irony.

i think the universe has its way of righting itself, in many respects.  i'm not going to take this so far as to say that i believe everything happens for a reason (because i really don't think that's true), but i will say that a lot of times it's surprising how things come about... how opinions, ideas and philosophies can change... how you might find yourself 180 degrees from where you started. 

but lest you think i was about to tap into my bachelor of arts in philosophy roots, here's a disclaimer: i'm just going to point out a few semi-ironic, semi-funny, interesting twists that i have observed as of late.

(1) remember several blog posts ago when i mentioned how i had observed teen gals getting in on the leggings as pants phenonmenon?  well, judgmental judy (me) is doing a little backtracking.  while on a maternity shopping spree with my cousin, i happened upon a pair of leggings with an extra large, low-rise stomach band and they are the most comfortable pair of "pants" imaginable.  can i wear them with a suit jacket to court?  is it appropriate to peruse the produce aisle of a grocery mart while donning preggings?  (john calls these leggings "preggings," as in leggings for pregnant people.)  how old is too old to wear preggings in public?  i know that heidi klum and nicole richie and all the other size 0 celebs are sporting preggings the whole 9 mos. (and beyond), but is this the sort of thing i can get behind in iowa?  or will it seem like i'm pretending to be 21 again?  i think the key is the top worn with the preggings.  it needs to be long enough to cover the entire expanding bump as well as the expanding rump, right?  but with both of those areas covered, am i in the clear?  if nothing else, i've already decided that it's acceptable for me to traipse around the house wearing my preggings with old t-shirts of john's.  if anyone comes to the door, i will either (a) hide -- depending on the identity of the caller or (b) explain that my mom and dad aren't home right now and i'm not supposed to talk to strangers.  thoughts?

(2) while at my parents' house for game 5 of the stanley cup, i became quite chilly and (gasp) stole a pair of grape colored sweatpants from my dad.  they are very comfortable and i have been wearing them all week (when i'm not at work and when i'm not wearing the aforementioned preggings).  now never in my life did i ever think that i would get to the stage where i was sharing clothes with my dad.  i also never thought that i'd become so much like him.  (i find myself lecturing my younger brothers and sisters with the same addages i've heard my dad mention time and time again).  but spouting off the same cliches as dad is not quite the same as borrowing fashion trends from him.  i am afraid that come november, i might be donning that plaid elmer fudd hat and matching jacket set of dad's that my sister and i teased him relentlessly about during christmas a few years back.  what's next?  blaze orange sweatpants in public?  a pheasants forever sweatshirt to a date night dinner?  i feel like this is a downward spiral, and i'm powerless to stop it.  the only thing i can say is that old "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" thing is becoming all the more real to me, and i'm going to stop judging because who knows where i'll find myself in a few months.

(3) tippin' the scale(s).  i am not a person who weighs herself regularly.  i know about what i weigh, from yearly physicals or from the occasional bout of boredom where i decide to hop on the scale at the gym, but truthfully, i could go approximately 365 days in between dates with the scale.  and it's not because i dread seeing the numbers.  i just don't really care that much.  if i feel good, and my clothes feel comfortable, and i'm happy, i'm not too concerned with my actual weight.  well... i wasn't too concerned with my weight.  now i seem to have an odd obsession with weighing myself and fixating on the new number that appears on the scale.  i am trying to keep this weight gain in perspective... but it is a tad unnerving.  i never thought i'd be the one weighing myself morning and night, just to see what, if anything may have changed during the course of the day.  ohhhh, how things change.

and speaking of changes... to snip or not to snip?  no, my husband is not considering a vasectomy just yet.  (we'll let this baby thing ride its course before we make any big reproductive decisions).  i have been considering the future of my wedding dress, and was thinking about having it made into a baptism gown (if the baby lives up to its aunts' hopes and wishes and turns out to be a girl).  thoughts?  i have tried, on two separate occasions, to commission my grandmother as seamstress, but she tells me she just can't bear the thought of cutting into my dress.  my aunt jana thinks i should re-think, too, because what if my daughter wants to wear my dress someday?  from the time it was cleaned and pressed following our wedding, my dress has been hanging, untouched at my parent's house.  i haven't even set eyes on it since we left for our honeymoon.  i loved the dress and it was perfect for the big day.  but the big day is over, and (see #3 above) i'm not getting into that dress anytime soon.  i can't really think of a good reason why i'd ever need it again.  and it could be a really special heirloom if i use it to make my daughter's baptismal gown.  (DISCLAIMER: if baby bean is truly a she.)  no final decision needs to be made just yet since the little one has not made his/her debut (and if the baby is anything like its parents, it will probably arrive fashionably late).  just throwing this idea out there.  let me know if you have any strong inclinations either way.

'til next time...