3: Bundle of Sunshine

Pepa had been sick lately.

At first they guessed it was a stomach bug of some kind that made her throw up in the morning. Julieta had given her a bite to eat, she'd felt better later, and it was fine. But then it happened again, and thick gray clouds covered the Encanto every few days, and that's when the kids started to worry.

Mirabel, only nine, wasn't sure what they adults were whispering about. It was her mother Julieta talking with Pepa and Félix inside of Pepa's room. Even though she and Camilo both had their ears to the door, they couldn't possibly hear what was going on inside. Across the hallway, the teenaged Dolores was whispering a mile a minute into Isabela's ear, both of their eyes growing wide. Of course. She must be able to hear everything that was being said.

Mirabel turned to Camilo and tapped him on the shoulder. "We could ask Dolores what they're saying," she whispered.

Camilo fidgeted with his ruana, looking nervously between Mirabel and his mother's door. "I guess."

The kids ran across the hall to where their older sisters were standing. Camilo jumped forward and grabbed onto his sister's skirt, clearly worried sick. "Lolaaaa!" He whined. "What do you hear? What's wrong with Mamà?"

Dolores gently pried him off of her. "It's—they're not saying anything directly. They keep gasping—they sound excited. I'm not sure, but I think Mamà might be—." She stopped suddenly, putting a hand to her ear.

Camilo tugged on her skirt again. "Might be what? Might be whaaaaaat?"

"Shhh!" Dolores snapped. The other three all held their breath. Then, Dolores quickly started shuffling the kids away to another room. "They're coming out now. Don't make it look like we are listening."

"But you didn't tell us what you heard!"

"It's okay, Camilo," Dolores gave him a cheeky, knowing smile. "Mamà's fine. She's going to see a doctor. And if I'm right, this might actually be something amazing."

Isabela squealed a little as she followed them. "Eeee, this is so exciting!" As if on cue, the clouds started clearing up above them, and the smallest of rainbows began to appear.

Mirabel and Camilo looked at each other, confused. Pepa was sick, how could they be so excited? They did not understand. They were only nine.

The answer came that night at the dinner table. Pepa looked perfectly fine—no, she looked ecstatic. Skies were clear, everything was bright despite the late hour. Beside her, Fèlix appeared to be bouncing with glee. At a few points during the meal, he seemed to be treating her even more affectionately than usual. Grabbing things for her so she wouldn't have to reach, sneaking a few kisses on the hands and cheeks, Pepa giggling throughout it all.

They'd been like this since they got back from seeing the doctor. Mirabel still had no idea what was happening.

Abuela seemed anxious. Mirabel saw her lean over to Julieta once or twice to ask something, her gaze flickering to Pepa. Julieta just smiled and patted Abuela's hand, saying something about patience. Dolores and Julieta were still giving each other wide-eyed stares. Mirabel, Camilo, and Luisa were still completely lost. Augustín was eating his food.

Finally, just as they were finishing up, Pepa stood up. She clasped her hands together with a joyful smile. "Everyone!" She called out, silencing the chatter at the table. "Before we finish, Fèlix and I have some exciting news."

Fèlix stood as well. He took her hand, and they shared one more happy look.

Pepa turned back to her expectant audience. "We…are going to have another baby! I'm pregnant!"

The table exploded into noise.

"Whaaaaaaat?" Camilo cried.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Isabela squealed.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Dolores whispered, hands over her ears.

Mirabel's jaw just dropped as shouts of congratulations and joy rang around her. Abuela rushed over to Pepa, kissing both her cheeks excitedly. She looked happier than Mirabel had seen her in a long time.

"But Mamà!" Camilo shouted, still reeling. "I thought you were too old to have another kid!"

"Ay, what's that supposed to mean, chico?! I'm only forty-four! My factory hasn't shut down just yet."

Dolores snorted at this.

"Aren't you excited, Milo?" Fèlix asked him happily. "You're going to be a big brother!"

Camilo turned to look at Mirabel. His mouth was agape and his eyes seemed to be sparkling. No longer was he the whimpering, worried child from that afternoon. Now he looked like his whole world was turned upside down in the best way possible.

It was funny. Mirabel had thought that she would be the youngest of the family for a long time. But the Madrigals were nothing if not full of surprises.

Late at night, a small folded piece of paper mysteriously slipped into the cracks in the walls. No one lived there except the rats, of course, one of whom was particularly large and had a penchant for the color green.

Said large rat was the one who noticed the note, curiously picking it up to see what was inside. It was a drawing, amateur but still recognizable—Pepa, smiling brightly with a rainbow over her head, Fèlix standing beside her, Dolores and Camilo smaller in the background. In the middle, apparently cradled in Pepa's arms, was a baby with no discernible features, covered in question marks. And at the bottom, in small letters, it simply read "soon :)."

The figure's thumb traced over the image, lingering on the baby, almost reverently. Then he pocketed it, making a mental note to keep it in the safest place he could find.

It was hectic for the next few weeks as the family got ready for their newest member's arrival. They were fielding congratulations and questions from the villagers, nervously sharing their wonderings and nervousness with one another, bringing out that second bed in the nursery that Camilo hadn't used for years.

Oh, and taking care of Pepa. The weather was even more unpredictable than usual. They all left that particular task to Félix, and to their children.

Julieta was coming back from who knows where one day, her mind going a million miles per second, when she spotted her mother standing alone. Alma was standing at the bannister looking at Pepa's door, which was flickering wildly with her magic. To the untrained eye, it would appear that Alma was as calm as ever, but Julieta could easily see the tension on her face.

She wiped her hands on her skirt as she approached, clearing her throat. "Mamà? You look anxious. Is something the matter?"

Alma looked up and shook her head. "No, no, mija. Don't worry yourself. I was just thinking."

"About Pepa and the baby?"

"Yes." Alma started waking down the aisle, and Julieta fell into step beside her. "It's lovely that there will soon be another Madrigal in our midst. I admit I wasn't expecting either of you to have another." She chuckled, a bit forced. "I am happy, truly, but also…worried."

Julieta followed her mother's gaze upward, until her eyes landed on the candle. Ah. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Alma was thinking.

"A new child in the family means a new Gift," Alma continued, quieter. "But we haven't had a Gift Ceremony since…since Mirabel's."

Julieta bit her lip. "Mm."

With Pepa's pregnancy being the new big event in the family, she'd been hoping to finally forget about the last "big event," which had left their family in shambles for more reasons than one.

"I have been worried about the magic since then," Alma said. "But I thought we would never get a chance to see if it would happen again, not until Isabela or Dolores have children of their own one day. Now, however, it seems that second chance is coming sooner than we thought. I want to see it as a blessing, but I wonder…" she trailed off, frowning into the distance.

"Mamà," Julieta said gently. "I understand your concern, I do. But we still have plenty of time before that, you know. For now, we should just focus on bringing the baby out safely, and after that, there's five more years to wait before any Gift Ceremony. I don't want you to spend all that time worrying yourself to death before we even get there."

Alma couldn't help a small grin. "Ah…you're right, you're right. I suppose I was getting ahead of myself. It's so easy to get excited when a new arrival is on the way."

"Please take it easy on yourself, Mamà. I'm sure everything is going to be just fine." With that, Julieta gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and excused herself. As she left, she took one last look back to see her mother looking the same way as she'd found her.

Julieta sighed. Her mother's fixation on the Gifts was understandable, for sure, but sometimes it could be a bit much. She only wished Alma would focus on what was in front of her for a change.

She hoped that would be the last she'd hear of this for a while. She was wrong.

Later that same day, Julieta was in the kitchen cleaning up, all three of her daughters with her. Isabela and Luisa were helping, Mirabel was…doing her best, but she was looking nervous about something.

"Luisa, sweetheart, what happened to your hair?" Julieta asked. "It's all over the place."

Luisa pouted and tried to tame her hair, which was a mess of frizz. "I was in the hall with Tía Pepa," she sighed. "First it was windy, then it was raining, then suddenly it was really, really hot."

Julieta chuckled. "Ah, I see. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but try to be understanding to your tía. Having a baby is tough. She's going to be a little on edge until the child is born."

Isabela snickered quietly. "Ah, the miracle of life." She grinned toward her sisters. "Future's bright, ladies."

Luisa poured. "You're older than us. You're probably going to have kids first."

Julieta chuckled. "Alright, that's enough, you two. Don't you have chores to get to today?"

The two older girls glanced at each other before nodding.

"Get to it, then. I can take care of things here."

Isabela and Luisa nodded and said their goodbyes before leaving.

That left Mirabel and Julieta alone in the kitchen. Julieta hummed a soft tune as she worked. She looked up at her daughter, noticing that she'd stopped moving and was looking at her with a strained look.

"Mirabel? Are you alright?"

Mirabel hesitated. She broke eye contact and tried to speak. "Um…will the…um, do you think…" she kept fidgeting with her hands. "Do you think the new baby will get a Gift?"

…Ay, dios mío, was she really going to have this conversation a second time? Julieta paused just a moment before she put her materials down. She sat in front of Mirabel, sighing quietly. "Now…why would you be thinking about they so soon?"

Mirabel shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "I don't know, I just…they're going to share the nursery with me, so…I mean, I don't know." She shrugged again.

Julieta took a moment to weigh her words. "Well…I can't tell you the answer to that, Mira. They could get one."

"Maybe, um…" Mirabel's eyes widened slightly at the floor. "I was thinking maybe the Gifts were…done."

Julieta's breath caught at the suggestion. She hadn't even considered that—and she didn't even want to know what Alma's reaction would be to the idea. If the Gifts were "done," what would happen to the family? To the Encanto? Julieta, Pepa, and their respective Gifted children wouldn't last forever. Julieta gulped the uncertainty away and remained focused on her daughter.

"Ah, that's…definitely an idea. I can't really say anything about that either." She forced a smile. "Sometimes the magic is rather unpredictable. Anything can happen, whether we like it or not, and—" she gently nudged Mirabel's face up to look at her. "—it's not anybody's fault."

Forget worrying about the magic now. Mirabel needed to understand that, if nothing else.

Mirabel still looked a little conflicted.

"So no matter what happens," Julieta continued, "This new baby will be a member of our family, and they will make us all very proud. Because in this house, we love all our children, Gift or no Gift. Do you understand, mija?"

Mirabel seemed to get it now. Her face relaxed and she nodded. Julieta breathed a sigh of relief and kissed Mirabel's forehead, now with a real smile on her face. "Come on, now. Tìa Pepa and Tìo Félix mentioned they wanted to pick out a mobile for the baby's crib. I think your eye for art can help them pick the best one, si?"

Mirabel lit up. She nodded.

Julieta decided the cleaning could wait until later. She took Mirabel's hand as she stood, and her daughter clung onto it like a lifeline.

"…Mamà?"

"Yes, amor?"

"…do you think the baby will like me?"

Julieta smiled brilliantly at her. "Now that I'm sure of. Of course they will. You'll be the best prima mayor they could ever ask for."

That, at last, seemed to placate her for now.

A few months in, and Pepa's baby bump was getting bigger. She often found herself unable to go outside, and today was one of those days. It wasn't hard to see that the cabin fever was just making things worse. The weather was wonky, as it had been since she'd gotten pregnant, but at least Félix and the kids were doing their best to help.

Pepa groaned loudly in the chair she was sitting in, while Fèlix sat beside her and rubbed her back gently. Camilo was sort of hovering nearby, not sure what exactly to do. Behind him, the door opened and Dolores quietly hurried in with more of Tía Julieta's arepas. They seemed to be going through those at a pretty quick rate.

"Here you go, Mamà," Dolores said. She placed the tray onto the table next to Pepa, and her mother immediately started snatching them up.

"Oh, gracias Lola, you're an angel." She munched on the food rather unflatteringly, before leaning her head back and sighing dramatically. "I am so ready to get this kid out of me. You two weren't nearly so much trouble."

Fèlix laughed. "I hope it's not an indication of how much trouble they'll be outside of the womb." He stifled another chuckle at Pepa's pointed look and patted her hand. "I'm just kidding, amor. I'm sure they'll be great. Hang in there, you're already in the home stretch."

Camilo was only half-listening to his parents at this point. It wasn't like he'd never seen a pregnant woman before, but it just looked so…weird on his mom. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand and gingerly placed it on her belly. Pepa went quiet and for a moment he thought he'd upset her, but he was quickly proven wrong. Pepa, despite her discomfort, smiled gently.

"Do you feel anything, Milo?"

Camilo shook his head.

"Well, keep your hand there. You might feel them kick." She put her hand on top of his, and it seemed like the weather cleared up just a little.

Dolores mimicked Camilo's action and grinned down at him. "If you put your ear on her belly and listen, you might hear the baby's heartbeat."

Camilo's eyes widened. He shoved his head at his mother's belly, making her laugh, and pressed his ear as closely to her as possible. He frowned. "I don't hear anything."

"Dolores," Félix said. "You forget that the rest of us can't hear as well as you can."

Dolores seemed genuinely confused by this. "But it's so loud."

Camilo blew a raspberry at his sister, but he kept listening anyway.

They continued talking quietly. "It's going to be strange having a sibling so much younger than us," Dolores remarked. "I'm already sixteen—I'm almost old enough to be their mamà."

"That just means you'll be expected to help us out a lot, Lola," said Félix.

"…as long as I don't have to change any diapers, that's fine."

"And why not?" asked Pepa. "It'll be practice for when you have your own babies."

"I think I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

Camilo suddenly gasped. "Wait, I felt something!" He said. "I think…the baby's moving?"

"They sure are," Pepa rubbed her bump with a sigh, both of happiness and exasperation. "They're a little ball of energy. Ay, I wonder if they'll turn out to be a troublemaker after all."

Camilo just awkwardly pressed his face further, as if that would help him get a better clue as to what his future sibling was doing. The family seemed to have finished their conversation, now just taking in the atmosphere of the moment.

Then Félix broke the silence, shooting his signature grin at the door of the room. "Hola, chica. No need to just stand there, come on in."

They all looked up to see Mirabel, her face only half poking through the door. She seemed uncharacteristically shy, as if scared to intrude. But as Félix waved her in, she slowly opened the door wider so she could enter.

As she slowly walked into Pepa's room, two more heads poked in, looking equally reserved. Luisa and Isabela.

"Oh, looks like the gang's all here," Félix said. "Come on, don't be shy, we've got plenty of room."

The girls bounded into the room, closing the door behind them. Mirabel and Luisa went straight for the baby bump, while Isabela remained cordial as always.

"How are you feeling, Tía Pepa?" she asked. "I hope we're not bothering you."

"Ah, you could never, dear—oh. Okay, guess everyone wants to touch my stomach now. By all means, go ahead."

Despite the snippy tone, she seemed fine with letting all of her children and nieces try to put a hand on her belly at once. Camilo refused to move his face, much to the chagrin of the others (and even worse when Mirabel copied him).

"You guys are taking up all the space," Luisa complained. She managed to place her hand on Pepa for about two seconds. Then she gave up and decided to wait until the younger kids were done.

"Have you thought about names?" Isabela was asking.

"Mm, I was thinking we just decide once the baby is born," Félix replied. "Sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing."

"Absolutely not, Félix," Pepa snapped.

While the adults kept talking, Camilo grinned at Mirabel, whose face was just in front of his. "I felt the baby move earlier," he whispered, excitedly, as if sharing some grand secret.

Mirabel frowned, her nose scrunching up. "I don't feel anything."

"You don't have a strong connection with them like I do," Camilo bragged. "I'm their big brother. You're just their prima."

"Shut up."

"Mirabel," Isabela scolded. "Mamà told you not to say those things."

Mirabel rolled her eyes. But she quickly pressed her head to her tía's belly again, harder this time. Pepa patted her gently on the head and continued talking with the others. Camilo blinked, observing his cousin. She wasn't normally this snippy. Did his little tease really bother her so much?

"Relax," Camilo said. "You're gonna share the nursery with them, won't you? Then you can build as much of a connection with them as you want."

Mirabel didn't respond. She just sighed and kept listening, her mind apparently a million miles away.

The nursery was her room. Or at least, it had been, in the past five years since she hadn't gotten a new room to move into. Mirabel had thought she could turn it into her own personal space until she grew up, since there were no plans to have another baby in the current generation. But fate was cruel, and once again she was constantly to be reminded that her room was was a nursery. It was a baby room for babies, that she was stuck in forever while the younger ones came and went.

When all was said and done, her new, much younger cousin would move out of that nursery and leave her behind, just like Camilo had. They would probably look down on her as the weird, Giftless older prima that wouldn't ever be as good as them. Or, alternatively, the child would end up just like her, and then it would be her fault for ending the Madrigal legacy. She wasn't sure which scenario would be worse.

Pepa was in labor. The weather was a mess.

Aside from the near-hurricane brewing outside, the house was quiet. However, the nervous energy while they waited still seemed to buzz. Julieta and Abuela were in the room with Pepa, helping her, along with the local midwife. The rest of the family was waiting down in the foyer. Félix was standing by the staircase, bouncing his foot nervously and biting a nail. Dolores and Isabela were sitting down nearby, with Dolores covering her ears and Isabela trying to comfort her. Luisa was pacing around the room. Camilo was all over the place, shifting into random people in an attempt to calm down his nerves, and new occasionally shooting glances at his mother's room.

Mirabel was sitting next to her father. Augustín was alternating between patting her head, trying to excite her for the baby's arrival, and doing his best to calm Félix. Mirabel wasn't listening much. There were so many emotions mixing in her stomach right now—excitement, fear, boredom, joy, dread…and more she didn't have the words to describe yet. She already had mixed feelings about a new addition to the family who would take her place as the youngest, but now that it was happening she didn't feel ready.

They all sat there for what felt like an eternity. The wind outside howled. Casita occasionally clinked with its tiles. Félix hummed a little tune to himself. Isabela whispered something to Dolores. Mirabel tried to focus on anything other than the stifling atmosphere, but it was simply impossible.

And suddenly, Pepa's door opened.

The loud wails from inside flooded to the room and caught everyone's attention. Looking up, they all spotted Julieta, messy and tired and beaming with joy. "The baby is here! It's a boy!"

Félix nearly tripped over himself climbing up the stairs. Augustín did trip over himself, but he got up just as fast.

The rest of the room erupted into cheers. "A brother! Yesssss!" Camilo cried. He turned into Augustín to get up the stairs faster, and the girls all crowded to follow him. Mirabel lagged behind.

When Mirabel got to Pepa's room, the family was crowded around the bed where her tía was laying. Pepa looked exhausted, but overjoyed, and Mirabel could just barely see the bundle of blankets she was cradling. She assumed the baby was in those blankets. The baby was crying, too, but it was drowned out by the family's happy cheers and cooing. Outside, the sun was shining brightly.

Félix was the first to carry his new son, tears in his eyes. He gave the baby a kiss on the forehead, then leaned over to kiss his wife. Everyone seemed so happy. Abuela held the baby next, smiling from ear to ear. Then he went to his siblings. Dolores held the baby, smiling so wide her eyes were crinkling, while Camilo tried to make him laugh by shifting between various faces. As if a newborn baby could understand what he was seeing here.

Mirabel stood at the back of the room as the child was passed around. She made no move to get closer, but tried to stand on her tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the baby's face, to no avail. Eventually, she just sighed and turned around. She'd see plenty of the baby later, once they had to share a room.

"Mirabel."

She looked up at her mother's call. Julieta was holding the baby now, standing next to Pepa. "Come here, come meet your new primo."

Mirabel hesitated, but she slowly stepped forward. The others moved out of the way slightly to let her through. Julieta, Pepa, and Fèlix all smiled down at her as she approached. Mirabel reached out her arms tentatively, frowning with nervous tension. Julieta knelt down to her.

"Careful, support his head…" Julieta said softly.

Now, for the first time, the baby slid into Mirabel's arms, and she hesitantly looked down at his face.

Oh. Oh. He was perfect.

"His name is Antonio," Pepa said, her eyes shining with happy tears. "Isn't he just precious?"

Antonio. He was so tiny. So warm. He had the sweetest little round nose, and curly black hair just like his dad. And he wasn't crying anymore, just staring back at Mirabel with the biggest, roundest, brownest eyes.

All of Mirabel's previous doubts vanished like dust. What had she been so upset about? This was her baby cousin. She couldn't wait to share the nursery room with him. She couldn't wait to see what he would grow up to be. She already adored him, and she desperately hoped he would adore her too.

Mirabel looked back up at her mom and aunt, beaming. "I love him."

Little Antonio's arrival was met with nothing but joy. The entire Encanto seemed to come alive, the town basking in the excitement that only the birth of a new Madrigal could bring—something that hadn't happened in a long time and wouldn't happen for a long time afterward.

That night, the entire Madrigal family went to sleep joyful and content, thankful for their new little blessing and hopeful for the future.