September 2001

Ok, I really must get better about this - I wrote the August entry in September and here I am writing the September entry in October!

September 1-3 (13w1d-13w3d): Labor Day weekend! We went home to PA this weekend to see my family and go to my brother Brian's soccer tournament. It was a very good relaxing weekend filled with lots of family time and good food. My grandparents came down too which was great. And then my mom, grandmother and I went maternity clothes shopping at the Bon-Ton! That was a lot of fun - trying on these huge clothes, but it was scary knowing they would soon fit :-) My mother and grandmother were very sweet and bought w\me a bunch of great items to get me started on the maternity wardrobe. The only problem was pants - it's very hard to find petite length maternity. So in the meantime I bought some elastic waist pants to get me through this awkward period.

September 4 (13w4d): Well today I called in sick to work because all last night and today I have had the worst headache of my life. I couldn't even sleep, which if you know me means this was really bad - I can always sleep! But I had my OB appointment at 4:30 so Michael came home and we went together. I was so excited and nervous to hear the heartbeat! And this was our first meeting with the OB so I was nervous about that, hoping I'd like her, etc.

Everything was fine! We heard the heartbeat (wop wop wop wop wop) and I loved the doctor, she was kind and matter of fact - a very good combination. So now I am very relieved - I have been so worried since we didn't hear the heartbeat at the last appointment, even though rationally I knew it was too early. It truly is the best sound! Well, not everything was fine - I have gained 10 pounds and my doctor gave me strict only a pound a week form here on out.

September 5 (13w5d): Well my secret is out at work - sort of. Edna guessed I was pregnant because I never get headaches, at least not ones bad enough to prevent me from working! I am so glad she knows, it's been so hard keeping it a secret. But I'm waiting to tell everyone else until I tell my boss since it's such a small office.

September 9 (14w2d): Had brunch on Newbury Street today with my Aunt Sharry and cousins Bonny and Mary Rita - brunch was delicious and we had a great time shopping as well. I told them the big news and they were all excited so that was lots of fun. They even convinced me to go into Baby Gap - not that I needed much convincing!

September 11 (14w4d): Unbelievable - the World Trade Center is destroyed, the Pentagon attacked, planes hijacked, terrorists all over our country. Things will never be the same again. We spent all morning at work trying to get news, listening to the radio, trying to get TV reception. I ended up leaving early to go home and watch the news there. The world is glued to the television. It's impossible to believe the images we're seeing. My poor baby, what a world it's being born into.

September 13 (14w6d): Chaos still reigns in the world. Logan airport is shut down indefinitely. Our friends Therese and Matt were supposed to come to Boston tomorrow but now aren't coming because the airport is shut and no one wants to fly. I don't blame them at all - I am scared to fly to LA in two weeks, and am seriously considering not going. But I'm sad they won't make it for the weekend I was so looking forward to seeing them and their 18-month old son Matthew. And to tell Therese that I am pregnant! But I told her over the phone and we had a great talk- lots of good advice!

Tonight we went to Cirque du Soleil with Carrie and her new boyfriend Chris. Had the best restaurant meal I have had in a long long time at this restaurant in Charlestown called Tangierino. It was Moroccan and I had the best lemon chicken served over french fries with green olives - it sounds weird but it was delicious. I must be pregnant since I am obsessed with food lately!

September 15-16 (15w1d-15w2d): Watched the news most of the weekend.

September 17 (15w3d): Well I told work today about my pregnancy. I was so nervous how my boss would take the news, but she was great and very happy for Mike and I. I am just so relieved its all out in the open now!

September 22 (16w1d): All sorts of weird rumors and news reports flying around that Boston may be a target of terrorism this weekend. I am rather freaked out since I need to be in the heart of downtown Saturday for my first ESL class of the semester. So Michael, wonderful husband that he is, drove me into the city so I wouldn't have to take the T, and then he hang out at the coffee shop across the street until my class was over. What a guy!

September 23 (16w2d): Went shopping with Bonny at Target today so she could get some stuff for her new apartment in NYC where she's moving in 2 weeks. And thankfully I found a pair of black capri maternity pants on clearance for $8! I am so happy, I can't tell you how comfortable these pants are - I have been completely bursting out of my pants lately - not fun.

September 24 (16w3d): Sushi tonight with Pam and Trang - most books say no sushi for pregnant women but I just had the California roll and cucumber rolls, that should be OK :-)

I had a coupon that expired at the end of September so I went ahead and ordered the baby's crib bedding - it's a gender neutral pattern and perfect for Mike and my baby - it's a Hey Diddle Diddle theme. I loved it the first time I saw it on the internet and at this price I couldn't pass it up. Here's a picture.

September 25 (16w4d): Well we had the ultrasound today - click here for pictures! The baby looks good - and we got to see its heart beating and its little hands and feet. It was pretty amazing to see, and sort of strange to see this moving thing on the screen yet not be able to feel it inside of me yet. The ultrasound, while not a perfect indicator, showed a healthy baby so that has eased our minds somewhat. The baby is measuring correctly though the machine calculated my due date as the 9th rather than the 8th, but there is no real point to change it. Especially since it has an error of plus/minus 8 days. And Michael is so excited - it's really neat to see. I think this really made it hit home for him. He took the pictures to work so he could scan them in and send them to everyone :-)

And no, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl!

September 29 (17w1d): Went to a farm out in Carlisle with Deb, Erik and Michelle this afternoon. It was a lot of fun, especially the hungry pig! It was baby and dog central though - poor Maverick would have loved it. Though I must say the best part was the stop at Kimball's ice cream on the way home - yum! I need the calcium for the baby right? :-)

September 30 (17w2d): Michael and I made our first big baby shopping foray today. First we feasted on homemade waffles and then we were off. We hit Boston Baby first - I figured, start with the high end stuff and go from there. The furniture was beautiful, but the prices were crazy. We had a lot of fun walking around the store and playing with the cribs and strollers. Michael is way more into this than I thought he would be which is great. Next we hit Babies-R-Us and the Baby Depot, the quality here wasn't as great but the prices weren't really all that different - I'd rather pay an extra $100 for a better crib. Next we stopped at Barnes and Nobles to get the Baby Bargains book to help us save money on this adventure and also some name books since we are hopelessly lost when it comes to a boys name! Then tot he Baby furniture warehouse - I honestly don't know if the prices were any better, my head was spinning! But we'll be back to check it out again I am sure. For a little baby, they sure need a lot of stuff!