“we’re” pregnant

What’s the deal with people announcing conception with the phrase, “We’re pregnant?” It’s just her, right? I mean, sure, part of the population subscribes to the idea that a beer gut becomes comical when juxtaposed with a months-round baby belly (like this). But only one of them is pregnant according to the most common use of the word.

I admit I’m a little grumpy about it. Let me figure out a way to cut some slack for people who use this obnoxious phrase to announce their baby on the way. My Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (yes, I still own and use a dictionary with actual pages and binding!) has pointed out to me that the word “pregnant” also means:

~abounding in wit and resourcefulness, which would be really useful for a guy who’s trying to live in peace with a woman as her very being undergoes strange changes. So maybe that’s what they mean? “She’s having a baby and he’s demonstrating a great sense of humor about the whole ordeal.”

~meaningful or profound, which could be great if she’s into that, but could be dangerous if he’s waxing poetic and she just wants a pizza for crying out loud! “She’s having a baby and he’s penning sonnets about the meaning of life.”

~having possibilities of development or consequence, which some mothers-to-be probably hope to heaven is true of their untried spouses. “She’s having a baby and he has a few more months to grow up.”

It all still sounds a bit iffy to me, though. How about “We’re expecting?” Of course that can become silly in its own way as it leads smart alecks to inquire, “Expecting what?” But I think the implication is clear.

And semantic bickering aside, I think the “we” is sweet. It implies that the journey is tandem rather than solo, that the changes affect both halves of the couple, and that the non-childbearing one wants to be involved in the process. Those can only be good things, and they’re a lot more important than the words used to make the happy announcement.

And by the way, we’re pregnant. (At least I am.) Late this spring my husband and I will find out exactly what we’ve gotten ourselves into. Do not tell me any horror stories about birth–I mean it.

*The graphic design above belongs to Laundry Factory. If you want to buy a “We are pregnant” t-shirt go here. I could not find a way to contact Laundry Factory for permission to use this image (aside from facebook, but as you know, I don’t have a facebook account). If you are the copyright owner, please know that it is not my intention to infringe. Contact me with any concerns. Thanks!

women, children, cats

Something I’ve noticed: women, children, and cats hate to feel cornered. Do you want their affection? Show interest from a distance; make it clear that you’re available. Then wait. Often they will draw closer to see what you’re all about, though they may not, at least at first, and you have to be able to pretend you’re okay with that. Swoop in and try to force the interaction you want and you’ve ruined your chance.

When did you know?

The traditional wedding month is nearly over but I thought I’d toss in a little romance here at the end. Last weekend my husband and I stayed with his brother & our sister-in-law, and the guys’ parents were there too. My father-in-law started a conversation about knowing when we’d found “The One.” It was fun to hear how different people’s experiences had been.

My FIL knew when his perspective shifted from “We’re having fun” to “I feel protective of her.” I’d call it a transition from romance to responsibility, because I adore alliteration.

Later I asked my husband how he decided he wanted to marry me and he said, “I could talk to you about anything; I could spend hours with you; and I wanted to spend my life with you.” So his check-boxes were communication, companionship, and commitment.

Me? I said goodbye to him once after a summer visit and then wandered around the house thinking, “I never want to be apart from him again.” What do you call that…adiós aversion?

I want to hear yours! Can you identify a moment when you realized your significant other was extra-significant, or was your epiphany more gradual?

Mac lovers scooped by PC?

I’m confused about the timeline here, but something strange has happened. I first heard Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s song Can’t Hold Us (featuring Ray Dalton) in a Microsoft Outlook commercial. The commercial was published on YouTube on February 18th, though the official music video didn’t arrive until April 17th. I’m not sure what’s happening there–did Microsoft get the privilege of taking the song public?* I’m ignorant about these things so fill me in if you know.

What’s more interesting to me is what happened on June 21st. The trailer for the movie “Jobs,” inspired by Steve Jobs of Apple, came out, and it features the same song used in the Microsoft commercials (hear it about 30 seconds into the trailer). Given the historic rivalry between these companies, I would think that the person choosing music for the trailer would stay far, far away from anything already associated with Microsoft.

Obviously I am wrong. The question is why did they go for it? Did they fail to notice that Microsoft was already featuring Macklemore’s latest? Did they notice but not care, since it’s such a catchy tune? Did they use the logic “anything you can do I can do better?”

Who knows? Personally, I think Microsoft beat the Apple-lovers to the punch in this scenario. What do you think?

*editing to add: “The Heist,” the album to which the single “Can’t Hold Us” belongs, came out in October 2012. I guess the music video just lagged.