So TRUE!!!!

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ass.

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.

4) The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight - ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance, and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!"

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to labor and delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, mother-in-law or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

8) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

9) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

I hope this helps - it sure makes us feel better.

Signed, All Pregnant Women

Hellloooooo 20 weeks!!!

Wow! I can't believe I am halfway there already. How exciting! I wish the last part would go as fast! Ha ya right. Well not much has been going on! I don't remember what I mentioned in the last post soooooo here goes what I can remember has happened since then! First of all, they did an u/s and found that I have multiple gall stones! GAAAAA!!! That explains all this stomach pain! I knew it was more than "heartburn." Psshh....doctors....Anyway, I met with a surgeon(who was nice enough to ask me when I had my baby, cuz he thought I wasn't pregnant!) He said I can make the decision to do the surgery now, or after the baby. He said if we do it now, there are a few risks such as pre-term labor, and possibly losing the baby. But a 99% chance everything will go great. So I'm probably waiting! Don't want to risk it. Other than that, things are going pretty well. I feel sick a lot, I'm guessing due to the gall bladder. But oh well. The baby moves so much! It's amazing. Maddox is doing great :) Not much of a talker yet, but he will get there! So on to other news.....we got a puppy!!!!
Isn't she adorable? It's a chihuahua. She is about 6-7 weeks. SOOOOO tiny! I named her Milan :) So far, she is a pretty good pup! I bring her to work and she sleeps all day! She isn't yappy...YET! But she does tend to whine at night if she isn't sleeping with me. She loves to cuddle and just sleep anywhere near me as long as she is touching me. It's so cute! Maddox is pretty good with her too. We say "besito besito" which means kiss kiss, and he lays his head on her! It's so cute! Sometimes he gets a little rough and tries to pull her hair! But he will learn :) Anyway, nothing much else is going on in our lives at this point! Erik and I both spend most of our time working. He got switched to a new position so he is working a lot more hours and making a lot more money! Thank goodness, because we don't have anything saved for when the baby arrives, and I sure as heck don't want to come back to work before my 3 months are up! Well I will try to update later! Toodles!!