Saturday, March 23, 2013

Time flies when you're pregnant/exhausted/hungry/thirsty

First things first... I got an apology phone call from that store. The woman was so disgusted with the situation that she said she had to figure out the appropriate response and had no idea how to apologize in a way that would be completely sincere. She said, "I bet offering you a gift card to our store wouldn't do much good, huh?" I told her I didn't need to be paid off, I just wanted a personal apology. So I got what I asked for and I'm OK with that. No, I don't have the intention of posting the store's name on the internet. If I hadn't received a response, I would be tagging up their Facebook page like crazy. I just don't have it in me to ruin a store's reputation because of one bad employee.

In just a few days, I will officially be in the final trimester of my pregnancy! Holy shit, where did the time go?

These are my last ultrasound photos from the beginning of March... Miss Baby D is yawning (or maybe already screaming?) on the left and smiling and dancing on the right. Geez, the end of June will be here before I know it!


I've had a great pregnancy thus far. The only problem has been that I get so sore when I am active. So the running hobby is on hiatus though I'm dying to run the Santa Rosa Half Marathon in August (this is so not happening, by the way). The swag this year is awesome and includes a bottle of wine... oh well! I WILL be signing up for the Tinkerbell Half in January. It's not just running or walking that gets me sore. I was gardening for a couple hours the other day and was completely spent. But then again, sitting the wrong way on the couch will do me in sometimes. Like the day I spent all afternoon sewing stuffed animals for the nursery, I was sorer than I was after finishing my last half marathon. But at least the stuffed animals are cute! I'm planning to make a crib mobile so I was practicing in big sizes first...


I had to go in today to take get my blood drawn as part of the 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test. The nurse looked at me as she handed me my fruit punch glucose drink and said, "Are you sure you aren't doing this too early? Usually women have to be at least 24 weeks before they get this order." That made me feel good considering the shit I went through last week. I also had a chance to chat it up with a bunch of pregnant ladies in the waiting room who were all there for the same kind of blood work. The glucose drink wasn't bad but after about 30 minutes, the baby was practicing karate moves and within 40 minutes, I was dizzy, faint, clammy, shaky, and nauseous. I had to go to the window and ask the nurse to get me water. Before she looked at my face, she told me the water fountain was down the hall. Once she took a good look at my face, she rushed down the hall to get me water. By the time my blood was drawn, I was feeling much better. Apparently, this type of reaction happens often but geez... if I had passed out BEFORE getting my blood drawn, it would give my family more reasons to make fun of me for my hospital-phobia. :)

My boss told me about a month ago, "Just wait until you start nesting!" and I couldn't help but respond with, "I think I already am!" I know nothing about the nesting process but I know that I am definitely in "decorating" mode. I bought an adorable, custom quilt for the nursery and I've already started buying other decor and obsessing over details (what colors go well with purple and grey? do I have enough room to walk over there? did I ask for enough hangers?) plus I've been bossing my husband around about cleaning the house. My husband is really great at cleaning but usually only does it when HE feels like it. I haven't just been decorating the baby's room, I've also been trying to decorate the rest of our house. I gotta take it slow so my husband can adjust to not having the white walls that he loves so much!

  

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Misadventures of a Pregnant Lady

Dear (Store Name that I'm not going to mention right now),

I am writing today to tell you about a recent experience in your Fresno, California store. I could just tell you that I am "highly dissatisfied" or that the store's customer service was lacking but I don't think that would quite cover my feelings.

I am in the sixth month of my first pregnancy and I am extremely aware of the new addition to my midsection (not to mention the additions to my thighs, arms, face, and chest). I'm desperately clinging to my pre pregnancy wardrobe and I don't want to be stuck wearing only maternity clothes. I walked into your store on Saturday because I saw a dress in the window that I instantly loved and was hopeful that it would be "the one".

The young woman at the counter gave me a once over as I asked her where the dress was on display in the store and smiled as she said, "I'm sorry but I don't think we have your size." After I asked again, she started leading me in the right direction but not before she added the additional comment, "I already told you, we don't have a size to fit your fat ass." Not only did I mention that I heard her but I also let her know that I am 6 months pregnant and that my size is none of her concern. What was her snarky response, you ask? "Well, that is no excuse to let yourself go!"

Man or woman, pregnant or not pregnant, plus sized or model thin, no retail store customer service employee has the right to judge a customer based on his or her size. It is absolutely unacceptable and uncouth. The lack of empathy that I received when I spoke to the manager of the store was equally as disturbing. I'm not a size two or a four, I'm a pregnant woman who is a respectable size 10. A size, by the way, that you do happen to carry in your store and it is not the largest size that you carry. I could have easily decided on my own whether or not my size was available on the rack. I could have easily tried on the dress and decided in the dressing room that it was cuter on the rack than on my body. It should have been my decision to make, not your employee's.

I'm pregnant with a little girl and it is treatment like this that makes me scared out of my mind to find a way to raise her to be confident with herself despite the callousness of others. How can I tell my daughter that the only opinion that matters is her own when a situation like this has caused me to question my own self confidence? Maybe before your employee opens her mouth to put down a customer, she should realize that your company profile advertises that you design and carry clothes to enhance a woman's confidence, to assist a woman in being captivating. Don't you think that her customer service focus should be based on that rather than practically turning someone away who is apparently a fat ass who has let herself go?

Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you in regards to an apology in the near future.

-----

Seriously? I should have never needed to write that email to ANYONE. But the sad truth is that I did. And do you know what? I walked into a maternity store less than an hour later and almost started crying in the dressing room because "nothing fit right" and because I "was too big for everything". I was in desperate need of shirts because the belly requires MUCH longer t-shirts. (I found this out the hard way when I realized I was flashing the top of my maternity jeans to unsuspecting coworkers) Out of desperation, I bought t-shirts and tank tops and went home cursing humanity and stuffing my face with Chipotle. When I put one of the shirts on yesterday, I was so happy with how it looked and how it fit. I should have waited to go shopping until I felt better!

It's obvious... I've totally let myself go. Oh well, Chipotle still sounds good for dinner.