4 am

It's still very early and I'm really tired. I was up at 4 am with Tilley this morning; she had to go out and after I got back to bed I had a tough time falling asleep. Tilley has a very specific noise she makes at night when she needs out; it is a mouth closed whiney, groan type noise and it get's whinier the longer she has to make it before someone let's her out. Sometime I will wake up at night thinking I've heard her little noise; I lay waiting to see if she does it again when I realize she is snoring.

This morning I think I heard the first groan. I'm up and rummaging around for a robe; it's freaking freezing at 40 degrees out and the window is open. Once in my robe I do the customary shuffle across the bedroom so as not to step on any unsuspecting dogs that might be out laying on the floor instead of their bed. All this while trying to be as quiet as a mouse and not wake my hubby.

The floor is freezing and once I hit the tile floor in the kitchen I'm happy to find a towel still laying at the door from the rain the other day. Using the kitchen counter as a leaning post I watch and wait. Tilley immediately pees; then off she trots to the other side of the yard. Tilley tends to wander and not care that all I want to do is go back to bed; it is 4 AM afterall. So I flip the back lights on to see what she is up to; like a teenager she knows what the lights mean. She looks to the kitchen and waits for the official call. Of course she needs her private invitation; SHE WOULDN'T WANT TO JUST COME BACK AFTER SHE IS DONE.

TILLEY, come on!!!!!!!!!! She jogs back to the kitchen and we make our way back to the bedroom in the dark. Trying my best to be quiet I turn the door handle like a nighttime burglar and close it behind me the same way. Of course Tilley stops at a meer couple feet inside the door and I trip over her because she is dark gray and I can't see her in the dark. I shuffle her along and climb back into bed; yes, the bed is still warm.

Tilley settles on the pillow beneath me and is snoring in minutes. Me, not so fast. I think fell asleep minutes before it was time to wake up. TGIF