Let's Get Some Shoes

It's been another busy week at work but it's been nice to feel like an actual attorney. After closing the last property in a multi-property disposition, I've wrapped up all of my matters that I was hoping to before taking my maternity leave... which will hopefully begin any day now.

Our 37 week appointment revealed that I am now 2 cm. dilated & 1 cm. thick (if you have to ask, you don't want to know) and our baby and my lady-parts look prime for a good healthy vaginal delivery. I know I didn't do anything special, or at all, but I still felt like I'd just received a good grade in school. Our doctor prescribed some nice long walks to spur labor on, but my Mom has asked that we hold off until she arrives on Monday.

Matt has spent plenty of quality time with my Mom (they even went on a double date with Grant and Andrea to see Colin Hay when I had to work all weekend back in April) but he's about to find himself severely outnumbered by three generations of Zimmer women.

As you can see from this photo, I am, as they say, ready to pop. Up until about a week ago, I felt pretty good about myself. Sure, I haven't had a waist since winter, but at least I had lots of cute maternity clothes from my cousin Andrea, lots of designer shoes from my free-spending pre-married self and lots of fine jewelry from my near-decade of being showered by anniversary, Christmas and birthday gifts from Matt.

Although I'm still donning Andrea's duds, this past week's humidity and my entry into the final weeks of pregnancy have caused my hands and feet to swell so that I can no longer enjoy my designer shoes or rings and bracelets. I'm much more a ring and bracelet gal than a necklace gal so this has been a bummer. I was a little worried about looking like an un-wed knocked up teen (at the last closing I attended, the opposing attorney's client asked if I'd graduated high school yet), so I have been to wearing my wedding rings on a chain around my neck. Even if no one else notices, it makes me feel better. ;)

So that takes care of jewelry, but shoes have been more of a problem. I've prided myself on wearing heels throughout my entire pregnancy but it just wasn't possible after this Wednesday, when my feet swelled so much that even my biggest shoes felt like ancient Chinese foot bindings. I was left with only one pair that were moderately work-appropriate (they're lime green Sisley ballet flats I picked up in Italy a few years ago; after looking at the feet of the other female associates, they did not seem so work appropriate).

Normally, having to buy shoes would be awesome but yesterday it seemed like a huge task. After work, I put on my work-out clothes (yes, even walking outside at a snail's pace qualifies as exercise for me right now and requires work-out clothes) and headed to T.J. Maxx across the street (it's not just the reasonable rent that's kept us in this apartment for 2+ years). They had some cute coach flats but I wasn't sure they were the pair of shoes that I wanted to potentially wear every weekday for the next 2 weeks. I trekked up to Marshall's on Clark Street and was disgusted with their lack of selection; I could not find one pair of shoes that I wanted! But by now, I was as determined to "get some shoes" as the drag queen Kelly in those weird You Tube videos (Kim, I know you know what I'm talking about and while we're on the subject, "let me borrow that top"). After hitting up DSW in the same building and coming up empty-handed, I decided to go back to T.J. Maxx for the Coach flats but to take a detour along the lake first.

Instead of a jaunty detour, it turned into a death march. For those of you unfamiliar with Lakeview, I'm talking about a round trip distance of about a mile, maybe a mile and a half at most. This is normally doable in 3 inch heels while carrying my computer bag and a purse. Being 37 weeks pregnant is no joke, and made my walk home take about 30 minutes, with rests every block. My stomach was cramping so hard, I felt like it was going to separate from my body!

I made it home but still felt the pull of those shoes; apparently I did want to potentially wear them every weekday for the next 2 weeks. So hear they are in all of their glory- the only pair of work-appropriate shoes that will fit me. Yes, I had to buy them half a size larger than usual. :(

My final update is that although we made it to the minor league Cubs game, we were forced by my expanding uterus and deflating lung capacity to call it quits after the 4th inning. I was sad because it was a really fun game but I did manage to get one picture of Nicholas' mop-top before we left. He looks like such a California beach bum with that light shaggy hair!