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NOT on a Lighter Note
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Lunar New Year Cheers
Watch Your Mouth
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Another Stroller Battle
Historical Perspective
Ask a Silly Question
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Heroic Perspective
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It Never Gets Old...
One of the advantages of being pregnant in winter is that one can sort of disguise the enormous growth, although this does leave one somewhat prone to encounters in the supermarket like this one:
Dog-Owner Neighbor Who Must Have Been Away: Good grief! Are you pregnant again?
Me (trying to look sprightly, and not limp): Oh, yes, only a couple of months to go!
D-ON: When the Hell did that happen?
Me: Huh. I don't know. August maybe?
Checkout Lady: You're pretty small for only having a couple of months to go. You should see my sister. She can't walk or get off the couch or anything.
Me: Well, it's tiring.
CL: No, I mean it. She is stuck on the couch.
So, that wasn't so bad as that kind of chat goes. But then an encounter with a relative burst my bubble.
Relative: How big is your belly? Let me see!
Me (trying to sound chipper): Well, I am almost done. Only about 8 or 9 weeks to go.
R: That's a really long time and you're really big!
Me: (Stewing while smiling, husband braces for something bad)
Of course, there is really nothing to say to a pregnant person about how she looks or how big or small she is- especially one whose first kid was well over 9 pounds at birth. (I'm well aware of just how big one can get, and just how hard it is to breathe under those circumstances.) It's a losing proposition.
I'm sympathetic to all parties. Even if she looks great, there's a great chance that the average pregnant person going to feel that she's ungainly and funny looking no matter what at the end of the game, and if she has a toddler in hand as well, she's probably a bit more tired and frazzed-out than she was the first time around anyway.
But hey, my winter coat still zips, and the word is that some snow is coming, so I'll be able to look lumpy under a down covering for a little while longer. And I really don't have too many more months to go before having to start the ever looming, totally daunting body-restoration project.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
posted by Elise at 7:12 AM
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Laura K. said...
Ummm...why does someone need to make any statement about size whatsoever? How about just "how are you feeling" or "when are you due?"
2/25/2007 4:54 PM
said...
I completely empathize. I started counting how many people felt the need to say that I either don't look pregnant or don't look as far along as I am. I got to 12. Hello, people! I'm taller than the average woman and have a long torso. Obviously I'm probably not going to carry my baby the same way as someone shorter.
3/04/2007 7:43 AM
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Laura K. said...