What were your biggest pregnancy surprises and pet peeves?

Honestly, I would never deal with having to lock off parts of my own house just because some kids have zero manners. There should be clear rules about what’s allowed and when. If their parents didn't teach them, then I'll be the one to lay down the law, whether anyone likes it or not. Rules are rules, especially in my own home!
The weather is gorgeous right now, so use that as an excuse to gently "evict" them. Just say, "I need some downtime, I'm wiped—hey kids, let's go for a walk! Go play outside since there's nothing for you to do in here." 😬
Pick a side and stick to it. You aren't obligated to babysit unless you actually want to, period. Tell yourself that and act on it without feeling guilty. Those kids have their own parents for a reason.
It’s super obvious you’re a sweetheart, so if you can't be blunt with your mother-in-law about what's bothering you, make your husband do it. This is a shared issue, and he needs to step up and take responsibility. 🙂
Get your life sorted ASAP, because if you don't, I'm scared no one else will—not those clueless parents or even the grandma.
Fingers crossed for you, stay strong! 👍

Why is this getting under your skin so much though?
!

Honestly, the funniest thing about riding the subway is seeing those tiny old ladies who sit down and their feet just dangle there, swinging happily in the air 🤣

I’ve become so rounded and unsteady on my own two feet that I’m totally bulletproof against any comments from retirees. They don't phase me at all. 😛

MM is dealing with this today 😍 😍 😍

So I was cleaning that "clean" room today and found scribbles all over the wall, chocolate wrappers, and candy scattered behind the corner sofa. I snapped pics of everything and sent them straight to him. Cleaned the room up and locked the door.
And I told MM he can get as pissed off as he wants because I am officially done with this crap. I told him if he wants to play the victim, fine—let his pregnant aunt cook and clean for them. I reminded him that I’m getting more pregnant by the day and things are getting harder. My baby comes first, period, and stressing out over this mess helps neither me nor the little one. I married him, not his brother, so I didn't sign up for a package deal where I have to be their maid.

He just said not to worry and that he’ll handle it all today.
I really hope he does.
When something bugs him, he handles it in two seconds. He’s the "boss" of both his mom and his brother.

P.S. For the last few days, we had the garage wide open, and his brother was constantly swiping oil and gas from there. Whenever MM needed it for the lawnmower or whatever, it was gone, and he’d have to drive all the way to the Shell station just to get some, which drove him insane.
Plus, his tools kept vanishing—either the kids were playing with them or his brother was taking them. He couldn't find a wrench once and lost his mind because he had to walk halfway across the neighborhood to borrow a tool for two minutes when he knew 100% it was sitting in his own garage. He absolutely lost it this Saturday, and since then, the garage stays locked tight.

So, I'm just hoping this finally starts fixing the vibe in the house.

P.P.S. That oldest one is the golden child, and he’s always an angel when he’s home, but he drives me nuts and never listens... Honestly, I’m pretty glad that whole chocolate mess happened just yesterday

I have to brag for a second about how I managed to snag a seat on the subway the other day. I just asked nicely, and this lady actually got up for me! I made sure to give her a huge thank you, too. Honestly, the best way to handle things is just to ask instead of getting all grumpy about it 🙂

Some woman at the Social Security Administration really rubbed me the wrong way today.
I finally got my disability approval—feeling pretty proud of myself, honestly—so I headed down there with all my paperwork ready to go. First off, she looks at me like I’m some kind of idiot, questioning why I was filing for standard maternity leave instead of something involving complications. Like, excuse me?😲
Then, she starts lecturing me because she thinks I brought in a photocopy. She’s insisting the document isn't an original because it’s been faxed.🤷
I mean, seriously? Maybe learn what an original document actually looks like before you start judging people.

According to her, it's just a copy because the director signed it with black ink instead of blue, and apparently, the stamp is black too.🤷
Everything is perfectly legible. It’s right there on the page.

It’s honestly fascinating. We’ve had four employees from the same company file for maternity leave in the last two months, and they didn't have a single issue. But for some reason, she decided I was the one to pick on.

So, yeah, I had to go back and demand the director sign everything in blue ink just to satisfy her.
Now I get to deal with this headache again at the SSA next week.

Ronald Williams9 said:Some woman at the Social Security Administration really rubbed me the wrong way today.
I finally got my disability approval—feeling pretty proud of myself, honestly—so I headed down there with all my paperwork ready to go. First off, she looks at me like I’m some kind of idiot, questioning why I was filing for standard maternity leave instead of something involving complications. Like, excuse me?😲
Then, she starts lecturing me because she thinks I brought in a photocopy. She’s insisting the document isn't an original because it’s been faxed.🤷
I mean, seriously? Maybe learn what an original document actually looks like before you start judging people.

According to her, it's just a copy because the director signed it with black ink instead of blue, and apparently, the stamp is black too.🤷
Everything is perfectly legible. It’s right there on the page.

It’s honestly fascinating. We’ve had four employees from the same company file for maternity leave in the last two months, and they didn't have a single issue. But for some reason, she decided I was the one to pick on.

So, yeah, I had to go back and demand the director sign everything in blue ink just to satisfy her.
Now I get to deal with this headache again at the SSA next week.

I’m pretty sure this ranks in my top ten all-time bullshit moments you can experience at a service counter.😂😘

That same damn cleaning lady has gotten on my nerves twice now. She’s been riding me from day one, making these obnoxious comments about how much weight I've put on. Unbelievable.😠
Since they finally lifted my medical leave, I’ve been walking a ton. It’s actually helped my muscle tone quite a bit. I haven't gained a single pound these last few weeks—honestly, I think the extra steps might have even burned off some of the weight. Anyway, then a few days ago, she catches me changing in the locker room. She takes one look at my chest—which, let’s be real, has definitely grown, though damn it, it wasn't from fat—and she just goes, "Oooo, looks like there's plenty of material to work with!"
Ran into her in the hallway yesterday. There was plenty of room for both of us to pass without an issue, yet she pulls this ridiculous maneuver like she’s trying to give me a massive wide berth. I mean, come on—I haven't exactly ballooned overnight. Then she has the nerve to smirk and say, "Oh, look at you! You're going to be giving me competition soon!" As if. She put on twenty pounds after her last pregnancy and hasn't seen a scale since. We're both short, too, which just makes the whole display even more absurd. Unbelievable.
I honestly just want to know which crystal ball they’re using to predict the future. 😠

Rebecca Vaughn7 said:I’m pretty sure this ranks in my top ten all-time bullshit moments you can experience at a service counter.😂😘

That same damn cleaning lady has gotten on my nerves twice now. She’s been riding me from day one, making these obnoxious comments about how much weight I've put on. Unbelievable.😠
Since they finally lifted my medical leave, I’ve been walking a ton. It’s actually helped my muscle tone quite a bit. I haven't gained a single pound these last few weeks—honestly, I think the extra steps might have even burned off some of the weight. Anyway, then a few days ago, she catches me changing in the locker room. She takes one look at my chest—which, let’s be real, has definitely grown, though damn it, it wasn't from fat—and she just goes, "Oooo, looks like there's plenty of material to work with!"
Ran into her in the hallway yesterday. There was plenty of room for both of us to pass without an issue, yet she pulls this ridiculous maneuver like she’s trying to give me a massive wide berth. I mean, come on—I haven't exactly ballooned overnight. Then she has the nerve to smirk and say, "Oh, look at you! You're going to be giving me competition soon!" As if. She put on twenty pounds after her last pregnancy and hasn't seen a scale since. We're both short, too, which just makes the whole display even more absurd. Unbelievable.
I honestly just want to know which crystal ball they’re using to predict the future. 😠

I'm inclined to agree... and man, am I just lucky or what?

Take my situation. I have a company car. Technically, you’re supposed to hand it back when maternity leave starts. That's the rule. But let's be real—sometimes they let you hold onto it if there isn't an immediate need.
One colleague of mine had her baby and turned the car in right away. Another lady dealt with some complications and kept the car for months before returning it.
Then there's me. I've been on maternity leave for exactly five days, and suddenly some genius decides to blast company-wide emails claiming I'm out on leave and therefore need to return the vehicle immediately. Nobody even asked for it.
Look, I have another car. It's not like I'm stranded.
I'm just sharing my stroke of luck here.🙂 hahaha

Rebecca Vaughn7 said:I’m pretty sure this ranks in my top ten all-time bullshit moments you can experience at a service counter.😂😘

That same damn cleaning lady has gotten on my nerves twice now. She’s been riding me from day one, making these obnoxious comments about how much weight I've put on. Unbelievable.😠
Since they finally lifted my medical leave, I’ve been walking a ton. It’s actually helped my muscle tone quite a bit. I haven't gained a single pound these last few weeks—honestly, I think the extra steps might have even burned off some of the weight. Anyway, then a few days ago, she catches me changing in the locker room. She takes one look at my chest—which, let’s be real, has definitely grown, though damn it, it wasn't from fat—and she just goes, "Oooo, looks like there's plenty of material to work with!"
Ran into her in the hallway yesterday. There was plenty of room for both of us to pass without an issue, yet she pulls this ridiculous maneuver like she’s trying to give me a massive wide berth. I mean, come on—I haven't exactly ballooned overnight. Then she has the nerve to smirk and say, "Oh, look at you! You're going to be giving me competition soon!" As if. She put on twenty pounds after her last pregnancy and hasn't seen a scale since. We're both short, too, which just makes the whole display even more absurd. Unbelievable.
I honestly just want to know which crystal ball they’re using to predict the future. 😠

Probably the one that says, "I'm just jealous because I let myself go after pregnancy and birth, so now I want everyone else to look just as messy as I do."

I know it doesn’t really fix the problem, but whenever I deal with those kinds of clueless people behind the service counter, I always insist that my signature be in blue ink or maybe even a different color entirely instead of just standard black. It’s become my little defense mechanism because I actually had to deal with this once myself—some lady at the DMV gave me this whole dramatic performance, acting all conspiratorial like, "Oh, I shouldn't even be telling you this, but..."

It was such a headache! Honestly, it makes you wonder if they've ever even heard of high-end color laser printing. You can get a color copy these days that looks absolutely indistinguishable from the original document...

Michelle Nelson4 said:I know it doesn’t really fix the problem, but whenever I deal with those kinds of clueless people behind the service counter, I always insist that my signature be in blue ink or maybe even a different color entirely instead of just standard black. It’s become my little defense mechanism because I actually had to deal with this once myself—some lady at the DMV gave me this whole dramatic performance, acting all conspiratorial like, "Oh, I shouldn't even be telling you this, but..."

It was such a headache! Honestly, it makes you wonder if they've ever even heard of high-end color laser printing. You can get a color copy these days that looks absolutely indistinguishable from the original document...

We don't have any other stamps available...
I called them up... they only have black. What am I supposed to do? Force the company to order custom ink just for my sake? I was honestly fuming...
Seriously though...
It's infuriating. I am one hundred percent certain this attitude is tied back to their paychecks... acting like I somehow forged an official document or something.
I felt pathetic yesterday...
Just standing there feeling like I was the one who had done something wrong.

Look, I'm not here to accept "favors." I'm not going to let her act like she's doing me a massive favor so that I feel obligated to buy her coffee or a box of chocolates. She is doing her job—a job paid for by my tax dollars...
And if it weren't for fools like us who work for a full salary while staying under the radar on minimum wage paperwork and stashing thousands on the side, nobody would have a paycheck to begin with...

Michelle Nelson4 said:It’s highly likely she’s just jealous of my property... Small minds and their petty little pleasures... I've decided I'm not going to let them get under my skin—at least not in front of them. I'll just give them plenty of "food" to feed their spite.

I never hand out gift baskets or chocolates. That's their job. If they tell me they're doing me a favor, I'll give them a polite "thank you" and a smile. That’s it. Honestly, it doesn't even cross my mind to bring gifts for people who are simply doing their jobs. They get a paycheck for a reason, period.

Honestly, it sounds exactly like what you'd expect from someone with such a small mindset. But seriously, she sees all kinds of income flowing through here every single day... I guess she's just used to seeing the divide between people on minimum wage and those pulling in the big bucks.
Who knows? Maybe I showed up looking like a total bum in my sweats, so she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this is actually my salary. Who knows...
I am absolutely livid.
Because I can already see the harassment coming. She's going to be watching my every move.
It’s fascinating how when you work hard and play by the rules, suddenly everyone treats you like a suspect.
They're quick to grab your money, but when you actually need help—like needing things covered during maternity leave—suddenly they're nowhere to be found.

Ronald Williams9 said:Honestly, it sounds exactly like what you'd expect from someone with such a small mindset. But seriously, she sees all kinds of income flowing through here every single day... I guess she's just used to seeing the divide between people on minimum wage and those pulling in the big bucks.
Who knows? Maybe I showed up looking like a total bum in my sweats, so she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this is actually my salary. Who knows...
I am absolutely livid.
Because I can already see the harassment coming. She's going to be watching my every move.
It’s fascinating how when you work hard and play by the rules, suddenly everyone treats you like a suspect.
They're quick to grab your money, but when you actually need help—like needing things covered during maternity leave—suddenly they're nowhere to be found.

The country is just full of frustrated people who are jealous of anyone earning a bit more and are just looking for some sort of imaginary "revenge." You see the exact same thing happening in that thread about daycare costs.

I had this experience at the IRS where some young, clueless clerk spent the entire year failing to process my tax refund. It wasn't until I finally lost my cool and marched down there in person that she actually pulled my files, admitted everything was perfectly in order, and I had my money within fifteen days!
Now I'm just kicking myself for not reporting her to her supervisor... And of course, I know the same person will likely be handling my filing again this year, so I'm not holding my breath that I'll see that money before winter.

I honestly lose my mind a little bit every time I remember how they don't include my bonuses when calculating my average salary for benefits, yet the second it’s time to pay for daycare, suddenly those same bonuses and severance packages are front and center in the calculations. 🤮

My blood pressure just spiked reading this thread about amniotic fluid and all the absolute garbage being peddled here.

It’s irritating how everyone looks at me like I’m some clueless kid who stumbled into pregnancy by accident.🙂/ I'm 27, but I have a baby face.😍

Sometimes guests really get under my skin—specifically my fiancé's buddies who seem to drop by way too often. Don't get me wrong, they’re great guys, I actually like them a lot, and they're always happy to lend a hand with whatever. It’s just that they seemingly have no concept of when it's time to head out. I end up spending entire afternoons with them right through the evening...

When I mentioned it to my partner, he was like, "What's the big deal? They're usually hanging out in the backyard anyway, not inside the house." But it still bugs me. Having people constantly drifting in and out, using the bathroom and stuff... it's exhausting. By the time evening rolls around, I'm already feeling that deep fatigue where all I want to do is shower, lie down, put on my anti-stretch mark oil, and just lounge around naked while watching TV. I hate having to wait until late at night just to finally get some peace. I need my downtime in the afternoon and evening—just quiet, maybe with a book. Instead, it's a constant revolving door of people talking about cars, gym routines, you name it. Am I crazy? It feels like the same thing every single day. I actually told my dad the other day that if he needs any car repairs done, he should just come to me, since I've basically become an expert at this point...

Then I feel guilty because they're such sweet guys and I truly don't have anything against them, so I just suck it up. It just baffles me that they don't realize it's a bit much to be over here all the time. And honestly, it wouldn't bother me even if I wasn't pregnant. My guy says they help him out so much with chores around the house that he can't exactly kick them out without looking like a jerk. Fine, I get it, I really do. But seriously... at some point, shouldn't people realize when it's time to head home? Not to mention those times he calls them over for lunch without warning when I've only cooked enough for two of us... ugh. It used to drive me crazy, but now? I just plate my portion and set aside a nice serving for my guy to give to them. We all end up eating like runway models trying to stay thin, haha! But whatever, I'm pregnant, I need to eat! :-)

I’m constantly being baited by these old ladies wandering through stores like headless chickens, literally getting into physical altercations over some stupid t-shirts or dresses.

It’s actually kind of surprising how my husband has been acting since I became pregnant. Even when we have a little disagreement,
he’s always the first one to come over and give me a kiss.. 😁
I guess maybe he’ll just stay this way forever 🤣
. But I really have to share this story—the other day I was at my OBGYN, and I was already bracing myself for some stern lectures because of my diabetes,
but instead, he just goes, "Well, I think I've figured you out"
. I was just like, um...
. Then, he actually complimented me, saying he could see how disciplined I'm being and told me to keep it up...
but THEN... he shouts, "TRAITORS!" 😕
"Now everyone is a traitor," I said
. I was just stunned 😕😕
. And then he spent ten whole minutes lecturing me about politics and that Gotovina verdict
and how Americans are all traitors, while the British are this and that...
but he says, "When Americans finally lose it one day, everyone will see"
. 😕😕
I really don't feel like going back there at all...

Topic: Daily pregnancy meal ideas... I am absolutely obsessed with pancakes.

Sean Long4 said:Topic: Daily pregnancy meal ideas... I am absolutely obsessed with pancakes.

Damn, now my blood pressure is spiking too... 🙄

Sean Long4 said:Topic: Daily pregnancy meal ideas... I am absolutely obsessed with pancakes.

👍
my blood pressure is actually rising..
it bugs me most when people don't read more than just one single post... honestly, that's what scares me about this whole thing...