Party Pooper

Nearing the end of my pregnancy, I am passing up more and more social engagements. I thought it would bother me, but relaxing in my own home has become quite a fine substitute.

I'm toying with the idea of going to at least one date of my season ticket package for the Mud Hens baseball team, if only to see the look on the face of Charlie, my favorite usher, when he sees the reason I will be selling off the rest of my games. But I imagine I will be spending more time on a soft club house chair indoors than on the hard bleacher seat overlooking the field. That's a big energy investment for no beer and no baseball.

I was disappointed to miss a fundraising dinner for the Maritime Academy of Toledo Foundation, of which my husband serves as director. Held at the Toledo Club, guests enjoyed nine courses of the final meal served aboard the Titanic to mark the 100th anniversary of the luxury liner's sinking. Certainly I wanted the food, particularly the foie gras atop the beef medallion, but I also wanted to be on the arm of my dashing officer all dressed up in his Navy tuxedo. Being able to hobnob with the muckity-mucks from my own company would have been a plus, too.

My supper club group repeated the experience, same bat place, same bat menu, the following weekend, but I sent a declining RSVP for that one too. I'm as big as the Titanic now and late nights really sink me. There is a casual event slated for four days after my due date, which seems silly to even think about. The only gourmet meal I'll be concerned about during that week will be the one coming out of my own breasts.

I missed my nephew's birthday party after a particularly uncomfortable bout of baby-in-bad-position, having left work early two days in a row, one of which to head to the hospital triage to make sure everything was still ducky. (It was.)

Going on a movie date sounds great early in the day but dissolves into an exhausted "not tonight, honey." Heading out to dinner is OK as long as we go during the early gray-haired hour. Staying up to watch TV shows or play board games with the family loses out to soundly snoring with the bed pillows.

Some day I'll have a life again, once I bring forth another.