Sometimes I feel like the little kid in the movie The Sixth Sense, except instead of seeing dead people, "I see pregnant people." (Read the last part of that sentence in quotes in a stage whisper to get the full effect.) Seriously. My home and my office are my only safe havens from this phenomenon. Even walking around our (apparently quite fertile) neighborhood is risky. MM jokingly refers to the cul de sac around the corner from us as "Breeders' Circle" because it seems that every house has at least two or three kids living in it.
I know I have written about this before. I've seen pregnant people in restaurants and stores, at my hair salon, at continuing legal education courses, at the car rental counter and in the convenience store, on the street, at the gym. You name a place where daily life might take me, I've seen a pregnant woman there.
I am sure it could be argued that I don't actually see more pregnant women than the average person, rather, it just seems that way to me because I notice it more. Maybe, but that does not change the fact that I have known a very high number of pregnant women over the past two years.
In the past 24 hours, I have learned that two more people I know are pregnant. One is a lawyer friend with whom I worked at my previous job; she is only a couple of years younger than I am and has a son who is not quite a year old. The other is the daughter of a friend of mine from my nursing days. My friend is the same age is me, and she is soon to be a grandmother, while I am still childless. ^sigh^
I am very happy for my lawyer friend. She and her husband are wonderful people who have their act together, and I am sure they are great parents. I am not sure how I feel about the pregnancy of the other woman, my friend's daughter. I know her daughter is unmarried and not even in a relationship, and she is only about 20 or 21, so I can't imagine that her pregnancy was planned. Nonetheless, I'm sure my friend is excited about being a grandmother, though maybe not before she turns 40.
I hate that other people's pregnancy announcements feel more like bombardments to me than happy revelations. Oh well. It is what it is.
I guess the only way to avoid this would be to cut off all contact with friends and family and never go anywhere but home and work. Not a very realistic plan, so I will just have to live with it.
I totally feel the same way and I specifically commiserate in this line: "I hate that other people's pregnancy announcements feel more like bombardments to me than happy revelations."
ReplyDeleteYes, S! Me too!
ReplyDeleteThey are everywhere! Just this morning I left the bathroom in my office and I almost ran into a preggo who was leaving.
This weekend I managed to see bits of Juno and Knocked Up, both of which were on tv while I was channel surfing. I hate to mention the dreaded I didn't know I was pregnant show.
It is difficult to get away from.
I'm with you on that- it seems like everywhere I go I see a million pregnant women. And everytime I turn around we have another set of friends who is pregnant. It would help if I could cut off all ties and never leave the house, but that would make other things worse!
ReplyDeletePregnant people are everywhere here, too! But, like you, I think I just notice the bellies more often now than I ever did before we starting trying to have a baby. It's sort of how I felt when I was ready to get engaged. Everywhere I went, people were wearing sparkling, new engagement rings and I wanted desperately to experience that feeling.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way and almost wrote a similar post. :) Some days when I don't feel up to it, I just stay at home. The worst though is turning on the TV and seeing them everywhere, too.
ReplyDeleteI think it's so hard when there are pregnant people all around reminding us of how much we can't have that and want it so badly. I feel for you, it happened to me too. Thanks so much for the comment on my blog! I appreciate your honesty. (ICLW # 45 & 46)
ReplyDeleteI feel that way too...sometimes I envision just packing my car with whatever will fit into it and ride off into some new city and start over where I think there will be no pregnant people around me. Hoping your Sixth Sense will go away for a little while.
ReplyDeleteI see them everywhere also. I mentioned that I see pregnant women everywhere and a friend said that since I want it so bad I notice it more. Then she made a horrible comparison of wanting a new car and seeing more of that car...ugh. I have made a game of it, I count the pregnant women and make note of the time and then the next time I go out I compare...nuts, I know...;)
ReplyDeleteICLW #40