A sensitive subject with many a pregnant women is touching of the belly. Some women don’t care, others do, but most people seem to think it’s okay to reach for a pregnant woman’s belly.

A co-worker actually wrote a pretty humorous column about touching/staring at the the belly. (You can read it here if you like). I will admit that I am guilty of (trying not to) stare at pregnant lady’s bumps. But not once, EVER, did I reach out to touch them. NEVER. Nor would I ask “How far along are you?” unless I knew the person and knew for a fact that they were expecting. In fact, I don’t think I ever touched someone else’s baby bump other than my BFF’s a couple years ago when she was pregnant with her daughter. And since then? No one’s. It’s awkward for me.

There’s something about going into that much of someone’s personal space bubble that really freaks me out. Once, while I was still working at Job #1, a customer looked at me, noticed my ear lobes were stretched, and proceeded to try and stick her finger through one of them. I’m not even joking. And did I know this lady? Nope – never seen her before in my life.

Needless to say, I’m not down with people I don’t know touching my ever-growing baby bump. Friends: Okay. Family: Duh. Co-Workers: Only If we’ve actually talked for more than 5 minutes about non-work related things. Strangers? Hell no. In my co-worker’s column she actually had mentioned that the best way to drive the point home to people touching the tummy is to rub theirs back. While I’ll probably never do it, it’s an interesting point. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t make it okay to tummy rubs. Like strange dogs, you don’t go up and pet them because you don’t know how they’ll react. Will they accept it or want more, or will they bite your hand off?

The point is, you should always ask if it’s okay to touch a pregnant woman’s stomach before you reach out and molest it. Just because I like to rest my hand on it and rub it doesn’t mean you can too.

I shall now turn you to your regular pregnancy update programming:

How far along? 22 Weeks!

How big is baby? Almost 1lb, and nearly 11″ long from crown to heel, according to BabyCentre.ca.

Total weight gain/loss: I really have no idea, but probably a couple pounds or so. I’ve really contemplated buying a digital bathroom scale to keep track, but I still don’t like the idea of having a scale in my house.

Maternity Clothes? I went shopping on Saturday with my mom in search of a pair of jeans, but only if they were on sale! I scored a great pair of maternity jeans AND a pair of pants for work for $45 – a steal considering a pair of maternity jeans alone is normally $60! I really need to start investing in shirts though, since some of my current ones are starting to “tent” out at the bottom.

Stretch marks? Still none – Yay!

Sleep: I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night sweating to death, it’s horrid. I never feel warm, but I’m just dripping. I hate sleeping with no covers on my just as much as I hate sleeping naked, so who knows what I’ll do.

Movement: Lots of movement after I eat or if I’m resting/sitting upright. They say when you’re moving you’re essentially rocking the baby to sleep, so when you stop they wonder what the hell is going on and protest, lol.

Food cravings: The other night I really, really, wanted a piece of apple pie with ice cream. That thankfully passed. I really actually want some waffles in a bad way, and not just Eggos. Kyle seems to think that Eggos are an acceptable form of waffle. No. No they are not.

What I miss: Being able to get up off the couch without some kind of leverage. I’m like a turtle on its back when I sit down, and it’s only going to get SO much worse from here.

What I am looking forward to: Painting Baby I’s room! I went and bought the paint on Saturday, so during the first weekend of March my mom and I are going to get painting.

Milestones: Not much, really. We’re still waiting for our stroller to come back into stock (which better be less than 4 months from now), and we’ve yet to find a crib we like. Other than that, it’s the same ol’ same ol’! Baby I does have a good, strong heartbeat, which is always amazing to hear, and my ultrasounds all came back clear. Woo!

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What’s your stance on “touching?”