In three months, I'll be a mother. More or less. I mean, in three months more or less, not the mother part. I think that giving birth will be the definitive proof on the latter point.

"You can't keep Aby. She's ours."

- Jos' solemn injunction on the way out

Today the Boy & I went to a pool party with my mother's nursing school friends & their young children. The four women were celebrating the 10th anniversary of graduation. They're all still in active practice, which I believe to be the greater victory.

The women all quizzed me about pregnancy, then I got to play with the babies. There was Mic (age 7), his brother Vin (age 4), my flowerchild Sydney (age 6), her sister Mac (age 3), Jos (age 5) and his sister Aby (turning 1 today). I got to do a great, great deal of Aby-rasslin until she fell asleep, then I played "washing machine" in the pool with her brother through 4 cycles. I watched Sydney somersault backwards, I squirted Vin with water from a pool toy, and did handstands with Mic. Then I stopped Mic & Vin cold with the pure bitchy power of my Teacher Voice.

And....all this on slightly more than 6 hours of sleep. Exhausted is an understatement - I fell asleep on the way home.

Sydney, by the way, absolutely slays me. She's got that Jesuitical precision of smart little girls that opens up all my foibles to merciless objectivity. For example. As I was in the pool, I heard her mother say, "you can tell she's pregnant from behind." I stuck out my tongue at the women, and repeated the comment to Sydney. "Can you believe that?"

"It's because you're wider," she responded gravely, after a moment's pause for consideration. I was indignant.

"What do you mean? Where am I..." The question died on my lips. Because she'd tell me. And I'm just not ready for that level of honesty.

Last night the Boy & I went to Dirk's house to hang out. We ended up watching "The Game," and experience that was heightened by marauding racoons in the upstairs pantry. It was withal a quiet night, but I very much enjoyed getting caught up with Dirk about everything. Also, having a casual good time offsets my fear of crashing & burning in September. As I said to Dirk, I need to remember to enjoy my life, because it won't happen on its own.

Booty Call: Day 174 - Uterus should measure about 26-28 cm at this time. Baby's brain continues rapid growth.

3 years ago today: "You must have been the child of a washing machine."