Prom Redux, reporting from the library

I woke up this morning to a splitting headache that had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with the papers hanging over my head (although my severe lack of sleep and teeny tiny prom food may have contributed). Last night was a blast. We were a little late as Landon had a meltdown right as we were leaving (which I think had much more to do with regular nighttime fussiness and teething than the fact we were walking out the door), so we stayed to calm him down and stand him up by the coffee table so he could hit it with his hand- that always keeps him busy and happy for a good 20 minutes. My friend who goes to John Marshall law school was babysitting and she did a wonderful job- she had Landon sleeping soundly not long after we left.

We arrived at the hotel about 10 minutes before the bar was closing for dinner- JP managed to grabbed four beers for himself and a glass of wine for me. Dinner was mediocre, as most large seated dinners are, but we had a great table of friends to laugh and talk with. I tried to get a good picture of JP and I all dressed up, but he kept screwing it up with funny faces, rolls, sticks of butter, etc. By the time he smiled nicely for the camera, my own smile was completely fake and I look like I'm going to kill him. It's actually kind of fantastic and my picture card looks like one long outtake reel. I found that the teal satin of my dress reflected the light from the flash so that I really stand out in pictures (also in the picture: $12 shoes and the upside of having a 22 lb. baby who insists on being carried ALL THE TIME, especially between the hours of 4 and 6 AM- toned legs! I'd prefer sleep, but I'm trying to focus on the positive.) The greater than expected shininess of the dress led me to this year's Halloween costume- Malibu Barbie! I just need some plastic shoes and a blonde wig and I'm set. I attempted lots of dancing, took lots of funny pictures, and admired how nice my classmates look all dressed up. There were some really gorgeous gowns (and tuxes!), and unlike previous years I didn't see anyone noticeably drunk. I think this had to do with the vastly understaffed bar and long lines for drinks; actually, maybe the hotel did that on purpose... One of many highlights of the evening was a classmate coming up to me and saying, "wait, did you have a baby?" When I said yes, he replied with a complimentary "Damn..." He may have been a little buzzed, but it's still fun to be complimented by someone who isn't married to you :) All in all a very nice night out. I got a little teary eyed when I realized it was probably my last one; three weeks from today we'll already be in Texas and I have papers and finals and a Louisville wedding taking up all my time before then.

We got home just in time to hear Landon wake up with a scream. He kept trying to stick our hands in his mouth and looked around with big, sad yes. After some Motrin, Orajel, and cuddles he was back to sleep and stayed that way until 7 AM! After many mornings of 4 AM wake-up calls, that totally made it worth the crying baby buzz kill at midnight. I left for the library at 9 and am determined to make headway on a paper today- at this point it's really less of a goal and more of a necessity. The frantic paper writing and long sprint to the finish begins now!