Why yes, STRANGER, I AM pregnant. THANKS FOR NOTICING!

           I'm going to start off today (and yes, it's still EARLY..) with something that just really drives me crazy these (pregnant) days. This is going up early because already TODAY I've had yet another annoying encounter and I've only been to the school and the freaking gas station! Let me rewind a little bit... If I have not said it before, I will now.. I am NOT one of those warm fuzzy "this is a magical experience!" kind of pregnant women. I'm not particularly nasty or mean but I'm not over the top with wonderful emotion because I'm about to give life... blah, blah, blah. Don't get me wrong, I love (for the most part) that I can feel this little one inside me and all of that but that's the only PLUS to me! To me, being pregnant automatically means: My pants no longer fit, shirts no longer fit (Or look like they don't!) standing becomes painful, insane pressure on my pelvis, bathroom trips non stop all day AND night, very little comfortable sleep, sporadic headaches and waves of nausea, unreliable appetite, decrease in energy, ability and enthusiasm, the annoying pregnancy walk, and more... Another big thing to expect is the attention you will draw from all KINDS of people in.. well.. anywhere you go. To have someone looking (or staring) at you is one thing, nothing you can really do about that and let's face it, we've all done it I'm sure. That isn't what gets me.. what gets me is when they start TALKING. If you want to be a child and turn your head and whisper about me to whoever you're with, fine. More power to you. I couldn't care less. It's when you come to me (keep in mind these are STRANGERS) and feel the need to say your crap to ME. In the last week alone I feel like I've been the center of some weird freak show in all kinds of different places... For example.. On the horrific field trip last week.. I had other mothers from other classrooms STARE at me (or my belly, since YES, I'm in my sixth pregnant month people!) like they couldn't believe I would volunteer in my "condition". Or you get those strangers in line at the store in front of or behind me (when I'm by myself) who look at me and you can just tell that they're thinking things like I'm about to be a single mom who got knocked up by my boyfriend. Or when I'm on a shoot (photography) like this wedding last weekend... I have to be ALL over the place including the front of the church to get the party and the bride walking down the aisle.. Of course I'm standing in front of every person attending the ceremony and why wouldn't you look at the only standing person up by the alter... The eyes I got, the sudden head turns.. The faces that day said this to me... Why would you hire someone pregnant to take your photos? Why is she working in her "condition". Maybe it's me being paranoid, but that is the vibe I get I swear! The best encounters though, happen when I have my two daughters with me... This happened at a store in line a few days ago... After rounding up the few groceries I needed in the packed store, the girls and I stood in line. Thankfully, I have calm, polite and patient (for the most part) children who either look at the magazines or the little things on the shelf as we wait to pay for our stuff. I'm leaning on the cart a little bit while they flip through a cake magazine and tell me what kind of Halloween goodies we should bake up. For being in what seemed like the slowest line, I was comfortable for the moment. I had one leg propped up on the bottom of the cart giving my back a break and my kids were being good. OF COURSE that couldn't go on... No.. Instead, I have a lady behind me who just HAD to talk to me.. She had short hair all pinned up and a business like pants suit on while she held her five or six random things (floss, vitamins..) in her hands. She honestly looked like one of the movie characters who would never have or interact with children.. like ever... She started this awkward encounter by leaning forward enough to tell me that my children were very well behaved and she's used to seeing kids throw themselves on the floor, kicking and screaming or crying. Okay, a compliment.. THAT I will take! It's not the first time I've received that particular one so it wasn't surprising but still nice. That could have been it. That SHOULD have been it.. But no... When I had turned to thank her with an honest sincere smile, her eyes went right to my stomach and I heard "Oh goodness! Is it a boy or a girl?" Okay.. first a compliment, then a pretty standard question... I almost laughed because this lady had already seen my obviously pregnant belly before she stood behind me in line.. She was walking by trying to find the shortest line (which was mine), noticed me and kept walking. She ended up behind me anyway so she was probably just trying to sound sincere or something when she opened her mouth.. Anyway, I looked at her and was about ready to answer when my oldest daughter says "It's another girl!" all happy with a big smile. "Wow...three girls... Goodness gracious!" is what came out of her lips.. I've gotten that a lot recently too so that doesn't bug me either.. But she had to keep going.. Going to that place that's very plainly, non of her business or anybody's for that matter... "Are you going to try for a boy next or is this enough for you?" Oh boy... I don't even know if she KNEW what she was saying or how I was supposed to hear it... But I can't STAND when people take it upon themselves to investigate whether or not I will continue to conceive! From that moment, I was sure she didn't have any kids and the only ones she probably ever came across were  ones like mine occasionally near her while she waited to get out of a public place.. She continued looking at me with that hint of a smirk that honestly made me want to slap her a little bit. Thankfully, my younger daughter had broken that few seconds of stupidity with a question about gummy worms so I turned my full attention back to them and after that it was time to put my stuff up on the belt and pay. My husband had called me a minute later and I smiled while I explained to him how rude or evasive some people are even if they don't realize it. I glanced at her with a smirk of my own and she must have picked up on it because she did a quarter turn to the side and didn't look back at me again. A lot of judgement's from all kinds of people in all kinds of places.. Another thing to expect when you're expecting unfortunately.. They're not ALL like that thankfully. I have had plenty of people tell me I'm truly blessed and how she'll probably be as nice and loving as her two sisters and things like that. But for some reason.. The people who ask in that weird way.. "So are you done after this? Are you going to be stitched up since you'll be in the hospital anyway? You know they can do that right after the baby is born and you don't have to worry about it again." Yes... I have had ALL of that crap said to me.. MORE than once.. I mean, I can't help but think of people I know who come from HUGE families with four, five, even EIGHT brothers and sisters. THEY made it work.. And yet the "normal" family size is a perfect family of four... Mom, dad, one son and one daughter. The "perfect" balanced family... Seriously people, if I didn't feel I could HANDLE a third child at this point in my life, I wouldn't just have one to have one. It's not like she was some "slip" that came about after a drunken night out. Have I wanted one a little closer to my girls' age.. maybe. But life had other plans with moving, changing jobs and everything else. I'm not going to be overwhelmed or pass my kids off to someone all the time because I'm in "over my head". Will I have another one some day? I NEED TO GET THROUGH THIS PREGNANCY FIRST! I'm not thinking about crazy stuff like that. I'm focused on the here and now people. My kids have nothing to do with your life, your schedule, your sanity... They're all mine. And should I choose to have more or not is quite frankly, nobody else's business.. If you want to see me, my kids, and my belly and start running your mouths to each other on how you can't believe I'm having ANOTHER child and everything else, be my guest. Just don't be surprised if you get one hell of a response when you ask ME or any other pregnant women one of your ignorant questions. To anyone reading this who has ever been kind to or happy when they see someone pregnant, THANK YOU! You're a smaller group than you think these days. And to all of the loud mouth opinionated people who can't keep to themselves... This is your warning! (And to the woman at the gas station this morning who just HAD to say "I'm surprised she can still bend over.." when I dropped my keys in front of the counter.. Consider yourself lucky I'm as far along as I am because instead of just hearing my response of "I know right! And I did it all by myself too!" with an overly obnoxious smile on my face, you could have also been wearing my drink..) Have a wonderful day my fabulous fellow super moms!!! May you not run in to the small minded rude people I have and probably will again encounter on this glorious Monday! -Super Mom