Pregnancy Watchers, Revisited

Becoming a parent has made me care more about certain things than I would like to admit.  For example, I just excitedly looked up the tour dates of the Yo Gabba Gabba concert.  Yet, I am still more comfortable with this new love of children’s programming than my interest in something I previously had little concern for: other people’s reproductive plans.

Early in Amanda’s pregnancy I wrote a blog entry on pregnancy watchers, people obsessed with knowing when other people are procreating.  I always found this odd.  Why did people have so much invested in other people’s personal lives?  A year later, Amanda and I are embarrassed to admit how we have become those people.  We are constantly speculating that someone is pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or even planning to eventually have children.

Being new to the sport of pregnancy spotting, we are making terrible amateur mistakes.  Amanda made the biggest of all by asking a friend if she was pregnant.  The woman was not (and did not look pregnant), but I am sure she is now paranoid whenever she wears the dress she was wearing that night. I thought that was a faux pas only men made, but Amanda was so excited at the possibility that she might be pregnant she could not help herself.  I am so determined to not make that mistake that I may also be damaging friendships.  On a recent walk, Piper, Ezra and I ran into one of the few couples in Stinesville we know.  The couple asked all about Ezra, and I think a polite response would have included asking when their baby was due.  I am 99% sure the woman is pregnant.  Not just a little, but like 7-8 months, obviously pregnant.  I did not acknowledge this on the very off chance I was wrong.  I would find it helpful if more pregnant women would wear “baby on board” shirts.

 

 There are so many tee shirts to select from!

I am unsure how or why my interest in people having children came about.  One might speculate that I became a parent, discovered the joy of having a child of my own, and wanted to start convincing others to join in the fun.  I am pretty sure that is not the case.  I have no desire to convince someone to have offspring.  My interest only lies in people who have clearly stated their wish to have children - especially those related to us.  We received no pressure from our family to have children and were grateful for their respectfulness.  I do not feel so generous.  Amanda has three siblings and two of them have said they wish to have children soon.  I feel like a hypocrite now pressuring them, but hurry up! – Ezra wants a cousin.