My Pregnancy = A Study in Human Behavior

You wouldn't think it, but being pregnant brings out the most interesting characteristics...in other people. Some things I have learned about others while I have been pregnant:

1. You can't please everybody. No, wait...make that, "You can't please anybody!" Seriously! A perfect example: at my baby shower, I had one person tell me I can't drink the glass of iced tea I was drinking because caffeine is bad for the baby. Later, that same night, another person gave me a hard time because I wouldn't drink a glass of wine and insisted that it would be good for me and that it was recommended that pregnant women drink a glass of wine a night. In this situation I wasn't annoyed by either one, but it's just a classic example of how you can't please anyone. Except my mom and mother-in-law, they think I am perfect! :)

2. Everyone has an opinion on proper child care. Miraculously, even people who don't have children! I take it all in because who knows what will work and what won't when I have my baby, but it's shocking how many experts are out there. You want to keep your baby in your room until he's sleeping through the night? One person says that will spoil him you'll regret it. The next says it's abuse to let a baby cry it out in his own room down the hall and he should be sharing your bed. You can't win! It's amazing anyone turns out okay.

3. It's okay to tell a pregnant woman she's fat. Well, I for one will never tell another pregnant person she looks like she's going to pop, but it's amazing how people you barely ever see to begin with all of a sudden think it's okay to tell you it's good to see you get fat, call you names like fatso and orca, etc., etc. This one does bother me a bit, but only after I had heard it like five times, because then I started to think it must be true, and that was confirmed when I looked at myself in the pictures from this weekend (see above - I actually think I was talking about Norman but this seems appropriate here)! But oh well, baby is happy and comfy and that's what matters right now. And back to Weight Watchers for me in January! :)

4. People are excited for you when you're pregnant. I mean, genuinely. People you might not expect to show an interest ask questions and get excited for you. For example, since I have been pregnant I haven't been going in to the local deli in our office building for my daily caffeine pick-me-up, so I probably haven't been in there in at least four months. But when I went in today the lady who owns it was all smiles and full of questions and congratulations to find out I was expecting. Babies bring people together!