Comparing Bellies

Something I never really do is compare myself to other women. Yes, when I was a young teen I would look at cute girls and think "Am I cuter than her? Skinnier? Better hair? More popular?" Teen girls do a quick evaluation of each other when meeting that settles in their own minds who has the status and who doesn't. But when you get older, you just don't care anymore. You know where you think your value lies, and mine generally has been in my brain, not my body. (Although it's pretty easy to say that when you also are comfortable with how you look, when those years of quick comparisons made you think you were doing okay there.)

But now, I've noticed a new trend. It's a little like when you buy a VW bug; all of a sudden, VW bugs are everywhere, and you can't help but notice them. What do THEY put in their little flower vase on the dash? Is it better than what you have there?

Suddenly, there are pregnant bellies everywhere. Granted, part of this is before pregnancy I didn't exactly hang out in Babies R Us. But still. Bellies... I'm surrounded by preggie bellies.

I tend to do a quick glance at a woman's belly nowadays to see if it's pregnant. Is she wearing loose sweatpants & a big top because she's pregnant or has she just enjoyed a large meal of pasta and all you can eat salad? If it's pregnancy, I look to see how far along I think she is. Is her belly bigger than mine? Do I think she's further along than me? (Usually, yes. Cause I'm much bigger than most women at my phase cause of the twofer.) I imagine what it's going to be like when I'm actually huge. Because eventually, other women will look at my belly and say "JEEZ! Look at the size of that thing!" (And, incidentally, this isn't a rant about me feeling fat, or bad about my belly. I love my belly. It's perfect, and round, and I am a Goddess. All hail me. Seriously. Where are my sacrifices?)

I said to Andrew that I imagine it's a little like how men might behave in a locker room. You know, I'm sure you're not all staring at each other's packages, but as Andrew said, "If some guy is really huge, you can't help but notice."

I kind of like to wear tight shirts so that one can see the perfectly round bulge of belly. Put on a loose shirt and you might just think I haven't been working out. (Nah. I think nowadays it's pretty obvious, but for a while there, there could have been some debate.)

I remember in the most recent film version of Little Women there's a scene where Jo (played by the lovely Winona Ryder) comes home to find Meg pregnant, and visibly so. She says, astounded by her sister's silence on the matter "Why didn't you tell me?" and Meg* replies, oh so modestly, "One doesn't talk of such things." Well I like talking of such things.

Got belly? Bring it. I got belly too. And I betcha mine's bigger. **

*And incidentally, Meg has boy/girl twins too, Demi & Desi. Funny, now that I think of it, that she came to mind just there.

**Also, a blogger tip from me to you. The blogger post button tried desperately to eat and delete this post. But before I push that "publish" button, I always do a "copy" of the entire post to my clipboard. Then, if and when the blogger gnomes try to eat my lovely post, I have it saved elsewhere too. If you don't trust your copy clipboard enough, try posting it into an email draft. Cause few things suck more than trying to recapture the tone and exact words of a good post.