I have been making up for lost opportunities for social outings and trying to get my fill before life gets turned upside down. Dani Schwendener and Rachel Mascaro came over Monday night for a bite to eat and then we went out to see a movie. I do not even remember Tuesday happening.

On Wednesday Rachel and I met up with Erin Jackson, Emily Cook, Jenny Tomlinson, Jessica Price and Ashley Shontz at a great Thai restaurant in St. Gallen. Everyone planned to have a nice laid-back baby shower for me. The food was SO good. We all passed around curries and Phad Thai. Yum! We had so much fun talking that we closed the place down and then resumed our visiting in a McDonalds down the road. Emily had made a tasty cake to celebrate. We had such a great time. It was nice to have a smaller more intimate group. It made for a lot of much needed relating with each other. There are such amazing girls here. I can learn so much from them.

The next day Rachel and Emily had planned to get their hair done down by Erin’s. I took a train down to hang out with Erin while all the kids played. I love how enjoyable just being with Erin is. After seeing how great both Emily and Rachel looked after their appointments I am so tempted to do something drastic.

Friday night Chad and I went to the hospital’s parent orientation evening. It was all in German which was tiring. I do not think we got a ton out of it–but we now know where the entrance is which will be important. 🙂 Afterwards we used some gift certificates Chad got at work to go out to dinner. I have probably gone out more in the last week than Chad and I have in the whole time we have lived here! It was nice to have a night together after all of my late nights out playing and Chad’s late nights out working. He sure makes a nice life possible for me.

Saturday’s weather changed our outdoor plans so a bunch of families all headed to the Cook’s for a potluck BBQ. The food is always so good. We had a great time talking, playing games, meeting some new families, celebrating Ashley’s 30th with a fantastic cake made by Jenny, and finishing the night off with a little jam session. I could sing and listen to others sing and play for hours!

The only other news is that I am now only 2 1/2 weeks away from my due date. We could be heading for the hospital any time now. I had an appointment on Thursday. The baby and I are doing great!

My past has been haunting me as the numbers on the scale keep climbing. Memories of getting mooed at in the halls and being referred to as “Fatboy” keep creeping in (kids can be so mean). I have always been a big girl. When my measurements have been at their smallest they are still bigger than many girls at their largest. I have really tried not to “let myself go” just because I am pregnant, but it seems my body has different ideas. Even with staying active and feeling pretty healthy I have managed to gain more weight than desired. I realize I hold myself to a different standard than others. What is OK for the rest of humanity is simply unacceptable for me sometimes. My self image has had to battle a lot these past months and I keep wondering where the magic switch in my head is to simply be content with myself.

Chad is wonderful and still sees a much prettier girl than I am seeing. I have had a hard time just accepting his opinion since it always seems so biased. It was honestly such a relief to hear him confirm that I have put on all the pounds I am seeing and still pay me the compliments and attention he always does.

Yesterday we went to a company picnic with great food. Then we got lost on a walk and found ourselves. We seem to do that a lot lately. We had a Hausfest too. Lots of good German practice.

Today was Sunday. Sunday is a special day. It is not Saturday which Chad reminds me is also a special day. On Sunday Chad and I do a lot of nothing after we get home from church where we usually do something.

Today was special because I got to do a fabulous science experiment with the kids in primary. I do not think any of them have ever seen where you make a volcano out of vinegar and food coloring and baking soda. I scored some big points today. I was more pleased with the explosive results than anyone else.

Today was also a special day because Dani Schwendener and I sang a duet, Be Still My Soul, in sacrament meeting. She is an awesome accompanist. She follows so easily and plays so beautifully. She is also a very worthy singing partner. It was great to sing with someone. Chad is so supportive. He watched us practice before church and gave some really great suggestions. Plus he just oozes pride when he watches me which I frankly love. Elisa was more nervous today than I had ever seen her for singing. Her voice is so clear too. It is great with that song.

Today was a special day because we played games and I didn’t get upset when I lost. (Miraculous!) We took a nap and did other nothing-like things. Finally, today was a special day because I ate breakfast for dinner. We made French toast and homemade buttermilk syrup. Yum.

PS. I have only 3 1/2 weeks until my due date. That is totally weird.