First, let me apologize for the delay in updating. I've been vacationing...alot this past month. Second, THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed that last chapter. I didn't get a chance to reply to everyone (due to all the vacationing)...but please know that I loved reading all of your comments. It's nice to know people actually enjoy reading about a happy MerDer family. Third, I have to say a HUGE thank you to Lola, who actually read this entire fic in a day...and left a review for every single chapter. Lola, you have no idea how awesome I think you are for doing that. Fourth, I have to pimp out the best epic MerDer love story ever written...go check out 'Dare You To Move'...it's in the rated M section. You won't regret it, I promise.

I feel Jacob's cool hands flanking my face and I let out a tired sigh.

He squishes my cheeks and whispers, "Mommy…Mommy…Mommy!"

I keep my eyes pressed shut and croak out, "What, Jacob?"

He peels one of my eyelids open with his cold little fingers and giggles. "Daddy says you have to get up or we're going to be late," he replies.

I open my eyes and smile sleepily. "Daddy sent you up here to wake me up?"

Jacob grins back at me as he climbs in bed next to me and says, "Yep. And he said to tell you that he made your favorite breakfast. But you have to hurry up or he'll feed it all to Panda."

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure Daddy said that?"

He shrugs his shoulders at me and replies, "I think so."

I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him into a hug as we lay facing each other. "Are you excited about going to the hospital today?" I ask him before pressing a soft kiss onto his forehead.

He shrugs his shoulders again at me and crinkles up his forehead.

I smile at him and brush the hair off his forehead with my thumb. "Is that a no?"

Jacob frowns and places his hands on my stomach. "It sounds boring…are you even sure there's a baby in there?" he asks as he looks down at my belly.

I laugh and nod my head. "Yep. I'm sure."

Jacob's eyes shoot up to meet mine as the baby kicks against his hands. His frown turns into a huge smile as he looks back down and sees my stomach moving. "Is that the baby?" he asks.

"Yep. That's your baby brother or sister kicking your hands. What do you think of that?" I reply as I place my hand on top of his. The baby kicks again and we both laugh.

Jacob smiles widely at me. "That's cool, Mommy!" He waits for the baby to kick him again. "Is it a boy? I asked Santa for a little brother, remember? It has to be a boy!" he says.

"It might be, but we won't know until it's born, Jacob. It might be a sister, too, you know," I explain. I poke his nose softly with my forefinger.

He sighs dramatically before saying dejectedly. "Another messy sister? I'm gonna have to move to Africa." He lets out a huff and scoots off the bed.

I watch him run out of the bedroom door, slamming it on the way out. I take a deep cleansing breath in and exhale slowly as the baby continues kicking. "Africa," I mutter as I smooth my hand over my stomach.

"Morning," I say as I walk into the kitchen and sit down at the table. I smile at Derek as he takes Emma's tray off of her highchair.

"Morning," he says softly through his smile. He sets the tray on the table and unbuckles Emma.

"Hi MaMa!" she says as Derek lifts her out of her seat. She rushes over to me and I lift her up onto my lap.

I kiss the top of her head and she smiles up at me. "Hi, baby girl," I say softly.

She leans her head back against my chest and grabs my watch with both hands. Her little fingers play with the silver links as she studies the watch in fascination.

Derek stands up and walks over to me. "Hungry?" he asks with a smirk.

I smile at him and reply, "Is that question even necessary?"

He laughs and shakes his head. "No. I suppose not." He leans down and places a soft warm coffee kiss on my lips.

I sigh as he pulls away and walks to the microwave. "So…it seems our son may be moving to Africa when this baby arrives," I say quietly as I run my hand over Emma's dark curls.

Derek starts the microwave and raises his eyebrows at me. "Africa?" he asks as he grabs a fork out of the drawer.

I nod and reply, "Apparently, one baby sister is all he can handle. So unless this little one pops out with a penis…he's out of here."

Derek laughs and runs his hand over his stubble-covered jaw. He sucks in a breath and says, "Africa…that's an awfully long airplane ride." He grabs my plate of food out of the microwave and brings it to the table.

"Thanks," I say softly as he sets the food in front of me.

He kisses my lips quickly and grabs Emma off of my lap. "Come on, Em. Let Mommy eat." He sets her down on his lap as he sits across from me.

I take a huge bite of French toast and mumble, "Mmm…Derek. This is so good. You put vanilla in the batter."

Derek grins and winks at me.

Emma begins to squirm and he places her down on the floor. She yells, "Jaaaake!" and runs into the living room to find her big brother. We both groan when we hear Jacob shout, "Go away!"

I take another bite and catch Derek staring at me. "What?" I ask with my mouthful of food.

Derek smiles and says, "You look beautiful. You should wear yellow more often."

I can feel myself blushing and I look down at my plate. I swallow my food, inhale deeply, and drop my fork. My hand finds my stomach and I moan.

"What's wrong?" Derek asks as his smile turns into a look of mild panic.

I smile sheepishly at him. "I think I'm full," I say before laughing.

Derek exhales loudly as relief washes over his face. He shakes his head at me. "Two bites and you're full?"

I nod and push my plate out from in front of me. "Full. Finally," I say appreciatively as I lean back in my chair and sigh.

"Slow down, Jacob!" Derek shouts as we walk towards the front doors of the hospital. He shifts Emma to his other hip and reaches down for my hand.

I entwine my fingers with his and smile at him. "He seems excited…maybe that's a good sign," I say.

"Excited…either that or he's trying to escape. Let's just hope he gets a boy doll…otherwise, he might be on the first plane to Africa as soon as we're not looking," Derek says with a smirk.

We walk into the hospital and swiftly catch up with Jacob as he stands in front of the elevators.

"What floor, Mommy?" he asks as he presses the 'up' button. He reaches for my hand and smiles at me.

"Five, Jake. The babies are on five," I tell him as the elevator doors open.

He runs in and pushes the button for the fifth floor.

Derek and I walk in behind him and scoot to the back of the elevator. Jacob leans back against our legs as we wait for the doors to close.

A small cluster of people enter after us, and Jacob's face lights up when he spots Miranda among the passengers.

"Hi, Dr. Bailey!" he shouts at the top of his lungs as he makes his way through the crowd to stand next to her.

Miranda looks back at us and winks, and then smiles widely down at Jacob. "Hello, Jacob. What are you doing up here on a Saturday morning?"

Jacob crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Daddy is making me learn how to change stinky baby diapers!" he says with a loud huff.

Miranda and the other passengers chuckle at Jacob's outburst, and she says, "Ah…Daddy signed you up for the Super Sibling class, huh?"

Jacob nods at her.

She bends over and whispers loudly into his ear, "It's not so bad, Jacob. They give you all the animal crackers and juice you can handle when it's over."

Jacob's smile returns and the elevator stops. "Yes! I get free cookies!" he shouts.

"Hey everyone! Welcome to the Super Sibling class. My name is Dr. Izzie, and I'm going to help all of you…" Izzie begins as she points to the small circle of children sitting on the floor in front of her, "…become AMAZING big brothers and sisters. So…let's get started by telling me all of your names, and if you want to, you can tell us your new baby's name, too." She points her finger at Jacob and grins. "Why don't you go first, big guy. Tell us your name."

Jacob slaps his forehead with his hand and says flatly, "Izzie, you already know my name. You've known me my whole entire life! Don't be ridiculous."

Derek snorts and I elbow him in the gut. I offer Izzie a sympathetic smile as she glances over at us.

She grins at Jacob. "Right. Well…can you tell everyone else your name then?"

Jacob rolls his eyes and sighs. "My name is Jacob Christopher Shepherd…" he says as he points his thumb to his chest, "and this," he continues as he points his thumb to his sister sitting next to him, "is my little sister Emma. She's messy, but we love her anyway. At least that's what Daddy says. Even when she's covered in mud."

I groan and slide down in my chair a little as he continues rambling.

"And those back there," he says as he points to Derek and me, "are my parents. I asked Santa for a baby brother, so that's what's in Mommy's tummy. That's why her tummy is sooooooooo big. Cuz of the baby boy. And I'm naming him Panda, just like my dog." He smiles happily at Izzie.

Izzie's eyes get big as she waits for him to finish talking, and she can't help but smile widely at him. "Are you sure it's a boy? Your mommy told me you don't know for sure yet. Do you have a girl named picked out just in case it's a baby sister?" she asks as she looks at me and winks.

I slump down a little further into my chair and pinch the bridge of my nose with my forefinger and thumb.

Jacob takes a deep breath and sighs. "Well, if it's a girl baby…which it's NOT…because Santa heard what I asked for…I guess we'll have to call her Stinky. And then I'm moving to Africa."

Derek and I both groan as every adult in the room turns and looks at us with amusement.

"He's your child," I mumble to Derek as I absentmindedly rub my stomach.

Jacob giggles loudly as he watches Emma unsuccessfully try to put a diaper on her doll. "Not like that, Emma! Like this!" he shouts at her as he shows off his perfectly diapered baby (boy) doll.

Derek sits down on the floor behind Emma, with his legs around hers, and he tries to help her fasten the tabs on the diaper.

"No, DaDa!" she yells at him as she yanks the doll off the floor. She clutches the doll tightly against her chest and glares up at Derek. "Go way!"

I laugh and stand up as I watch Derek become flustered at his daughter's newly found determination/stubbornness.

My hands instinctively find their place on my lower back and I let out a long yawn as I watch Emma drop the baby onto the ground.

Derek grins up at me in amusement as Emma again tries to wrap the diaper on her doll.

She finally gets frustrated and picks the doll up and throws it with both hands towards Izzie. "Go way!" she shouts angrily.

"She's your child," he teases as he winks at me.

I walk into the bedroom and maneuver myself awkwardly onto the bed. I lay on my side and place a pillow under my stomach and one between my knees.

Derek comes in and takes my shoes and socks off for me as he sits down at the foot of the bed. "You okay?" he asks as he lightly rubs my ankles with his warm hands.

I sigh and close my eyes. "Mmhmm…just tired, and sore. My back is killing me. And my tailbone feels like someone hit it with a sledgehammer," I say quietly as I relax into Derek's healing touch.

He sets my feet down and stands up. "Be right back," he says before leaning down and kissing me softly on the lips.

I open my eyes and watch him walk out of the bedroom. I smile as he returns with the baby monitor in his hand.

He sets it down on the nightstand and kicks his shoes off before crawling in bed behind me. "The kids are in Emma's room practicing their diapering skills on her stuffed puppy. I told them they could play for a few minutes until nap time," he tells me as he lifts the hem of my shirt slightly and begins to knead my lower back with the palm of his hand.

I moan appreciatively as he soothes my aching muscles.

We both laugh as we listen to Jacob giving Emma instructions on how to spread the diaper out so it fits just right over the baby's butt.

Moments later, they both start giggling hysterically. I turn my face to look at Derek and say, "What do you think that's all about?"

Derek shakes his head and smirks. "I have no idea, but it's probably nothing good," he replies.

We hear Panda bark over the intercom and Jacob yells, "Panda, come back! I didn't get your diaper on yet!"

I laugh out loud and say, "Those are both your children."

Derek groans as he crawls out of bed. "Be right back," he says as he shakes his head at me.

I laugh again as I close my eyes.

Derek returns moments later carrying Emma at arm's length in front of him.

I open my eyes and place my hand over my mouth as I try unsuccessfully to keep from laughing at the sight of Emma covered head-to-toe in baby powder.

"Not funny," Derek says with a smirk.

Emma smiles widely at me and waves a baby powder covered hand at me. "Hi, MaMa!" she says happily as her blue eyes twinkle through her extremely white complexion.

"You don't even want to see Panda right now," he says with a chuckle as he walks into the bathroom with Emma. "He's covered in powder…can't even see his black spots. And your son…" he shouts as he starts the water in the tub, "…is almost as white as Emma. He's taking a shower…by himself…because he didn't want me looking at his 'manhood'. Where the hell did they get all that powder, anyway?"

I laugh and place my hands over my stomach. "God…stop making me laugh, Derek. It hurts," I say through my laughter.

Derek peeks out from the bathroom door and holds up Emma's clothes. He gives them a tiny shake and an avalanche of powder falls onto the floor.

I shut my eyes again and lightly run my hands over my belly. "Ugh. This place is a zoo…sorry, baby."

"Aw, man! It's raining hard! And thundering!" Jacob shouts as he stands on the couch and looks out the window. He plops down on the cushion, folds his arms over his chest, and proceeds to pout.

Emma and I look up from our place in the recliner at him. "Shhh!" Emma says as she holds her finger over her mouth. She pulls on my hands to make me bring the book we are reading back up to her eye level.

"Jake, Daddy told you it was going to rain. He'll take you fishing tomorrow morning, if it stops storming," I tell him. "Maybe we can have a movie night instead, ok?"

Jacob looks up at me and places his hands behind his head. "Can I pick the movie?" he asks.

I smile and nod my head 'yes'.

Jacob jumps off the couch and runs up the stairs.

I look back down at the book and continue reading to Emma. She sticks her thumb in her mouth and leans her head against my chest as she snuggles further next to me in the chair.

"I got one!" Jacob shouts as he runs back down the stairs. He holds the dvd case in front of me and grins.

"The Lion King…again? Aren't you tired of that one?" I ask him.

He shakes his head at me. "Nope. It's all about Africa. You know, the place that I'm moving to if I don't get a brother," he explains.

Derek spreads a large blanket down on the floor and tosses some throw pillows down on it. The kids both flop down on their bellies and smile at Derek as he covers them up with an afghan. He goes into the kitchen and brings out two big bowls of popcorn, and sets one down on the floor between the kids. They both grin up at him and Emma says, "Tanks, Dada!"

"You're welcome, Em," he says as he winks at her. He walks over to the couch where I am sprawled out on my side, and sets the other bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. "Is this ok?" he asks as he lays down on the couch in facing me. He scoots down so that his face is even with the top of my stomach. He wedges his knee in between my ankles and wraps his arm around my thighs.

I shake my head at him and smile. "It's fine for me, but you're not going to be able to see the movie looking at my stomach," I tease as I run my hand through his hair.

He laughs and looks up at me. "I've seen this one before. Besides, this is much more interesting," he replies. He reaches down and pulls a blanket up over us, and he settles himself back in front of me. His hands snake under my shirt and he lightly rubs my stomach with his warm hands.

I move his hand to the underside of my belly and say, "The tush is here right now…" I slide his hand up and continue, "…and here's the head. Can you feel it?"

Derek grins up at me and nods. "Hey, little one," he says softly before pressing a tender kiss onto my stomach where the baby's head is.

Emma sits up and says, "Dada! Shhhh!" as she holds her finger over her mouth. She glares at us and then flops herself back down on her stomach.

Derek whispers, "She is getting so bossy. She is definitely yours."

I laugh and place my hand on top of his as he rests it on the side of my stomach. "I know. We're both very bossy girls. But you love us anyway," I tell him.

Derek sighs and closes his eyes as he snuggles closer to me. "I do. I love my bossy girls," he whispers.

"What are you going to do if this little one is a bossy girl, too?" I ask him.

He smirks and whispers, "I'm moving to Africa with Jacob."

Thank you for reading! Comments are adored (and greatly appreciated)...really they are.