I'M HERE AND HOW I SURVIVED THE BLACKOUT!!

First I'd like to THANK MICHELLE W FOR COMING TO MY RESCUE!!!! I'm going to start by saying I am not one to panic in these kinds of situations, but a couple of people I work with didn't want me to leave and not for nothing but the last place I wanted to be was in this building up on the 49th floor w/phones that were working sometimes and being incommunicado w/the world!!!! I wanted to get the heLL out of dodge and that I did.

Michelle, bless her heart, had Security call me and they were going to come up and get me by the freight elevator, but then she came running upstairs to me -- the poor thing climbed up 4 flights of stairs to tell me this -- because the freight was working, so me and my friend Lisa walked down to her floor to see what was going on. When we found out that the elevator wasn't going to be up for awhile, I wanted to leave and I wanted Michelle to come with me because I was worried about her, but she couldn't leave her co-worker who broke her foot. So, Lisa made sure I had cold compresses on my neck and plenty of water and off we went to the stairwell.

It took us about a half-hour or so to walk down the stairs and I only stopped once to go to the bathroom (not to mention the 5 times I went before we started out) before we got out of the building. Once I got out on the street, my legs started shaking, but I had to keep walking, so I just kept going. Lisa and I were going to Astoria and Joe was going to meet us over the 59th Street Bridge.

Now, I did this walk on 9/11 and granted, being 9 months preggo isn't the best of circumstances, but had to do it. Of course I can't get through to anybody on my cell phone and nobody can get through to me, so all I kept seeing was how many voicemail messages I was getting, thinking they are all from my nervous wreck of a husband. But they weren't from him, they were from his grandmother because he was calling on her on a pay phone telling her to try me and letting me know where he was!

I work on 44th & Broadway, so it took us about an hour to get to the bridge -- stopping in one building that had a/c to cool down and then in a hotel to go to the bathroom (where I stole/borrowed a towel and wet in to put around my neck). All the while Lisa is asking me if I want to stop and I'm like 'no, let's keep going'. We stopped again right before the bridge and then started the walk across. I knew it was a long walk -- took us about an hour. We stopped a few times, but I found once I stopped it was worse. After we finally get off the bridge, it was a zoo in Queens Plaza and I couldn't find Joe, so we started walking down to where I knew he was coming from. I asked some man if I could sit on the empty chair next to him and he looked at me as if I was asking for his blood! I sat for awhile and kept trying to get through to Joe, but couldn't. I happened to look to my left and there 2 blocks down was the distinctive walk of my husband walking up towards me!!!

I thought he would be a nervous wreck, but he was totally fine (until we got home, then he FREAKED out). He drove Lisa to her in-laws and we went by my parents to get my car (I had a sonogram at the hospital the next day) and see how they were doing, plus I had to pee!

I know my family was half frantic -- my MIL kept calling my sister (in Jersey, who never lost power) to find out where I was. I will have some stories to tell this little Bear Cub when he/she comes out!!!

I was just thankful it wasn't one of those days where I left work early, because I would have most definitely been stuck on a train underground!!!!

Then I was a nervous wreck about Michelle and finally got through to Steven late that night to find out she stayed overnight at work, then she called me on Friday to let me know she was fine!

Friday I was scheduled for a sonogram, but the hospital cancelled it and I was a bit nervous because the baby wasn't moving around like it normally did (poor thing was exhausted ), so I explained the situation and they had me call my dr, who told me to relax and take it easy and just go in on Monday. But then the hospital called me back and told me to come right away, they had one machine up.

Thank God, Bear Cub is just fine -- I got a good look at his/her chubby face and I started crying because I think it FINALLY hit me what the heck I had gone through! And the non-stress test was good too. I now have to go to the hospital twice a week for that because I'm full term and for a sono once a week and the dr once a week!!

This is my last week of work and I've only been able to get on my computer now! Whew, aren't you glad you asked where I was??

So Jennbaby, no I didn't get a bus!! I WALKED!!! I was laughing when I read in the paper about some 5 month pregnant woman who was carried down 27 flights -- HELLO, she has nothing on me!!!

And to top it off, after all this, I had Lamaze this weekend, so I REALLY COULDN'T GET OFF THE FLOOR!!!!! I could hardly walk all weekend!!!