Fruity Pebbles

My friend Nathalie was kind enough ( I say that with a hint of sarcasm) to give me a box of fruity pebbles before they departed on their adventure move to Korea. Fruity pebbles are my favorite trashy cereal ever! Friday was a Fruity Pebble night. Nathalie had just left on the bus to Narita with her family and I was feeling horribly sad. I stopped and got some flowers for a friend of mine who was equally feeling the pain of Nathalie leaving. I was starting to feel better after doing something nice for a good friend when I ran into an acquaintance from Starbucks. I fondly refer to him as a fellow Starbucks hag. During the first few months here in Yokosuka, Starbucks was my regular haunt. I met this guy there. He's retired military and his wife works as a teacher at the base elementary school. Any how, I hadn't seen him in a while and he was happy to see that I was pregnant. He asked when my due date was (Oct. 15th) upon hearing this his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Wow, I thought you were about ready to pop!" I then proceeded to explain to him that he should never ever say things like that to a pregnant women. He found my lecture amusing and cute. (I was pretty much wanted to show him the meaning of pop to the jaw.....forgive me it's the hormones talking) We got off the subject and he then asked if " I had been walking". That's when the conversation ended and I went to my car. There were a lot of things I thought about doing or saying during that conversation such as, "sure, I walk.....all the way to the liqueur store everyday and buy myself a six pack, some ding dongs, and a pack of smokes then I go home and watch my soaps.....JACK A%@! " or maybe this ones better," zits and boils pop....pregnant women don't pop. They give birth. You know, that whole miracle of life?!" I kept on telling myself that he's an older man and comes from a generation where it was the norm to say things like that to pregnant women. I have no idea why the statement, 'you look like your ready to pop!' was ever deemed OK by the socialization police in any decade.

I already feel like a house without being reminded of it by people off the street. That night, I poured myself a hefty bowl of Fruity Pebbles and went to town. I haven't eaten them in a very long time. In fact I noticed on the box that they are now considered a Sensible Solution. They aren't fooling anyone! How someone can consider these pebbles of goodness healthy is beyond me.

I suppose it's a right of passage for any pregnant woman. We will always be targeted for unsolicited advice, tummy touching and comments. I'll never forget my girlfriend telling me that a man at Home Depot pointed and laughed at her in the parking lot (she was in her 3rd trimester and feeling every bit of it on a Summer day, slowly making her way to her car). I think she went home and cried. I don't mind the tummy touching so much as I mind the advice and comments.

Just remember readers, before you make it a Fruity Pebbles night for some other poor unassuming pregnant women out there with a brainless statement, just think of saying any of these 3 statements instead, "You look so good!" or "Your just all belly" or "Your glowing".

Oh yes, and one more thing especially to the men out there. I don't care if she's got a t-shirt on that states 'I'm not fat I'm pregnant' on it. Don't ever EVER ask her if she's pregnant until she says something. EVER! Because if that woman isn't, your liable to throw her for a 6 month loop of sadness or you'll maybe get a really black eye.