Party not so hearty

Saturday night, I was invited out to a surprise dinner for a friends birthday.

We got back from the coast, I fed the baby, picked up the dogs from my parents, got dressed and headed out to pick up my friend so we could get there before the guest of honour arrived.

Dinner was great - good food (I ate way too much) and good company - and at about 9pm it started to wrap up and move on to a nightclub for drinks. I said that I had to head off, that I couldn't stay for 'just one drink', that I had to go.

I called the husband on the way home to see whether I should drop in to see him (his cousin was visiting from interstate so he was at his parents house) or just go home.

And he sounded surprised to hear from me 'so early'.

And when I was thinking about it the next day, I realised there was no real reason for me to not go out. The baby was fine and sleeping soundly, and she had expressed milk if she needed it. The husband was more than prepared to look after her and seemingly expected me to be out for the long haul. But I was driving myself home early.

I guess my main reservation was being out in a nightclub surrounded by people 12 years younger than me, in their tiny little outfits without their paunchy stretchmarked tummies hanging over their pants. I guess that's to be expected. I'm also the first in that group to have a child, so I was the only 'mummy' there... and I guess I don't think they really belong out in a nightclub. I guess my idea of a good night is one where I can cram in as much sleep as I can, rather than yelling over music I don't know to people who can't hear me, drinking overpriced alcohol and feeling overly self conscious.

I guess I can spend as much time as I like thinking about all of the extra-curricular stuff that the husband gets up to, without him feeling like he needs to rush home to the baby.

I guess I need to find out what it is I like to do with free time...!