Saying goodbye to our “single” years

Okay, I know that technically my single years ended three years ago. However, the simple fact remains that Ryan and I are single and will be until this baby comes. Here’s how it works:

For some reason, it’s been this way ever since Ryan and I got married. At first he used to tease since apparently “normal people” think you can’t be single if you’re a couple, but it’s become a standard part of the McDaniel family lexicon. I can’t tell you how many of our trips and adventures have started with the conversation, “You know, while we’re still single we really should . . .”

These “we are single” years have been the sweetest, most happy years of my life. While I am definitely excited to meet this baby, it’s also a little bittersweet to say goodbye to this phase.

This past Saturday marked the first time in months where we had an empty Saturday, and from the looks of things, it’ll be our last empty Saturday until this baby comes. (I know, I know, we overschedule.) When we realized the significance of this, I turned to Ryan and said, “You know, we really should give this phase a proper send off.”

And we did.

After sleeping in (as much as I can these days), Ryan took me swimming at the Kearns Aquatic Center. They had lap lanes, a regular pool, comfy lounge chairs, and a water playground with slides and sprayers—we had a blast. While it was clear that the baby didn’t enjoy swimming—he kept moving higher and higher in my belly until he was fully submerged under the lukewarm water—I absolutely loved getting a temporary break from managing the weight of my belly. Even better, I got to be outside in the full summer heat without being miserable. The afternoon was full of great little moments—eating churros in the sun, Ryan joining the little kids under the splash bucket, and, my favorite, the little girl who came up to me and said, “Aww, cute! There’s a baby in there, huh?” (Way to go, little five-year-old, at being more awesome than a slew of grownups.)

I wish I could go swimming every day.

After swimming, Ryan came home and took a nap while I primped for our fancy dinner. Between the morning sickness and the yardwork and the cleaning and the editing, we really haven’t had many opportunities to be fancy this year, so I totally made the most of it. I wore a new maternity dress and fancy earrings—I even got to curl my hair. Then we drove up to Park City for dinner at Grappa’s (we had a gift card). As we were slowly walking up Main Street, an arts festival guy in a golf cart pulled over and offered to drive us up the hill. Score! No hills for me! When we got to the restaurant, they sat us at a lovely spot on the patio near a fountain and outdoor heaters to counteract the breeze. We also, somehow, got the only table with padded chairs outside. Double score! The food was fantastic and it was so pleasant to be outside with Ryan as the sun set and the stars came out.

When we got home, I wasn’t ready for the night to end, so I talked Ryan into snuggling and watching Pride and Prejudice with me. I don’t make him sit through chick flicks very often, so he was a really good sport about it and joined me in fawning over classic British literature.

It really was the perfect day.