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Life After the Storm a JOVAN story

Chapter 12     Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Four weeks later and we still have not told our family that I am pregnant.  I wanted to wait until after the first trimester or twelve weeks before letting anyone else know. John was bursting at the seams wanting to yell it from the rooftops but he went along with my wishes.  The morning sickness finally stopped this week and I was so grateful for the relief.  If any foods or smells even gave me a hint of making me sick I would eliminate it and unfortunately that included John’s aftershave. He gave it up without any hesitation and I thanked him in such a nice way.  After that ‘thank you’ he asked if there was anything else I wanted him to give up.  I told him ‘no’ and suggested that he not take this thankful mood as happening all of the time.

The weekend was coming up and we were both looking forward to a little down time.  As always we were busy at work and because we were so good at our jobs we were in heavy demand.  For me I was asked repeatedly to consult on court cases and for John he was asked to review other cases for and with other agents.  

Since we found out about the pregnancy I took to playing my classical music more often so that the babies could gain an appreciation of it and to read to them as often as possible.  John had his own routine.  Each night, when we’re in bed, he will put his head on a pillow next to my belly and read to the baby.  Some short stories and some long, some nursery stories, and others that he makes up on the spur of the moment but he will talk or read to them for at least a half and hour.  One night I fell asleep while he was reading to ‘my belly’ and later woke to go the bathroom and John was where I left him but he was asleep.  It was so cute.

Finally John couldn’t take it anymore and insisted that we call our mothers and tell them about the pregnancy. I caved in and at 14 weeks of the pregnancy we call our mothers.  I wanted to put them on a conference call so that they would here it at the same time and one wouldn’t feel slighted because we told one before we told the other, so we did.  I set up the Skype video for a conference call video session and called our mothers.

“Hi Mom, Hi Mrs. Williamson, we have some news for you two.”

“You’re pregnant!” they said at the exact same time.

“Yes we are! How did you know?”

“John you are so unobservant and you used to be a detective.  Look at Evangeline, she’s practically out of her seat with excitement and her eyes are sparkling and she is glowing like a neon light.”

John turned and looked at Evangeline he saw all that his mother described.  How he not seen this? She was always beautiful to him but now looking at her he saw just how exquisite she is.  

“I see what you mean Mom, thanks for bringing it to my attention.  So what do you think of our news?”

“Lisa, please forgive my son he can be a little slow sometimes.  I think that he fell on his head too many times when he was little.  What do we think of the news he asks as if he has to ask?  This is fantastic!

“Evangeline baby you’re not saying anything.  Are you all right?”

“Yes Mom I’m all right I guess that it just hit me that this is all real.  Before we told you it was just John and I in this little world of our baby and ours.  But now that we’ve told you two it now seems so more real if that makes sense.”

“Yes it makes sense Evangeline.  Just the thought of having a baby can be overwhelming but don’t worry Eve and I will help you with this.  We may be older but we can remember some things about being pregnant. It’s an individual experience but some things are common place.”

“That’s right Lisa.  Evangeline you can call me anytime.”

“What about me whom can I call?

“John you can call me too son.  I’m your mother and I will help you through this.  I can tell you what your Dad did when I was pregnant with you and Michael.  That will give you a good laugh if nothing else.”

“Thanks Mom I appreciate that.”

“Evangeline, maybe you and I and Eve can go shopping for baby furniture and clothes. Eve we can make a weekend of it. What do you say?”

“Give me a few more weeks Mom and that way Eve can check her schedule but I would love for you two to come and help me.”

“That sounds like a great idea Lisa.  Let me check my schedule and you and I can talk and then you can finalize things with Evangeline.  John I hope that you don’t feel left out of all of this, you can join us for the shopping too if you want.”

“No Mom, that’s all right.  I don’t need to go shopping with you three.  Evangeline and I will go looking for nursery furniture together though. I would like to be part of that shopping.”

“Oh John that is so sweet.  There is hope for you yet son-in-law.”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, mother-in-law.”

“All right you two I think that it’s time to end this video session.  Mom and Mom we will talk with you again soon.  Thanks for everything.  We love you. Goodbye.”

I ended the video session and went and sat on John’s lap.  I put my head on this neck and he held me.

“Are you okay? Was that too much for you, telling our mothers?”

“No, just the opposite.  It was like I said this now seems so real.  Before when just the two of us knew it was like a dream but now it feels real and I am so happy that it’s not a dream because I want us to have this baby and be a family.”

“Me too, me too.  Do you want to call anyone else tonight?”

“Yes I do. I want to tell everyone I know. I want to shout it from the rooftops!”

“That was my idea all along but we won’t do that.  How about I call my brother Michael and you call your sister Layla and your friends Nora and Todd.”

“You have friends too.  Won’t you call Bo or Antonio?”

“Are you all right with me telling them?  You know once we tell them all of Llanview will know.”

“I don’t care. This is wonderful news and I don’t care who knows.”

Okay let’s do it.”

We both made our calls and the responses were the same from each person,

‘CONGRATULATIONS!!!!’

After we finished the calls we showered and went through our nightly routine and went to bed.

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Two months later Evangeline and I are at home sitting on the sofa relaxing.  She has started to show yet and has a little pudgy belly.   I would never tell her that I described her like that but she does.  She’s sitting reading a book and I decide to lay my head on her lap.  She then uses my head to prop her book.  I turn toward her belly so her book doesn’t poke my eye and felt something move on her belly.  I put my hand where I felt the movement and I felt something move under my hand.

“Evangeline did you feel that?”

“Yes I did but that was a strong movement.  I’ve felt movement before but not as pronounced as that.”

“What does it feel like?”

“I can’t describe it but when I put my hand on it and it moves it’s just marvelous!”

I lift up her blouse and look at her belly.  I can clearly see something move under her skin. I am mesmerized.  I put my hand on it again and it seemed to push against my hand.  I have found a new hobby.  

I look down at John and he looks so cute playing with my belly. The baby moves against John’s hand almost as if trying to reach out to this father.  He/she doesn’t have to reach out to me because I’m here all of the time but watching John touching my belly and in effect touching our child just fills me with so much love for him and this baby.  But even with all of that love it is getting a bit tiring because now John continues to press my belly trying to get a reaction from the baby.

“John that’s enough.  After a while it is not such fun any more.  Let’s do this again some other time.  Let me finish my book. I want to take a nap.”

“Okay Evangeline I don’t want to tire you out and just tell me if anything I do is uncomfortable.  I’m on the outside looking in and I don’t know what hurts you and what doesn’t.  Just tell me.  You won’t hurt my feelings.”

“I will do that John.  It’s doesn’t hurt but it can feel a bit uncomfortable.  He/she will only get bigger and we have more months to enjoy their movements. We don’t have to do it all in one day.”

“Understood. I will go and cook dinner while you sit here and finish your book.  You can eat after your nap.”

“Thank you I will.”

Now in my eighth month I feel huge.  I now waddle wherever I go.  I can’t wear my 3-inch heels anymore and my appetite is out of whack. But with all that I am still one of the best-dressed women in the office and my work productivity has not decreased.  The baby is fine and I’m due in a month.  My mother and mother-in-law and I did go shopping together and they both attended the baby shower given by my office mates and local friends.  We racked up with baby stuff and tons of gift cards.  Layla and Nora even came to town for the baby shower.  Todd not to be outdone opened up a bank account for ‘baby McBain’ to use for whatever.

John has had many an opportunity to play with my belly these last few months and he has been a ‘happy camper’.  I feel so blessed and am looking forward to the arrival of my little one.  Neither of us wanted to know the sex of the child.  We wanted to have that surprise for ourselves.