Grin and Bear It.

Chris and I had a challenging night of sleep.
(Before you say "get used to it", I KNOW.)

First: I have been feeling the beginning "kicks" in my tummy, and our kiddo was very active last night, kicking me 7 or 8 times in a row. I thought that warranted a wake-up call to Chris (who wasn't asleep yet). He, of course, was excited and put his hand on my stomach to see if he could feel any. However, baby was tired out and didn't give dad the satisfaction. So, we both went to sleep.

Later: I woke up to the sound of crunching and cracking. The sound was coming from right below our bedroom window (which was open for cool air). I thought it might be a raccoon or deer, so I got up to check it out. At that time, our neighbor's back porch light came on and I saw a huge black bear run across our backyard! This DEFINITELY warranted a wake-up for Chris! This is the conversation that took place:

Me: A bear is in our backyard!
Chris: No, there's not.
Me: Yes! I just saw it!
Chris: Are you sure it was a bear?
Me: What other animal could I possibly mistake for a BEAR?!
Chris: (gets out of bed) Where is it now?
Me: It ran toward the kitchen.
Chris: Great. I was just out there with the dog a little while ago.
Me: I'm going to check out the other side of the house.
Chris: Make sure you close the windows so it doesn't jump inside!

EARLY MORNING: We had a return of the cat that cries near our backyard. This cat will bust out her monotonous whine for HOURS. The only reason she is still alive is because we don't own a gun.