Anytime is good for me

After five months of eager anticipation, last night finally came. It was the culmination of nearly 20 years of hoping, praying, wishing that it would happen... someday, somehow. Last night, I finally got to see The Police, live in concert. And oh, god, was it ever good. I've been a fan of The Police since I was 15 and rediscovered the song "Wrapped Around Your Finger." Later, during the autumn of my sophomore year of high school, my best friend and I would drive around during lunch listening to Every Breath you Take: The Singles over and over. To this day, the song "Roxanne" can conjure a rainy fall day like no other. But I was a little late to The Police party, since they'd broken up when I was still a pre-teen. And no good concerts ever came to Billings, Montana, anyway. Well, except for the extremely awesome REO Speedwagon, whom I saw in 6th grade.

Needless to say, when word came out late in 2006 that a reunion tour was in the works, M - also a longtime fan who missed out on the chance to see them in concert - and I were more than a little interested. Tickets went on sale for fan club members on February 20th (and yes, we purchased a membership specifically for this purpose). We scored 4 tickets with relative ease. Now came five months of waiting. Oh, yeah... and getting more and more pregnant with each passing month. When we bought those tickets, I was barely out of my first trimester. It seemed like no big deal - of course I'd make it to the concert! Why wouldn't I?

As time went by, I could begin to see how being extremely pregnant might be a bit of a hindrance in getting to the concert, but I was not to be deterred. A number of people expressed their doubts about my ability to make it there, but I stood firm. Of course, I would make it. I've waited too long for this! But I couldn't help but wonder at the words of my previously-pregnant friends who obviously had more experience in this department than I. Would I make it? M and I opted in when a November show was announced and tickets went on sale. Just in case. But I was still determined that unless I was in labor or had a 3-day old baby, I would be there.

Now, being nine months pregnant, something like a major rock concert - at Fenway Park, no less - was not to be undertaken lightly. Understanding that I could get very hot, very swollen, and very tired in short order dictated how M and I prepared for the concert. First, I did virtually nothing all day but sit on my fat arse with my feet up (to minimize swelling) and take naps as they came (to minimize exhaustion). And I wore the most comfortable, loose-fitting clothes I had. No small feat these days, given how big I am now. And M, bless his heart, went out early in the day to find me some sort of cushion to sit on.

I could go into all the details and funny little side-stories that made the evening just that much more flavorful: our bemused cabbie who dropped us off at and picked us up from the concert, the sourpuss in our row who was so disinclined to move her lazy fat ass out of the way to let people in and out of our row (to the point that I actually climbed over the row in front of ours in order to get into my own seat at one point), and our precipitous seat change. But they don't really get into the main point of it. We finally got to see The Police. Live. In concert. And it RULED!

Overall, I have to say it wasn't nearly as difficult or uncomfortable as other people tried to prepare me for. Sure, I was hot and had to keep drinking water to keep hydrated. And I missed parts of a few songs due to multiple bathroom trips. And climbing stairs wasn't really much of a picnic. But after all, I am just pregnant, not disabled. I'd guess my enjoyment level at the concert was actually in no way compromised by my advanced state of pregnancy. It may have been enhanced, actually: all those trips to the bathrooms brought numerous kind comments from fellow concert-goers like, "Three weeks to go? God bless you for being here, honey!" and "Good for you!" and "You look fantastic!" Not only was I having a great fricking time, but I had the support of a lot more people than just the ones I came with. Of course, I got a couple of incredulous stares - some admiring, some less so. But from what I could tell, most people were delighted to see a very pregnant woman being normal and having fun.

And of course, The Police themselves were awesome. It wasn't all "Every Breath You Take" and "Don't Stand so Close to Me;" they also did some of their lesser known songs, which suited me just fine. Sting sounds just as good as he did back in the band's heyday, as do Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. They rocked it good and hard as I would have expected, and it was completely worth it. Best part? We can tell Weeble that we took her to an amazing rock concert just a few weeks before she was born. Granted, she was on the inside. But still, that's pretty cool. She was there. She has the onesie to prove it.

Now that The Police concert is behind us, I'm pretty much good to give birth any old time. And, in a twist of fine timing, Weeble officially reached "full term" status as of today. 37 Weeks. Which means all her parts are basically finished cooking and she'd most likely be fine on the outside. So, really, anytime is good for me. Just give me enough time to pack my hospital bag and get the car seat installed in the car, and we'll be ready to rock and roll, baby.