I absolutely LOVE being pregnant, I really do. I love everything about it: bonding with the growing life inside of me, feeling all of her movements as we go about our day, daydreaming about what she looks like, and most of all my big, round, robust belly. Yes, I love my belly as it grows from the little bump, to the round basketball, to the HUGE ripe watermelon that it is at 36 almost 37 weeks, I love every part of it, emerging stretch marks and all.

What I don’t like is the crazy comments that come from the mouths of strangers that I can’t bring myself to believe are actually well meaning. I mean do people really think about what it is they are saying before they open their mouths to say it?

I have been thinking about this my entire pregnancy and I have been meaning to write about it, but I never did, because I thought it was just me being cranky, hormonal, hungry, and pregnant, but I have heard some things in my late pregnant state that are just ridiculous and now I am convinced that I am not the crazy one (this time that is!).

So here are my top 5 comments that I hear almost every day and remember, maybe I AM sensitive, but goodness, I am chock-full of estrogen, give me a break:

Are you having twins? – Now, this might be understandable when you are in your 9th month, but I have been hearing this since I was 6 months! When I kindly say no with a very hard to create smile on my face, they then say “Are you sure?” or one time this man said “Triplets? Quadruplets?” On Thursday, this young lady actually chased me down to stop me and ask me was I having twins and when I said no and probably gave her the glance of death because it was like 95 degrees outside, she apologetically said “Oh, well, um, sorry, um, you look good though.” WHAT?!

You must be due any day now – OK, now this one is also more tolerable now that I am 37 weeks, but hearing this everyday from let’s say around 26 weeks is a little bit annoying. I can’t possibly be THAT big.

You look like you are about to BUST! (Usually followed by a “ha ha ha!”) – Now this one is probably highest on my “OMG, I can’t believe you just said that to me” list. How in the world do you say this to someone and expect her to take this kindly? I just don’t get it! Firstly, the visual is horrible, I just picture my happy little belly exploding and my sweet baby just flying into space…that’s definitely not the serene vision of birth that I have. Secondly, how BIG is someone/something that it is just about to bust? This one I hear every day without fail. Crazy!

I KNOW you’re hot! / You look HOT! - Why this one annoys me, I can’t really put my finger on it, but it does. Maybe because it is July, so yes I am hot, but isn’t everyone?

Finally, here is the craziest one I ever heard…

This lady POINTED to my belly and said “that looks like it HURTS!” I don’t even have words for this one…

So anyway, I just had to get that off of my chest. People, if you encounter a big, huge, watermelon-bellied, hot-looking, pregnant mom that looks like she is overdue with twins and her belly just hurts like heck for her to carry it, please just smile at her and tell her “you look great mama, keep up the good work!” or something like that and save her from running to her nearest chocolate stash to keep from going crazy…on you that is!

HOT mama who is about to bust although I am not having twins (at least not according to my doctor and the ultrasound tech),
T

OK, so yes, I have seemingly dropped off the earth for the last few months, but I am back and I am bigger and better than ever (and please let me emphasize the BIGGER part!). Let me explain…it goes something like this:

Mommy finds out she is expecting her 2nd baby in late July 2008

Mommy immediately goes into preparation mode for new baby while maintaining her crazy life as mommy, wife, entrepreneur, daughter, friend, everything-to-everybody-except-myself…meaning Mommy is cramming 36 hours into 24 hours while being X weeks pregnant and has no time for anything

Mommy is sentenced to bed-rest by her loving doctor (I guess I needed a vacation?) in order to prevent another premature birth

Type-A, anal-retentive, perfectionist, over-prepared, and over-zealous Mommy-in-panic-mode gets everything on her perpetual To Do list done (including packing 2 very large suitcases for her all-expenses paid trip to the luxurious hospital birthing suite, yes 2 suitcases and working on 3, I know I am crazy, you can say it) and now…

I am back and I am waiting patiently for Baby Girl to arrive!

Oh how I have missed writing and oh how many stories I have to share from this crazy journey that has landed me at 36 weeks, but hopefully I have yet a few more weeks to go and we can definitely play catch-up. I promise you, it will be a riot…

Oh yes, and please remind me to tell you about these suitcases. I absolutely need everything in there, I tell you! Yes, even the bags of dark chocolate Raisinets and Haribo Gummi Bears for energy in labor and the 2 iPods with duplicate playlists with 2 types of speakers AND headphones just so I can be sure that I have my birth music…are you calling me crazy again?

How I’ve missed you all…

Signing off with some Braxton-Hicks,
T