Fran's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 9/11/00 -------------------- 6/14/00 6/6/00 5/16/00 5/1/00 4/25/00 4/7/00 3/28/00 3/21/00 -------------------- Fran's Introduction

Introduction

I am so sorry I haven't written all summer. We've had a busy one to say the least. I'm sure all of you have forgotten all about me!

The biggest thing to happen this summer was Jessie's traveling around looking at colleges. She drove to the East Coast (we live in Pittsburgh, Pa.) and took a few days to look at Boston University, Boston College, Wesleyan, Rutgers, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel and Temple. She really liked Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania. For how much the tuition is, she better like them!

She went on a second trip and looked at Villanova, Haverford College, Penn State and Dickinson. She liked Villanova best out of that bunch and was overwhelmed by the hugeness of Penn State. I asked her how she thinks we can pay for such schools, and she just said that if she's accepted, she'll find a way to go there. I've been stressing about it since I KNOW we can't afford it! Her dad is supposed to pay for her college tuition per our divorce agreement and I KNOW he doesn't have that kind of money either. Oh well, if there's a will there's a way... and Jessie will find it! I can't help it though, I still worry about it.

School started last week. Yay, yay and double yay! It's so nice and quiet around here without all the music blasting and televisions going. Even though I still have two toddlers here it's surprisingly quiet. Jessie is in cross country and Allie is in the band so they are still busy.

Jessie was too late in getting to the school on the day they were selling parking permits and didn't get one. So, she's stuck riding the bus or hitching rides with friends, which was not what she had in mind for her senior year. She still might get a permit since they are making some more available in a couple weeks. She was so desperate for a permit that she scanned a friend's into our computer and made her own to try and cheat, but I got to her good conscience and talked her out of using it. She really is a good person at heart.

The other big news is that I'm expecting another baby in December! I'm in my 26th week right now. When I told the children, Jessie just couldn't believe it and Allie just rolled her eyes and called us rabbits (this will be my third baby in three years). This will be my sixth and final child! Due to my age -- 38 -- and the fact that they found some minor flags indicating the baby might have Down’s syndrome, I had an amniocentesis, which showed the baby is normal and a boy. We are excited about this since I already have four girls and only one boy -- so Danny, age 2, will have a brother. The rest of the children are excited now and two of them want to be in the delivery room with me.

Allie attended the last birth and videotaped everything right after the birth -- because the battery wasn't on and she was about to miss the birth -- and she wants to do that again. Now, 9-year-old Emily wants to be there, too. I'm worried that she's too young.

That about updates us! I'll try and be more diligent now that I have more time and am on the computer more!

Fran