Old-Girlfriend-Meets-Baby-Shower Weekend

We had a busy last weekend and I'm just now getting caught up!

Firstly, Friday night, we had dinner with Craze's college girlfriend who was in town from NYC. I'm not sure if it's just me and the whole wife/ex-girlfriend thing, but I just find it SO difficult to like her in the least. I find myself constantly picking wholes in her life choices (the little I know of them) and finding fault with her in general.

She's not a bad person and she was perfectly polite to me. She gave us a lovely baby gift of a little blue bathrobe and rattle. That said, she also saved seats at the restaurant so that Craze would sit next to her and I had to sit at the complete opposite end of the table next to several of her friends I didn't know in the least, which I found somewhat irritating and I wasn't able to speak to Craze or the ex throughout the whole meal.

I guess the deal is that I sometimes question her motives (like the seating arrangement). At 40, she is still unmarried and I only met her for the first time at my wedding, which I also found irritating. Who wants to meet their husband's ex on their wedding day??? And the second time I saw her, we spent a couple of days together in Washington, DC, and she made a point of wearing her skimpy bikini and showing off her terrific yoga flexibility and contortionist tricks to Craze at every occasion. I just thought she was really showing off and I found it quite annoying and inappropriate.

I don't think she wants to be with my husband, but I do think she enjoys flirting with him (right in front of me). It's irritating and immature. GRRRRRRR... And don't get me started on her restaurant choice which we weren't consulted about. We went to Mexique, a French-influenced, Mexican restaurant were we spent $100 on one of the most blase and uninspired meals I have had in a long time. Aside from hanging out with Craze's ex-girlfriends, there's nothing I hate worse than LOUD, mediocre, high-priced, hipster restaurants!

Anyway, thankfully, we only had to hang out with her for the one meal and, since the window between her visits is typically LONG--over 4 years for this last one--, I'll unlikely have to see her again any time soon, which is totally fine with me.

Then, bright and early Saturday morning, we loaded our luggage and the dogs in the car and headed for the Motor City for Sunday's baby shower. Luckily, after the six-hour drive, my mother-in-law was not too dog crazy and our fur babies weren't relegated to the basement during our stay and behaved in a perfectly lovely manner. I'm not sure what her earlier dog mania was even all about. Craze called my father-in-law prior to our visit and even he said she was acting a little nutty regarding the dogs. Anyway. . .

The baby shower was really lovely. Great food. Small enough to be able to talk to everyone at a leisurely pace and an amazingly generous shower of baby gifts. So, many beautiful things from hand-made sweaters, booties and a blanket, to a stroller and a baby car seat, organic baby bath lotions and potions, books, diaper bags and so much more. We really are so blessed to have such a lovely and giving extended family. Everyone is genuinely excited about our forthcoming arrival.

It's really nice and such a difference from my own family where I have only my brother who has basically shown almost a total disregard for our forthcoming child. As opposed to Craze's family, they neither attended the baby shower or sent a card or gift to acknowledge that it was even happening. I guess not a surprise really since that's the same reaction I got to my two bridal showers. I guess selfish, self-involved people are unlikely to change so I'm not sure why I find them such a constant disappointment. I always expect better of them and it never happens. Craze wonders why I set myself up for disappointment where they are concerned and he is completely right.

As I've said before, I'm lucky my husband has such a great family and that they are now mine, too.