34w2d & 3d: The Return of My Old Self

No, my old self has not returned with a vengeance.  34w1d did not find me on the treadmill, or vacuuming, or doing anything overly physical.  But, I did get out of bed and go straight to the babies' room to start organizing and putting away their books and toys.  And then I made my own breakfast.  I ran errands, and bought gifts for a shower I am going to tonight and for my aunt and uncle's 40th anniversary (Congratulations to them!  Jane and Ed have a very wonderful, loving marriage.  Ed always says he never thought it would work between them but I guess he was wrong.  They are the parents of 3 amazing children and grandparents to 4 sweet grandchildren.  I sincerely hope that Eric and I are headed in their footsteps).  I made my own lunch.  I helped empty the dishwasher.  And then I was exhausted!  I ended up on the couch and had a nice nap.

In the afternoon we had a visit from a good friend of Eric's from when he was in high school and college.  Kate was actually his girlfriend for a while, but that was long before Eric and I met.  She was a grooms woman in our wedding, and got married the summer after we did.  She is also now expecting!  She is 20 weeks, so our kids won't be too far apart.  She is taking a different route from us-- they won't find out the sex of their baby, and aren't discussing names.  She doesn't get weekly ultrasounds... and plans to work til the end of her pregnancy.  Eric and I are always astonished just how laid-back other people's pregnancies are.  Of course I wish I could have had the same, but we do feel lucky we have been taken good care of and have made it this far.

Then we had Friday night dinner at my parents' house.  We have Friday night dinner with my parents and aunt and uncle every Friday night, and suddenly I realized that we have a limited number of dinners left without our babies. These nights have a routine-- Eric and I go over around 6 or 6:30 and I generally help my mom finish cooking, then my aunt and uncle arrive around 7 and we have dinner.  We sit at the table and talk for a while, and then migrate to the couches in the family room and watch "What Not To Wear." Our evenings are very peaceful and relaxing; back when I was in school I was always exhausted on Friday nights and didn't have energy for more than that!  I know I will continue to look forward to Friday nights after the babies are here, because both my uncle Ed and my dad have the magic touch when it comes to babies, so I can count on them to calm the babies while I eat.  So I know I'll be eating one real meal like an adult even after the babies arrive!

... I didn't finish my last post, so I will include what we did Saturday night.  We attended the baby shower of my friend from the doctor's office, Elizabeth.  She is a little older than we are and she and her husband had a couples' cocktail party shower, which was really nice.  I got all dressed up (I had Eric take a picture but it helped me locate where else some of my weight gain has gone-- my upper arms-- and so I don't want to post it) and felt pretty cute.  My fertility doctor and some of the staff from the clinic were at the party, so that was exciting.  They all oohed and ahhed over my belly and repeatedly told me how good I looked.  I liked when people asked when I was due and I would tell them I was having twins and they were shocked!

Anyway, it was good to see all the people who helped us get pregnant.  I know they help hundreds of women get pregnant every year, but I feel attached to them, and their excitement over my pregnancy seemed genuine.  That is part of what I loved about the practice, that even though I knew they saw hundreds of women, that I felt known and taken care of.  I told my doctor I would call over there and give the information about their birth and bris as soon as they come, and he said he would love to attend their bris.  That would be so nice for us, too!  It was a really nice evening, but I came home exhausted from all the standing up and chatting.  I need to get my party stamina back, I guess.