You Can Dress Her Up, BUT...

Next weekend Charlie has a big work event and I am invited. He has plenty of work events, I just never get to go to them. It's in San Diego and I get to go and the kids do not. Awesome. My parents are coming in for a few days to watch the kids while we're gone. Even more awesome. Good luck, I hope you still love us, and them, when we get back.

The only thing dampening my excitement to get away from my very loud, whiny children is the fact that I have to get dressed up. Really dressed up. Dressed up in a way I have not been in a very long time. I had the perfect dress in mind from my closet. I went to try it on and before I even could I realized it had faded in some weird places and was not an option. When was the last time I wore it? Oh yeah, to a wedding a year or two before mine. So, about 12 years ago. No wonder.

I have one dress that works and, amazingly, fits, but I needed another one. So Amanda and I went dress shopping. Have you ever been dress shopping with a one year old? Not fun. She doesn't ooh and ahh and tell you how wonderful you look even if you don't, she screams and yells and throws Teddy Grahams on the floor and spits water all over herself. I spent four hours shopping at two malls and guess which dress I bought? You guessed it, the first one I tried on. Ugh.

My problem is not the baby weight. I lost all the baby weight a few months after I had the baby. My problem is the weight I gained before I got pregnant. You know, the weight that I put on when I was frustrated that I wasn't getting pregnant. That I haven't seemed to lose yet. My other problem is the baby belly. Because even if you lose the weight you don't lose the belly. Those that don't know what I'm talking about either don't have kids or are very, very lucky people.

Then, of course, is the fact that I never have to get dressed up. Never. I can dress up, but that's only because I want to, not because I have to. I wear t-shirts and shorts or jeans almost everyday. On the days I do feel like dressing a little nicer and I put on a skirt and nice blouse every body asks me why I'm so dressed up. My answer? Sometimes it's just nice to look good and not have snot or drool or whatever else all over you. At least for a couple of hours.

I thought I was done with it when I bought the dress, but today I realized that I'm really lacking in footwear as well. Unfortunately my Keen Mary Janes and running shoes, which I do not run in, are not appropriate for this even. So this time I packed up both girls while Charlie and Andy went to a birthday party and we went shoe shopping. Once again, not an ideal place to take two little girls, but Sarah loved it. She tried on all the shoes and helped me pick which pair to buy. She probably tried on five pairs for every one I tried on, and of course she had to try on every pair I did. She did make it somewhat interesting, and made me see how much fun we might have shoe shopping in the future. She loves shoes almost as much as I do. Not quite, but almost.

So, in the end, I have my dress and my shoes and I will look presentable. Not fabulous, like I know some people will, but pretty good for a lady who spends most of her days wearing old, holey t-shirts with snot, drool and Cheetos stains on them. We just won't tell Charlie's cohorts how I dress for my day job.