting patiently in the fridge.

My personal trainer just called. We were supposed to meet, well, now. But she had another instructor not show up to teach a class, so she�s got to teach it, so she�s putting me off until about an hour from now.

That gives me time to take the dog for a nice, loose leash training walk. And eat some cherries. Mmmm.