Phil kicked the front door closed as he headed to their bedroom to change clothes. It had been a long day. A long week, actually. Not that the holidays aren't fun or anything, they just get stressful. But, it was December 20th now, and though the holiday shopping season was at its highest points, Keely was sitting at the kitchen table, perusing a list carefully. She had her Christmas shopping done weeks before.

"Hey Keels. What are ya looking at?" Phil said, changing direction so he came to stand behind her.

Without even taking her eyes off the paper, she muttered "name list" then proceeded to mark something off with a red ink pen.

She then told him, sounding surprised, "You actually have some good names, Phil. I'm very impressed."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Phil said sarcastically.

Their lists definitely were shorter, each containing about nine or ten names. Phil was in the bedroom, changing, when Keely shrieked from her spot at the kitchen table. "Oh my gosh!" she yelled, then let out a high pitch squeal.

Phil heard her yell, then squeal, and took off running. He was prepared for the worst. Upon entering the kitchen, he saw Keely. Not pale, sickly, shocked, upset, but, dancing. Yes, Keely was dancing around the kitchen, Phil's name list in her left hand, her own list in her right. Dancing, and singing.

Phil ran over to her, grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him, then looked her straight in the eyes and said "Keely Teslow Diffy, ARE YOU OKAY?"

"Phil," she half said, half whispered, "four names on our lists match. We can name this baby!" By the end of her sentence, she had wriggled out of Phil's grip again and was dancing, this time moving towards the living room and saying softly "We can name this baby!"

A few seconds later, the stereo in the living room came on, and Keely was back in the kitchen, still dancing. She grabbed Phil's hands, then shook him a little and yelled "loosen up, Phil! We can name our baby!" then went back to dancing.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Phil answered it, and it was Keely's doctor. He turned to her, still dancing, and motioned for her to turn the radio off. Phil talked on the phone for a few minutes, then thanked the doctor and hung up.

"Well, who was that?" Keely asked, placing one hand on her heart, one on her growing stomach, and laughing while trying to catch her breath.

"The doctor." Phil said, his face falling when he saw the look of joy in her eyes.

Keely nodded her head, as if he was to continue, as she said "Okay, and what did they say?"

"They had the results for the second trimester birth defects tests." He told her seriously, showing no hint of a smile on his face.

"Oh my gosh. What did he say?" Keely said, ending in a whisper as the hand that was on her heart moved to her mouth, and her eyes glistened with tears.

"He, uh, he, he said…" Phil trailed off, as Keely silently began to cry. She didn't want anything to be anything but healthy.

Keely was standing on one side of the kitchen crying, and Phil was on the other side, looking down at the hardwood floors. "He said the baby's fine." Phil finished, raising his head up to stare her straight in the eyes and grinning broadly.

When she heard that, she threw her hands in the air and screamed "Yes!" then held her arms out towards Phil. He ran across the kitchen and grabbed her, kissing her passionately as she giggled softly. Then, he dropped to his knees and leaned his head up against Keely's stomach. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then she broke out into a soft grin when she heard him whispering to their baby "Hey, little one. This is your daddy, and we're very happy you checked out just fine. We're getting very excited for when you make your grand entrance in April, but try not to take too long or mom will get pretty annoyed. We're so lucky to have you! Oh yeah, and your daddy and mommy already love you very much."

Phil left his head there, pressed up against Keely's stomach for another minute or two, then stood back up and kissed Keely again.

Then, he surprised her by going over to the radio and turning it on again. The nighttime shows had just started, so the music was toned down and slow, compared to the day's vibrant beat Keely had danced to earlier.

"Come on," he said, nodding his head, then pulling her hand towards the living room. "Let's dance."

I know, i'm sorry for the slow update. Things have been beyond crazy around here. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far... i absolutely love them:) They're all so sweet and encouraging.

My mom just handed me this quote, i thought i'd post it because it just helped me greatly: PEACE: It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

So, may all of you either continue to be, or find, peace, real peace, this Christmas season.

:) i'm trying to write, write write! My ballet is tomorrow... wish me luck:)

be234therz