Week 38 (!!!), Day 2 - off we go on our big date overnight!

I am all packed, have a purty little black dress (I'm choosing to call it that, I don't look so, um, little right now though!) and my hair just so. I'm even wearing my full blown wedding ring trio! Fun fun fun, I love going out on the town with DH - we have many many good memories together of doing this. Aaaaah to go back a year ago and be young and skinny again! =)

I took a peek at the little black dress I wore LAST year to the Contractor's Association christmas party, which I have gone to every single year for the past 10 years with DH. They always put together a really posh night - tonight it is at a Hilton hotel, and we are also staying the night in the big city afterwards so that is going to be FAB! It's a total black tie affair though, and last year's dress?

Holy smoly oly!! It is THE tiniest thing I have ever seen - I bet you'd fit into it just fine, Tereza! =) It must be like a size 2, or maybe 0 - and I remember it felt so fun to wear it and then tell people that I had 7 kids. Hee hee! I worked hard for that size though, so it's not like I naturally just drop the weight - you guys know how it is!

But I have to say it's really interesting getting ready for something like this where everyone is wearing their prom night (okay almost, not QUITE that fancy) best...and be just about to give birth to my 8th child! Talk about not feeling it....I feel lumpy and weird and when I turn sideways of course, feel like something that resembles a whale. But then I thought you know what? Who cares - I am going to ROCK it tonight and pretend like I feel FABULOUS and just BE the Momma who is majorly pregnant but hasn't lost her sense of style. Y'know? I think half of how you come across on the outside is how you feel about yourself INSIDE, and that really carries to the outward as well.

All the kids are farmed out to different homes tonight; DH is gone bringing the last of them, Jack & Harmony, over to my MIL's. My oldest is at youth conference - otherwise we would have had her babysit with the help of someone older to spend the night.

It'll be a short time away, pretty much exactly 24 hours, but so nice....we're also kind of slapping on the label of celebrating our 14th anniversary (on the 15th) and my 35th birthday (on the 17th) as well as using it as an excuse to get away just one last little itty bitty time before the BIG EVENT. The baby big event.

At which point I know we won't really be going anywhere with any kind of a relaxing time for at least 2 months, probably closer to 3. I have memories with several of the babies I've had where at about 6 weeks, I am feeling SO much better and am starting to slim down, starting to readjust my thinking and abilities to having that next # of child, and then I just want to have some time with DH! Go on a date! Eat Mexican food!

And then ..... inevitably.... the baby wakes up RIGHT as we sit down in that fine, quiet Italian restaurant. So we go to the louder, Mexican restaurant, only to have the baby cry like NONSTOP for 5 minutes until our food arrives and in desperation and tears I just tell DH I'll be in the car trying to calm he or she down (feeling sorry for the rest of the restaurant patrons!).

DH ends up eating the meal by himself and getting mine to go, and comes back to the truck 15 minutes later to a frustrated wife and crying baby. Aaargh!

And yet, life goes on, doesn't it? It gets better, things calm down a bit, it just takes a.lot.of.patience. Lots & lots. Lots of waiting.

Kinda like right now, eh?

So my thoughts tonight are to really live in the moment. To enjoy this little guy moving around inside my whale of a tummy and think about meeting him, about all the good and wonderful and precious things that come with having a baby. The little moments to breath in his scent and kiss his downy head, to sleep next to him and feel his little body moving up & down as he breathes, content to sleep by Mommy.

Time has flown by already --- it's so strange, several of my friends are pregnant and due in the summer (RA, Maryann, Marit...soooo happy for all of them!!!) and it's so strange to me that I am now on the other end of the spectrum. Almost about to be done with pregnancy.

This is my encouragement that the next 2 months will go by quickly, because the last 10 months sure have!