Was that my outside voice?

I learned a very valuable lesson from a dear friend of mine several years ago. We were at a friend's wedding and she asked a "star athlete" from our high school when she was due (we had not seen her in years). The woman so gracefully pointed at the 1-2 year old child running around the room and said, "That's my baby". Apparently she was not pregnant. Oh my God. I mean, OH MY GOD. To my friend's defense, the woman seemed to have picked up several pounds and maybe not lost the pregnancy weight. My poor mortified friend turned and walked away as I laughed my ass off - at my friend's embarrassment, not at the woman. Truly, I was just glad I learned that lesson through her and not myself because I guarantee I was seconds away from asking that same question. Well, now I am so fearful of saying the wrong thing that I won't say anything at all, even if it is clearly obvious that someone is pregnant. Apparently, not everyone has that same fear.

I haven't been offended by anyone's comments (probably because I haven't been allowed into society for nearly 12 weeks - so I haven't given people as much of an opportunity). However, over the past week I have been amused at how fearless some people (usually strangers) are. Here are a couple comments I've heard.

- Rich and I were in the elevator at the doctor's office and a woman came in and said, "You look like you're going to deliver in about 7 1/2 minutes!" I laughed and said I hoped so. After she left I wanted to run after her and tell her it's twins. Apparently I felt like I needed to justify the girth of my belly. But still, no intro 'hi', no 'good afternoon', just a passive-aggressive way of saying, "You are huge!"

- Yesterday I was doing my part to try to get the stages of labor to progress and I went to the grocery store with Rich. It was so weird trying to ignore people's looks, like I am a freak of nature (let's be honest, I kind of am. It's AMAZING bellies have the ability to stretch like this and hold two lives inside it.....so wild). So we were just about done getting what we needed and I told Rich we should buy a pregnancy test, just to get a good laugh at the cashier's face. We opted out but got a good laugh just thinking about it. However, I guess the joke was on me. As we walked up to check out I heard some loud voice say something to the effect of, "....about to pop!" I looked up and the borderline teenager/adult cashier - from TWO lanes away - was yelling through her line and the next check out lane (all full of people by the way), "Wow, you look like you're ready to pop!!" Embarrassed, and not sure how to react, we just got in line at the nearest register (not hers) and I said again, "I hope so." The cashier and bagger in our lane just kept their head's down like they were embarrassed. Not sure if they were embarrassed for me or for her but either way it gave me something to talk about the entire way home. :)

I have to wonder sometimes if these people realize that they are speaking in their outside voices :).

- Nichole, with an h