I left plenty of time for the drive down because traffic in the summer can be unpredictable. I had a half hour to kill and low and behold my favorite fabric store was nearby. Oh dear, I can't be let loose in there without spending some money, and sure enough I found a fabric for the back of my crib quilt and some nice batting for the middle. Oh, and another soft & cuddly yellow fabric jumped off the shelf into my cart too. OK, it was good I only had 30 minutes.
It was so nice to see my counselor again. She nearly cried when she saw my belly because she wasn't sure if she'd ever see me sporting one of those. We talked about the pregnancy, debriefed the kidney stone scare, my work, my in-laws, our baby preparations -whew there was a lot. Anyway she gave me some good things to think about and as always, I left feeling better than I did going in.
I had another half hour to kill and since her office is right near a beach, so I went for a walk and sat in the warm sun on a log there. As I sat on the log, I made the observation that in the year that I've been seeing her it has always been too rainy and cool to enjoy the beach, until today. That is rather symbolic, I thought.
Next it was off to lunch. There were 5 women plus one very sweet baby. We met on ivf(dot)ca last spring/summer when we were all in the thick of fertility treatments at the same clinic. Most of us had met before a couple of times and have maintained contact since we got pregnant or had babies. Our bellies were an assortment of sizes as we have due dates in September, October, November, and myself in December. We yaked, and before we knew it a couple of hours had gone by.
After lunch I took a look in the maternity shop across the street (Bellies in Bloom). Yes, if anyone remembers way back in January this was the place I parked in front of when we the VFC Pals met for dinner, and I poached their wireless internet. Anyway, I found myself a nice dress to wear to a wedding we are attending in a couple of weeks. I tried on the few dresses I have at home recently and discovered that they all fit me like shirts instead of dresses. Yes, short hem lines might be in style, but this was beyond a short hemline in the front! So, thanks to a sale rack price plus a $10 coupon, for $35 I had myself a new dress that flatters my new figure. The photo makes the dress look skinny, but it's quite roomy below the bust.
One of the women invited me back to her place in the later afternoon. It was great to see her house and the adorable little nursery they've just completed. We sat and had drinks and ice cream on her sundeck.
At around 5pm I left Victoria for the drive home that usually takes just under 2 hours. 20 minutes later about 1/3 of the way up the Malahat mountain pass, the traffic was at a total standstill in both directions. Many people were turning around. Luckily I was able to find a shady patch where I turned off the engine and sat for the next hour just waiting. It didn't really bother me, aside from the fact that I was starting to get a little bit hungry, and needed to empty my bladder -again. There were impatient people wandering up and down the road with their phones trying to get some sense of what was going on. An ambulance came through, and I figured it could only be a bad accident. There were rumors of a 4 hour wait but soon traffic began moving from the other side and slowly we crept along awaiting our turn to get through the single lane alternating directions. Only a hundred cars ahead or so I saw the aftermath of the terrible crash that had closed the road (there is no alternative route around). Three cars were completely mangled and there was a large gasoline spill being cleaned up. I thought of the people involved and their families and had a sick feeling in my stomach and started to tear up.
Once safely over the pass I pulled off for a quick washroom stop, something to eat, and to collect myself for the drive home. I thought about how notorious that highway is for accidents and closures and how fortunate we have been to have stayed safe driving it so much this past couple of years. In fact, a tanker truck rolled and closed the road for over 24 hours just days after my egg retrieval. We were so lucky the timing was the way it was. I drove home at the speed limit, and noticed that very few of the other vehicles on the road were speeding. By 8:30 I was safely in my driveway and just about ready for bed.
Quite the jam packed day, but it was worth the drive. Today I'm staying put at home.
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