Buddha Belly

I officially got my first "belly rub" of this pregnancy.  I'm still at the point where I almost forget that I definitely look pregnant because I just feel chubby, so it caught me off guard a bit.  I was walking down the hall at church, and had to stop at one point because of the people in front of me, and a friend reached over and started rubbing my belly.  I looked up at her, kind of surprised, and I think she thought I was angry.  She started to apologize really quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't ask if that was ok."  I laughed and told her I didn't mind.  I'm a pretty touchy-feely person, so it doesn't generally bother me when people I know touch my pregnant tummy.  I do, however, find it rather annoying and at times even a little creepy when strangers do it. 

That was particularly weird to me in Hawaii.  It was my first pregnancy for one thing, so the whole random belly touching took some getting used to.  But when I'd go out in public (and by "public" I mean away from campus, since I knew most people there by sight, if not by name), the worst offenders were older Japanese and Korean women.  I thought that was particularly odd, coming from a culture where formality was highly valued and physical affection somewhat limited. 

But the worst one is men.  Now, most men aren't big belly touchers, unless the belly contains their own offspring.  But I have been downright rude the few times a man I didn't know tried to rub my belly.  Guys, this is just weird.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a very affectionate person and frequently hug men other than my husband, occasionally even pecking a close friend on the cheek.  But unless you know someone very well it is just creepy and weird for a guy to touch a woman's belly, even if there is a baby in it!