Things NOT to Watch When Pregnant

1. 16 and Pregnant - Danny once walked in and thought something was terribly wrong, only to find out I was only watching the birth of a baby.

2. Wedding Shows - This will make you weep on some days, and get mad at your husband on others. "You don't do that for MEEEEEEEE." Something about pregnancy makes me even MORE high maintenance. At least I'm honest with my superior qualities.

3. Actually make that anything that might have a glance of a baby or a wedding, or any kind of sweet scene, really - I actually sobbed at the end of The Hangover (after considering leaving earlier in the movie because I feared my child could hear some of the ornery scenes).

4. The Real World - the hormones just make me angry at the kids on that show. They also make me sound like a grandma when I talk about "kids these days."

5. Ace of Cakes - apparently, even the special cakes are too sweet for me to watch without crying. Especially when a pregnant woman is involved. Duff made a Vera Bradley birthday cake for a preggo woman. I cried and Danny complained about my ridiculous-ness.

6. Saturday Morning Cartoon Commercials - you know, they kind that teach kids about teamwork and other schmoopy things? Yea, the one with the special Olympics? Cried. I might even consider avoiding Capri Sun or cereal commercials. Who knows?

In a nut shell - any and everything might make you cry. The purpose that we mommies do this is beyond me. Maybe it is to build empathy for our children who have yet to learn emotional regulation. But, trust me, they don't learn that for YEAARRRSSS. So, this "empathy" will wear off before the regulation kicks in. Maybe it is to become so hypersensitive we in turn avoid anything dangerous, but this means we must also avoid anything overly moving, nice, relevant, colorful, musical, talented, etc.
All I know is that I was never a crier before pregnancy. I will admit something for the first time now - I didn't even cry reading Where the Red Fern Grows. Go ahead, tell me I was a horrible 7th grader. So this whole "crying" thing is very new to me, very confusing for my husband, but in the end, very refreshing. I was always told by my teachers and other professionals (especially in the past 2 years) that I needed to stop laughing during serious times, crucial moments, etc. My coping mechanism has ALWAYS been humor.
Now, I think God stripped me of that mechanism, so though Capri Sun commercials aren't something to deal with, per-say, I WILL have to deal with things in life as they come. But, when dealing with ME, please give me some slack, and know that if I cry during The Hangover or Cocoa Puffs commercials, of COURSE I'm going to cry when you tell me you wish I weren't pregnant all the way in Seattle, or tell me that your dog got a haircut (I can't see that precious haircut all the way over here in Seattle.) I'm pregnant, people...and I will use that excuse for a lot of things in life for at least the next 6+ months (the hormones will continue postpartum, so forgive me for using it after the birth.) But, it is only because I love my friends and family (and their pets) and if I cry, consider it my way of telling you "I love you."