Over the course of the week, the word spread about Jamie and Landon's baby.
Reverend Sullivan and Cynthia told many people from the church, and Landon
called Eric and Belinda to let them know. By the following Sunday at
church, people were congratulating them left and right.
As October faded into November, the weather got chillier. Even so, on clear nights, Jamie and Landon would sit out on the balcony, watching the stars. They would sit wrapped in blankets or bundled in coats, talking about their baby as they gazed up at the beautiful display in the darkened fall sky.
The month pressed on. Thanksgiving that year was celebrated at Cynthia's house; everyone had to agree they certainly had more than plenty to be thankful for.
Pretty soon, November gave way to December. Jamie reached her third month, and by now, she had just the smallest bit of a belly. A couple of weeks into the month, she and Landon went for her first ultrasound.
It was a cold morning, the sun constantly trying to emerge from behind the clouds. After getting ready, they anxiously headed over to the hospital. Once they were in the ultrasound room, the ultrasound tech had Jamie lie down on the bed and pull her shirt away from her stomach. Then she squeezed some goopy gel onto it, and picked up the wand. She began to press it into and run it over Jamie's stomach, trying to pick up a heartbeat, as Landon stood by Jamie, stroking her hair. "Now, look here," the tech said, pointing to the screen of the computer that was nearby. "That's your baby." She smiled. Both of them looked, and could make out the image of a small object in the center, and in the middle of that, a dark pulsing object. At the same time, the tech picked up a heartbeat, which began to fill the room through the speakers of the computer.
"Wow," Landon commented, hardly believing this was their child they were seeing on the screen. "So, that's the heart right there?" He pointed to the dark spot in the center.
"Yes, it is," the friendly technician replied, smiling.
Jamie just stared at the screen, looking so happily awestruck; almost like she might cry, but definitely in a happy way.
Landon leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, brushing her bangs away from it. The ultrasound tech pointed out the baby's head and feet, and even the face. "You can't see it yet, but you can sort of see the nose from the side," she told them.
When their visit was over, they got the pictures to take home. In the car, as Jamie sat looking at them, one hand on her stomach, she shook her head. "Can you believe this, Landon?" she said. "Our baby. I can't wait to show your mom and my dad these pictures."
"Oh, my mom'll love those," he replied.
She sighed, leaning back against the seat. "I wonder what he or she..." She giggled at having to use that name for their baby. "I wonder what he or she will look like...and feel like in my arms." She smiled at Landon.
Taking her hand into his, he smiled back. "I feel the same way," he replied. "Whether it's a boy or a girl, though, I know it will be beautiful. Especially," he added, lifting up her hand and planting a kiss against it, "if it...he or she...looks anything like you."
Jamie chuckled again as they pulled up and stopped in front of their house. "Well, it's pretty likely that he or she will, isn't it?"
Landon grinned. "You're right," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt, as Jamie did the same.
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Jamie stood in the middle of the bedroom again, gazing around, one hand on her now just-slightly-showing belly. The light from the ceiling fan above her head lit up the room, which still had bare white walls and no furniture. As she examined it, though, she tried to picture how it might look a year from then, or even less. Light pink walls. . .maybe blue. Or yellow?
She realized that it was getting harder. . .harder not to know what their baby was. She wanted to buy things in preperation - clothes, toys, bedroom accessories, and she wanted to decorate the room. She wanted to begin thinking up names. Names. . .that was something she and Landon barely begun to think about! With everything else going on, it had just slipped both of their minds. She was early on in her pregnancy, anyway. Maybe in their back of their minds they knew that names were something they wouldn't have to worry about quite yet.
Anyhow, she made up her mind - she wanted to know.
"Jamie?" came the voice from the hall. She turned around as Landon looked into the room. "Hey, baby," he said. "Dinner's ready."
She smiled. "All right, I'll be down in a minute," she said, her gaze returning to the walls of the bedroom.
As usual, Landon could sense something was on her mind, maybe even bugging her. He came up beside her, and, as he'd done a million times before, put his arms around her. "Whatchya thinkin' about?"
She sighed. "Landon, I. . .it's getting harder and harder not to know what our baby is. If it's a boy or a girl."
Landon nodded. He brushed some hair away from her neck and planted a kiss against it. "We can find out," he said softly.
"Do you want to?" she asked him.
He paused for just a second before replying, "If you want to, I want to."
She laughed. "Landon, do you really want to find out, or are you just giving me the answer I want to hear so I won't--"
"Baby," he said gently, "I want to know just as much as you do, and anything that would make you happy will make me happy too."
Jamie smiled. "I love you so much," she said after a few seconds' pause, turning around to kiss her husband on the lips. When they had pulled away, they looked into one another's eyes for a second before Landon gently brushed Jamie's bangs away from her forehead, planted a kiss in the middle of it, and said softly, "I love you more than you can probably imagine. Let's go eat."
"Good idea," she said as he took her hand and they made their way out of the bedroom, "because between this baby and me, I'm absolutely starving!"
As October faded into November, the weather got chillier. Even so, on clear nights, Jamie and Landon would sit out on the balcony, watching the stars. They would sit wrapped in blankets or bundled in coats, talking about their baby as they gazed up at the beautiful display in the darkened fall sky.
The month pressed on. Thanksgiving that year was celebrated at Cynthia's house; everyone had to agree they certainly had more than plenty to be thankful for.
Pretty soon, November gave way to December. Jamie reached her third month, and by now, she had just the smallest bit of a belly. A couple of weeks into the month, she and Landon went for her first ultrasound.
It was a cold morning, the sun constantly trying to emerge from behind the clouds. After getting ready, they anxiously headed over to the hospital. Once they were in the ultrasound room, the ultrasound tech had Jamie lie down on the bed and pull her shirt away from her stomach. Then she squeezed some goopy gel onto it, and picked up the wand. She began to press it into and run it over Jamie's stomach, trying to pick up a heartbeat, as Landon stood by Jamie, stroking her hair. "Now, look here," the tech said, pointing to the screen of the computer that was nearby. "That's your baby." She smiled. Both of them looked, and could make out the image of a small object in the center, and in the middle of that, a dark pulsing object. At the same time, the tech picked up a heartbeat, which began to fill the room through the speakers of the computer.
"Wow," Landon commented, hardly believing this was their child they were seeing on the screen. "So, that's the heart right there?" He pointed to the dark spot in the center.
"Yes, it is," the friendly technician replied, smiling.
Jamie just stared at the screen, looking so happily awestruck; almost like she might cry, but definitely in a happy way.
Landon leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, brushing her bangs away from it. The ultrasound tech pointed out the baby's head and feet, and even the face. "You can't see it yet, but you can sort of see the nose from the side," she told them.
When their visit was over, they got the pictures to take home. In the car, as Jamie sat looking at them, one hand on her stomach, she shook her head. "Can you believe this, Landon?" she said. "Our baby. I can't wait to show your mom and my dad these pictures."
"Oh, my mom'll love those," he replied.
She sighed, leaning back against the seat. "I wonder what he or she..." She giggled at having to use that name for their baby. "I wonder what he or she will look like...and feel like in my arms." She smiled at Landon.
Taking her hand into his, he smiled back. "I feel the same way," he replied. "Whether it's a boy or a girl, though, I know it will be beautiful. Especially," he added, lifting up her hand and planting a kiss against it, "if it...he or she...looks anything like you."
Jamie chuckled again as they pulled up and stopped in front of their house. "Well, it's pretty likely that he or she will, isn't it?"
Landon grinned. "You're right," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt, as Jamie did the same.
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Jamie stood in the middle of the bedroom again, gazing around, one hand on her now just-slightly-showing belly. The light from the ceiling fan above her head lit up the room, which still had bare white walls and no furniture. As she examined it, though, she tried to picture how it might look a year from then, or even less. Light pink walls. . .maybe blue. Or yellow?
She realized that it was getting harder. . .harder not to know what their baby was. She wanted to buy things in preperation - clothes, toys, bedroom accessories, and she wanted to decorate the room. She wanted to begin thinking up names. Names. . .that was something she and Landon barely begun to think about! With everything else going on, it had just slipped both of their minds. She was early on in her pregnancy, anyway. Maybe in their back of their minds they knew that names were something they wouldn't have to worry about quite yet.
Anyhow, she made up her mind - she wanted to know.
"Jamie?" came the voice from the hall. She turned around as Landon looked into the room. "Hey, baby," he said. "Dinner's ready."
She smiled. "All right, I'll be down in a minute," she said, her gaze returning to the walls of the bedroom.
As usual, Landon could sense something was on her mind, maybe even bugging her. He came up beside her, and, as he'd done a million times before, put his arms around her. "Whatchya thinkin' about?"
She sighed. "Landon, I. . .it's getting harder and harder not to know what our baby is. If it's a boy or a girl."
Landon nodded. He brushed some hair away from her neck and planted a kiss against it. "We can find out," he said softly.
"Do you want to?" she asked him.
He paused for just a second before replying, "If you want to, I want to."
She laughed. "Landon, do you really want to find out, or are you just giving me the answer I want to hear so I won't--"
"Baby," he said gently, "I want to know just as much as you do, and anything that would make you happy will make me happy too."
Jamie smiled. "I love you so much," she said after a few seconds' pause, turning around to kiss her husband on the lips. When they had pulled away, they looked into one another's eyes for a second before Landon gently brushed Jamie's bangs away from her forehead, planted a kiss in the middle of it, and said softly, "I love you more than you can probably imagine. Let's go eat."
"Good idea," she said as he took her hand and they made their way out of the bedroom, "because between this baby and me, I'm absolutely starving!"