Posts by Carol Ramirez23

Lately, it feels like everyone is constantly checking in on me with the same tired questions: Are you still holding it together? Or maybe, neighbor, just three more days to go, right?

The countdown has officially begun, I suppose... though people don't seem to realize how incredibly tedious they’re being by asking these things day after day, over and over again.

wanderingskipper30 said:I’ve had this experience where—say I’m moving a bit slower and I finally reach the checkout line (that was basically at the very end, since I wasn't exactly rushing through the aisles 😁)—and I'm there pushing a cart full of groceries or carrying a basket, all while holding onto the hand of my little one who's about a year old... whenever the retirees saw me, it was like they’d all just been injected with pure adrenaline—everyone was suddenly racing past me to get ahead! It’s the honest truth!
My absolute worst experiences have been at Target and Walmart. At Target, about four days before my due date, I had to go pick up some cash, and I felt so lightheaded I almost passed out—but I couldn't even get the right to sit down on a bench. See, those "helpless" folks in their forties were already hogging all the seats 🙂. A lady waiting in line behind me actually held a spot for me, though... but man, what a disaster!
And then there's CVS.
Over at CVS, a woman actually opened up a new register specifically because the three of us pregnant ladies were stuck waiting in a line that seemed miles long.
Then, this young dad 😲 just shoved his way right into the front of the line with milk and baby food. He didn't even have a baby with him. It was just me. 🤷

Walmart is clearly a den of evil😂😂, because I constantly get run over in the aisles there! I really have to give credit to Kroger, though, because today, for the first time and just three days before giving birth, the cashier actually called me up to the front!😍 And the guy standing in front of me immediately stepped aside to let me through, too. Well, I was feeling pretty good today, so I was generous enough to let him go ahead of me instead😁. I guess now that I look like I might actually explode at any second, the benefits are finally starting to kick in... though it feels a little late!🙂

I had another one of those moments today at Walmart where some lady basically steamrolled right over me just because an extra register finally opened up. And then, once she realized I was trailing behind her with my cart, she started clutching her neck and groaning like she was in total agony, acting as if being pregnant with a toothache or something made her life an absolute struggle!😂

Then, while I was over at Dionysus, I overheard a sales clerk getting into a heated argument with this elderly gentleman, snapping at him for not moving aside for a pregnant woman. The old guy, who clearly saw me standing there, didn't even have the guts to look me in the eye; he just insisted he couldn't see anyone at all and practically bolted out of the store!😲

It’s honestly a bit embarrassing how greedy people can be, always scrambling to be first in line, but I suppose you can't help it when you've spent decades stuck in that sort of retirement mindset 🙂

Man, whenever my dad calls me up, he pretty much follows the exact same script every single time—it’s always the same three questions about how I am, what's new, and if the baby is kicking yet. And honestly, I haven't even given birth yet! It’s been going on for months now, just this endless loop of the same conversation, and I think he’s just run out of things to actually talk about. Sometimes I can't help but mess with him a little bit, so I'll tell him that nothing 🙄 for days now, and he just sits there looking totally bewildered.

Henry Cooper4 said:Back in Chicago, if you're at a blood bank waiting to test your type... you wait. No shortcuts, no VIP treatment, nothing. Just pure waiting in line.
But then there was this one day during a checkup... I'm sitting there for forty minutes, listening to other women being called in way before me, and they haven't even shown up yet. I have no clue what the protocol is here—do I speak up or just sit there like an idiot until they call my name? Finally, some lady tells me to go talk to the nurse. So I walk up to the door, say "Excuse me," and the nurse just glances down at my stomach. Pregnant. Suddenly, everything is magically sorted out.🤣

Lately, my relatives have been driving me absolutely crazy. It's those people who act like they’re morally obligated to buy a mountain of baby gear. Personally, I don't expect a single thing from anyone.
Now the interrogation has started: "What do you need?" And I tell them, "Nothing. We've had everything we need bought for ages." And then comes the guilt trip: "Oh my goodness, you're so prepared! You didn't leave us anything to buy! What are we supposed to do now?!"🙂
☕Yeah, maybe I should have waited two weeks before checking in so someone would actually ask what I needed. If I had, I probably wouldn't have had any of this stuff ready to go by now.

Well obviously, why would you care who was scheduled when? You aren't crazy enough to sit there in a waiting room surrounded by people with colds and various illnesses... personally, if I truly can't wait and I'm not certain if I have priority, I'll just go up and mention that I'm pregnant and ask if that gives me any preference. But honestly, the older gentlemen at Walmart are the best; okay, they don't necessarily have to let me cut the line, but they certainly won't push past me when a new register opens up! It's quite a sprint! They probably realize that you're young, while for them, every single day could be their last.😂

I honestly find it so draining when people constantly try to scare me with their horror stories—you know, those endless warnings about how I won’t be able to handle a baby and a dog at the same time. And then there’s the talk about childbirth, where they act like every bone in your body is going to shift out of place from the sheer agony of it all, or the way they describe my upcoming C-section like I’m heading toward some kind of grim execution. They go on and on about how incredibly long and grueling the recovery period is going to be, and I just don't quite get it... I really don't understand why people feel such a strong need to weigh in with these opinions when they haven't actually gone through the experience themselves.

Forgive me, but I just can't stand that kind of attitude!
Some of my girlfriends actually had their babies before I did, so all I could really do was celebrate their news and soak up whatever advice they had to offer. Anything else besides that feels honestly immature and just pathetic.

Henry Cooper4 said:I don't go around expecting people to just step aside for me... I find myself stuck in line at the grocery store every single time... and I'm nine months pregnant, for crying out loud.
I was at a Target recently, and they have those registers specifically designated for people with disabilities. Since there wasn't anyone using it, but the other lines were packed, I walked up to the cashier and asked if I could use that lane since it was for accessibility. The cashier looked absolutely thrilled—she said it was actually the first time anyone had bothered to ask permission. She told me, "Of course you can, honey, you're welcome to use it anytime." 😍
It makes you think. You show up to an American hospital for a blood draw or a transfusion while you're pregnant, and suddenly you don't have any special priority? If you can't expect a little grace in a hospital, what can you realistically expect at the supermarket? 🤷

The only thing I've noticed lately is how cars keep pulling up onto the sidewalk to block people. It’s definitely not the norm around here, but it happens.

Then there was this one moment at the beach. A little boy let me use the changing stall before him. And get this—there was a girl already inside, and outside there were three of us: a woman, the boy, and me. This woman starts hovering, acting all impatient, trying to rush the girl inside to see if she was done yet. 🙂 Then, out of nowhere, the boy tells her, "No, the lady goes first." 😍 I was honestly stunned. I just wanted to give that kid a huge hug. What a wonderful little soul—he couldn't have been more than twelve years old. 😍

Where were you going for blood work that they wouldn't prioritize you? Every time I walk into a hospital or a lab and mention that I'm pregnant, they call me back immediately!🤷

I have honestly never had anyone offer me a seat on the subway, and whenever I pass by those older folks, they just give me this heavy sigh, acting as if they possess some inherent, divine right to every single chair in the car. Then there was this incident at Walmart recently—only about three weeks before my due date—where a family tried to cut in front of me in line, but since I didn't actually feel an urgent need to rush, I just politely declined their little maneuver. The only time I really pulled rank was over at the local police precinct in Petrinja, though I barely managed to escape with my dignity intact because a couple of elderly ladies nearly tore me apart for using my status 😂😂

I suppose I usually come across as quite energetic and assertive, so people probably feel a sense of relief when they see me and think to themselves—thank goodness she’s doing fine on her own, she doesn't need any extra help 😁

I I also find it kind of funny when people ask me, "So, have you guys officially decided on the baby's name yet?" As if there’s some sort of official ceremony required for it!!🙂🙂
It's not like I'm going to rent out a massive theater in Times Square and make a formal announcement in front of a huge crowd of witnesses!
Honestly, it just strikes me as pretty wild how many people in my life seem so deeply invested in the specific name I end up choosing.😵

Paul Campbell3 said:The typical "expert" parent lecture: "just you wait," "you won't be able to pull this off," "back in my day, things weren't like this," or just straight-up condescension. 🙄

And honestly? It’s ten times more annoying when it comes from couples whose own kids have zero discipline.

It’s like they think my kid is suffering through some massive tragedy, and they're using every ounce of energy they have to try and talk me out of my chill approach. 👎

Ugh, I get those kinds of threats too, and I really don't understand why other people feel the need to manage my life. And I honestly don't get what they mean by "you won't be able to." Like, what am I supposed to do? Start a shootout? 😂 If someone told me they were living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny studio apartment in downtown Chicago, I would probably just say, "Hey, you'll figure it out," and maybe offer some help or a suggestion if I could. But it seems like people just don't want to see others doing well!🙂