The blessed event will be in late April
October 9
God bless the country! Birds and squirrels don’t gawk. Maybe it’s all my imagination but I’m certainly learning what it means to be the “cynosure of all eyes” . Yesterday a woman got up to give me her seat in a crowded restaurant. I thanked her politely and to hell with the effort it cost me!
October 12
A pal of Pat’s–one, Ruppel-was here with his two boys for the weekend. I walked with them, skipped with them, even kicked a football around with them just to fool their dad.
After dinner we were sitting cosily with a scotch and soda, when Ruppel observed, “Friend of mine saw you in Lane Bryant’s yesterday-congratulations!”
Face, throat, even my ears were crimson. I’ve never been so furious…
October 14
Those dear little dresses arrived today and maybe it’s just as well, for even the Reiners’ scale-conservatively set six minutes slow - admits 117. I hate to think what the doctor’s scale would reveal. I also got around to those long-avoided measure,ments. How times have changed! Waist, 27 inches; Stomach, 34 inches; Hips, 40 inches; Bust, 34ΒΌ inches.
October 15
Braved New York again this nice cool day to buy some baby’s things. Peggy gave me a list of necessities for the “little stranger”, as the baby department clerks insist on calling him, and I added others from my volume on “Infant Care”. My idea was to go about the whole business very eB1J ciently, list in hand and clerk at the other elbow. But it didn’t work that way at all. What is this unaccustomed shyness that confounds me at odd moments? I got to the store all right and started picking out the “little things” (everything in blue, of course); but when a clerk arrived I meekly handed her the things and said: “Wrap them as a gift, please, and send them.” And I gave my own name and address.
So instead of buying everything in one store, I ended buying “gifts” in ten. I wonder if they thought it queer my buying three dozen diapers “wrapped as a gift”.
October 17
Businesslike, that’s me. This morning’s second breakfast put the idea in my head, and when I got on the bathroom scale, when I caught a glimpse of myself in those full length mirrors, when I looked at the W.P.B. chart-that settled it. Besides, I’m only gypping myself. Look at the price of hand-knit sweaters! And blankets! And everything! It’s time my family began to share the joys of motherhood.
So I wrote:
“Dear Muz: Sorry I haven’t written, but I’ve been so busy rushing around I just haven’t had the time. Look-Connecticut is at its best in the Fall so I’ve decided not to come to Chicago. Instead, you come here and see the lovely golden trees and our beauteous swimming pool. Anyway, the rest will be good for you. You’ll need it, for, Snooks, get out the knitting needles-you’re going to be a grandmother.”
Then I added a whopping lie: “The blessed event will be in late April.” That will keep them from fussing and worrying around the first, and I won’t let anyone tell them until I call from the hospital and break the news myself.