Okay, Jamie, you are clear for labor...

For weeks now, I have been anticipating the excitement of taking part in a wedding. Two years ago, many of you may remember Monica as the pregnant one at my wedding, who sang with her sister. When she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in November, it was a mere twist of irony that I would be hugely pregnant at her wedding as well. Her mom made all the dresses, so I had one that fit me perfectly and was beautiful, and as the big day came sooner, I would rub my belly and remind Jamie that he just had to wait until the wedding was over, and then he could come as soon as he wanted. And so, yesterday, it happened. No labor. Just a beautiful wedding. After the event, everyone approached me to ask when my due date was and asked how I was feeling. Rumors flew that I was due that day, although what I really said was that I was ready that day.

For a few moments during the ceremony, I felt some pressure and movement. I sucked in my breath, looked down at my belly, and willed Jamie not to do anything. I can definitely say, for one, that he follows orders. :) And as the ceremony ended and the reception began, the real fun started.

As soon as it was clear that the dancing had begun, I was on my feet, ready to celebrate with no abandon. I got Glenn up, and we did a little swing dancing. Then I bounced around to some rock music, and of course, the YMCA. (As I pointed out to one of the other bridesmaids, actual jumping is REALLY uncomfortable, so bouncing would have to work.) According to Kelley, one of the other women in our dance group, the cherry on top of the sundae was when I got out to do the Macerena. If you would stop and think back a decade or so to the last time you did the Macerena, you will remember there is a part where you circle your hips and then do a quarter turn. Now imagine a woman with an enormous belly, circling her hips. It is not the cutest looking image. :) But there I was, having a good time, and really, beyond all else, a good time was the true goal. And I was happy to celebrate with Monica.

After the reception at the church, there was an "after-party" at Chris' parents' house. (Chris being the groom) All guests were invited, and there would be more food and drinks to enjoy. Like the typical Asian mother, Chris' mom cooked more than enough and was more than happy to do it. Barbeque, shrimp, potato salad, nacho dip, broccoli, and even a chocolate fountain. And all this after having hosted the rehearsal dinner at her house the night before. As she told me when I asked her if she had made all the delicious Asian food at the rehearsal dinner herself, she told me, "As soon as my mother got into town, she started cooking, so she helped me a lot."

Their house was crowded and there were various conversations and groups of people around. From the crowd of bridal party watching pictures from the wedding on the giant TV in the living room, to the accordian polka music being played live in the front sitting room. When the time came for a large contingent of the Alt Washingtonia dance group/ family to leave, an impromptu performance was announced in the cul-de-sac outside. Doing a dance called the Gamsprung has become somewhat of a tradition at group parties and gatherings. And so we got together about 8 or 9 of our men and Mark the tuba player, and the men did their thing. The problem was, the majority of the guests inside only found out about the performance after it was almost done. Most of the guys who had been dancing had to leave and we were left with a large crowd calling out for more. So Fritz, Glenn, and Philip got together and decided they would do a dancer called the Gauplattler, which necessitated that each of them get a partner to spin around with them.

Fritz grabbed Monica's hand and told the other two to get a partner. I saw my chance to once again, get Jamie moving, and grabbed Glenn's hand. He looked at me and said, "Are you sure?" And I was. After all, all I would have to do was spin around and then waltz with him. Someone told me later, "You really will do anything you can to get him out." Another person said, "I am predicting here and now that your baby is going to be a dancer."

The next question, I am sure, would be "Did you feel anything after all that moving and shaking?" and the answer is "Yeah, a bit." The day before, he had been bouncing and shifting, and having a good old time. By the end of the evening, I was cramping up a lot. It felt like mild menstrual cramps, but I had a feeling that as soon as I got to bed, Jamie would simply be relieved I had stopped moving around and would settle back in to his comfort zone.

And, naturally, I was right. I woke up today with Jamie basically sending me the signal of, "Okay, Mom, you had your fun, but you won't work me out that easily." If you remember back a number of months to my ultrasound, when they couldn't get him to move enough to take all the pictures, I told you that this baby was stubborn. Well, once again, he has proven this point.