I'm 37 weeks pregnant tomorrow and could go at any time now, so I thought I would make a last post here on this side of parenthood. Let's reminisce for a minute about the stuff I used to take for granted.
1. Drinking red wine at night
2. Being able to grocery shop at night, together
3. Being able to leave the house at night, together
4. Going out to eat
5. Going to the movies
6. Going to concerts
7. Wasting time on the internet
8. Going to Zumba and the gym
9. Going out for a run, together
10. Having friends
11. Going to happy hours after work
12. Going to parties at other people's houses
13. Working late if I wanted to or needed to
14. Staying up really late and sleeping late on weekends
15. Eating cereal for dinner sometimes
16. Buying music or clothes whenever I wanted
17. Watching tv at night when I get home after work
18. Not using coupons, ever
19. Spending money on superfluous items at the farmer's market
20. Seeing family once a month, tops
I know my life is going to change big time, everyone seems keen on reminding me of that. But I'm anxious to meet the baby and get the show on the road, already! Even though we are still sleeping in the baby's room as my husband tries to finish up our upstairs sleeping area, even though all of the baby furniture is still in my dining room, even though I've run out of places to put baby clothes and accoutrements, I'm ready! I never thought I would get here, but here I am. I think the hormones are kicking in finally, and I'm feeling maternal and ready to snuggle that baby.
Lately I've been waxing a tad nostalgic, listening to music that I listened to from high school to college years, music that I haven't listened to since, music that still evokes a certain period of my life when I hear it. I think I've been reliving those years through the music, remembering what I was like back then, what my life was like, what I thought my future would be, what I thought was important. I will never be young again, but it's nice to be able to reconnect with the past through music, to know that you are still the same person through the years, albeit changed in many ways.
This pregnancy has gone by in the blink of an eye, but I'm glad I've had some time to reflect and think about what and who I've been before baby comes and steals the spotlight. It's no longer about me and what I want, and that's just fine. I've lived 35 years trapped inside my own head, and I'm ready to have someone else to live for, to be the reason I get excited about things, instead of feeling jaded and worn down all the time by life. I don't know what parenthood holds in store for me, but I am very interested in meeting my baby girl and getting to know her and to watch her unfold and develop into a person. Wish me luck!
