Just Don't Tell Me About These Things If You Know Me

One of my co-workers is having twins in a few weeks.  She already has a 2 1/2 year old little boy, and was not planning to have any more children, so she is not very happy about the whole thing.  You might think, well, there are ways to prevent that from happening, but she admittedly was not paying attention.

To her credit, even with her first child, she was not super into being pregnant, and did not talk about it all day every day.  She clearly loves her little boy, and we all like hearing stories about him, mostly because she also discusses other topics.  So she is actually fine.  It's everyone else that is talking about it all of the time, and driving everyone in our department crazy (even the one woman whose "true goal" in life is to be pregnant at least four times).

And during this time of having to listen to everyone question her about things even if/when she clearly doesn't want to talk about it, I have been reminded of a few things that people say/do that make me want to scream (at a minimum).

In honor of Three on Thursday, here we go.

1.  Baby bump.  I think it's supposed to be cutesy, but it's not.  It's really just annoying.  Especially when the person having the baby hates the term but has to hear it over and over.  My co-worker cringes every time someone says it to her, and I do not blame her one bit.

2.  Babymoon. This is apparently something prospective parents just absolutely must do.  It's a trip for just the two of them  before the baby comes - their last time to spend together as a couple.  When the aforementioned co-worker was asked with her first baby if they were taking a babymoon, she first asked what it was, and then answered that they couldn't afford it.  The person who asked then responded, "Well, can't either of your parents pay for it?"  Which only made it more obnoxious to me.  I don't care if people take such a trip, but call it that - a trip, vacation, getaway, etc.

3.  Gender reveal parties.  OH MY GOD PLEASE SPARE ME.  This is when people have a party to reveal whether they are having a boy or a girl.  There are various permutations, but often an envelope is given to a baker with a note from the doctor's office saying the gender of the baby (even the parents don't know!), who then makes the cake with pink or blue filling.  Then the parents find out at the same time that their guests do whether it's a boy or a girl, and festivities ensue!  I thought wedding and baby showers were annoying, but this pushes them way out of contention.  I have been invited to two of these in the last couple of years, and have sent regrets each time because I. Just. Cannot.

As I said, I have been invited to two gender reveal parties, and one of my very own nieces and her husband have gone on a babymoon.  I know plenty of people think this is all just the best stuff in the world, and so whimsical, and fun, etc., etc.  And I know I'm a weirdo, because when I was getting married if anyone told me they wanted to throw me a shower, I told them I would not be attending, because I absolutely hate them - this caused much consternation, and people kept asking my mother if something was wrong with me ("Just what's been wrong with her for her entire life, I guess," was usually her answer).  So it's not like I haven't been exposed to any of this stuff before, it's just that I think it's stupid, and so, if you are planning to say or do any of these things at all, just please don't tell me. 

In this case, ignorance really IS bliss.  :-)