When I find out I was pregnant, the first thing that crossed my mind was “Sarah’s going to kill me.”  Sarah is my little sister who just so happened to be getting married about 8.5 months from the day I found out I was expecting.  It has caused a lot of drama and stress in our lives, which will be an entirely different post.  But, I was (AM) set on being at the wedding and not letting this pregnancy take anything away from her big day and all the events leading up to it!

I am the Matron of Honor, which means I got to plan the Bachelorette party!!  I had been so nervous/stressed about this damn party because I wanted it to be f’ing amazing!  AND, I knew that I had to try and do things 110% to prove to her that me being pregnant was not going to take anything away from Sarah and her fun.  Thinking about all of this has made my stomach churn for the past few months.

Sarah decided she wanted the party in Nashville, which is second to Las Vegas for Bachelorette parties.  Awesome choice!!  Right?  Yes, awesome choice for young non pregnant girls who can withstand 100 degree weather, walking all day, and riding mechanical bulls.  How was I going to survive?!?  I just smiled through it all, was excited about every decision we made, and was lucky to get help with planning from one of Sarah’s friends and her fiance’s sisters (thank you ladies!).  As the weekend neared, I realized that I needed to get in to better shape!  I did not want to be the one they had to stop for because I needed a break.  I did not want to be the first one in bed at night.  I wanted to prove that this whole growing a human thing was not a big deal and I could totally hang with the big dogs!  I started hitting the gym to get my stamina up.  I started going to bed pretty early to rest up.  I even took sleeping pills (doctor approved) to make sure the sleep I did get was restful sleep.  Nothing was going to get in the way of Sarah having the best Bachelorette party of all time……especially not her 7.5 month pregnant sister!

We flew to Nashville this past Friday from Minnesota, Michigan, and IL, and all returned home on Sunday.  It was a weekend full of lots of beer, shots, walking, stairs, bull riding, vomiting, fake penises, cowboy hats, music (Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, and Spice Girls included), and fun girl bonding time.  I am not going to give any more details to protect the “innocent”.  But, here are a few things I learned:

1. I can still hang!  Even though I am 33 and 7.5 months preggo, I was NOT the first one to go to sleep each night!.
2. DO NOT let the girls you are with name your unborn child.  Apparently, I will be welcoming a boy named Jamal in the Fall.
3. DO NOT try to teach the game Exploding Kittens to a bunch of drunk girls when you are drunk (not me).  It may end up in a fist fight.
4. You can AND should dance like nobody’s watching even when you have a giant baby bump!
5. My training for the strenuous activities during the weekend paid off! I didn’t need to take a break at all!  BUT, I woke up Monday morning with swollen feet and ankles (bummer!).
6. My kids really do love me, and were excited when I got home! (it might have been because I told them on the phone that i was bringing presents).
7. And finally, the Bachelorette party girls love me more than my husband.  They wouldn’t let me lift or carry anything the entire weekend and my husband watched me carry my 50 lbs suitcase up the stairs to the bedroom when I got home while he sat on the couch with a drink. 🙂

Looking back, I realize that I probably didn’t need to worry as much as I did about how the weekend would go. I wanted it to all be perfect!!!  And, even though I didn’t get to enjoy all of the cocktails Nashville had to offer, I still had a perfect time in my happily imperfect way.