new bed and wall decor.

a few weeks ago, etta went a little crazy for no particular reason and ate/shredded/destroyed the dog bed.  we have a crate that usually just hangs out with the door open that both dogs love, and then we had just a regular foam dog bed that they would alternate in and out of as well.  if you've read the art of racing in the rain (a super great book if you like dogs at all), you may remember the zebra scene.  i imagine this is exactly what happens to etta's brain in times where she's destroying something random: she is overcome by some sort of fever and forgets all rules and manners.  then she attacks whatever inanimate object is the source of her mania and destroys it.  frequently, this item is a pair of my flip flops (which i should obviously learn not to leave lying around), but on this occasion it was their bed.

so anyway.  dog beds are pricey.  you go to petco or one of those other dog stores and a dog bed for a biggish pup is at least $50.  this is when costco becomes the greatest place on earth.  we don't have a costco membership, because it's not effective to buy in bulk when your house is the size of a shoebox.  but, our friends w&d do, and they are awesome.  i had asked w if i could trek with her next time she went so i could pick up a dog bed to replace the destroyed one.  the big ones (with cedar in them to eliminate odors) over there are like $17!  it's incredible.  anyway.  she said sure, but then they were just over there one day and decided to pick it up for us and bring it by.  phenomenal.  and the dogs LOVE it.  it's much sturdier than the foam one, so i'm hoping etta doesn't eat it quite as quickly.  they both do this adorable dog thing where they burrow their little faces in it and root around and make cute dog noises.  it's pretty great.  they also both fit on it, and i managed to catch a picture of the two of them relaxing a couple of nights ago.  love this.

in other news, we have made tons of progress on the pre-baby lists.  we packed our hospital bag this weekend, took our last class (breastfeeding class - it was really good), and cleared out an area in the kitchen for bottles, etc.  with a small house, i am trying to make sure we have designated areas for niblet things so it's not completely overwhelming and taking over our space.  the glider came in a couple weeks ago (4 weeks early YAY!), so jb set that up too.  finally, last night we hung up the paintings my friend a did for us for my austin shower.  too cute, really.  i need to take some full pics of the completed nursery (i think we still need a rug, but that's really it), but here are a couple of the crib and the art.

 in case you can't read (the file size of these pics is pretty small), the paintings say: i sleep, i wake, i eat, i play, i love.  

i think we are going to opt out of bumpers for the crib for now, and i am going to try to pick out some fabric to sew the dust ruffle this weekend.  other than that, i am cautiously saying the room is ready to go....

this friday is 37 weeks, which some websites consider full-term (or at least, babies born at 37 weeks and beyond are not considered preemies).  i am psyched to have made it to this point, and getting very excited/anxious to meet this little creature.  we have an appointment tomorrow (and it's also our three year anniversary), so i will post an update and hopefully more pictures soon.  i also need to post about the austin shower, but i haven't gotten any of the pics yet, so i'll do that when i can provide visual aids...