Three times now!

Twice within the last week I have been greeted by shocked faces when I told someone I was "only" 6 months (or thereabouts) pregnant.

At a holiday party on Saturday night, one of the agents in Hubby's office said: "Wow! You look like you're ready to pop right now."

Then, today, when picking something up from a store at the mall, the sales lady said (opening up my shirt to stare at my bump in awe): "Wow? Do you have twins in there?"

Finally, there was the co-worker who compared my size to a colleague who is 9 months pregnant.

(This is excluding the comment from my boss last month that he thought I did look fatter than he thought I should have at that point in my pregnancy.)

I mean, seriously. Even if I do look further advanced than people expect, what is it about being pregnant that eliminates people's "appropriateness" barriers? How would they feel if I responded back to them "Wow! How tall are you? Just 5 foot 1? You look you weigh enough to be 6ft tall!" (Don't put it past me to use this if there is a "fourth" such comment directed at me, especially from a stranger.)

Ok, so I never was the leanest, meanest chick on the block but I haven't put on that much extra weight overall and my bump is very firm; there's not a lot of squidginess on top. I'm no Nicole Richie (and have no plans to be) but I think I'm doing alright.

It's a good job I have thick skin, am not overly emotional, and don't take these things personally. I can imagine how some women could end up with a self-image issue with some of the crazy stuff people say to you when you're pregnant.

I'm also getting to the end of my tether on the "advice". Granted, I'm very greatful for it from family and friends in general, but from casual acquaintances or strangers - PUT A SOCK IN IT! I don't need you to preach to me about the 'right' parenting style, about what I should or should not be eating, what books I should be reading, how important breast-feeding is, how I will probably change my mind about having one kid after I fall in love with this one, or how I should be exercising. And as for the condescending, patronizing, know-it-all phrase "Oh, just you wait and see!" (or some variation thereof) it needs to be archived RIGHT NOW. You're right: I will see. On my own. I don't need you to color my expectations or experiences with yours thank you very much. If I'm going to screw this up (which I accept I will on occasion), I'm going to do it on my own steam. I just abhor people who seek to place their own limits or rules upon you for what you can or cannot do. They make me feel like pulling an Obama and screaming "YES I CAN!" in their smug, self-righteous faces. Better still, they make me want to do the very thing they said I can't or shouldn't just to piss them off. Even if they wound up being right, I would then write them an email about how I found no difficulty at all in xyz, and intended to do it ALL THE TIME from hereon out.

Harumpf.

At that same holiday party last weekend, I was chatting to one of those wonderful agents again (I have many agent friends, many are nice, this is not a reflection on all of them.) This agent was a 50-something man with a few grown-up children. He asked me how many children we were planning to have and when I said one, he looked at me in horror and asked why. When I explained that it was partly a financial decision and partly a lifestyle decision because we want to be able to travel, his response was: "Well, you can still travel. My family and I have traveled all over the world with our children. It's only money. " (Umm, yeah, wasn't that my point?)

I actually quite doubt that his idea of "all over the world" and mine are the same, since he drew another agent (who I do know better) into the conversation and used that person as an example olf someone who travels "extensively". (I know for a fact that "extensively" here means back and forth from their vacation home on the Hawaiian islands. Frequently does not equal extensively.)

And then he went on to say, in the patronizing way of someone who knows nothing about you but assumes he knows everything, "You know, you may travel and realize you don't actually like it."

This was the time at which I pulled out my "13 countries, 47 cities, in 33 years" travel history and threw it solidly in his face.

Not to be deterred, he then said, "Well, you may just see the face of that beautiful baby and decide that there's nothing more important than spending time with him or her, right here at home."

Clearly, he knows nothing at all about me.

And yes, I know, all you parents are right now thinking..."Oh, just you wait and see!"

SHEESH!
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Switching gears entirely... what's up with the new rotating 3D Baby Vixen on the right there? Prior to this week he/she has been curled up in a nice little ball but now his/her head is staring up into the air. What is this supposed to represent?

Last but not least: Had another dream last night. This time it was about the baby being a boy. I had a couple of tests that Hubby didn't accompany me to and the woman doing the tests accidentally referred to the baby as a boy. I was upset that I had found out and strangely disappointed. Secretly, in my dream at least, I guess I had been hoping to be wrong and for it to be a girl.

I'm not sure if this really how I feel because, of course, if it's hidden in my subconscious it's not laying on the surface for me to analyze. When I think about it consciously, I see beautiful things in having a son and wonderful things in having a daughter. If I'm harboring any preferences, they're deep down.

Innnnteresting.