(2 weeks later. Monica and Chandler's apartment)
It's the middle of the night and they are in bed sleeping when awoken by a shrill cry coming over the intercom.
"Oh god" said Monica
She looked over at Chandler who wasn't even stirring and debated wether to give him a kick in the shin and make him get up with her but decided not as he was the one who had to work in the morning.
She dragged herself out of bed and headed through to the Nursery.
She walked up to Lily's crib and saw a tiny red-faced bundle, screaming her head off.
"Oh Lily-Pad, What's the matter" said Monica as she lifted her out of the crib and held her close "You keep screaming like this you're gonna wake your brother and sister.
She made her way over to the rocking chair and sat down to breastfeed, struggling to keep her eyes open. She had no idea how physically draining being a parent was going to be, All she wanted was one good nights sleep but it never happened. She fully understood now about how Rachel felt was when Isabella was a newborn, complaining about lack of sleep etc. She feeds one baby then another awakens; it's like a never-ending story.
She looked down and saw that Lily was asleep at her breast with her mouth wide open. Every time she looked at one of her babies it brought a smile to her face.
She put Lily back in her crib and tiptoed back through to the bedroom to try and catch a little more sleep before Emma or Riley demanded their 3am feed.
(Next day-Ross and Rachel's Apartment)
Ross and Rachel are preparing to go for their first ultrasound and check up since Rachel discovered she was pregnant.
Rachel is sitting on the floor of the lounge room playing with Isabella. They're having a mother-daughter chat. Well Rachel's talking, Isabella's just chewing on her Lady Bug Plush toy.
"So Bella, You're gonna have a new baby brother or sister, Isn't that great?" said Rachel.
"Buh" said Isabella, crawling into Rachel's lap.
"And you're going to be a BIG sister. Can you say Bubba?" said Rachel
Ross walked into the living room to put a warmed up bottle into Isabella's diaper bag.
"Ross I don't think she's happy about the new baby situation" said Rachel, standing up with Isabella in her arms.
"Rach, She's 10 months old Honey. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't even know what the hell you're talking about," said Ross.
Isabella put her arms out to Ross and said "Dada"
"How's Daddy's little Angel" said Ross as he pulled Isabella into his arms and kissed her head.
"I'm just worried that she's not gonna like the baby" said Rachel.
"I think she'll be fine, She's too young to understand anything at the moment and when the baby is born she'll be like 18 months or something so lets' wait and see what happens then Ok?" said Ross. "Now grab your stuff coz we're gonna be late for the appointment"
"Ok" said Rachel. She grabbed her handbag and they headed out the door.
(Rachel's Ob/GYN Office)
Ross and Rachel are waiting on the couch; Isabella is trying to navigate her way into a standing position whilst leaning against the table.
"Oh my god" said Rachel "Look at her, she's trying to stand up. What a big girl"
She went to lean down and give her a cuddle when interrupted by the receptionist calling her name.
"Ms Green, Dr Long will see you in a minute"
"Here we go," said Ross, picking up Isabella.
They followed the receptionist into one of the exam rooms.
"Rachel, if you'd like to get undressed and put on this gown, Dr Long will be with you in a second" said the receptionist as she handed Rachel one of the highly unfashionable gowns.
"Thank you very much," said Rachel.
She got undressed behind the divider and hopped onto the exam table.
"I forgot how comfortable these things are," she said as she got settled. "Ughh, Trust. I'm alfresco down here and there's a breeze going right up there"
"I can warm you up if you like," said Ross with a grin on his face.
He put Isabella up on the bed next to Rachel.
"Come here" said Rachel, pulling Ross down into a passionate kiss not noticing that Dr Long had entered the room.
"Ahem" said Dr Long "I'm not interrupting?"
They broke this kiss and Ross moved next to Rachel and grabbed her hand.
"No, not at all" said Rachel.
"How are you Rachel?" said Dr Long. "This must be the little angel I delivered not so long ago"
"Yep, This is Isabella," said Ross. "The apple of her Mommy's eye"
"I must say, I'm surprised to see you back here so soon Rachel" said Dr Long "The things you were saying when you were in labour, I expected it to be at least a few years before you did it all over again"
"Aahhh" said Rachel "Well we didn't expect to be back here so soon either but these things happen"
"And we're BOTH very excited about it" interrupted Ross.
"That's good. Shall we get started?" said Dr Long "First I'll do an internal check then we'll move on to take baby's first picture".
"Ok" said Rachel, laying back on the table and relaxing.
(Minutes Later)
"Ok, Now for the ultrasound" said Dr Long.
She squeezed the jelly stuff on Rachel's stomach and positioned the ultrasound scope.
"Ok, Well here's your uterus," said Dr Long.
" And there's the baby" said Rachel. She pulled herself up and touched the screen.
"It looks like you're about 9 weeks pregnant. Everything looks great on here. Baby is perfect size for 9 weeks" said Dr Long.
"9 weeks hey?" said Ross. He lifted Isabella back onto the bed and pointed at the screen.
"Look, that's your baby brother or sister Bella," said Ross
Rachel was lying looking at the screen with tears welling in her eyes "Look at our little baby" she said "Isn't that just the most beautiful thing?"
"It sure is beautiful," said Ross, kissing Rachel gently. "Our Baby"
Isabella pointed at the screen and said "Bubba!"
"That's the new Bubba Isabella. She's so smart," said Ross proudly as picked her up off the bed and gave her a hug. "Just like her daddy"
"Rachel, your due date will be either middle or late March, It's too early for specifics now" said Dr Long.
"Really? Oh god I'm going to be 8 months pregnant on my Wedding Day" said Rachel.
"I could have told you that Sweetie, We're gonna have to look for another wedding dress too, You're definitely not going to fit into that one you bought a few weeks ago" said Ross
Rachel shot him a "Don't go there" look before moaning to her self "I love that dress"
"I'm sure you'll find a more suitable maternity wedding dress," said Ross.
"Maternity!! There is no way I'm wearing one of those ugly maternity dresses. We're getting married on Valentine's Day," Rachel explained to Dr Long.
"Well congratulations" replied Dr Long.
"Thankyou" said Rachel
"Well we're done here for now Rachel" said Dr Long, wiping the jelly off her stomach "I'll want to see you in a month or two for another check up and ultrasound where we will hopefully be able to find out the sex"
"Oh we don't want to know the sex," said Ross.
"Yes we do," said Rachel.
"OK, Yes we do then," replied Ross, picking up Isabella and walking towards the door. "We'll meet you in the waiting room Rach".
"Ok Sweetie" said Rachel, hopping off the bench and going to get changed.
"Minimal stress ok Rachel," said Dr Long "We want a stress free and uncomplicated pregnancy"
"What makes you think it's going to be anything but that?" said Rachel.
"Nothing, It's just you've got a wedding coming up, I know how stressful it can be preparing for one so just take it easy ok. No stress at home either," said Dr Long.
"Thanks Dr Long, but I'm not stressed now at all so I think everything will be fine," said Rachel starting for the door.
"No problems. Just remember to give me a call if you have any problems or need a chat"
"Thank you so much," said Rachel with a smile "I'll remember that and I will see you in a few months."
She walked out into the waiting room and saw Ross sitting in the Little Kiddies corner playing with Bella and some other kids. He's such a great father she thought to herself.
"All done" said Rachel when she reached the play corner.
"Ok, Let's go Pumpkin-Pie" said Ross, lifting Isabella into his arms.
They walked out onto the street and jumped into a cab that was waiting on the side of the road.
"Are you ok Sweetie," said Rachel, grabbing Ross' hand.
"Yep, Fine," replied Ross continuing staring out the window.
"Ok then" said Rachel
She let go of his hand and turned her attention to Isabella who was squirming in her lap. The rest of the trip home was spent in silence.
(Joey and Phoebe's)
"Joseph Tribbiani, Get in here," yelled Phoebe from the bedroom.
"What" said Joey, walking in with Dylan on his chest in one of those carrier things.
"What the hell is this?" said Phoebe, pointing to the pile of clothes on the floor.
"Those would be my umm.clean clothes that have NOT been there since the day before yesterday," replied Joey.
"You are such a messy pig, It's not like I've already got enough god damn clothes to wash everyday Joey, The least you could do was put them into the hamper" said Pheobe, picking the clothes off the floor.
"Jeez, When did you turn into such a domesticated women.,Ok I'm sorry but you've gotta be quiet, you're gonna wake the baby" said Joey.
Phoebe noticed for the first time that Dylan was nestled in the carrier against Joey's chest.
"Why is the baby in there Joey? That is for when we are NOT at home," asked Pheeeb's.
"We were playing a game," replied Joey with a grin on his face.
"Ok, Now what kind of a game would that be? That you play with a month old baby?" said Pheeb's.
"Well, we were spinning around and I put him in her just in case I dropped him" replied Joey.
"Oh and by the way, You may need to wash this as well, He kind of threw up a little bit after the 3rd spin, see?" said Joey as he leaned forward and showed Phoebe the milky vomit on the carrier.
"Ok first of all Honey, you don't spin a 4 week old baby round and round, do you want to damage his brain or something? Second of all, because you caused the mess by spinning him around 10 minutes after he's had his bottle, you can now go down to the laundry room and do the laundry," said Phoebe, reaching out and gently pulling Dylan out of the carrier and into her arms.
"Really?" asked Joey.
"Bye now" said Phoebe motioning towards the basket of washing before walking to the Nursery and putting Dylan into his crib.
"Oh Man" said Joey as he picked up the basket and stomped out of the apartment.
(Central Perk)
Monica, Rachel, Phoebe and the kids are all present. None of the guys are there. They are occupying the couch with 4 car seat/carriers lined up on the coffee table in front of them.
"So everything is ok with you and Ross now Rachel?" asked Monica, as she burped Riley up on her shoulder.
"Well, it was, I mean it is. I don't know! Everything was fine until we went to the appointment today and afterwards he was acting a little strange?" replied Rachel. "Maybe I just imagined it."
"We know as well as you do that Ross goes into these strange little moods sometimes" said Monica.
"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it," said Phoebe.
"I'm not really. I thought we'd made our peace about the new baby and everything but maybe not? Maybe he's just worrying about the financial side of things still," said Rachel.
"Who knows," said Monica. "I'm so tired. I was up at least 6 times last night with the babies, Chandler slept through it all"
"I know how you feel," said Phoebe "Except that I'm not breastfeeding. Duh, so I can make Joey get up and feed him during the night and get me some sleep"
"I'm so glad Isabella's got her sleeping habits down pat now" sad Rachel. "I remember being up all night at the start too, don't worry Mon, they'll get a routine soon so it will be ok"
"I hope so," said Monica "I need about 3 weeks worth of sleep"
Emma began crying in her carrier. They leant over to look at her.
"Ohh, Look at that sweet little face" said Rachel "How gorgeous"
Isabella, who had been crawling underneath Monica and Rachel's feet heard the noise and decided to investigate.
She navigated her way to the edge of the coffee table and carefully made her way up onto her feet. She stood at the edge of the coffee table, holding on for dear life, pointed at the carrier and said "Bubba!"
"OH MY GOD" squealed Rachel, jumping to her feet and scaring the life out off Isabella who let go of the table and fell to the floor on her very padded bottom with a stunned look on her face.
"Oh my god, Did you guys see that? She stood up, I can't believe my little girl stood up" said Rachel excitedly, grabbing Isabella into her arms and hugging her tight. "Mommy's so proud of you Sweetheart"
"We saw" said Monica "What a clever girl"
"Oh my god, I have to tell Ross," said Rachel grabbing her handbag and the baby and running for the door.
"Bye Guys" she called as she ran out of Central Perk.
"Only 9 more months till our babies will be doing that," said Pheeb's staring into the carriers.
"I can't wait," replied Monica, smiling widely.
(Ross and Rachel's apartment)
Rachel ran up the stairs and burst through the front door.
"Ross, Isabella pulled herself up today," she yelled as she entered the apartment
"Ross, Where are you??" she called as she walked round the apartment trying to find him but there was no sign.
Rachel put Isabella down on her playmate and sat down on the couch in a heap.
"Where the hell is your daddy Isabella," she said. "Just when we've got some really exciting news to tell him, He's not home"
Isabella crawled over to the couch and put her arms up to Rachel for a hug.
"Well, I guess there's only you and me to enjoy the news then Bella," said Rachel, holding her close. "Oh well, Mommy's still very proud of you, Daddy will just have to hear the news whenever he gets his butt home"
(Monica and Chandler's apartment)
The guys are all hanging out for some wife/girlfriend/baby free time.
"So Phoebe made me do all this washing!" said Joey "I didn't even know how to use the washing machines"
"See I'm lucky, Monica LOVES cleaning/washing etc, I just keep out of her way and everything's great" said Chandler.
Ross was just sitting there with a slightly bored and depressed look on his face.
"What's up Dude?" said Joey.
"It's nothing much" said Ross "Me and Rach were at the appointment today and we saw the baby on the screen during the ultrasound and I was so happy. Like when I saw my baby on the screen it really cemented the fact that I am happy about this pregnancy even though it's going to be hard in the financial aspects and I realised how much I really want and love the baby"
"So what's the problem?" asked Chandler.
"Well Dr Long asked us wether or not we wanted to find out the sex and I was like No way but then Rachel interrupted with "Yes we do" and I was thinking "NO I don't" and I realised how much everything that happens in our relationship is decided by Rachel" said Ross "It made me think that I'm just like the accessory in the relationship"
"You can't be serious? Tell me your not serious," said Chandler.
"I am serious, Everything we do is decided by Rach, from what we eat for dinner to finding out the sex of our baby to all the wedding plans, Come on guys, Valentines Day at the Plaza, All Rachel's choices. I mean these are important decisions and I would like to have a bigger say in them" said Ross.
"You're right about dinner, that is a really important decision and you've gotta let the man have a choice sometimes" said Joey seriously.
"I'm not talking about dinner being important, I'm talking about the wedding and the baby decisions. I'd rather a surprise but whatever Rachel wants, Rachel gets," said Ross.
"Ross, is what you've got not everything you've ever wanted in your whole life since you were 15 years old?" asked Chandler.
"It is, I've wanted to marry Rachel for more then 15 years or whatever and it's finally happening and I always knew how bossy and domineering she is but I've never really KNOWN if you get what you mean" replied Ross. "Chandler, You should know what I mean, you're married to Monica for God's sake"
"Hey!" said Chandler "That's my wife you're talking about and no I don't really know what you mean"
"I don't really know either," said Joey.
"It just seems that things haven't been perfect with us since that whole me supposedly not wanting the baby thing" said Ross.
"Ross, You accused her of not taking her pill and getting pregnant behind your back, If I was Rachel I would have kicked you to the curb so think yourself lucky Man" said Chandler.
"First of all, you weren't in the room so you don't know exactly what I said and it was a heat of the moment thing, I know she'd never do anything like that. She said she forgave me for what I said" said Ross, putting his head in his hands. "But everything's changed since then. She's probably stressing out because I'm acting weird and I'm beginning to notice all her flaws and think about all the things that piss me off about her and it's driving me crazy"
"I think you two need to have a chat," said Joey "Openness and honesty are two of the main keys to a relationship"
Ross and Chandler looked at Joey in surprise.
"I found one of Phoebe's self help books" explained Joey.
"There's the answer" said Ross.
"I better head home now, Rachel will probably want me to bath the baby or rub her back or something" said Ross sarcastically.
"Talk to her" said Chandler.
"I will," replied Ross as he headed out the door "Thanks guys'
"No problems" said Joey and Chandler.
Once Ross left, Joey and Chandler sat in silence for a moment, gathering their thoughts.
"Don't you have a girlfriend and baby to go home to Joey?" asked Chandler
"Yeah but not till later, Pheeb's is having some bonding time with Dylan" replied Joey.
"At home?" asked Chandler.
"No, Come to think of it, She's probably with your wife at Central Perk" said Joey "Wanna play some Foosball?"
"Absolutely, Never say no to Foosball" replied Chandler as they ran across the hall.
(Rachel and Ross's Apartment)
Ross entered the quiet apartment, wondering where Rachel was. There was no sign of them in the kitchen, Nursery or Lounge room until Ross heard a splashing sound coming from the bathroom.
He entered the room to find Rachel leaning over the edge of the bath, holding on tightly to Isabella who was playing around with bubbles in the "Big person's" Bath. She normally sat in a chair type thing in the bath that supported her a little bit until she can sit up perfect by herself.
"Hey Rach, I'm home" he said.
Rachel turned around, having not noticed his presence. Ross noticed how beautiful she looked with bubbles all over her nose.
"Oh hey, where have you been?" she asked.
"Just at Monica and Chandler's" replied Ross "What's she doing in this bath?"
"Well we had an exciting afternoon and we decided that Bella was old enough to go solo in this bath now" replied Rachel "Didn't we honey?"
Isabella giggled and reached up and put some bubbles on Rachel's hand.
"What was so exciting?" Ross asked as he leant down and brushed the bubbles off Rachel's nose "You had some bubbles there" he explained.
"Oh thanks," said Rachel.
She lifted Isabella out of the bath and wrapped her in a fluffy pink towel.
"Here, Let me take her," said Ross putting his arms out to Bella "Daddy missed you this afternoon"
"Oh ok" said Rachel drying her arms "Her PJ"s are on the changing table". She followed Ross through to the Nursery where he lay Isabella on the changing table and began to dry her.
Isabella began squirming and started to cry. She hated getting out of the bath and being dried.
"Honey stop it," said Ross "5 seconds and we're done"
He began to count down as he hurriedly put her Pyjama top on
"3,2,1 and it's over," said Ross "That wasn't so bad was it?"
Isabella looked at him with a pouty expression, her bottom lip trembling.
"Ohh poor baby" said Rachel who had been watching from the doorway "Come here"
She lifted Bella up from the change table and walked through to the Lounge room, putting her down on her playmat then sitting down, looking exhausted.
Ross sat down next to her and noticed how tired she looked.
"Honey, We need to talk..are you feeling ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. This pregnancy is just making me more tired then usual not forgetting that I have to chase around a crawling 10 month old" replied Rachel "I'll have to get used to it though, there's going to be two of them soon"
"Yeah, Anyways so what was the exciting thing that happened this afternoon?" asked Ross.
"Well, we were at Central Perk and Isabella was on the floor when Emma started crying so Isabella crawled over and wait for it.. Pulled herself up into a standing position holding onto the coffee table, pointed at Emma and said "Bubba!" said Rachel.
"She stood up?" said Ross excitedly "All by herself?"
"Yep, All by her self, it was all very exciting," said Rachel, smiling over at the baby.
"Why didn't you call me?" asked Ross
"Well I ran home immediately to tell you and got all excited then deflated when I ran in the front door screaming the news and you weren't here" said Rachel "I didn't know where you were so I decided you would just find out when ever you brought your butt back home"
"I can't believe it," said Ross "I missed her standing up, this happened all the time with Ben and I'm living with the Mommy now and I still miss out"
"I'm sure she'll do it again tomorrow or something, She's going to be practicing a lot now she knows she can do it" said Rachel "Relax"
"It's not the same," said Ross, slumping down in his place with his arms folded across his chest.
"Cheer up please, I don't need to be any more depressed" said Rachel "What did you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, uhh I thought we should discuss some things because I know I acted weird after the ultrasound and things haven't been exactly the way they used to be between us since you found out you were pregnant" said Ross "I just need to get some things off my chest all right?"
"Ok then, well start talking," said Rachel.
"Firstly, I love you so much," said Ross, grabbing Rachel's hand.
"There's a good start," replied Rachel "I love you too"
"But I've been kind off feeling a little bit weird lately, our relationship has changed lately and I've started noticing things a lot more then usual"
"Like what?" asked Rachel
"Well I've noticed a lot more how you wear the pants in this relationship. You always seem to make the decisions that I feel I should have a say in too" said Ross.
Rachel pulled her hand away from Ross.
"WHAT? I wear the pants in this relationship! I make all the decisions? Whatever gives you that idea?" asked Rachel.
"Rach, Please don't get angry at me ok" said Ross "I just think we need to be more open with each other about how we are feeling"
"I'm not getting angry ok, Just name one decision that I made that you didn't have a say in" said Rachel "Come on"
"Well, You made the decision that we're gonna find out the sex of the baby after I already said I didn't want to" explained Ross.
"You've got to be kidding me, Whatever.." said Rachel, pausing to think. "Ok so maybe I did jump the gun a bit there in that decision, I'm sorry but I like to know what I'm having, it gives better options with clothing and decorating etc"
"It's not just that Rachel, that just made me realise the problem was there" said Ross "I would like a surprise with this baby but I can't say no to you Rach, that's one of the problems with us. I just can't say no to your beautiful face"
"My beautiful face? That's so sweet," said Rachel "Wait my beautiful face isn't the issue here"
"The issue is I want to have more of a say in what goes on in this relationship. Sometimes I feel like I'm just accessory to you. You're just to domineering over me Honey," said Ross, bracing himself for an attack.
"You really feel like that? That your just my handbag I suppose you could say" asked Rachel, with a sad look on her face.
"I do sometimes, I honestly do" said Ross "And I'm sorry for feeling like that and for starting an argument but I had to get it off my chest. It's been driving me crazy"
"I'm so, so sorry" said Rachel leaning over and pulling Ross into an embrace.
"What?" asked Ross pulling away "You're not angry that I said your domineering?"
"Well I could be angry but no, I'm not" said Rachel "I know I can be bossy sometimes and want everything my own way, that's what growing up spoiled does to you"
"I'm surprised," said Ross "I thought you would be really angry"
"Well I'm not" said Rachel "I'm sorry that I've made you feel that way, I'll try to change and.not act like that?"
Ross leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. Rachel responded and pushed Ross back onto the couch and leaned on top of him kissing his neck and face. Suddenly she sat up "I'm sorry, I'm being domineering aren't I?"
"In this case, you can be domineering," said Ross, pulling her down back on top of him. They continued to kiss before being interrupted by Isabella calling "Dada"
"Yes Princess" said Ross as he sat up and saw Isabella crawling over towards them.
"What's she doing," he said.
"Maybe she wants to show her daddy something," replied Rachel with a smile.
She crawled over to the couch and pulled herself into a standing position right in front on Ross with a big toothy grin on her face.
Ross broke out in a big grin and pulled Isabella onto the couch with him and Rachel.
"You did that just for daddy didn't you?" he said to Isabella. "Daddy loves his clever girl"
"See, I told you she'd do it" said Rachel.
"That made my day," replied Ross, kissing both his girls "Really made my day"
It's the middle of the night and they are in bed sleeping when awoken by a shrill cry coming over the intercom.
"Oh god" said Monica
She looked over at Chandler who wasn't even stirring and debated wether to give him a kick in the shin and make him get up with her but decided not as he was the one who had to work in the morning.
She dragged herself out of bed and headed through to the Nursery.
She walked up to Lily's crib and saw a tiny red-faced bundle, screaming her head off.
"Oh Lily-Pad, What's the matter" said Monica as she lifted her out of the crib and held her close "You keep screaming like this you're gonna wake your brother and sister.
She made her way over to the rocking chair and sat down to breastfeed, struggling to keep her eyes open. She had no idea how physically draining being a parent was going to be, All she wanted was one good nights sleep but it never happened. She fully understood now about how Rachel felt was when Isabella was a newborn, complaining about lack of sleep etc. She feeds one baby then another awakens; it's like a never-ending story.
She looked down and saw that Lily was asleep at her breast with her mouth wide open. Every time she looked at one of her babies it brought a smile to her face.
She put Lily back in her crib and tiptoed back through to the bedroom to try and catch a little more sleep before Emma or Riley demanded their 3am feed.
(Next day-Ross and Rachel's Apartment)
Ross and Rachel are preparing to go for their first ultrasound and check up since Rachel discovered she was pregnant.
Rachel is sitting on the floor of the lounge room playing with Isabella. They're having a mother-daughter chat. Well Rachel's talking, Isabella's just chewing on her Lady Bug Plush toy.
"So Bella, You're gonna have a new baby brother or sister, Isn't that great?" said Rachel.
"Buh" said Isabella, crawling into Rachel's lap.
"And you're going to be a BIG sister. Can you say Bubba?" said Rachel
Ross walked into the living room to put a warmed up bottle into Isabella's diaper bag.
"Ross I don't think she's happy about the new baby situation" said Rachel, standing up with Isabella in her arms.
"Rach, She's 10 months old Honey. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't even know what the hell you're talking about," said Ross.
Isabella put her arms out to Ross and said "Dada"
"How's Daddy's little Angel" said Ross as he pulled Isabella into his arms and kissed her head.
"I'm just worried that she's not gonna like the baby" said Rachel.
"I think she'll be fine, She's too young to understand anything at the moment and when the baby is born she'll be like 18 months or something so lets' wait and see what happens then Ok?" said Ross. "Now grab your stuff coz we're gonna be late for the appointment"
"Ok" said Rachel. She grabbed her handbag and they headed out the door.
(Rachel's Ob/GYN Office)
Ross and Rachel are waiting on the couch; Isabella is trying to navigate her way into a standing position whilst leaning against the table.
"Oh my god" said Rachel "Look at her, she's trying to stand up. What a big girl"
She went to lean down and give her a cuddle when interrupted by the receptionist calling her name.
"Ms Green, Dr Long will see you in a minute"
"Here we go," said Ross, picking up Isabella.
They followed the receptionist into one of the exam rooms.
"Rachel, if you'd like to get undressed and put on this gown, Dr Long will be with you in a second" said the receptionist as she handed Rachel one of the highly unfashionable gowns.
"Thank you very much," said Rachel.
She got undressed behind the divider and hopped onto the exam table.
"I forgot how comfortable these things are," she said as she got settled. "Ughh, Trust. I'm alfresco down here and there's a breeze going right up there"
"I can warm you up if you like," said Ross with a grin on his face.
He put Isabella up on the bed next to Rachel.
"Come here" said Rachel, pulling Ross down into a passionate kiss not noticing that Dr Long had entered the room.
"Ahem" said Dr Long "I'm not interrupting?"
They broke this kiss and Ross moved next to Rachel and grabbed her hand.
"No, not at all" said Rachel.
"How are you Rachel?" said Dr Long. "This must be the little angel I delivered not so long ago"
"Yep, This is Isabella," said Ross. "The apple of her Mommy's eye"
"I must say, I'm surprised to see you back here so soon Rachel" said Dr Long "The things you were saying when you were in labour, I expected it to be at least a few years before you did it all over again"
"Aahhh" said Rachel "Well we didn't expect to be back here so soon either but these things happen"
"And we're BOTH very excited about it" interrupted Ross.
"That's good. Shall we get started?" said Dr Long "First I'll do an internal check then we'll move on to take baby's first picture".
"Ok" said Rachel, laying back on the table and relaxing.
(Minutes Later)
"Ok, Now for the ultrasound" said Dr Long.
She squeezed the jelly stuff on Rachel's stomach and positioned the ultrasound scope.
"Ok, Well here's your uterus," said Dr Long.
" And there's the baby" said Rachel. She pulled herself up and touched the screen.
"It looks like you're about 9 weeks pregnant. Everything looks great on here. Baby is perfect size for 9 weeks" said Dr Long.
"9 weeks hey?" said Ross. He lifted Isabella back onto the bed and pointed at the screen.
"Look, that's your baby brother or sister Bella," said Ross
Rachel was lying looking at the screen with tears welling in her eyes "Look at our little baby" she said "Isn't that just the most beautiful thing?"
"It sure is beautiful," said Ross, kissing Rachel gently. "Our Baby"
Isabella pointed at the screen and said "Bubba!"
"That's the new Bubba Isabella. She's so smart," said Ross proudly as picked her up off the bed and gave her a hug. "Just like her daddy"
"Rachel, your due date will be either middle or late March, It's too early for specifics now" said Dr Long.
"Really? Oh god I'm going to be 8 months pregnant on my Wedding Day" said Rachel.
"I could have told you that Sweetie, We're gonna have to look for another wedding dress too, You're definitely not going to fit into that one you bought a few weeks ago" said Ross
Rachel shot him a "Don't go there" look before moaning to her self "I love that dress"
"I'm sure you'll find a more suitable maternity wedding dress," said Ross.
"Maternity!! There is no way I'm wearing one of those ugly maternity dresses. We're getting married on Valentine's Day," Rachel explained to Dr Long.
"Well congratulations" replied Dr Long.
"Thankyou" said Rachel
"Well we're done here for now Rachel" said Dr Long, wiping the jelly off her stomach "I'll want to see you in a month or two for another check up and ultrasound where we will hopefully be able to find out the sex"
"Oh we don't want to know the sex," said Ross.
"Yes we do," said Rachel.
"OK, Yes we do then," replied Ross, picking up Isabella and walking towards the door. "We'll meet you in the waiting room Rach".
"Ok Sweetie" said Rachel, hopping off the bench and going to get changed.
"Minimal stress ok Rachel," said Dr Long "We want a stress free and uncomplicated pregnancy"
"What makes you think it's going to be anything but that?" said Rachel.
"Nothing, It's just you've got a wedding coming up, I know how stressful it can be preparing for one so just take it easy ok. No stress at home either," said Dr Long.
"Thanks Dr Long, but I'm not stressed now at all so I think everything will be fine," said Rachel starting for the door.
"No problems. Just remember to give me a call if you have any problems or need a chat"
"Thank you so much," said Rachel with a smile "I'll remember that and I will see you in a few months."
She walked out into the waiting room and saw Ross sitting in the Little Kiddies corner playing with Bella and some other kids. He's such a great father she thought to herself.
"All done" said Rachel when she reached the play corner.
"Ok, Let's go Pumpkin-Pie" said Ross, lifting Isabella into his arms.
They walked out onto the street and jumped into a cab that was waiting on the side of the road.
"Are you ok Sweetie," said Rachel, grabbing Ross' hand.
"Yep, Fine," replied Ross continuing staring out the window.
"Ok then" said Rachel
She let go of his hand and turned her attention to Isabella who was squirming in her lap. The rest of the trip home was spent in silence.
(Joey and Phoebe's)
"Joseph Tribbiani, Get in here," yelled Phoebe from the bedroom.
"What" said Joey, walking in with Dylan on his chest in one of those carrier things.
"What the hell is this?" said Phoebe, pointing to the pile of clothes on the floor.
"Those would be my umm.clean clothes that have NOT been there since the day before yesterday," replied Joey.
"You are such a messy pig, It's not like I've already got enough god damn clothes to wash everyday Joey, The least you could do was put them into the hamper" said Pheobe, picking the clothes off the floor.
"Jeez, When did you turn into such a domesticated women.,Ok I'm sorry but you've gotta be quiet, you're gonna wake the baby" said Joey.
Phoebe noticed for the first time that Dylan was nestled in the carrier against Joey's chest.
"Why is the baby in there Joey? That is for when we are NOT at home," asked Pheeeb's.
"We were playing a game," replied Joey with a grin on his face.
"Ok, Now what kind of a game would that be? That you play with a month old baby?" said Pheeb's.
"Well, we were spinning around and I put him in her just in case I dropped him" replied Joey.
"Oh and by the way, You may need to wash this as well, He kind of threw up a little bit after the 3rd spin, see?" said Joey as he leaned forward and showed Phoebe the milky vomit on the carrier.
"Ok first of all Honey, you don't spin a 4 week old baby round and round, do you want to damage his brain or something? Second of all, because you caused the mess by spinning him around 10 minutes after he's had his bottle, you can now go down to the laundry room and do the laundry," said Phoebe, reaching out and gently pulling Dylan out of the carrier and into her arms.
"Really?" asked Joey.
"Bye now" said Phoebe motioning towards the basket of washing before walking to the Nursery and putting Dylan into his crib.
"Oh Man" said Joey as he picked up the basket and stomped out of the apartment.
(Central Perk)
Monica, Rachel, Phoebe and the kids are all present. None of the guys are there. They are occupying the couch with 4 car seat/carriers lined up on the coffee table in front of them.
"So everything is ok with you and Ross now Rachel?" asked Monica, as she burped Riley up on her shoulder.
"Well, it was, I mean it is. I don't know! Everything was fine until we went to the appointment today and afterwards he was acting a little strange?" replied Rachel. "Maybe I just imagined it."
"We know as well as you do that Ross goes into these strange little moods sometimes" said Monica.
"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it," said Phoebe.
"I'm not really. I thought we'd made our peace about the new baby and everything but maybe not? Maybe he's just worrying about the financial side of things still," said Rachel.
"Who knows," said Monica. "I'm so tired. I was up at least 6 times last night with the babies, Chandler slept through it all"
"I know how you feel," said Phoebe "Except that I'm not breastfeeding. Duh, so I can make Joey get up and feed him during the night and get me some sleep"
"I'm so glad Isabella's got her sleeping habits down pat now" sad Rachel. "I remember being up all night at the start too, don't worry Mon, they'll get a routine soon so it will be ok"
"I hope so," said Monica "I need about 3 weeks worth of sleep"
Emma began crying in her carrier. They leant over to look at her.
"Ohh, Look at that sweet little face" said Rachel "How gorgeous"
Isabella, who had been crawling underneath Monica and Rachel's feet heard the noise and decided to investigate.
She navigated her way to the edge of the coffee table and carefully made her way up onto her feet. She stood at the edge of the coffee table, holding on for dear life, pointed at the carrier and said "Bubba!"
"OH MY GOD" squealed Rachel, jumping to her feet and scaring the life out off Isabella who let go of the table and fell to the floor on her very padded bottom with a stunned look on her face.
"Oh my god, Did you guys see that? She stood up, I can't believe my little girl stood up" said Rachel excitedly, grabbing Isabella into her arms and hugging her tight. "Mommy's so proud of you Sweetheart"
"We saw" said Monica "What a clever girl"
"Oh my god, I have to tell Ross," said Rachel grabbing her handbag and the baby and running for the door.
"Bye Guys" she called as she ran out of Central Perk.
"Only 9 more months till our babies will be doing that," said Pheeb's staring into the carriers.
"I can't wait," replied Monica, smiling widely.
(Ross and Rachel's apartment)
Rachel ran up the stairs and burst through the front door.
"Ross, Isabella pulled herself up today," she yelled as she entered the apartment
"Ross, Where are you??" she called as she walked round the apartment trying to find him but there was no sign.
Rachel put Isabella down on her playmate and sat down on the couch in a heap.
"Where the hell is your daddy Isabella," she said. "Just when we've got some really exciting news to tell him, He's not home"
Isabella crawled over to the couch and put her arms up to Rachel for a hug.
"Well, I guess there's only you and me to enjoy the news then Bella," said Rachel, holding her close. "Oh well, Mommy's still very proud of you, Daddy will just have to hear the news whenever he gets his butt home"
(Monica and Chandler's apartment)
The guys are all hanging out for some wife/girlfriend/baby free time.
"So Phoebe made me do all this washing!" said Joey "I didn't even know how to use the washing machines"
"See I'm lucky, Monica LOVES cleaning/washing etc, I just keep out of her way and everything's great" said Chandler.
Ross was just sitting there with a slightly bored and depressed look on his face.
"What's up Dude?" said Joey.
"It's nothing much" said Ross "Me and Rach were at the appointment today and we saw the baby on the screen during the ultrasound and I was so happy. Like when I saw my baby on the screen it really cemented the fact that I am happy about this pregnancy even though it's going to be hard in the financial aspects and I realised how much I really want and love the baby"
"So what's the problem?" asked Chandler.
"Well Dr Long asked us wether or not we wanted to find out the sex and I was like No way but then Rachel interrupted with "Yes we do" and I was thinking "NO I don't" and I realised how much everything that happens in our relationship is decided by Rachel" said Ross "It made me think that I'm just like the accessory in the relationship"
"You can't be serious? Tell me your not serious," said Chandler.
"I am serious, Everything we do is decided by Rach, from what we eat for dinner to finding out the sex of our baby to all the wedding plans, Come on guys, Valentines Day at the Plaza, All Rachel's choices. I mean these are important decisions and I would like to have a bigger say in them" said Ross.
"You're right about dinner, that is a really important decision and you've gotta let the man have a choice sometimes" said Joey seriously.
"I'm not talking about dinner being important, I'm talking about the wedding and the baby decisions. I'd rather a surprise but whatever Rachel wants, Rachel gets," said Ross.
"Ross, is what you've got not everything you've ever wanted in your whole life since you were 15 years old?" asked Chandler.
"It is, I've wanted to marry Rachel for more then 15 years or whatever and it's finally happening and I always knew how bossy and domineering she is but I've never really KNOWN if you get what you mean" replied Ross. "Chandler, You should know what I mean, you're married to Monica for God's sake"
"Hey!" said Chandler "That's my wife you're talking about and no I don't really know what you mean"
"I don't really know either," said Joey.
"It just seems that things haven't been perfect with us since that whole me supposedly not wanting the baby thing" said Ross.
"Ross, You accused her of not taking her pill and getting pregnant behind your back, If I was Rachel I would have kicked you to the curb so think yourself lucky Man" said Chandler.
"First of all, you weren't in the room so you don't know exactly what I said and it was a heat of the moment thing, I know she'd never do anything like that. She said she forgave me for what I said" said Ross, putting his head in his hands. "But everything's changed since then. She's probably stressing out because I'm acting weird and I'm beginning to notice all her flaws and think about all the things that piss me off about her and it's driving me crazy"
"I think you two need to have a chat," said Joey "Openness and honesty are two of the main keys to a relationship"
Ross and Chandler looked at Joey in surprise.
"I found one of Phoebe's self help books" explained Joey.
"There's the answer" said Ross.
"I better head home now, Rachel will probably want me to bath the baby or rub her back or something" said Ross sarcastically.
"Talk to her" said Chandler.
"I will," replied Ross as he headed out the door "Thanks guys'
"No problems" said Joey and Chandler.
Once Ross left, Joey and Chandler sat in silence for a moment, gathering their thoughts.
"Don't you have a girlfriend and baby to go home to Joey?" asked Chandler
"Yeah but not till later, Pheeb's is having some bonding time with Dylan" replied Joey.
"At home?" asked Chandler.
"No, Come to think of it, She's probably with your wife at Central Perk" said Joey "Wanna play some Foosball?"
"Absolutely, Never say no to Foosball" replied Chandler as they ran across the hall.
(Rachel and Ross's Apartment)
Ross entered the quiet apartment, wondering where Rachel was. There was no sign of them in the kitchen, Nursery or Lounge room until Ross heard a splashing sound coming from the bathroom.
He entered the room to find Rachel leaning over the edge of the bath, holding on tightly to Isabella who was playing around with bubbles in the "Big person's" Bath. She normally sat in a chair type thing in the bath that supported her a little bit until she can sit up perfect by herself.
"Hey Rach, I'm home" he said.
Rachel turned around, having not noticed his presence. Ross noticed how beautiful she looked with bubbles all over her nose.
"Oh hey, where have you been?" she asked.
"Just at Monica and Chandler's" replied Ross "What's she doing in this bath?"
"Well we had an exciting afternoon and we decided that Bella was old enough to go solo in this bath now" replied Rachel "Didn't we honey?"
Isabella giggled and reached up and put some bubbles on Rachel's hand.
"What was so exciting?" Ross asked as he leant down and brushed the bubbles off Rachel's nose "You had some bubbles there" he explained.
"Oh thanks," said Rachel.
She lifted Isabella out of the bath and wrapped her in a fluffy pink towel.
"Here, Let me take her," said Ross putting his arms out to Bella "Daddy missed you this afternoon"
"Oh ok" said Rachel drying her arms "Her PJ"s are on the changing table". She followed Ross through to the Nursery where he lay Isabella on the changing table and began to dry her.
Isabella began squirming and started to cry. She hated getting out of the bath and being dried.
"Honey stop it," said Ross "5 seconds and we're done"
He began to count down as he hurriedly put her Pyjama top on
"3,2,1 and it's over," said Ross "That wasn't so bad was it?"
Isabella looked at him with a pouty expression, her bottom lip trembling.
"Ohh poor baby" said Rachel who had been watching from the doorway "Come here"
She lifted Bella up from the change table and walked through to the Lounge room, putting her down on her playmat then sitting down, looking exhausted.
Ross sat down next to her and noticed how tired she looked.
"Honey, We need to talk..are you feeling ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. This pregnancy is just making me more tired then usual not forgetting that I have to chase around a crawling 10 month old" replied Rachel "I'll have to get used to it though, there's going to be two of them soon"
"Yeah, Anyways so what was the exciting thing that happened this afternoon?" asked Ross.
"Well, we were at Central Perk and Isabella was on the floor when Emma started crying so Isabella crawled over and wait for it.. Pulled herself up into a standing position holding onto the coffee table, pointed at Emma and said "Bubba!" said Rachel.
"She stood up?" said Ross excitedly "All by herself?"
"Yep, All by her self, it was all very exciting," said Rachel, smiling over at the baby.
"Why didn't you call me?" asked Ross
"Well I ran home immediately to tell you and got all excited then deflated when I ran in the front door screaming the news and you weren't here" said Rachel "I didn't know where you were so I decided you would just find out when ever you brought your butt back home"
"I can't believe it," said Ross "I missed her standing up, this happened all the time with Ben and I'm living with the Mommy now and I still miss out"
"I'm sure she'll do it again tomorrow or something, She's going to be practicing a lot now she knows she can do it" said Rachel "Relax"
"It's not the same," said Ross, slumping down in his place with his arms folded across his chest.
"Cheer up please, I don't need to be any more depressed" said Rachel "What did you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, uhh I thought we should discuss some things because I know I acted weird after the ultrasound and things haven't been exactly the way they used to be between us since you found out you were pregnant" said Ross "I just need to get some things off my chest all right?"
"Ok then, well start talking," said Rachel.
"Firstly, I love you so much," said Ross, grabbing Rachel's hand.
"There's a good start," replied Rachel "I love you too"
"But I've been kind off feeling a little bit weird lately, our relationship has changed lately and I've started noticing things a lot more then usual"
"Like what?" asked Rachel
"Well I've noticed a lot more how you wear the pants in this relationship. You always seem to make the decisions that I feel I should have a say in too" said Ross.
Rachel pulled her hand away from Ross.
"WHAT? I wear the pants in this relationship! I make all the decisions? Whatever gives you that idea?" asked Rachel.
"Rach, Please don't get angry at me ok" said Ross "I just think we need to be more open with each other about how we are feeling"
"I'm not getting angry ok, Just name one decision that I made that you didn't have a say in" said Rachel "Come on"
"Well, You made the decision that we're gonna find out the sex of the baby after I already said I didn't want to" explained Ross.
"You've got to be kidding me, Whatever.." said Rachel, pausing to think. "Ok so maybe I did jump the gun a bit there in that decision, I'm sorry but I like to know what I'm having, it gives better options with clothing and decorating etc"
"It's not just that Rachel, that just made me realise the problem was there" said Ross "I would like a surprise with this baby but I can't say no to you Rach, that's one of the problems with us. I just can't say no to your beautiful face"
"My beautiful face? That's so sweet," said Rachel "Wait my beautiful face isn't the issue here"
"The issue is I want to have more of a say in what goes on in this relationship. Sometimes I feel like I'm just accessory to you. You're just to domineering over me Honey," said Ross, bracing himself for an attack.
"You really feel like that? That your just my handbag I suppose you could say" asked Rachel, with a sad look on her face.
"I do sometimes, I honestly do" said Ross "And I'm sorry for feeling like that and for starting an argument but I had to get it off my chest. It's been driving me crazy"
"I'm so, so sorry" said Rachel leaning over and pulling Ross into an embrace.
"What?" asked Ross pulling away "You're not angry that I said your domineering?"
"Well I could be angry but no, I'm not" said Rachel "I know I can be bossy sometimes and want everything my own way, that's what growing up spoiled does to you"
"I'm surprised," said Ross "I thought you would be really angry"
"Well I'm not" said Rachel "I'm sorry that I've made you feel that way, I'll try to change and.not act like that?"
Ross leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. Rachel responded and pushed Ross back onto the couch and leaned on top of him kissing his neck and face. Suddenly she sat up "I'm sorry, I'm being domineering aren't I?"
"In this case, you can be domineering," said Ross, pulling her down back on top of him. They continued to kiss before being interrupted by Isabella calling "Dada"
"Yes Princess" said Ross as he sat up and saw Isabella crawling over towards them.
"What's she doing," he said.
"Maybe she wants to show her daddy something," replied Rachel with a smile.
She crawled over to the couch and pulled herself into a standing position right in front on Ross with a big toothy grin on her face.
Ross broke out in a big grin and pulled Isabella onto the couch with him and Rachel.
"You did that just for daddy didn't you?" he said to Isabella. "Daddy loves his clever girl"
"See, I told you she'd do it" said Rachel.
"That made my day," replied Ross, kissing both his girls "Really made my day"