Vent to follow:
We told the in-laws on the 23rd of December. They were very excited. We also told DH's grandparents, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 1 cousin, and 2 siblings. That's like his whole "immediate" extended family......
We didn't tell my extended family as of yet b/c they're too big and talk too much!! Just the parents for now & some friends. I have about
30 FIRST cousins, 9 uncles, 10 aunts!
So we'll wait another month or so to tell all of them!
so........
I kinda flipped on my FIL about 2 days after we told him. He was PISSING me off at christmas dinner in my BIL's house. He kept bitching about the fact that my work (an international governmental organization) doesn't staff its workforce with a majority of US citizens. I was trying to explain to him that my workplace is
not allowed to b/c we're "
required" to have a mix of all cultures in certain percentages etc... and so thus have a very eclectic workforce and by default don't have a lot of staff that care about US politics b/c they're here on work visas from other countries b/c that's how we're set up as an organization...
him:
"well, if they're in the US, they should care about US politics."
me: "
why? They don't get to vote, they don't get to speak their opinions. Like me! I don't get to vote!" (I'm just a greencard holder aka landed permanent resident for another year before I can apply for citizenship).
him: "
well, you care about politics! You and DH like Obama somehow too!!" (We're the
black sheep of the family. Everyone else is a Republican and they don't like that we don't agree with them and so whenever politics comes up, they feel the need to show us the error of our hippie/misguided ways!!)
Anyway, I started getting really upset about the fact that he kept going on and on about how all these people in my company should have a stance on US politics or care about it simply b/c they live here even if they're only going to be working in the country for 2-3 years....SO I got up from the dinner table (it was really only us two left sitting at this point) and said,
me: "I can't talk about this anymore. It's really stressing me and I don't want to discuss it anymore" and then broke down and cried in the other room.
My DH went to him right after and said "why are you doing this? she's already stressed as it is!" and came to comfort me...
My FIL apologized later and said he wasn't trying to upset me and I said "it's okay"
Since then, I've been feeling guilty that maybe I over reacted.... I texted him last night saying that I'm sorry my hormones got the best of me. He responded with "Merry Christmas
)"
I usually get along with him great. But I couldn't just walk away from this discussion that we always have when it comes to politics..... DH refuses to discuss it normally with them b/c they always feel they have to convince us that we're wrong and misguided and can't take the fact that we simply don't agree and
it's okay to NOT agree on this!
sigh..
I just feel like the whole weekend and the big BFP announcement was
tainted by it b/c of all the tears I shed this weekend.
I cried another time in front of his mom. I'm just learning to drive stick (Yes, I'm 26... and on top of it, I only got my drivers license about 6 months ago!! I have always lived in a very metro-accessible city til now. We still live in a major city but the system sucks here... So as it is, I'm generally nervous about driving an automatic but at least it's easier than a manual! And "my car", which we bought off DH's sister is a manual SUV that I'm now learning to drive so it feels like I'm re-learning everything!).
Anyway, on Christmas eve, my FIL/MIL/SIL/DH all decided that I should be the one to drive in our SUV in the DARK, in an area I've never driven before, despite being WITHOUT my glasses! It's been over a month since my last "lesson" with DH and I was so nervous about the fact that I'd be driving another family member as well! I wasn't even asked, I was told. It just felt like a lot of pressure all at once and so I broke down.
So in total:
- I cried on Christmas Eve (about being pressured to drive everyone and wasn't asked, but told to; DH in the end did it and we agreed that I was too nervous to do it! I've only driven in an industrial area near our house so far & not even on the small streets in our neighborhood!!!)
- I cried on Christmas Day (when I argued with my FIL).
Bummed still.. I feel like I ruined their excitement about our pregnancy now....