Michael loved the idea of being an older brother. He loved watching his mother's stomach grow. Despite only being five-years-old and not knowing what pregnancy was, he knew that he had a little brother or sister inside of his mother's stomach. He was always wanting to touch her stomach and feel the baby kick, even if it wasn't kicking. Sometimes, however, he would want to touch her stomach at the worst times. Like at a grocery story.
"Mommy, I want to feel the baby kick," he said from inside of the cart Madeline was pushing. She was just getting into line to check out, but she wasn't in the mood to have Michael's little hands prodding at her seven month baby bump.
"You can feel the baby kick when we get home, sweetheart," Madeline said as she pushed her cart into the line and stopped when the person before her did. Michael was very stubborn, so when he didn't get what he wanted, he put up a fight like any five-year-old would - by having a meltdown. Madeline sighed when she noticed the telltale signs of one of Michael's famous meltdowns. "Okay," she said, giving in, as she walked to the side of the cart so Michael could rest a hand on her protruding stomach. She didn't want to deal with a crying Michael at that moment, so she obliged to allowing him to rub her stomach. He immediately rested a hand on her stomach and softly started to rub it, a smile appearing on his face. The woman behind Madeline, who also happened to be pregnant, started to laugh. Madeline looked over at her and also laughed.
"Kids, right?" Madeline said to the woman. That's when she rested a hand on the opposite side of her stomach of Michael's hand.
"He's adorable," the woman replied. She then zeroed in on Madeline's stomach. "How far along are you?" she asked.
"Seven months," Madeline replied. She was happy that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. It was hard being so pregnant with a five-year-old, especially if said five-year-old always wanted to talk to his little brother. The girl was clearly surprised at how big Madeline was, especially for being seven months. Sure, most women were that big when they were as far along as Madeline was, but it still surprised her. Madeline noticed the surprise on her face, immediately knowing the cause of it. "This is my second pregnancy, honey," she said as she smiled sympathetically at the woman. The other woman just looked at Madeline a little sheepishly. Just then, Michael interrupted them.
"I can't feel him moving," he said. He started poking Madeline's stomach to get a reaction from the unborn baby. Madeline looked down at the boy in the cart, not surprised that Michael was already trying to get a reaction from his unborn sibling.
"The baby's probably sleeping, Michael," Madeline said. Michael looked up at his mother. He was going to try everything in his power to feel the baby move. The young woman laughed again. Madeline looked over at the young woman and also laughed.
"I'm sure he's just as excited as you are to get that baby out," the young woman said. Madeline nodded her head and laughed once more.
"Yeah, he's already so protective," Madeline said. That's when she put both of her hands back on her stomach and softly started to rub her baby bump.
"You're one of those women that look good pregnant," the woman said. Madeline didn't think she looked good at all pregnant. She felt uncomfortable, her ankles were swollen and she always had to pee.
"I definitely don't feel it," Madeline said. The woman looked over at Madeline curiously. "When you get into the later months, you get really uncomfortable," she said. "And this one doesn't help by always poking my stomach," she added as she nodded her head towards Michael, who was still rubbing Madeline's stomach. The woman laughed as she looked down at her four-month-pregnant baby bump. She also started to rub her stomach. Just then, the person before her finished checking out, which allowed Madeline to move forward. "It was nice meeting you, honey," she said once more to the woman and then proceeded to check out. When she finished, she took the groceries and Michael home, allowing him to feel the baby move for the rest of the day.