A Day for Me

Yesterday I woke up early to more false labor and a much-needed potty break--the 6th that night. I finally gave in and came downstairs with Lola, who had been whining at our door for 15 minutes anyway. Since we had less than enough milk for 2 bowls of cereal, I opted to leave it for Nathan and make myself waffles (he doesn't like waffles). So I made myself a nice waffle breakfast and sat down to eat it while I watched a previously recorded episode of Clean House. This has been my early Saturday morning ritual for...a very long time. Although, it used to be preceded by a morning workout and an episode of Clean Sweep instead of Clean House. I know, I'm a clean freak. But it always motivates me to get up and get cleaning my own house afterward.

So I was sitting there enjoying my dog, my breakfast and my favorite Saturday morning show, and realized...this could very well be the last Saturday for a very long time that I am able to indulge in this routine. That thought spurred my plans for the rest of the day...some quality "me" time to do whatever I wanted, whatever was non-baby related, that is. I vowed to do nothing that involved baby prep, and only do things that I wanted to do.

What did I do? Cleaned my kitchen. I mean REALLY cleaned it. Lest you think this has anything to do with pre-labor nesting syndrome, let me warn you that this is not out of my normal realm of clean. I just haven't been able to do it in a long time. Now that I am out of the danger zone of giving birth too early, I decided I could wear myself out and it wouldn't matter if I went into labor or not. So I spent a good 2 hours cleaning the kitchen. Granted, I didn't get a few high and low things done, but most of what I wanted to do, I did.

I need to add here that meanwhile Nathan woke up, played with my dog who was bored out of her mind and had been gated out of the kitchen, cleaned up the living room, and then went upstairs where I later discovered he cleaned the master bathroom nearly to my standard. All of this was on his own without any nagging/asking on my part. What a husband!!!

After the kitchen cleaning, I decided to re-pot a plant that I purchased when we moved into this house and had been sitting in it's sad little plastic pot in the window sill. Getting that off my mental list of things I wanted to do, and discovering the bathroom had already been cleaned, I tackled a bunch of laundry. I guess I broke the non-baby rule by doing one load of baby clothes laundry, but that was it.

Then I decided to take my time getting ready. By the time I got showered (it was about 12:30 by this point), I was exhausted. What better way to spend a "me" Saturday than by taking a nap? So I laid down and took a nice long 3-hour nap uninterrupted by potty breaks, acid reflux, or contractions. That was bliss.

When I woke up I decided it was time to get out of the house, so Nathan and I got ready and went out. Well, with one pit stop beforehand. Lest I forget that I was pregnant, Tater Tot decided to give me a nice reminder just before we walked out the door--a nice sudden onset of morning sickness. I am so pro at it now, that I didn't even get any of it on my clothes, kept my makeup nearly intact, and was ready to go out the door within 5 minutes afterward. I was NOT going to let a little puke ruin my night.

I dragged Nathan to Home Goods in search of some items needed for our guest room and just looking for some home decor--NO baby shopping. Our house is so bland. I wish I had the money and energy to make it look more like a home than a rented house with a few sad-looking decorations. But to no avail--I didn't find anything I liked enough to pay the price being asked for it, but at least I got to go shopping for a little while for something I wanted, not some needed baby item.

By that time it was dinner time, and I had decided earlier that we were going out on a date to a steakhouse called Stony River to celebrate our last hoorah as a couple with no screaming child in tow, or no babysitter at home. I thoroughly enjoyed my celebratory dinner with my amazing husband. We stopped at the store on the way home to grab some milk, and the much-craved BlueBell cookies and cream ice cream, and 10 peaches. Peaches and ice cream--my two pregnancy must-haves--at least for the last 2 months.

All in all, it was a pretty good day of doing what I wanted, and probably the last of its kind for a long time.