Sweetie vs. Old Lady

About 5 years ago when I met Adam, and as I’ve mentioned before, I was head over heels IN LOVE with this man. We were attached at the hip, and since we had met at work we really never had a break from each other, not that we wanted one.  After all, I was the “cool” girlfriend who was always invited to hang out with his friends and at group events, or didn’t mind if he needed a “guy’s night” and who absolutely loved going to all of his softball tournaments to sit in the outfield with a Mike’s Hard Lemonade in hand chatting with the other girls. I was the cool girlfriend!  How do I know this? I know this because he wanted me to hang out with him, wanted me to hang out with his friends, and wanted me to be at all of his softball games!

At some point I stopped being “the cool girlfriend” and became the “old lady.” At least that’s what he refers to his buddy’s wives, and me when he thinks I can’t hear him talking to his friends when he’s a mere 10 feet away from me. Really? We went from “hun,” and “sweetie” to “my old lady.” It’s hard to remember when exactly this happened and it’s even harder not to believe that it probably happened when we both nervously said “I do” in a church that we never attend and in front of lots of people who we rarely see, nonetheless talk to. Maybe, though, we went from Sweetie to Old lady when my belly grew to the size of a beach ball and my “hormones” caused me to be “emotional” when hanging out with friends and the 90 degree weather at softball tournaments became a lot less fun.

Things have definitely changed a lot in the 5 years since I’ve met Adam, and that cool girl is still here. Sometimes I lose her behind the lack of sleep, being a mom, cleaning the house, folding clothes and arguing about which one of us will read books to the kids before bed, but that cool girl is still here.…somewhere. Our time together now is usually taken up by family outings, or story time, or passing out on the couch from total exhaustion by 7:45 pm. My slim fitting tank tops and short shorts have been replaced by loose fitting, or "flowing" tops, and my shorts have been replaced by mid-length capris.  I miss the days when I was cool ALL OF THE TIME.  I still want to go out and have fun, but we’ll have to learn to disregard the baby puke stuck on my sleeve.