Trudging along

So much to say, so little time. I realize I haven't posted in well over 10 days and wanted to let ya'll know that I'm alive and well (and so is the cheesecake). Think of this as a placeholder for a longer post later in the week. Hope all of you out there in blogland are well!

A lifetime ago...

"Someone just crashed a plane into the Twin Towers!"

"Oh, please Kate - it was probably some amateur pilot who had no idea what he/she was doing", said skeptical 24 - year old me to my somewhat loony office mate on that sunny Tuesday.

More rumblings and gossip throughout the office. I check CNN.com. The site won't load. Something is not right. People walk into the office with news from the outside world - they're saying another plane hit. I finally decide to call my boyfriend, who works in Tower 1. No answer.

Now, the Pentagon is under attack. My Midtown Manhattan office has become crazy town...people are running back and forth to the cafeteria to get the latest updates from the television. I am paralyzed, handcuffed to my desk, afraid to leave the phone. I try again. No answer. He hasn't called.

People are crying. Work has come to a halt. I have to pee, but am afraid to leave my desk. My coworker promises to pick up the line so I can take a quick run to the toilet. I want to throw up.

The buildings are falling. We were just there on Friday having a drink at the bar in the lobby, weren't we?

His parents call me from their vacation. I have no news for them. His best friend calls me from work, crying. I have no news for him. I call my mother at work, and finally lose it. People keep calling me for answers, and I have none.

People are leaving the office to get home to their families. I will not leave. Not until I have some sort of an answer.

An eternity later, the phone rings. It's him. My body completely gives out and I cry tears of joy and horrible sorrow for all that has been lost. He doesn't know the buildings fell. He jumped on a subway train right after the 2nd plane hit and was stuck riding uptown for about an hour (which felt like a lifetime). I have to give him the sad details.

A half hour later, he is at my office with me. We are trying to figure out how we will be getting home. We walk to Penn Station. Broadway is dark. Times Square is dark. I've never seen anything like this. The train ride is silent. I arrive home and fall into my mother's arms and sob.

Seven years later, Mom is retired, I work from home (after 3 more years in NYC and some jobs closer to home), and the boyfriend is now the Barron. We were engaged that December, deciding that life was too precious to wait any longer. And we are now, finally ready to welcome a baby into our lives.

I am still filled with sorrow over what happened that day. My city was forever changed, and many close to me lost so much. I never forget how fortunate I was that day and how close I came to losing a loved one as well. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those who did.

100 Days!

According to my little due date widget, there are 100 days left until my due date. Aaaaah! The freakout is setting in. There's so much to do! Oh well. At the same time, I can't wait for this kid to get here. I won't feel 100% happy until this baby has been born and is out of my body, of which I have no faith in.

Glucose test tomorrow. The orange drink stares at me from my refrigerator door....do you think I can spike it with some vodka? No? Just me? Ok.

100 more days....

Worry, worry, bother, bother

And to think I wrote about writer's block yesterday. Having some minor spotting today. No cramping, and baby is moving, but it's still unnerving. Left a message with the OB and am waiting for a call back. I hate this. Why can't any of this just be easy? My head is filled with bad thoughts right now and I'm trying to block them out. This is when working from home all alone totally sucks.

*Update*
Got an emergency appointment with the Dr. Baby is fine, heartrate is strong, cervix is closed and long. I may still see some spotting throughout the night, but it was most likely a fluke. Crisis averted for now. Phew. Thanks for the good thoughts!

Grasping at Straws

(image Copyright © 2007 Marco Alexandre de Oliveira)

I know it's been a while, and I do apologize. You see, I have writer's block. Everything has been moving along nicely, and therefore, I have nothing to bitch about. Ha. Anywho....

The cheesecake has been very active lately...kicking me on and off throughout the day. The Barron has felt it a few times as well, which is fun for him. It's really starting to become real, isn't it? I've completed my registry, and a few things have been purchased, which is exciting...I guess I should buy a dress in case a shower approaches. I got stuck in jeans and a tee shirt at my bridal shower (it was most definitely a surprise), and I refuse to let that happen again! The nursery is slowly coming along...we still need to paint trim and hang doors, but the temperature here in NY is starting to come down, so we should be able to make some nice progress in the next month or so.

I have my glucose test next Wednesday, and the orange drink is sitting on my refrigerator door staring me down on a daily basis. Not looking forward to it, but it's a fact of life, no?

Work has just been insane. I'm trying to get all of my ducks in a row and start training some of my colleagues to handle critical items for when I am "out" after the baby comes. I also think I'm finally nesting, as I feel an extreme need to get organized - which, I never am.

I'm sorry for all of the rambling...more updates after my next Dr. Visit. I'm glad to hear/see that things are going well for all my compatriots out there. Stay strong, ladies!