07-8-2008 - Pregnant or just chunky?

My mood while writing this blog: happy

Do I look pregnant? Or do I just look like I've put on 20 lbs? Up until last week I asked myself this every single day. Sometimes multiple times a day, usually when I was walking past a mirror or a window. Then I'd have to turn to the side, then the other side, the look at myself straight on again, checking every angle to see if I could find a definitive answer to that question. Well, I ask myself no more. There is no denying that I am pregnant. My belly speaks for itself, and does so quite loudly. Hell, it enters the room a few seconds before the rest of my body does.

Now that I look pregnant, I've noticed a few things.

#1 people feel free to comment on my size. Thankfully no one has said "OH MY GOD YOU'RE HUGE!!!" because I might have to commit some kind of hormonal induced assault. I get a lot of the "You must be due *REALLY* soon!!" which is the polite equivalent of the former, but I'll take polite any day. When I explain that no, I still have 3 months to go, I love the look of abject horror people get as they stammer some kind of explanation. Perhaps it's sadistic of me, but there you go.

#2 people feel free to ask me personal questions. This wouldn't bother me so much if these people weren't complete strangers I happened to encounter in the grocery store or at the gas station. Sometimes I think there is a script they go by, because all of the questions and comments are the same: "You're pregnant? How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl? Oh, a boy *and* a girl! Are they identical? Do twins run in your family? Did you conceive naturally? No wonder why you're so big! (ARGH!) Do you have names yet? Do you plan to have more? Are you going to have them naturally? Oh, you'll probably have a C-Section, won't you? That's very exciting! I dont know how you're going to handle two babies! Will you breastfeed? My girlfriend breastfed and her nipples got so cracked and sore, they just bled! (Okay, TMI about your girlfriend lady), Well good luck! Get lots of sleep while you can, because once the babies come you won't be sleeping at all!" and on and on and on....I shouldn't complain too much, because at least most of them don't try to touch my belly. Strangers touching my belly freaks me out so much!

#3 People are really nice to me. Maybe I'm just being sensitive, but people seem to be alot more pleasant to me these days. People as a general rule tend to be rather snarly and rude as they rush about their daily lives. Since my belly popped out I have noticed an increase in the level of politeness of the general populace. It's really nice. I get more thank you's, more smiles, more people willing to help me when I look lost (or when I drop my keys in the parking lot and am having obvious difficulty picking them up), even the super snarky clerk at the grocery store has been chatty and sweet to me. My husband says no one wants to upset a pregnant lady, (which may be true since I tend to fly off the handle at people when they piss me off) but I choose to believe that people are nice because I *am* pregnant and that's the way pregnant women should be treated. Hell, that's the way everyone should be treated.

So even though I may be chunky, I *do* look pregnant, and I couldn't be happier, weird strangers with weird questions and all!