When are you due?
My projected due date is October 8, 2008. Of course, that doesnt say a whole lot. Statistics show that only 5-10% of women actually give birth on their due date. But 80% give birth within 10 days of their due date (10 days before and 10 days after). Assuming I fall into the 80%, I am due somewhere between September 28 and October 16.
Are you having a boy or a girl? / Are you going to find out the gender?
This is a battle I lost. I wanted to know, Jeff didnt. We agreed not to find out the gender this time, but in the event we decide to go through this whole process again the topic will be open for discussion.
What do you think it will be? / What do you want it to be?
I think this is an odd question, but its still pretty common. When we say we arent finding out, some people want us to predict the gender ... and others want us to pick a favorite. I think its a natural instinct for men to want a "son" and women to want a "daughter"...but we dont have any vibes either way and certainly will be happy with whatever we get. As far as I know, its difficult to exchange them after they are born anyway :)
Have you chosen a name(s)?
We have discussed names, but arent 100% on either a boy or girl name. That being said, its a working process ... but we arent sharing our choice. So when we do finally decide, the world will find out the same time as the baby does ;)
How are you feeling?
This is a funny question because often it seems like people dont want to hear the answer. They dont want you to tell them anything negative, but often its a question women appear to ask so that they themselves can talk about their own pregnancies. If I say "fine", then they tell me about how great and/or horrible they felt when they were at the same stage as me. If I talk about my aches-and-pains, they often reply with one of three options 1) theirs were so much worse than mine and I would never even be able to understand 2) theirs were were so much worse than mine currently are ... and I am really going to be miserable when mine eventually get that bad or 3) they loved/enjoyed that part of pregnancy and I should think its a blessing of some sort.
Honestly, I think I hate this question. My answers are never "right" and I dont really want to hear the wonderful or hellish stories they have in return. Overall my pregnancy has been pretty normal. I have had a lot of the bad stuff and felt miserable, but none of it has been at the extreme end and and I am still chugging along :)
Are you "showing" yet?
I get this one mostly from friends/family I dont see often (or havent seen at all). The answer to this is both yes and no. People who know me well can tell that I am showing ... I have gained a ton of weight, walk a bit funny, and wear loose-fit clothes. But they can really tell because they know I am pregnant and are checking me out whenever they see me.
I have yet to be approached by a stranger (and I hear this is not only one of the most irritating, but most common "side effects" of pregnancy) asking me any strange questions or offering me advice. I assume this is because I am at the "Is she?" or "Isn't she?" stage. I could just be fat, or round, and for a stranger to ask me about my pregnancy right now could be a bit inappropriate. For those of you familiar with the movie Two Weeks Notice (Hugh Grant & Sandra Bullock), it would be like the scene in which Hugh congratulates a woman on her baby...and she replied "What baby?". Oops.
Technically, I am "showing". None of my old clothes fit, as I said I am definitly upping the poundage, and I am taking on the shape of a beach-ball.
Update (4:48pm): Shortly after I submitted this post I had a dentist appointment. This is the conversation I had with the dental hygenist:
Hygenist: "Has anything changed in your medical history / status?"
Me: "No, but I am pregnant"
Hygenist: "Congratulations! So no x-rays today?"
Me: "Nope!"
Hygenist: "How far along are you?"
Me: "24 weeks"
Hygenist"I dont know that much about pregnancy ... how many months is that?"
Me: "About 5 months"
Hygenist: "Wow! You don't even look pregnant. You look...(pause)"
Me: "Fat?"
Hygenist: "Yeah. Sorry."
So that confirms it. To the people I pass here and there, I just look fat, not pregnant. Just to clear up the conversation, the hygenist was not being rude ... she could obviously tell I didnt care / had a good sense of humor. She wasnt hurting my feelings, but did think I just looked chunky versus pregnant :) Which explains why they make shirts like the one to the right.
