Still the Big Sister
Tali and Anthony prepare for younger siblings.
Chapter 1: February 2020 – The Twins
"Tali," Anthony looked over to his big sister. "How did those babies get in there?" he pointed to his Ima's large baby bump. Both he and Tali were fascinated as they watched the tiny foot impressions show and then disappear. Ima was asleep in Abba's recliner and her maternity sweater had inched upwards so that most of her pregnancy bump was exposed.
Tali shrugged, "I don't know for sure, Anthony, but Abba told me that when an Abba and an Ima love each other a lot, they can make a baby to share all the extra love." Two tiny foot impressions showed side by side on Ima. "That one must be stretching!" she grinned at her younger brother.
"So did Ima and Abba have so much extra love that they could get two babies?" he held up two fingers to emphasize his question.
She nodded solemnly, "Yes, I think so."
He grinned at her, "Are you still the big sister?"
"Yep, and I got the important job to teach them about being a part of this family, just like I did with you," she puffed up a bit, remembering what Abba had told her when Anthony was born and reiterated over the years. "You are the big brother," she pointed at him.
"Oh. I thought maybe since you got to go to kindergarten this year that you had to give up being the big sister. What does the big brother have to do?"
She shrugged and held up her hands, "I don't know; maybe we can ask Abba when he comes home." The siblings watched as the babies moved some more and at one point they counted the impressions of three feet on Ima's belly. Anthony was about to touch one of those outlines of a tiny foot when Ima stirred.
"Did I fall asleep?" Ziva looked at her two children staring at her belly and then looking up at her face.
"You snored, Ima," Anthony giggled. "Louder than Abba!"
She hit the power button and raised the back of the recliner at the same time lowering the foot and leg support. "I am sorry, I guess I was tired. Are you two okay?"
Tali nodded, "Ken Ima. We were watching the babies moving and we saw their feet on your belly." She pointed to the lone foot impression that remained, "SEE?"
"Your sisters are moving around a lot lately; soon you will get to meet them," Ziva smiled at her two older children.
"When Ima?" Anthony really wanted to see his baby sisters; Ima had let him put a hand on her belly to feel them move, and at the last appointment Ima had at her doctor's office, the whole family had listened to the babies' hearts beating.
Tali even took one of the sonogram images of the two babies to her kindergarten class for show-and-tell. She told everyone that she was going to be a big sister to TWO baby sisters; she and Anthony would each get to help Ima with the twins.
Ziva pushed herself from the chair, thankfully it had a power lift setting that raised the seat to help the sitter get up. When they'd bought the recliner, Tony had scoffed at the extra features, but he had to admit that he was glad they'd spent the money for it. Ziva was happy they purchased the chair when it became the only one in the family room that she could sit on and get out of by herself when her ever-growing belly made things difficult for her.
"They will be born soon, Anthony, when THEY are ready," she tried to keep the explanation simple for her not-quite-three-year-old. 'Today would be fine with me,' she thought as she waddled towards the kitchen to start preparing dinner. "Abba should be home very soon."
Ziva opened the freezer to take out a premade meal for the family's dinner. She put the casserole dish of chicken and rice in the microwave to thaw and then cook as the children ran to the playroom to watch out the window for their Abba's truck. She turned to get plates out of the closet and felt a familiar pain in her abdomen and lower back.
"Abba is home, Abba is home," Anthony shouted as he spotted the truck turn into the driveway. Tali went to the kitchen to let Ima know.
"Ima?" Tali saw her mother with a hand on her lower back and the other on the counter, grimacing. "Ima?" she asked a second time when Ima didn't respond. Tali walked closer to her mom.
Ziva noticed the concern on her daughter's face as the cramping pain subsided, "I am okay, yaldati."
Tali wasn't convinced but she continued with the reason she'd come to the kitchen, "Abba is home. I think he stopped to get the mail, but his truck turned into the driveway."
"Toda, dinner is heating. I need to sit on the barstool for a minute," Ziva nodded towards the front door. Tali ran to greet her Abba.
Anthony was already waiting by the door when Tony opened it. "I'm home," he called out as the two children fastened themselves to his legs. "Where's Ima?" he looked towards the hallway.
"In the kitchen, Abba. She said she needed to sit down for a minute," Tali replied as her father hugged her and ruffled her curls.
Tony hung his coat on the rack by the door and scooped Anthony into his arms; Tali skipped ahead as the three headed to the kitchen. "Tali-T please set the table for Ima," he put his son down and greeted Ziva. "You okay?"
She nodded and kissed him without getting off the barstool, "Just tired and my back is hurting again. I am so ready for these girls to make their appearance." She sighed against the warmth of her husband's chest. "Even moving around these days is a major chore…"
He ran a hand along her cheek and kissed her lips and then her forehead, "Sweetcheeks, let me and the kids get dinner on the table. You sit here and rest. I love you and my daughters." He placed a hand on her swollen belly, feeling the tiny ninjas kicking and moving. "They're active tonight."
"Abba, Abba," Anthony tugged on his father's pants leg. "Abba?"
"Someone is persistent," Ziva remarked. Anthony tugged yet again to get his Abba's attention when his parents shared a kiss.
Tony broke contact with his wife and turned to the impatient little boy, "What is it Anthony?"
"Tali says that I am the big brother. She says we have to ask you what the big brother's job is," the toddler grinned at his Abba and Ima. He looked at his father expectantly.
"Well," Tony thought a minute before he replied. Tali and Ziva were waiting for his response as well. "The big brother has a different job from the big sister. He has to teach his sisters about getting respect from males. He has to show his sisters how they should be treated and loved by anyone. He has to show them that they are special and should be treated like princesses."
"Oh," Anthony thought about his Abba's reply. "That sounds hard. Will you help me Abba?"
Tony nodded, "Of course; and you can see how I think your Ima is special. She is my princess Ninja..." He looked over at his wife who was grasping the counter and grimacing. "Zi? What is it?" He rushed to her side.
"It is just pre-labor, I think," she frowned as another cramping pain crossed from her abdomen around to her back. "The pains are not regularly spaced apart, nor are they constant."
"Do we need to get you to the hospital?" Tony was digging his phone out of his pocket to call Abby or Gibbs to come stay with the older two.
Ziva shook her head, "Not yet. Let us eat some dinner and I will see how I feel in a little while." She pushed herself off the bar stool and waddled over to the table in the kitchen breakfast nook. Anthony and Tali ran ahead of Ima to get her chair pulled out while Tony wrapped an arm around his wife.
"Let me know if I need to start timing," he spoke softly as he helped her sit in the kitchen chair and position herself to eat dinner. He kissed her softly on the lips and grinned. "Dinner is served, my Ninja." After helping her get seated, he brought the casserole dish to the table and set it on a hot-pad. Tali and Anthony climbed into their chairs and watched their father eagerly.
Tony scooped some rice and chicken into bowls for the children and onto plates for Ziva and himself. "Do we have plenty more pre-cooked meals, or do I need to make more?" he questioned his wife.
"There are three more in the freezer in here and probably about fifteen in the big freezer in the garage," she responded. "I'm sure we'll be getting more food when the girls…" she cut off as the cramping pain came again.
Tony took Ziva's hand, "Breathe through it." She glared at him as he encouraged her to use the breathing techniques she'd learned with Tali and reused with Anthony.
"Abba?" Tali was worried. "Is Ima okay?"
"Yeah, Tals; I think that your sisters are letting Ima know the time for them to be born is close."
"Oh! Is Grandpa going to stay with us?"
Ziva nodded, the pain gone for the moment. "Either Grandpa or Aunt Abby. Someone will stay with you and your brother when Abba and I have to head to the hospital."
"Who stayed with me when Anthony was born?" Tali was curious and she didn't remember much about when her brother was born.
"We had a birthing suite at the hospital in Paris; you played in one of the rooms while Ima did the work for Anthony to be born," Tony reflected on that day that seemed so long ago now. "It was just the three of us and then four with Anthony."
"I don't remember," Anthony spoke with a mouthful of food. Tony and Ziva shared a glance both trying not to laugh at their little boy's seriousness.
'That's 'cause you were just a new baby," Tali explained to her brother. "You were too little to remember."
The family finished dinner and Tali and Anthony helped their Abba clean up the kitchen while Ziva moved to the recliner in the family room. She was the most comfortable in that chair with the back reclined to take pressure off her lower back. The babies were not moving near as much as earlier.
They watched a Disney movie before bedtime; when it came time to change to pajamas and bedtime stories, Anthony brought his book of choice to Ima in the recliner.
"No, motek, I will come to your room," she said as she slowly eased from the recliner. "That way if you fall asleep you are in your bed." He grinned at her and skipped ahead to his room. The little boy was waiting on his bed with the book when she waddled in.
Ziva sat on the bed next to her son; he handed her the book he'd chosen. "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," she read the title of one of his favorite stories. Anthony snuggled next to Ima as she read. After the story was finished, Ziva pushed herself off the bed and hugged her son.
"Laila tov, motek," she softly kissed his head as he wrapped his arms around his Ima.
"Laila tov, Ima. I love you. Do you think I will be a good big brother?" the little boy frowned as he asked his question. What Abba had said about the job of the big brother was still in his mind.
Ziva grinned and chucked him under the chin, "You will be the best big brother ever, Anthony."
In Tali's room, Abba was reading an Amelia Bedelia book. Tali snuggled up with her father and listened to the story. As he finished the last page, she hugged him and he tucked her in.
"Laila tov, Tali," Tony put a soft kiss on his eldest's forehead.
"Laila tov, Abba. Do you think the babies will be born soon?"
He chuckled slightly, "When they are ready, Tals. I think Ima wishes it was already done. Don't worry; we'll let you know if it's time." He hugged her and pulled the covers up before turning off the bedside light and slightly closing the door. He met Ziva coming from Anthony's room.
The couple headed to their room, Tony following his wife. He noticed that her waddle was even more pronounced and that her baby belly seemed lower than it had been. In their room, he watched her get ready for bed.
"You okay, Sweetcheeks?" he watched with concern as she put a hand on her lower back and grimaced. She nodded but said nothing motioning for him to wait for her to respond. He moved next to her and reminded her to breathe through the contraction.
She let out a long breath, "I think your daughters are moving into position. Let us get some rest; I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a long day."
A/N For more on the birth of the twins see 'The Power of Touch' chapter 3.