*BPOV*
After Renee mentioned she was craving breakfast for dinner, Edward lit up like a Christmas tree and asked her if she liked omelets, his specialty.
"Who doesn't love a good omelet?" Was my mother's easy response.
So Edward skillfully manned the homemade omelet bar as well as any professional chef at a hotel brunch buffet, while I pitched in making hash browns and cut up some fresh fruit.
"And he cooks?" Renee beamed, stuffing a steaming hot bite of fluffy egg in her mouth that was oozing with melted cheese.
"Not nearly as well as Bella, but she's teaching me," Edward said modestly.
Seeing Edward on his best behavior because he was always wanting to impress Renee and Phil was just about the cutest thing ever. He was just as desperate for their approval, if not more, than I'd been for the Cullens.'
It brought me back to the day he first took me back to his house outside Forks to meet his family.
"So you're worried, not because you'll be in a house full of vampires, but because you think they won't approve of you?"
I grinned at the memory. No wonder he had been so tickled.
"Alright you two, have fun! Bring me back a t-shirt for my collection. We won't wait up." Renee waved us off from the porch.
The winter days being so short, the sun had been down for hours already by the time we were pulling out of the driveway.
I was wearing the outfit Alice had packed for me. The skinny jeans were new, and I guessed the line of small slit-like holes pre-distressed into the legs halfway up my thigh probably cost extra.
The t-shirt was white, fitted, and vintage and had the Cheap Trick lyrics "I want you to want me," scrawled across the front in what was supposed to look like lipstick. Finishing off the ensemble was my favorite pair of chucks.
Edward's gaze drifted up from my chest as he read the shirt. "Oh, but I do," he growled with smoldering eyes. "And so will everyone else there." That was said as more of a groan.
"Says the gorgeous immortal whose face and voice and smell were designed to attract people. Zero sympathy." I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, but you can't hear the things they think about me. Or see the things they imagine," Edward countered, not for the first time.
"I don't have to. I know what I imagine, and that's bad enough," I quipped, raising my eyebrows at him suggestively.
His black stare and low, throaty growl sent a wave of desire straight to my core. "That is so are such a mind tease!"
I snickered in my seat, flexing my weird AM-frequency brain. "It might be the most beautiful thing about me, but it's also the dirtiest." I dissolved into laughter before I could get all the words out.
Driving west toward the downtown theater we passed under the dark crossbeams of the Mathews Bridge extending across the St. Johns River.
Thin black shadows from the bridge's beams crisscrossed his pale face made even paler by the white glow of headlights from eastbound traffic.
He leveled me with a sideways glance, grinning ominously.
"Just you wait until I have you to myself, Mrs. Cullen. I'll drag every one of those dirty thoughts out of your sweet mouth by the tip of my tongue," he purred, utterly confident.
Holy crow, he just said that.
I whimpered and crossed my legs to soothe the worsening ache between my thighs, feeling the dampened cotton of my panties presser tighter against my heated skin.
Edward inhaled and laughed darkly. He clamped a hand over the top of my thigh, giving me a little squeeze, and jammed on the accelerator.
*EPOV*
I had to really want to see a live performance to subject myself to the overwhelming experience that was going to a crowded theater.
It was the closest thing I could imagine to someone of my kind being on a mind-altering substance in the worst possible way. Thoughts racing, speakers thumping, the deafening roar of screams were near intolerable to our sensitive ears.
The heat was sweltering as countless joules of kinetic energy flowed through a swarm of humans moving synchronously to the beat like a murmuration of starlings.
And the patter of thousands of hearts beating in one densely-packed area sounded not unlike rain on a tin roof.
For vegetarians like my family and me, it was a lot like going to a buffet while fasting.
However, as a mind reader, the part I didn't hate was when everyone's thoughts lined up at the same time to sing the words to a popular song in unison. That was actually a really cool, immersive experience, sort of like mental surround sound.
I pulled Bella by the hand through a throng of people to get closer. Concert goers instinctively parted like the Red Sea to let me pass. Hanging back about 40 feet from the stage, I didn't dare bring Bella's unprotected ears any closer to the blaring speakers.
The lead singer of the opening band shouted into the microphone "Thank you, Jacksonville! Good Night!" Then the band filed offstage after the drummer lobbed his sticks into the delighted crowd.
The roadies all dressed in black then swarmed the stage and efficiently swapped out the opening band's equipment for Cheap Trick's. Loud generic rock music was piped in over the speakers during the break in between sets.
Positioning Bella in front of me, I wrapped my arms snugly around her waist and laced my hands together with my thumbs hooked just inside the waistband of her jeans.
This position gave me the dual advantage of having the close contact with her that I craved while also keeping others at a distance since other normal humans were instinctively repelled by my alienness.
Even with the bubble of space created around me by the crowd, Bella's view of the stage was still obstructed by the wall of people in front of us.
As Cheap Trick took the stage and launched into a lesser-known song, I leaned down and spoke directly into her ear to be heard over the loud music, "Would you like to sit on my shoulders?" I asked.
Without missing a beat, she looked over her shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow and a wicked grin. "I mean, yeah, but in front of all these people?"
It took me a full second to catch on to her meaning. My jaw fell slack realizing she was referring to the backward piggyback ride I gave her in the hotel shower in Montreal.
Something between a growl and a purr rattled out of my chest as I held her even closer to me, letting her feel the effects of her teasing.
"Mrs. Cullen, what has gotten into you?" I asked, loving every bit of her boldness but wishing we were just about anywhere else.
"I think that's rather obvious," she laughed, pressing her bottom right back into me. "So how about that piggyback ride?" she asked, standing on her tiptoes to see better.
"Well, now you're going to have to wait a minute," I laughed sheepishly and concentrated on unpleasant things. Wolf stench. Jello. Mike Newton's mind. That did it.
With my hands on either side of her waist, I got a firm grip and raised her up over my head, and lowered her down onto my shoulders. I groaned quietly to myself, feeling her heat radiating against the back of my neck.
I'd never again tease Emmett and Rose about their insatiability for each other when they first coupled up. I understood it now. Making love to Bella was now a physical need so acute that it nearly rivaled the necessity for blood.
It would be a lie to say it didn't concern me at all that Bella's newborn thirst might overshadow her other urges for a while.
Now that I knew the sublime pleasures of Bella's body, it would be very...difficult...to go back to maintaining chaste boundaries while she adjusted. Especially knowing I could finally love her fully, without holding back.
Abstaining from her body once she was turned, I mused, would probably feel something like abstaining from her blood while human. But I would try very hard not to pressure her into physical intimacy before she was ready for that.
Physical intimacy was not an immediate thing for either Esme or Rosalie after they were turned and became romantic with their respective mates, especially Rosalie.
But both my mother and sister had still been healing from the residual mental scars of the horrific abuse they'd endured from their human lives. Needless to say, I didn't have the best frame of reference by which to compare Bella's impending transition.
Bella roused me from my internal musings by cupping the side of my face and urging, "You better put me down." I did as she requested at once, but not understanding the urgency in her tone, I asked if she was alright.
"Never better! But look around...None of the other guys can hold up their girlfriends for more than a song or two. I was starting to stick out," Bella explained in a voice low enough that only I would be able to hear over the music.
Taking a moment to observe the crowd, I noticed she was right. It didn't take very long at all for the average human male to start to shift uncomfortably under the weight of their female companions, even women smaller than Bella. Huh. Interesting.
"Well done, Bella," I praised her keen observation. "That's exactly the kind of thing to be aware of." I beamed down at her, duly impressed. I couldn't wait to brag to Carlisle.
Bella's face was already flushed from the stifling theater, but the red deepened a shade from my praise. She shrugged self-effacingly, muttering thanks, and then her attention was drawn away.
"Are they fighting?" she asked, sounding slightly alarmed.
I looked in the direction she was focused on and saw a mosh pit starting to form.
I laughed lightly. "No. It's a mosh pit. A bunch of mostly guys slamming into each other and running around in a circle to the music, but there are usually no hard feelings."
Bella's eyes widened in interest and started to inch closer. "Oh, I want to see! I've heard about those but never been to a concert that had one!"
She took me by the hand and tugged me closer to the action. Lord, here we go.
"Look, there's a girl," she pointed to a pierced, tattooed punk rocker girl in a light-up tutu and chunky combat boots. "And there's another one."
I could see the eagerness building behind her wide eyes. I groaned. "Seriously? The girl who avoids dancing and gym class like the plague wants to jump in a mosh pit?"
"Live like you're dying, right?" Bella smirked. " It's either that or crowd-surfing," she negotiated.
I stared at her incredulously, my little adrenaline junkie. I recoiled at the idea of her beautiful body being groped by countless hands emboldened by alcohol and anonymity.
I anxiously looked back to the growing mosh pit. "This isn't a good idea, Bella. You could fall and get trampled. And it's not a good idea for me to run into the middle of a situation where it's encouraged for people to put their hands on me," I catastrophized.
Just then, a young man on the outskirts of the fray stumbled and fell, and the strangers around him stopped to help him up.
*BPOV*
I looked back up at Edward who was out of excuses, and he seemed to know it. He heaved a sigh and cautioned, "Don't run into the middle, please. Stay near the outside where I can see you. But so help me, if anybody hurts you..." he threatened with a menacing growl.
Smiling widely, I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek before turning and rushing toward the frenzied crowd with Edward hot on my heels.
Was it out of character? Absolutely. But in less than a week, my heart would stop beating, and that knowledge did a lot to dispel my inhibitions. Getting shoved around a mosh pit at a rock concert was exactly the exhilarating, unrepeatable human experience I didn't want to regret missing out on.
The crowd got more densely packed the closer I got. When somebody from the center of the pit stumbled from a mighty shove and careened into a group of bystanders, it started a chain reaction that swayed and staggered dozens of people standing around the periphery.
I noted that the more aggressive guys tended to stick to the center while the more reserved ran in a loose circle around the outside, bumping shoulders or occasionally shoving somebody back into the center. That definitely seemed more my speed.
So I timidly merged into the onslaught of moving bodies and tried like hell to not trip over my own feet.
Surprisingly, the mob of guys turned out to be pretty gentlemanly. The handful of girls among them, myself included, were left largely un-manhandled other than the occasional bump of a shoulder in passing. It felt kind of like being one of the banana peels in Mario Kart that all the other racers were swerving to avoid.
As I made my third lap around the mob, I caught sight of Edward standing where I'd left him, anxiously waiting for me. Having satisfactorily checked "mosh pitting"off my bucket list, I ran right into his arms laughing breathlessly.
"Thank you, that was fun. Sort of," I panted, short of breath. Edward looked me over and seemed satisfied that I was undamaged. I could tell he was relieved that we wouldn't have to kill anybody tonight.
"I need some water and some air," I said, feeling suffocated by the oppressive heat of the packed theater. Edward nodded and pulled me by the hand through the crowd toward the rear doors.
On the other side of the doors was a lobby area where the merch and refreshment vendors were located. We purchased a frosty bottle of water for an outrageous sum of money, and I chugged down half of it before I pulled the plastic bottle away from my lips.
Since the lines were so short, I also grabbed concert t-shirts for my mom and Phil for an even more outrageous sum of money.
Edward just laughed at my thriftiness. He hugged me close and his velvety voice was low in my ear.
"You're going to have to get over that. Do you know how silly you sound being outraged over a $6 bottle of water when you're presently the wealthiest person in the state of Florida? And by quite a tidy margin."
I was staggered. I was the...wealthiest person in Florida?
We didn't talk about money much. Edward had given me access to the family accounts and joint access to his own personal ones. He'd also asked if I wanted to see our investment portfolio. I staunchly declined because I wouldn't have been able to make sense of it anyway. But he'd never talked about our finances in such definite terms.
Taking me by the arm and giving me a light tug, Edward pulled me toward an open set of doors to the outside.
A security guard manning the door warned, "Sorry, kids, no in-and-out privileges. If you need to step outside and want to come back, there's a smoking section through that door."
He pointed to a set of clear glass double doors that led to an outdoor, fenced-in patio. The calm, humid evening air did nothing to dissipate the thick clouds of smoke.
"So much for getting some air," Edward muttered, frowning. "I'm sorry, love. Would you like to leave?"
I was pretty exhausted after flying overnight to beat the sun to Florida, but I fought my drooping eyelids and shook my head. "You haven't seen Billy Idol, yet. You were so excited…"
Edward cupped a cool hand around my elbow and urged me out of earshot of the security guard. "I let my mind wander a little earlier. Billy Idol is drugged out of his mind in his dressing room right now. We won't be missing anything, so please don't stay on my account."
I searched his eyes knowing that was just the sort of thing he'd say if he was trying to let me off the hook without the guilt of disappointing him.
"I swear to you," he held up his hands innocently. "No more deceptions. I meant that."
"Okay..if you're sure.." I stifled a yawn. "I am pretty beat." If anything, he looked more relieved than disappointed.
As we walked outside under the glowing marquis of the theater, an ambulance pulled right up to the curb reserved for taxis and limos. A team of paramedics carrying a stretcher rushed past us.
"Told you I wasn't lying," Edward muttered under his breath.
I mouthed the word yikes and Edward nodded grimly.
*EPOV*
I took Bella straight home if you didn't count the short stop I made at the gas station to top off Phil's tank. By the time we were crossing back over the St. Johns River, Bella had already slumped over against the window, fast asleep.
True to Renee's word, they didn't wait up for us.
I tucked Bella into bed, one of two twin beds that had been recently pushed together if the impressions in the carpet were any indication.
I bit back a laugh at the box of condoms that were left in plain view on one of the nightstands. It hadn't been there when we left. Figuring I'd spare Bella the mortification, I shoved them in the drawer and settled in next to her for the night.
The next day was Christmas Eve morning. Bella woke up in a mood because she hadn't gotten a chance to shower the night before and woke up "caked in dried sweat" and feeling like there were "fuzzy socks on her teeth." Though, her mood seemed to recover after a long hot shower.
Renee regrettably spent most of the morning incapacitated by her morning sickness while Phil and Bella worried over her. Wanting to feel useful, I made breakfast again for everybody, and by mid-morning, Renee had recovered enough to bake Christmas cookies with Bella, or at least supervise while Bella did most of the work.
Later, when Renee wanted to get out of the house, Bella drove her to the store to pick up a ham and a few other things for dinner.
"Edward, I know you aren't quite of age yet, but it's Christmas, and you're a responsible kid. And it's not like you're driving anywhere. Wanna have a beer with me and watch the Cardinals pummel the 49ers?"
Somewhere out there in the universe, Emmett was pointing and laughing at me as I cheerfully replied, "Thanks Phil, I'd love one," not wanting him to think me rude for rejecting his attempt to bond.
He handed me a brown bottle over the back of the couch before he settled back into his recliner just in time for kickoff.
*BPOV*
We were pushing a shopping cart through the produce department when Mom dropped a "Sooo..." which was what she always said right before she was about to ask me something embarrassing. Lord, here we go.
"How's married life? Must be going well... Edward sure seems a lot more relaxed since the last time I saw him," she snickered.
"Well thank you for saying that to me and not to him. He gets enough of that from his family," I muttered
Renee threw her head back and laughed. "So it's not just me." I threw her a withering look.
"It's great, Mom. It's really great. Best thing I ever did." I said, blushing as I grabbed a bag of potatoes.
"I hope he isn't the only one that's relaxed if you catch my drift," she waggled her eyebrows suggestively."
"Mom," I admonished in a harsh whisper. We were not about to have this conversation in the middle of Publix. Or ever, if I had anything to say about it.
"Oh, stop it. Do you know how long I've waited to be able to talk to you about married woman things? Nineteen years. That's how long. So spill it, sister. Does he pay as much attention to you in bed as he does outside of bed? That's important, you know. I know when Charlie was his age..."
"I'm begging you, Mom. Please don't finish that sentence," I implored. "I'm very relaxed, okay? So relaxed I'm practically comatose," I said in a biting tone just so that she'd stop talking about my father.
"Alriiiight," my mom's smile was wicked. "Way to go, Edward!" she cheered, her voice thick with approval. Embarrassed, I pushed the cart a little faster putting a few paces in between us.
Coming to the meat section, I bent over the refrigerated case of gold-wrapped hams. "I guess we don't need to talk about your sex life," I growled, tossing a ham into my cart. But the woman standing behind me waiting to peruse the meats was not my mother. The elderly woman quite literally gasped and clutched her pearls.
My jaw dropped and I stammered out a red-faced apology before pushing my cart in the opposite direction as fast as I could without drawing any more attention to myself.
I found Renee distracted in the next aisle over, looking at baby stuff.
"I think we've got everything. We should probably get back so we can get the ham in the oven," I said to my mother who had no concept of timing a meal.
"Bella?" Renee asked later in the car on the way back.
"Yes?" I replied a bit warily.
"I'm really happy you're happy. It shows. And it's about time you started living your own life instead of worrying about mine. I have Phil for that now. And he worries enough for the both of you!"
"Aww, Mom… Thanks. It shows on you, too. In that glowing...pregnant...emaciated kind of way," I teased.
*EPOV*
I don't think I'd been forced to wretch so many times in the last three decades as I'd had to in the last three days, but I wouldn't have missed a moment of it to be anywhere else. Christmas dinner with Bella's family was filled with laughter and warmth, and not just from the flickering tapers.
It was also very educational. While Bella was always so reticent about her childhood, Renee was the opposite. The home movie James had stolen to trick Bella? There were plenty more where that came from.
After dinner, at my insistence and Bella's utter mortification, we watched them all. I was never more grateful for my perfect recall than I'd been as I watched, unblinkingly, as the reason for my existence grew from a chubby newborn to a gawky teenager right before my eyes.
And for the sake of my pride, I was also glad I couldn't cry, because I would've been bawling in front of all of them.
"I'm so excited that I get to do it all over again with you," Renee whispered into Phil's ear as she was curled up under his arm on the couch. He pulled her closer and kissed her hair, unable to speak over the lump in his throat.
Christmas morning ended up taking place closer to lunchtime by the time Renee emerged from her room, freshly showered. Though her apologetic eyes were still bloodshot from having been recently ill.
"Edward, you must be missing your family about now. Alice plans such elaborate affairs…we're pretty low-key around here." Renee looked disparagingly around her warm, eclectically-furnished family room festively adorned with dollar store decorations.
"I can tell you without a doubt this is far and away the best Christmas I've ever had," I said honestly.
Renee brightened right up seeing the sincerity in my eyes, hearing it in my voice, and in the way I brushed my thumb softly over Bella's knuckles as I held her hand.
"Well, I hope you don't mind, but Phil and I got you both a couple's gift. We know you both have been studying hard for finals, so…" Renee handed Bella an envelope.
A Massage Envy gift card slid out of a Christmas card that read, "For a day of...relaxation," Bella read loud with an odd inflection. "Love Mom, Phil & Baby Girl Dwyer."
I couldn't understand Bella's reaction. It was a gift certificate for a couple's massage, but Bella's face was as red as if her mother had given her lingerie.
Then Renee thought while snickering to herself, A day of relaxation that won't end me up a 39-year old Nana.
"That's so nice! Bella, isn't that nice?" I said graciously
"Thanks, you guys. You really shouldn't have, Mom," Bella said, still blushing.
Just then there was a knock at the door.
"Who on earth would that be on Christmas Day? Phil, are you expecting anybody?" Renee asked as Phil went to answer the door.
"Perfect timing. That should be your gift," I announced, as both Bella and her parents threw me a quizzical expression.
"Phillip and Renee Dwyer?" The man asked at the door.
"I'm Phil Dywer," he answered back with extreme curiosity in his voice.
"Merry Christmas," the man at the door said, handing Phil a pair of key fobs before turning and walking back down the drive.
Phil looked outside and saw a shiny new black Volvo XC90 parked in the driveway. The safest SUV in its class. And it came pre-installed with the safest infant car seat available on the market.
"Did you two get us a car?" Phil asked, thunderstruck.
"How did you?..." Bella asked under her breath, barely audible.
I spoke out of the corner of my mouth in a low voice that only she'd hear. "You'd be amazed what you can buy with 2-day shipping," I said, flashing a crooked smile.
Then the house phone rang. Renee went to answer it while Phil stood in the doorway staring at the SUV. He was torn between being upset about the extravagant gift and being thrilled.
They'd had to break their lease in Arizona when they left for Florida, and as a result, their credit had taken a hit. Phil wasn't sure a new car would be possible before the baby was born.
"Oh, hi, Charlie! Merry Christmas! Yeah, she's right here…Bella?" Renee called holding her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, "It's your Dad," she said, handing Bella the cordless landline phone.
"Hi Dad! Merry Chris-"
I heard Charlie's voice bellow into the phone, cutting her off. "Did you and Edward buy me a boat?"
"I...uh, I mean, yes? Do you...like it?"
"Do I like it? Of course, I like it. It's a freaking yacht compared to my old rust bucket. And it's got enough room to take out Sue and the kids out on the water, but that's not the point. You shouldn't be spending your money on me!" He lectured in a tirade that sounded almost verbatim to one I'd been on the receiving end of from Bella.
"You got me my truck. Why can't I get you a boat?" she argued, set off by his authoritative tone.
"I am your father-" But Bella wouldn't let him finish.
"If it makes you feel any better, we got Renee and Phil a new car," she said, trying another tactic as she threw her hands up in the air and threw me a glare.
"You what?!" Charlie hollered.
What did you do? Bella mouthed at me with an incredulous smile.
"Look, Dad, you needed a bigger boat, and mom needed a bigger car. Merry Christmas. I love you. Now just say thank you so I can hang up."
"Thank you. Both," he grunted uncomfortably. "And love you too, Bells. Even if you are out of your ever-loving mind."
"Bye, Dad," I said with a big smile in my voice and ended the call.
"I can't believe you," Bella said when her parents went outside to take the SUV for a test drive around the block. "I asked you to handle gifts not play Oprah," she said in a flat tone, muttering "And you get a car. And you get a car…"
I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her. "Bella, let me assuage my guilt in this one small way, please. I'm about to steal away the most precious thing in their world."
"We're going to have to have another talk about what constitutes a small gesture. University library wings, SUVs, and boats are not on that list. But... thank you. For making them so happy today. It's a great way to leave things."
Renee came running back into the house slamming the screen door. "Heated seats, Bella! It has heated seats!" She threw her arms around Bella first, and then me, for another barely-touching seated hug.
"That reminds me," I said, presenting Bella with a wrapped gift. "Merry Christmas, love."
"Edward...I'm afraid to even open it, but shoot, at least it's not a car," she grumbled.
Tearing the paper away, she laughed delightedly when she saw the box for her new phone. But it wasn't just any phone. It was the Nokia 6300. It had a 2-megapixel camera, a 2-inch display, 2 whole gigabytes of memory, and most importantly, the sturdiest buttons of any phone on the market.
What an odd gift. Doesn't she already have some newfangled touchscreen phone that isn't even on the market yet? The tone of Renee's thoughts was puzzled.
I pursed my lips. Bella didn't exactly know that her phone was a prototype. Another perk of being Apple's earliest investor. Turned out Phil was more observant than I gave him credit for, too. A family trait, it would seem.
"I'm going to miss you!" Renee said as she squeezed Bella tightly around the shoulders at the departures terminal for Alaska Airlines early the next morning. "Let me know as soon as you're home safe in New Hampshire." She'd had to pull over once to be ill on the side of the road, but she wasn't going to miss seeing us off if it killed her.
It was no wonder Bella was so darn stubborn. She got a double dose of it from both of her parents.
Bella made Renee promise to keep her posted with all the baby updates as Phil appeared from the back of the new SUV with our luggage in hand. He set the hardshell suitcases on the curb at my feet. And this time I was ready for him.
I took my hands out of the pockets of my grey wool peacoat that had been stuffed with instant hand warmers (one of Carlisle's doctor tricks) and firmly shook Phil's hand.
"Thanks for everything, Phil. I promise I'll take care of her. And congratulations again on becoming a dad...for the second time," I said meaningfully.
"I know you will. And, uh, thanks for the new wheels. Ed. You guys really saved my bacon with the missus."
"Don't mention it. It was Bella's idea," I grinned.
*BPOV*
In fourteen hours, after making two short layovers in Charlotte and Seattle, our plane would land in Juneau. From there we'd charter a smaller seaplane to take us to Admiralty Island to join the others.
And then...well... the clock had just about run out on my humanity. We'd be arriving in Alaska tomorrow on the 27th, and according to Alice's vision, I woke up on the 30th.
With misty eyes, I kissed my mother on the cheek before I turned away from her for the last time. She'd be okay. She had Phil and a new daughter to live for now. And I had Edward and our forever to look forward to. And it was high time I started living it.
*A/N* Sorry to keep you all waiting for this one. I'd hoped to finish it sooner, but my sick kiddo didn't give me much time to myself over the weekend. But I can't believe it! 200,000 words later and Bella is finally about to get turned, on her terms! Thank you all SO much for sticking with me this far. I'm nervously excited to finally tackle Bella's newborn experience. I can't WAIT to hear what you think.