All of a sudden, everybody could see what had been very well disguised underneath said puffy down coat, and I'm learning just how interested in it people can be. All kinds of people, like the supermarket cashier I see a few times a week who wanted to talk all about little boys versus little girls versus little surprises, as did the six-months, twice-as-pregnant-looking-as-me girl also waiting in the queue; the chatty receptionists at a company where I teach a business English class who went from polite discussions about the weather and the weekend to more intimate details about fatigue and nausea; the lady who asked me for directions and then added a warm "congratulations!" to her thanks; the young guy who smiled and gave a nod to my midsection as he passed me on the sidewalk ... even the pervy old man who sized up the bump only to wink lasciviously and make a kissy face at it.
Does all this attention means I always get a seat on the bus? No, but at least I have something more obvious to pointedly shove in front of somebody's face while he (and it is usually a he) does his best to ignore its presence.
What I also learned is that I need to learn European baby clothes sizes. While I was browsing for a going-home outfit, standing looking puzzledly at something labeled in the 50s or 60s rather than for an age group, an older woman approached me to ask what size was best for which age; her own children were long grown and she'd forgotten. As if I would know – me! – based just on this little bump before me. I don't know, I had to admit. It's the first. And I've never seen a sizing system as bizarre as this one, I didn't add.
She went and asked the salesperson and came back with two little cards, one for her and one for me, matching size to age. So now I have something to carry around with me, something to keep me from digging around in the clearance bin looking at what I thought were teeny-tiny little onesies only to find out that they're actually meant for one-year-olds.
I love the word "ass-fallingest."
ReplyDeleteHave fun shopping for baby clothes!
I couldn't find it in the dictionary but thought it fit even so ;)
Deletejaja I had exactly the same problem with the sizes! Seems a little bit too complicated for my taste, but ended up buying a little bit bigger just in case the babe comes extra long! Happy to hear that people are noticing the Bump ;) I've gotten lucky exactly twice in the bus when people have offered their seats, but most of the time people just stare at the obviously huge belly and continue being seated....hmpph
ReplyDeleteYes, apparently it's in centimeters ... which makes sense in some ways since clothing size doesn't always correspond exactly with the age of a particular child, but also makes it a bit difficult if you're absolutely clueless!
DeleteNot too long to go now until you're putting those little-bit-bigger clothes to good use!
Oooh - I had issues with this when my Norwegian relatives sent me some clothes for Stella. I had NO IDEA when she was supposed to wear them. LOL. Also, I Love that you pulled out 1 year old sizes for newborns. Those babies are crazy tiny. I look at Stella's newborn stuff now and think "how the HELL did she ever fit in that?"
ReplyDeleteSo fun to hear about people's reactions to the belly!!
I bet the Norwegian clothes were super cute, though! A real live newborn was brought into our baby care class the other week and I thought he must surely have been premature, given his tininess ... but nope. In fact, he was a big 'un - but still just so tiny!
DeleteI can only hope that a pervy old man makes kissy faces at my baby bump! Too funny!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one for the "things to do/things to have happen before baby arrives" list. Good luck with it!
DeleteYes, showing off the bump can get all sorts of looks and comments. And it should also get you a seat on the bus! Do you carry a big bag with you? Because if so, you MUST now use it to hit *Him* Who Does Not Stand Up To Offer His Seat over the head. Multiple times. :)
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I have been less than perfectly careful with my bag when trying to maneuver past somebody in an aisle seat who doesn't move to give me access to the empty window seat and makes me clamber over his legs and belongings ... not that I've done anything expressly, mind you. Not yet.
DeleteYour bump is adorable :) Thanks for "bookmarking" me :) I just know what I've found helpful...and I stress about a lot of stuff so I wish I had advice for everything in one place. Last night I questioned my mom..."do you think he moves TOO much?" Seriously. If it's not one thing it's another in my head. Sleep post coming soon...as I'm in the middle of figuring out how to get a baby to nap!
ReplyDeleteThanks ... it's growing! (Slowly but surely.)
DeleteI wish I had advice for everything in one place too - there's so much out there, but it's a matter of narrowing it down and figuring out what's trustworthy and what isn't, or what works in your belief system or what doesn't.
My sister sent me Babywise a little while ago - I think you were reading it too? When I think about how amazingly her baby eats and sleeps, I'm sold!
I can't tell you how many ladies were suddenly my "friend" whenever I went to the ladies room while I was pregnant with G. One was also pregnant and wanted to go to lunch with me. Sometimes I just wanted to scream, "I JUST WANT TO PEE! LET ME PEE IN PEACE!" One seemed sad when I didn't have pictures with me to share when I ran into her in the bathroom after I had G. (Um. Because I HAD TO PEE! I don't need my phone/photographs to pee!) *sigh*
ReplyDeleteThe second best place to for me meet "friends" was the elevator. That's where I had most conversations with men.
Once I had G and came back to work I took the stairs and tried to avoid the bathroom altogether ;)
Aww ... you don't take baby pics to the bathroom with you, for "just in case" situations like that? ;) How disappointing for your fellow toilet-goers!
DeleteIt's funny how much longer everything takes now, not only because I'm slow but also because of the chances to make new friends. I actually find it sweet, but ask me again a month from now ... perhaps I'll be hiding in the stairwell and avoiding public bathrooms by then too!
I can't imagine having to figure out a different clothing size. I'd be lost!! Amazing how much more interested people become in you simply by ditching the coat, except for the ones that completely try to ignore your pregnant so they don't have to give up their seats. That's just rude. I'm sure it's nice to get a little warmer weather. I know it sure feels more uplifting around here when we get blue skies instead of the grey and gloomy rain. Everyone just seems to be in a better mood when the sun comes out.
ReplyDeleteYep, it seems like the only place I haven't made lots of "friends" is on public transportation. Unfortunately the coat was back on last weekend due to a return of winter that blew all the petals off the just-blooming trees, but I think it's turning again for the better today! I hope you're enjoying sunny blue skies, too.
DeleteI packed away my baby baby things the other week! I look at my chubba and I can't believe she was so tiny!! It's so not long to go (although will drag for you!)
ReplyDeleteI look at the clothes now and can't believe that a human could possibly be so tiny! Then again, I think of the exit route and thank goodness for that (relative) tininess ....
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