My highly controversial UO: I am tired of chevron print. It has been done to death. I used to love it, but it is time to move on. (Don't even get me started on the hot pink/zebra print combo)
@sagoon YES! And don't even get me started on houndstooth. My favorite part is how Alabama fans don't realize that Paul Bear Bryant's hat was never, not once, houndstooth, but they adopted it as their tribute to him.
I really hate it when people refer to their pets as their children. It's an animal, not a child, and while a pet might be a member of the family in that it's an important part of one's life and it's loved, being a pet owner does not make one a parent. My BIL and his wife, who I actually do get along with very well, are HUGE offenders of this and it drives me crazyyyy.
Ok my UO is that I'm totally okay with not doing skin to skin immediately after birth. I have no problem having my baby cleaned up and then happily doing skin to skin. Both my boys have been C Sections so they have always been cleaned first and immediate skin to skin was never an option. But it was always in my birth plan to have them cleaned and then brought to me.
@scgirl6113 that was part of my birth plan too. I wanted my baby cleaned up and dried off before she was handed to me for no other reason than I didn't see a point in being handed a slimy baby. @karaelaine1991 yessss "pet parents" drives me up a wall. Yes you love your pet, but they aren't the same as a child.
I hate when people post a picture, but add in something like, "please excuse the mess behind me" or "please excuse my dirty mirror", etc. It really bothers me for some reason!
I did not realize how much the pet parent thing bothered me until I got pregnant and my SIL started making cracks about how her mom, my MIL, already had a grandchild, my SIL's dog. I'm mainly concerned because that dog has horrible training and is massive, and I'm not letting it near my kid. I have a sinking feeling that's going to get turned into me trying to "play favourites" aka not have my kid's face bit.
I'm a huge animal lover and can be obsessed with mine at times, but they could never compare to actual, in real life children. I got so annoyed when I read about people trying to request "pawternity" leave because they got a new dog and it needed someone home to train it. Getting a new pet and *giving birth to a human* are very different things and the fact some people could even think of it in the same way gets me. That, and the whole "Me-ternity" thing that came out a few months ago.
Me: 33 DH: 38 Married: 1/10/15
1st Pregnancy EDD: 1/1/17 Born 1/10/17 Team Green turned Blue!
2nd Pregnancy EDD: 11/6/18 Born 11/09/18 Baby Boy!
3rd Pregnancy EDD: 12/?/21
Children are like casseroles; it takes a lot to mess them up.
There was a segment on a local radio show this morning about dogs being children. One host said she has actually dropped friends, because they made comments about her dog or didn't want the dog around all the time. She's like you wouldn't say that about someone's child! Um no... you wouldn't. Because children are completely different.
My UO this week: I HATE small talk. Can't I just sit in the break room or grab a tea at the local coffee shop without someone striking up a conversation?! I'm a serious introvert and being pregnant opens you up to SO much more small talk. I feel like I'm getting burned out already from social interaction.
What's shocking to me about chevron becoming omnipresent is the fact that it has not massively taken over maternity clothing--that's still largely horizontal stripes. I would kill for a non-stripey maternity dress.
My UO, possibly more of a MBF because I can't imagine it won't resonate with other pregnant people: "you look great" and "you look pregnant" should not be mutually exclusive statements! I was at the dentist earlier and sat down in the chair and the hygienist (who's not my usual hygienist) started looking at my chart and was like, "You're pregnant??? Wow, you do NOT look pregnant at all. You look great!" And it made me angry because:
1. Pre-pregnancy I was very thin, so of course I think I look pregnant. And I'm already very sensitive to the fact that I don't know if people can tell that I'm pregnant and haven't just gained a bunch of awkwardly distributed weight right in my belly area. So telling me I don't look pregnant just makes me feel like, "What the hell do people think this round bump on my stomach is then" 2. There's some heavy implication that the second I do look pregnant to a stranger, I will no longer look "great."
I can't think of any time I have ever seen a pregnant woman, whether she was 12 weeks and barely showing or 42 weeks and ready to spew, and thought, "Wow she does not look very good!" It's like people feel some weird need to body-shame pregnancy and I don't get it.
I HATE wedding hashtags. It takes me like 3 minutes to figure out what shitty play on words these "creative" 20 somethings are attempting to accomplish.
@Litzi Same (FTM)! I hate being the center of attention and as much as I wish I would enjoy sitting in front of my closest friends and family opening gifts in front of them all, no thanks. Plus I would hate for people to feel obligated to buy things for me because I made a baby. Honestly I find a lot of baby stuff tacky anyway. We will be sharing an online registry through amazon with our distant relatives should they feel the need to send us something so it will at least be something we need. I think those who care enough to give us a heartfelt gift in person don't need a baby shower as an excuse to do so. Absolutely no judgement to you all who are having a baby shower though!
I agree with the chevron print one. Even more so with the zebra stripe/pink. Can plaid be a thing? I love plaid.
UO: I think people spend way too much money on photo shoots of themselves. I think photographers for events like weddings and stuff are fine but I don't want 1000 photos of DH and me standing in slightly varying positions after something like getting engaged.
There was a segment on a local radio show this morning about dogs being children. One host said she has actually dropped friends, because they made comments about her dog or didn't want the dog around all the time. She's like you wouldn't say that about someone's child! Um no... you wouldn't. Because children are completely different.
My UO this week: I HATE small talk. Can't I just sit in the break room or grab a tea at the local coffee shop without someone striking up a conversation?! I'm a serious introvert and being pregnant opens you up to SO much more small talk. I feel like I'm getting burned out already from social interaction.
Ha, actually, I have some very close and very dear friends who just came to stay for the weekend, and we talked about how they hope they'll still get the occasional chance to visit with me and my husband without the wee sprog being the focus, and I totally understand it. Some people aren't kid people, just like some people aren't dog people. There are ways to express that preference without being dicks, of course, and they were very happy for us and respectful of our decision, just saying that they hope certain cherished aspects of our friendship won't get completely lost in the shuffle.
And I hear you on the small talk thing, too. Pregnancy seems to hang a huge sign around our necks saying "Hi, please ask me personal and invasive questions!"
I guess the whole "pets not being children" is technically the popular opinion, and I have the unpopular opinion today. My UO is that I do view my dogs on par with children. We took the dogs with us on our honeymoon and we plan our lives around them like we would with children. They're never alone more than a few hours at a time. When we adopted our first dog when she was a puppy, I stayed home with her over the summer and took online classes because of how similar it felt to taking care of a baby. I slept when she slept for an hour at a time and I was constantly on watch. I just can't imagine what my life would be like without them. They give me constant joy and they're always there for a snuggle. I guess I'll quote Mark Twain on this one, "The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog."
Previously PaukMeKiande
Surprise BFP/MC February 2011 BFP May 16th 2016
EDD January 25 2017 DD born January 30 2017 Surprise BFP/MC April 2017
This one has been really tripping me up because I've started to associate the awful preg fails with the bump person. Like I think @cjs260 is super preg and standing naked in a bunch of foliage.
I don't like Gilmore Girls. I also don't like that they keep trying to bring back old shows. I loved Boy Meets World and Full House growing up, but am not a fan of the new ones they have done. Just let me enjoy my re runs!
I too am one of those pet parents. I'm not extreme but I have a deep, deep love for my pets. I really struggle when friends with children say I'll never love them as much as a child- perhaps it'll be true but I also don't feel like it has to be one or the other. I think love is love and I'm going to love them as much as I can as long as they are a part of my life. And I don't think it's necessarily fair to judge/gauge a level of love one person might be feeling, just because you don't feel the same. Meh. To each his/her own. It is UO Thursday after all.
If referring to a fetus, baby, or even dog of unknown sex, people shouldn't be using gendered pronouns. "They," "it," and/or "he or she" are all acceptable alternatives. At my last appointment, my midwife had to chase the baby around a bit to get a lock on its heartbeat because it kept moving around, and throughout the process she kept referring to it as "he". I was like, hey, you don't know that! Well, I thought it at least. (I think I found this particularly annoying because I ~feel~ like it's a girl, and so it felt jarring and wrong every time she said it.) Also if people followed this rule there'd be a lot less people out there complimenting parents of bald but bow-wearing baby girls on their handsome sons.
I am 100% on board with being super over false pet-owner/parent equivalency. I have this aggressively CFBC couple on my facebook who own about 531 cats and give each other social media shoutouts for being such great "pet parents" on mother's day and father's day. eff off
Me 32 |DH 32 married 9/15 DD: 1/17/17 #2 due 7/26/20!
I also hate the abbreviations used for people on here. I see the utility, but I cringe a little every time I write "DH."
And the Meternity thing... Just no. I'm all for people taking time for themselves for whatever selfish or unselfish reasons they choose. If you have the means, go for it. But even as a FTM I know that taking time off work to recover from childbirth and nurture a newborn is not remotely the same thing as taking time off for myself.
Oh and I don't really want a baby shower either. I will probably agree to have 1 if my mom insists, but I don't really care about the gifts, I hate being the center of attention, and mainly I'd rather celebrate this baby once it's here in the flesh.
Along the same lines, my UO is I'm not a fan of pregnancy announcements. It's fine to announce for information purposes, etc, but the over the top announcements bug me. I know people are excited, but I feel like some of that excitement and celebration should be saved for when the baby is born. Then it's fine to go all out with a great birth announcement
If referring to a fetus, baby, or even dog of unknown sex, people shouldn't be using gendered pronouns. "They," "it," and/or "he or she" are all acceptable alternatives. At my last appointment, my midwife had to chase the baby around a bit to get a lock on its heartbeat because it kept moving around, and throughout the process she kept referring to it as "he". I was like, hey, you don't know that! Well, I thought it at least. (I think I found this particularly annoying because I ~feel~ like it's a girl, and so it felt jarring and wrong every time she said it.) Also if people followed this rule there'd be a lot less people out there complimenting parents of bald but bow-wearing baby girls on their handsome son.
That doesn't bother me as much as a woman that refers to her singleton pregnancy as "they" because she doesn't know the sex of the baby. I'd rather someone pick a pronoun and stick with it, regardless of if it's actually accurate, then be so grammatically incorrect. Totally gets under my skin.
That doesn't bother me as much as a woman that refers to her singleton pregnancy as "they" because she doesn't know the sex of the baby. I'd rather someone pick a pronoun and stick with it, regardless of if it's actually accurate, then be so grammatically incorrect. Totally gets under my skin.
This may be another UO, then, depending on where other board grammarians fall, but I am firmly of the opinion that singular "they" is 110% acceptable. Language evolves, and this particular usage has plenty of history (not to mention the support of prominent linguists and grammar experts) to back it up anyway.
Me 32 |DH 32 married 9/15 DD: 1/17/17 #2 due 7/26/20!
@egilona I know a girl from my block growing up who refers to herself as a great pet parent to her fish. Not kidding and neither is she. She's totally serious about it, she even took time off work to have a funeral and mourn (complete with commemorative tattoo) when one of them died.
Fair enough. I think it's debatable, but just comes off as sloppy and confusing to me. I immediately think, "are there multiple babies?" I'm used to formal, legal writing and would never use singular they. It feels very imprecise to me.
I have in my friend circle a lot of people very up on LGBTQ issues and non-binary gender identities, and a lot of people very advanced in English studies, so the singular "they" comes up a lot over drinks (we're a very rowdy lot, can you tell?). I admit that I've struggled with it because I'm very accustomed to precise and formal writing, and have always counselled people to restructure sentences to avoid uses of the singular 3rd person.
That said, I fully embrace people's right to self identify, and when people request that "they" be used to refer to them, I will go for it... admittedly occasionally slipping up and feeling very bad about it if I refer to someone as "she" if they have requested that not be used. And I still feel like "they" is tricky with the specific context of a fetus, because, yeah, I immediately go to "twins??"
I also have issues with DH and hubby. I've used DH a couple of times here, and did not feel okay about it at all. I've started just saying "my H". Hubby is as bad as moist in my book. Maybe worse.
This is just a rant, but I hate that on the app (not sure about desktop bc I haven't used it), you have to wait for your draft post to be saved, otherwise you lose text. And sometimes, it updates frequently, but then other times, nothing! Like now, as I have had enough time to add this entire paragraph while waiting for it to save... dumb.
I can't stand girls clothes like this. My mom LOVES them.
I know several women that dress their daughters like this all the time. I thought I just didn't get it because I have a boy. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like them.
Re: UO Thursday 7/28
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
AFM: F*&K PEPSI, COKE RULES!
Due 1/21/17
Due 1/21/17
@karaelaine1991 yessss "pet parents" drives me up a wall. Yes you love your pet, but they aren't the same as a child.
Me: 33 DH: 38 Married: 1/10/15
1st Pregnancy EDD: 1/1/17 Born 1/10/17 Team Green turned Blue!
2nd Pregnancy EDD: 11/6/18 Born 11/09/18 Baby Boy!
3rd Pregnancy EDD: 12/?/21
Children are like casseroles; it takes a lot to mess them up.
My UO this week: I HATE small talk. Can't I just sit in the break room or grab a tea at the local coffee shop without someone striking up a conversation?! I'm a serious introvert and being pregnant opens you up to SO much more small talk. I feel like I'm getting burned out already from social interaction.
My UO, possibly more of a MBF because I can't imagine it won't resonate with other pregnant people: "you look great" and "you look pregnant" should not be mutually exclusive statements! I was at the dentist earlier and sat down in the chair and the hygienist (who's not my usual hygienist) started looking at my chart and was like, "You're pregnant??? Wow, you do NOT look pregnant at all. You look great!" And it made me angry because:
1. Pre-pregnancy I was very thin, so of course I think I look pregnant. And I'm already very sensitive to the fact that I don't know if people can tell that I'm pregnant and haven't just gained a bunch of awkwardly distributed weight right in my belly area. So telling me I don't look pregnant just makes me feel like, "What the hell do people think this round bump on my stomach is then"
2. There's some heavy implication that the second I do look pregnant to a stranger, I will no longer look "great."
I can't think of any time I have ever seen a pregnant woman, whether she was 12 weeks and barely showing or 42 weeks and ready to spew, and thought, "Wow she does not look very good!" It's like people feel some weird need to body-shame pregnancy and I don't get it.
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
My child/ren will never in my presence wear a "Jon Jon" romper.
UO: I think people spend way too much money on photo shoots of themselves. I think photographers for events like weddings and stuff are fine but I don't want 1000 photos of DH and me standing in slightly varying positions after something like getting engaged.
Jan '17 August siggy challenge: Cat fails
And I hear you on the small talk thing, too. Pregnancy seems to hang a huge sign around our necks saying "Hi, please ask me personal and invasive questions!"
BFP May 16th 2016
DD born January 30 2017
Surprise BFP/MC April 2017
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
Edit: words
I am 100% on board with being super over false pet-owner/parent equivalency. I have this aggressively CFBC couple on my facebook who own about 531 cats and give each other social media shoutouts for being such great "pet parents" on mother's day and father's day. eff off
married 9/15
DD: 1/17/17
#2 due 7/26/20!
I also hate the abbreviations used for people on here. I see the utility, but I cringe a little every time I write "DH."
And the Meternity thing... Just no. I'm all for people taking time for themselves for whatever selfish or unselfish reasons they choose. If you have the means, go for it. But even as a FTM I know that taking time off work to recover from childbirth and nurture a newborn is not remotely the same thing as taking time off for myself.
Oh and I don't really want a baby shower either. I will probably agree to have 1 if my mom insists, but I don't really care about the gifts, I hate being the center of attention, and mainly I'd rather celebrate this baby once it's here in the flesh.
Along the same lines, my UO is I'm not a fan of pregnancy announcements. It's fine to announce for information purposes, etc, but the over the top announcements bug me. I know people are excited, but I feel like some of that excitement and celebration should be saved for when the baby is born. Then it's fine to go all out with a great birth announcement
married 9/15
DD: 1/17/17
#2 due 7/26/20!
That said, I fully embrace people's right to self identify, and when people request that "they" be used to refer to them, I will go for it... admittedly occasionally slipping up and feeling very bad about it if I refer to someone as "she" if they have requested that not be used. And I still feel like "they" is tricky with the specific context of a fetus, because, yeah, I immediately go to "twins??"
This is just a rant, but I hate that on the app (not sure about desktop bc I haven't used it), you have to wait for your draft post to be saved, otherwise you lose text. And sometimes, it updates frequently, but then other times, nothing! Like now, as I have had enough time to add this entire paragraph while waiting for it to save... dumb.
Jan '17 August siggy challenge: Cat fails