Pregnancy Milestone du Jour: First time a stranger has ever shown deference to me because of wee Bizzleburp. I was out at a tourist site with my husband and in-laws yesterday, and my mother-in-law and I both had to do the chick thing: find the restroom! Some things are universal: the line at the ladies' room is always longer. But the attendants noticed my belly and let me jump ahead to use the "family" restroom. Somebody in front of me tried to protest, but the restroom lady said, "that room is especially for people like her!" and ushered me in. Whoa.
Behind the Rusted Iron Curtain, folks in "service sector" jobs are historically not known for initiative and customer service; nevertheless, there is a quaint kind of chivalry that endures: men will hold doors for women, oftentimes my male co-workers will offer to carry things for me (even when I insist that the packages are not heavy), and anybody over the age of 65 is treated with a certain amount of respect because most folks just assume that you're lucky to be alive past that age around here. (Hey, if you weren't killed in WWII or purged sometime afterwards, and haven't drunk yourself to death, you've lead a charmed life.) Back home, I wouldn't necessarily expect someone to offer me his seat on the bus just because of the Biz. My peers who have gone through pregnancies lately in this town have mixed reviews of others' manners concerning Women In A Delicate Condition. So to be told, "Come here sweetie, you're next," around here kind of throws me for a loop: it's a pleasant surprise, but still a surprise.