"Parking for Expectant Mothers"

So I just got home from the grocery store and was all riled up to write a post that would have been something to the effect of an open letter to the random dude at my fave Harris Teeter parked in one of the two spots with explicit "Parking for Expectant Mothers" signs.  I'm one of those people (even in my current state -- did I mention I'm pregnant?  For those of you who didn't know, I am!) who usually just drives into a parking lot and pulls into the first open space I see -- usually fairly far out from the store -- since I think circling to find a close spot actually wastes more time than it takes me to walk from a further spot, and hey, we can all stand to burn a few more calories by walking an extra 30 feet.

Anyway, as I'm driving into the lot, I notice it's unusually full, so it dawns on me that maybe I'll just pull up to the front and grab an "Expectant Mothers" spot.  In my 20+ weeks of pregnancy (granted, I've technically only known I was an expectant mother for like 16 weeks, but whatev), I think I've parked in one of these spots once.  Maybe twice.  Maybe.  (Pregnant women need exercise too.)  I was on the phone with my Mom at the time, so she gets a play-by-play that goes something like this: "[Interrupting whatever story she was telling] Dang, it's really crowded here...ahhhh, maybe I'll park in the good ol' 'Expectant Mothers' spot [laughter ensues on her end as she repeats this to my Dad...apparently such spots aren't common down in York]...wow, that's odd, both of them are full...WAIT A MINUTE...there's some random DUDE parked in one of the spots loading groceries into his trunk!  And he's by himself!  No expectant mother with him!  No expectant mother sitting in the car!  What the...?!?!" 

So I keep driving (he had a full cart of groceries and there was no way I was gonna wait for him to finish...see above re: wasting time in parking lots).  Those who know my Mom may or may not be surprised to hear that her response was something like this: "I think you need to park your car and then go give him a piece of your mind!"  This from the woman who, when seeing someone throw trash out of their car window, would FOLLOW them for miles until they pulled into their house, a store, etc. to tell them of the evils of littering.  Seriously, that is one of my earliest memories of my Mom.  Fortunately, my Dad put a stop to that years ago when he warned her of the evils of pissing off rednecks annoying a certain segment of southerners who, among other things, think the side of the road is a trash receptacle  (trying to clean up my language before this child gets here).

The whole time I was in the grocery store, I was wondering what exactly goes through the mind of a 50-year-old guy who decides to park in an "Expectant Mothers" parking spot (should I blame this on my hormones?  I'm acting completely rational, right?).  Does he think pregnant women get too much special treatment, like a certain male co-worker of mine who thinks maternity leave is a vacation?  As in, "Gee, Kate, I really wish I had a 3-month vacation coming up."  This is the same co-worker who, whenever he sees me eating (i.e. .lunch or a snack at my desk) loves to stick his head in my office and say "remember, pregnancy is not an excuse to eat whatever the heck you want."  This happens roughly 2-3 times per week.  But don't worry, I grew up with two brothers, so I generally tell him to MYOB and get back to work.

So I tried to give the guy the benefit of the doubt...maybe he thinks pregnant women need to be getting more exercise.  Perhaps, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to me, and that's not really for him to decide anyway ("I'll show those lazy pregnant women...I'll just take the expectant mothers spot, then they'll be forced to get some extra exercise by parking further out!").

I've come up with all kinds of other excuses for the guy, including that pregnant man story, the possibility of him being handicapped (but there were 4 open handicapped spots...and he didn't seem to have any trouble walking), and the possibilty that maybe he couldn't read the sign (but that makes me worry about his ability to be driving in general).  Am I missing any other options?

Anyway, maybe no one else finds this as interesting as I did (Russ thought I was a little crazy when I walked in the door still a bit riled up an hour later), but I'm pregnant, and  it's my blog. 

Speaking of the blog, which is supposed to be more about recipes than parking lot drama, I'm working on one for this week that could climb to the top of my list of all-time faves if it turns out well.  So hopefully it won't be another four months before you hear from me again.

The pregnancy is going well...I was feeling pretty sick for the first trimester, and the only cooking I did was putting Eggos in the toaster and/or fixing a bowl of cereal.  I also had some crazy food aversions (the thought of a hamburger, much less seeing one, just about sent me over the edge).  Baby hormones are so strange.  But I'm now feeling great and we're all excited (and if you've noticed that the economy seems to be improving, you can thank the two grandmothers-to-be who have already purchased enough clothing for this child to get him through his freshman year of college).  Oh, and it's a BOY!

New recipe hopefully on the way soon...

Comments

[lannie]

Oh Kate, congratulations! I did say you were moving away from California to make babies.

Wishing you the best,
Lannie

[Mom]

That has got to go in the baby book!!!!!!

[The Voice of Reason]

Here's a scenario for you (and a good reason not to tell people off without knowing the full story):

The guy just had a hernia operation, so he's not supposed to walk very far and not supposed to lift anything heavier than 5 lbs. This explains why he had a someone from the store helping him with his groceries. When he got to the store, all of the handicap spots were taken (and he didn't have a sticker anyway, since it was just surgery and not a permanent disability).

And since he went to the store to do the shopping for his daughter who just gave birth, he thought maybe he could park there without someone writing a blog post about it.

[I might be pregnant and crazy, but I'm still a lawyer too...]

If he is "not supposed to walk very far," how did he manage to walk up and down the aisles of a grocery store to load up an entire cart full of groceries? Or shall we assume he had some store employee going up and down the aisles with his list in hand while he waited up by the cash registers?

[Krista]

Congratulations Kate on your pregnancy! Your recipes are great and I'm going to share your blog with one of my coworkers who eats low carb.
When are you due?
Take care,
Krista Prorok (in Atlanta, and formerly from Rock Hill.

[Miss Viv]

I miss you, your way with words and your witty blog!

[Discount Oakley Sunglasses]

Anindescribable joyousness andpretended efforts. "After all," I said to myself

[new era hats]

Thanks for your sharing,great information ! I am looking forward for your next post.