That’s exactly why I don’t post any pregnancy photos on Facebook—I just can't deal with all the unsolicited commentary from strangers... I haven't even bothered changing my last name since our first year of marriage. 😁 For me, Facebook is just for mindless scrolling and nonsense; anyone who actually wants to see how I'm doing or what I look like—people who are actually close to me—already has my number or my email, so they can just get photos via text or email instead.
Oh, Lauferk—get this—some guy wandered into my yard today. He’s apparently a friend of my father-in-law, though I’ve never even seen his face before. He looks at me and goes, "You must be seven months along with a belly like that... but what kind of pregnant woman are you, having absolutely no backside?" Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 🙂 I just told him straight up: I'm a modern pregnant woman—we don't put on weight everywhere else, just in the stomach. 😁
Jerry Bailey47 said:I’m honestly reaching my breaking point with this one friend—she is constantly rubbing our stroller purchase in our faces just because we spent a premium on it. 🙄 No matter what we’re talking about—whether it's iPhones, dinner plans, or vacation spots—somehow the conversation pivots back to our stroller and its price tag. It’s bizarre. And if we even dare to mention that something else is expensive or that we have a bill to pay, her immediate response is always some variation of, "Well, you shouldn't complain, considering how much you dropped on those strollers." 😠 Between the sheer annoyance and my pregnancy hormones, I am hovering dangerously close to telling her to take a hike if she brings up those wheels one more time!!!! 🙂
I’m honestly just baffled by how much some people feel the need to stick their noses in my finances. 😠
I'm not an idiot; I’m not going to blow my entire savings on a summer vacation, high-end baby gear, designer clothes, or the latest tech... only to end up with an empty fridge. But it's always the people living way beyond their means who feel entitled to comment on how much we spend, or tell us we don't need all this stuff for a baby... 🙂 Excuse me? Who asked you? You aren't the ones footing the bill. 😛
Right now, I'm catching heat for my diaper bag (because apparently, why buy a nice one when there are cheaper options? Sure, there are—but I LOVE this one, and I paid for it myself 😛), my new MacBook, and the car seat base (which is incredibly expensive—and get this, it's coming from a mom whose baby is only a few months old and still travels in a basket rather than a proper car seat 🙂🙂).
Sandra Ross86 said:That seems to be the standard assumption these days. As soon as you conceive, you're expected to eat for two and pack on the pounds, otherwise people assume you aren't caring for the baby ☕. I've been feeling quite frustrated lately because I'm four months along, and since my bump isn't visible yet and I haven't gained weight, everyone assumes I'm obsessing over my figure 🙄 and that I'm somehow endangering the pregnancy. It is truly absurd how people can be.
Hey there, sunčica 🙂 Just wanted to say hi! I still remember our time in culinary school—and specifically that chocolate pie of yours (since we're talking food 😁). I was just thinking I really need to whip a batch up again—yum! 🤣
Nobody’s called me fat yet—but I’m just waiting for it to happen, because we all know it eventually does.... Honestly though, it’s just plain rude when people take shots at a pregnant woman.
As for my name—well, people have plenty of comments and suggestions, but I just laugh it off. I really don't care what anyone thinks.
ironjackal20 said:So I finally had my first real blowout during this pregnancy 🙂, and now I get why it happened. I held it together for ten whole weeks. My partner and I agreed we wouldn't tell anyone until there's actually a bump to show. We’ve waited so long for this, and since I had a miscarriage three years ago and this is an IVF pregnancy, I just don't feel the need to share my emotions right now while things feel so fragile. My parents and brother know because we live in the same house, and there's no way they won't notice if I'm stuck in bed for months on end, so I'm struggling with what to say to them. I told my best friend, but she lives halfway across the world. He insisted we shouldn't tell his mom or sister until I hit the three-month mark, mostly because they'll start all this unnecessary drama that we just can't handle right now. My mother-in-law is already exhausting with her constant questions about when we're having kids and telling stories about everyone she knows who had a miscarriage, even though she never stops pushing. 🙂. Then... my guy goes over to hang out with his buddy next door, and the local gossip machine—who is basically the biggest chatterbox in town—gets wind of it. It's not that I've lost my mind, I just honestly don't know when I'll be able to talk to him again. He really upset me because I don't think it's okay for people to find out through the grapevine like this. Honestly, my mom is probably going to hear about it at Walmart. I think what he did was incredibly stupid and thoughtless 😢. He shared our news with people he can't trust. I hope some of you can relate; I just want to keep this private for as long as possible. I'm strong and steady, and I don't need advice or pity for everything I've been through. Basically, the most stressful part is living in such a small town where everyone knows everything and sticks their nose in everyone else's business. That's just not how I am, and I hate it. Anyway, IT'S DONE NOW 🙂
Oh, I feel your pain. I grew up in a small Midwestern town myself—one of those places where gossip travels faster than a lightning bolt and people spend more time worrying about their neighbors than themselves 🙂. I actually moved away over a decade ago, but my parents and my entire family are still back there. When I found out I was pregnant, I told my mom, dad, and brother right away, but I practically begged them to keep it under wraps. Then, when we went to visit, my mom and I told my grandparents and aunt, making sure to emphasize: please, tell no one. Basically, only the inner circle—the people I talk to every single day—knew. And honestly? I’m so proud of them for keeping their mouths shut. Later on, my grandma's brother somehow found out, and he actually had the nerve to lecture my grandma about why she hadn't told him sooner—he even acted offended! Seriously, what a joke.
I have a cat, and honestly—after listening to everyone’s horror stories—I have to admit I hit a total panic button. I felt completely lost 🙂 during those first few weeks of pregnancy. But then, I finally pulled myself together. 🙂 I've had cats my entire life; my current girl has been with me for four years now. She’s mostly an indoor cat, though she gets to stretch her legs outside occasionally. My husband handles all the litter box duties, and she has her own little blankets to nap on. Plus, we make sure to wash our hands immediately after any petting sessions. I’ve already had toxoplasmosis in the past, so that’s one less thing to worry about. For now, she has free rein of the house, but once the baby arrives, things will change—she’s incredibly curious and prone to jealousy, and I’m worried she might scratch or nip at the newborn (and yes, let’s be real, my cat bites more than she scratches—it's just how she is, folks 😁). The thing is, I’m fully aware of the risks, which is why it drives me crazy when people suggest I won't be allowed to have a cat in my apartment once I give birth. As if! Someone who has never even owned a cat doesn't get to tell me how I’ll manage my own pet 🙂: jadejackal stays in the apartment, period. Her access will just be limited so she can't enter the bedroom or the living room, and that's that.
Aside from the whole "you'll see when you give birth" nonsense, here’s what really gets under my skin: That question—"is the baby moving yet?"—I knew it was coming, but it still stings when people ask. And then, when I actually tell them I feel movement, they hit me with, "Oh, you don't feel that, those are just your guts, it's too early." Honestly? Idiots. They think they know more than I do about the tiny life growing inside me. Give me a break. Then there’s the unsolicited advice like, "It's way too early to start shopping; you should wait until a month before the due date." 🙄 As if I'm going to be strolling through Target with a massive bump and expecting everything to be effortless! When I pushed back, she just doubled down, asking why I even need to go to the store at all since someone else will just pick stuff up for me. 🙂😠 Oh, really? Because I'm sure some random stranger is just dying to pick out bottles and strollers for my firstborn. And then enters the other one: "Don't buy anything, you'll get everything you need." How exactly does that work? I'd love to know where Santa Claus lives so I can mail him my registry. 🙄 The logic follows that if you didn't know about the baby, you wouldn't need anything—because apparently, the family living in the apartment next door back in the day only needed two thin blankets to cover a newborn. When I heard that, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. There were a few other "geniuses" in the mix, but I can't recall them all right now. All of this—this entire barrage of "wonderful" advice—hit me in a mere 20 minutes yesterday. Just my luck. ☕
At first, I was just surprised—and then honestly, pretty annoyed—to see that every single book on pregnancy and childcare in the local bookstores is written by foreign authors. Why don't we have any smart experts here who could write a guide where everything is explained through the lens of life in America? I don't really care what women are doing over in France or even how things work in other parts of the States; I want to know which vaccinations are mandatory here in the US, and what the standard prenatal checkups look like according to our healthcare system...
I did pick up a pregnancy guide by Dr. Matvejevic once, but honestly, it was a bit of a snooze. That was the only American author I could actually track down. If anyone knows of a good book—please, let me know!
Honestly, I think I’m mostly just surprising myself right now—mostly with how weirdly I’ve been reacting to everything. I’ve had cats my entire life, and until the moment I found out I was pregnant, everything was perfectly fine; but now? I’m actually scared of them. I’m even scared to look at my Gold 😢 My mind keeps spinning these ridiculous, worst-case scenarios, and I’m just terrified of everything. I can't figure out what’s okay to worry about and what isn't—my head is constantly spinning from all the pregnancy articles and endless internet advice I've been consuming. I feel like such a stranger to myself right now.
I share some wonderful news with them, and what’s the very first reaction I get? "Oh, so what are you going to do about the cats now?" As if I suddenly can't let them inside, feed them, or give them affection anymore... 🙂
Look, it’s not like I’m fifteen and totally oblivious to the risks—I know how the world works—but these are my cats. There is absolutely no way I'd ever kick them out of my house. 🙂
Robin Chase7 said:I think I’ve got a request too! Since I honestly didn't know the first thing about professional cakes—aside from the basic homemade stuff we make at home—I just found out that you can't really use a light wind or anything airy under a ganache layer. I'm actually kind of losing my mind here because they already told me the bottom tier absolutely has to be a dense sponge, which I can't stand since it's such a sugar bomb, and now they're saying even the top tier can't be something light because of that frosting, unless I cover the whole thing in whipped cream, but then it's going to look totally different, you know? Any suggestions for firm cake layers would be amazing, though please, let's try to avoid those massive calorie bombs filled with cooked creams and all that sort of thing.
Robin Chase7, take a look at this thread over on the cooking forum . These ladies work absolute magic with Ticino 🙏 so why not pick someone's brain for advice? Maybe try reaching out to Irene, Jela, or Sammy (their cakes are honestly the most beautiful ones I've seen). I know some people have used Ticino over a light mousse, but I'm not sure if they were doing it for an entire tiered cake.