Thank you all for the lovely comments. Thank you, Rosa, Lils, and Andrea, I am glad that you are all excited about the baby arriving!

This will continue up until Rilla Graduates high school, to which the sequel will be posted. I always saw this story in two parts, Teen pregnancy, finishing school, learning about herself. While the second half is about relationships, college and juggling life and mommy life.

May 4th, 2018

I was exhausted, to say the least, as my hair was plastered with dried sweat. But I didn't even notice as I gaze down at the bundle in my arms. I couldn't place exactly what I felt. I loved her, but yet I was extremely unsure of myself and being a mother. Yet I couldn't picture her anywhere else but my arms.

"Sometimes it takes a while, you know to feel like you know them. They are little strangers and it's perfectly normal to not feel connected in a way you think you should be." A nurse whispers to me in my exhausted haze but it stays with me.

Mom and dad were shocked when they came back to find me in the middle of delivery, but when they were called in it was a moment of happy tears.

It may have been in the middle of the night but dozen of photos were taken. It must have been close to three am when my parents left and Ken passed out in the recliner after I was settled into a cleanroom in another part of the ward.

I carefully put Elowen into her bassinet and crawl back into bed, but sleep doesn't come easily. So I lay awake just watching her as Ken snored lightly in his spot. Seriously he really could sleep through anything, or so I thought anyway. I must have fallen asleep as I woke up Ken calming the small grunting whines that came from our daughter. He cuddled her, whispering things I couldn't quite hear, but he sounds besotted which makes me smile.

I push myself up, I notice it was only 8 am and the sun was up. Ken passes her to me and sits on the edge of the bed.

"How's mommy doing?" A nurse cheerfully asked as she came into the room, maybe two cheerful for six am?

"Sore?" I say unsure of what to say.

"Quite a common thing," The nurse smiles at me. "Have you gone to the bathroom yet since last night?"

I only shook my head, I needed to pee truthfully but the whole thought of it. Well, it scared me more than the birth had.

"Okay mama, the more you put it off the scarier it is." She told me.

I nod quietly as I look down at the squished little face who underneath the knit hat had soft downy hair that was dark like Kens. I pass her back to Ken and the nurse helps me to the washroom. It's an experience, to say the least, but she gets me through it and back to bed where she helps me latch the baby. Promising that this morning the lactation nurse would be by to give me further help. Ken dozed in his chair as I fed her, though he got up to put her in her bassinet when I asked him to.

It was past 10 when I woke up once again. Mom was already there with breakfast as the nurse came back in to check on me and the baby. Dad must be somewhere in the hospital?

"Have we named her yet?" The nurse asked as she checked my vitals.

"Elowen, but I'll mostly call her Owen," I say quietly as my Mom turns her head at my words. We never said her name last night when they were here. We waited until everything died down and we were left alone when we looked at her with tired eyes. Deciding that yes that was her name.

"Owen comes from a miss pronunciation of a lord of the rings name, but also coincidently also her grandfather's name," I explain to her.

"He will be honored then," the nurse smiled and reached out for Owen. "Does Grandma wish to hold the little one as I help mommy shower and to the washroom again? My mom chuckled as if she remembers those days but took Owen from the nurse cooing.

Armed with a peri bottle and the smallest ounces of courage I had, I did my business. The nurse stayed as I showered. I was used to her making sure that I wasn't bleeding too heavily at this point, and apparently making sure I didn't faint was another task of hers. The water felt nice, though the heat of the shower did making me dizzy here and there. Washing my body, I ran my hand over my deflated but still pronounced stomach. Would it ever go back to normal?

Afterward, I found myself slipping on a fresh pair of mesh underwear with more witch hazel frozen pads that the nurse gave me. Seriously I don't think I bled so much in my life! Finally, I pulled my nursing bra and a new nightgown as the nurse sprayed down the shower with cleaner.

A nurse was talking to my mother, while Ken who was sitting there with his coffee had tousled hair and the beginnings of a dark shadow over his face.

"Shower is free Daddy, I suggest you use it," the nurse says to him. Ken looks at me and I nod my head in agreement.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" The older woman asked, she must be the lactation nurse who I was told would be stopping by.

"Not yet," I shake my head.

"Well, I suggest you eat, and then I will give I show you the ropes," She told me, pointing to the food waiting for me.

A whole assortment of things, oatmeal with berries, pancakes, eggs, and bacon with toast.

I stuck to the oatmeal but happily munched on a pancake or two as a reward. I thought being hungry as I was pregnant was a lot. I swear I could eat nonstop after giving birth. Now that I was feeling better and looking better I settled into the chair that Ken slept in.

"Do you want privacy?" She asked me.

"I was just going to run out and see your father," My mother said as she handed me Owen and quickly grabbing her purse. "I will be back in a bit, oh Shirley dropped off Ken's car for him. It's in the parking lot so he can go pick up his parents," she told me, kissing the top of my head.

"I'll tell him," I tell her watching her leave.

"So what is the little darlings' name?" The nurse asked as she peered at my baby in her little white hospital onesie and swaddling blanket.

"Elowen, but Owen for short," I tell her quietly. How many times will I say that? She smiles as hands me a nursing pillow that my parents had brought this morning.

The nurse smiled and talked me through the steps. While most of my modesty had been thrown out the window when I went into labour. I was still rather shy, because someone showing you how to hold my breast to entice Owen to open her mouth, was still blush-worthy.

I gritted my teeth at the strange sensation.

"If it hurts, try again, you want to get in as much in as you can, the first days are the hardest when they have tiny mouths. It shouldn't hurt, but it will feel strange, more pressure from the suckling that will take some time to get used to." The nurse told me and I nod my head, before looking down to watch my daughter. Ken awkwardly comes out of the bathroom, freshly showered with wet hair in new clothing from his bag. He looks at me before quickly averting his eyes. He sits down in another chair and picks at the bacon that clearly was meant for him.

"It's always awkward at first," the consultant told us both. "But you will grow used to it. Seeing her as such, this little one will nurse 8-12 times a day in this newborn stage. If you avoid her, you might never get a chance to see her."

"Make sense," Ken says still feeling self-conscious of seeing my boob out.

The nurse went down a list of things and gave me some samples of nipple creams pamphlets and her card. Finally, she showed me how to gently wind Owen. It ended with a burst of encouragement and should I have any further questions, to ring her and leave a message if she wasn't around.

I still wasn't sure if being a daughter of a respected doctor made all the nurses so non-judgemental, or if they truly didn't care to judge? Surely I wasn't the only teen mom this saw lately?

I placed Owen in her bassinet, who had fallen asleep after a small attempt of feeding. With nothing else to do, I pick up my phone for the first time since last night as I settle down on the bed. Wincing as I feel my the afterpains of birth, brought on by the feeding.

"Call the nurse," Ken tells me seeing me in pain. "Don't hide it." He said more softly as he settles down beside me. I do as he says, and Greg the nurse brings me some pills, acetaminophen, Tylenol.

"If you need anything stronger I'll have to get your parent's permission." He tells me sympathetically and I laugh at the stupidity of still being considered a pediatric patient on the maternity floor.

"Thank you for, well everything," I tell him.

"It's just my job, but I am glad I could help you through it. She is darling and nights where I can help and make a difference are a reason why I took this job in the first place." Greg tells me.

"You're not just here for little potato babies?" I ask him and he laughs.

"All babies are the sweetest and the best," he says with a grin. "But the grumpy ones are always my favourite. Though Simon likes to make fun of me for that one."

"Can you?" I ask handing him my phone with the camera open.

"Of course," Greg grins and snaps a few photos of us together with Elowen before going on his way.

I send the photos to Ken so he could have them before carefully moving my legs so I was on the bed. I lie back reclining with Owen on my chest.

"Do you mind?" He asks holding up a photo of us together. It was secretly my favourite, as was holding Elowen in my arms, still slightly angry looking. I was tired( yet oddly serene, radiant?) and Ken had a goofy smile on his face.

"Are you sure?" I ask him.

"As long as you are all right with it," I tell him. "What else do you have?" I ask him and he flips through some of the photos, and videos. He ends up on the final photos, the ones the nurse took in those final moments.

They were raw, emotional, and beautiful, just us in our moment, we both blush at the one.

"Sorry about that," Ken says bashfully.

"You're allowed to be emotional," I say simply. "It was a Thank You kiss in an emotional moment, nothing more, nothing less was it not?" I try to tell him that it was fine. That we can continue as we were.

"I did say thank you did I not?" Ken laughed at himself. "You do all the hard work and I thank you for letting me love her?"

I smile at him tiredly, trying to decide if that is what happened. In the end, it didn't matter as I watch him type up his post. Not long after my phone pinged from Ken tagging me in a photo on Facebook. Not Instagram, because Facebook where things are more private and he really only has friends and family.

With Rilla Blythe

'Baby girl! Arrived a little after midnight at 12:20 am.

8 pounds and 11 ounces, 21 and a half inches long.

Mommy and baby are doing great. The name has yet to be fully chosen!

I'm a daddy!'

Then it all came flooding in. Congratulations were coming in an abundance. The few friends I still talked said they couldn't wait to meet her. I liked their messages and said a few thank you and that I was doing well.

I scroll through my own Facebook for a moment the only other photo at the moment was a photo my mom posted. A photo of herself holding her new granddaughter with Dad stood behind her smiling softly.

I go to my own Instagram, choosing a photo from my phone of her swaddled up in her bassinet. All I put next to it was a red heart emoji.

"Oh! Mom said Shirley dropped off your car," I tell him looking at my phone. "So you can go pick up your parents."

"Tell him I said thank you please?" Ken says as he stares at Elowen, clearly besotted and head over heels in love with her.

We both end up dozing, trying to get whatever rest we could from our short night. Me in my bed, and Ken in the chair once more. By noon, Ken was up again, looking heartbroken as he kisses Owen's little forehead as he cradles her in his arms before placing her back in her bassinet. He promises her that he'll be back in a little bit, that he just needs to pick up some people who are looking forward to meeting her.

He tells me he'll be back within an hour or so, and I nod my head to him.

It wasn't too long after when I had my first visitor of the day.

"You're awake," Walter poked his head into the room as he knocked.

"I am, I didn't know you would be here!" I agree with him.

"I came yesterday, actually the twins came as well, but Dad made us promise to not overwhelm you. So how are you feeling?" Walter asked as he peaked into the small cot that Owen was sleeping in.

"Like I pushed a watermelon out of my vagina," I crack a wry smile as I peer over to my daughter.

"Well, you did have a baby," Walter grinned as sat down on the edge of the bed. "Where's Ford?" He looked around the private room I was in.

"He went out to pick up his parents," I tell Walter as I play with the blankets in my lap.

"How are you doing mentally?" He asked when he realized it was just us.

I merely shrug, too many hormones to understand what I was feeling still.

"I can assume Ford's beside himself?" Walter told me dryly.

"Are you ever going to forgive him?"

Walter shrugs, now it's just pride hindering their friendship and I didn't blame Walter for holding a grudge, but I knew that both missed their friendship.

"Walter he misses you as much as you miss him," I tell him gently. "You have to stop acting like he killed someone. It's not like he was my first or anything," I stress.

I see Walter look at me sharply, and I sigh. "Fred Arnold okay, and it's not I'm totally thrilled about that choice either. But it happened," I tell him. "And don't go thinking like that, I was a willing participant."

"And here we all thought you were too absorbed in ballet to even think about boys, let alone sex." Walter shook his head. "How you fooled us all," he said with a teasing smile. "Can I hold her?" I nod my head.

"Watch her head—," I come tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

"Already a mother," Walter grins picking up Elowen with more grace than I could imagine. We talk for the next little bit, telling him about it and what her name was. It was almost an hour since Ken left when Walter departs looking at his watch.

I was nursing again Ken came knocking on the door, poking his head. Elowen had been making small sounds and in my first attempts of trying to calm her, I decided that feeding her would be my first option and it worked I think? I mean it didn't hurt getting her latched this time around, and I even did it with Mom around without too much embarrassment before she went to get me some food.

"She's almost done," I tell him blushing, I was still too new and I'm embarrassed by it.

"Sorry it took so long, the flight was delayed, but they are here and dropping off their things at my place and cleaning up from the flight. Dad's going to rent a car while he's here like usual." Ken told me. I nod and look over his appearance, his hair was out of place from his hasty shower early this morning. He was wearing a pair of jeans and an old Moist(the 90's band), tee shirt.

I covered myself back up as Owen detached herself. Ken quickly offering to take her, as I struggle with the clip of my nursing bra. He took one of the receiving blankets and walked with her as he rubbed her back with the occasion gentle thump to make her burb. It was strange to think of the bond we shared at this point, our quasi-relationship being forever joined by this little girl.

"Should we change her diaper?" Ken asked looking at me.

"I…I don't know," I tell suddenly overwhelmed. Do freshly out of the oven babies pee a lot? I groan as I moved my legs off the side of the bed. God, what was I thinking when I decided to this. I swear this is worse than pregnancy in a way. I walk slowly over to the small changing table they had in the room. Definitely felt like I have been run over by a car as the hours pass by today.

We carefully undressed her, down to her diaper when she clearly wasn't happy with us as we tried to figure out if it was needed or not. We must have stood there unsure what to do for a moment as we heard a chuckle behind us.

"Mommy and daddy are stumped are we?" The cheerful maternity nurse chuckled at the sight of us.

"How do we know when to change her diaper?" I turn around asked. "Do newborns pee a lot? Do they just cry to let you know?"

"How many times have you nursed so far?" The nurse smiled, still amused, but not in an unkind way.

"A few times?" I tell her. "I think she gets a bit each time? I don't know it's really hard to tell," I frown. "They don't say anything really when they weigh her though or haven't."

"Well, we generally say one diaper a day for every day they are alive, for the first week generally. The first day, 1 diaper, Day 2, two wet diapers, and so on. And yes, they will generally let you know when they are uncomfortable, wet, or dirty," the nurse explained.

"Most diapers have a wetness indicator, this line that's yellow will turn blue, or another colour depending on the brand. Has either of you ever changed a diaper before? Don't be worried if you haven't plenty of new parents haven't," she adds on for us.

"Just the dolls from the birthing class," Ken spoke up.

"Well, let's give a whirl then?" She told us and walked us through the process. Both of us were scared and nervous as her little face bunched up as if she was ready to cry. Then the Nurse explained a few more things and also warned us at some point she would pass some tar-like poop.

"Has daddy gotten any skin-to-skin contact yet?" She asked us.

"Not since last night, or I suppose this early morning?" Ken shook his head looking at me.

"Then why don't you take off your shirt and sit in the rocking chair," the nurse instructed him. I watched him slip off his band shirt and sit in the glider I nursed in before I handed him Owen.

"Someone will be back around 2:30 to give her first bath," The nurse tells us before leaving the room.

"We still need a middle name for her," I say gingerly sitting down on the bed. Looking at the papers someone left for us. "You must have some sort of name that you liked," I tell him. "Just name off a few?"

"Well, the usual Grace, Alexandria, Jordan, Amalia, Leia," he said rattling off.

"I'm not naming her from a Star Wars character," I warn him with a tired look.

"But it's May the Forth!" Ken says, before adjusting his voice as Owen squeaks. "She was born on star wars day, how can we not? You even enjoy them?"

"Fine, but it's her second middle name," I tell him compromising. "Alexandria, Jordan? Is that from your trip?"

"Yeah, they are." He nods his head, and it makes me think of the whole Maggie mishap. He must think the same thing as he shakes his head. "But perhaps not?"

"And Amalia?" I ask him

"It was great grandmother's name, I always found it fascinating." He told me. "But if her nickname is Owen, maybe we could find another name for your family?" He suggests.

"I like Amalia, it reminds me of Amalthea," I say to him, referencing The Last Unicorn. A video that was constant in our house from the days of Joy. "Just less fantasy, plus you found me Elowen"

"Elowen Amalia," Ken says testing it out.

"Elowen Amalia Rose," I repeat and look at her reaching for the forms that a nurse had left. "It may not be Rey or Leia but Rose was in The Last Jedi wasn't she?" I ask him and Ken grins nodding. Clearly, I knew more about Stars Wars than I led him on to believe. I write carefully, showing him the spelling of Amalia which he nodded at. I look down, at last, the last name line.

"She'll be with you the majority of the time," Ken saw my hesitation despite having gone through this before. "If circumstances were different then I might think differently, but she's a Blythe and I understand that." I nod my head silently and write it down. I finished my part of the paperwork, still finding it strange to be considered a mother. Of course, I was a mother, I had a baby! I left the father part for Ken to fill out and sign.

We sat for another moment before there was a knock on the door Ken gets up carefully still holding Owen to his chest. It was awkward and clumsy but he held on to her until he was upright.

He opened the door and I saw his parents enter the room. Leslie let out a coo when she realized that her granddaughter was a foot in front of her.

Owen looked towards me his face softened and he smiled at me.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"All right, given everything I suppose?" I say quietly.

"Oh dear she is precious, she looks like you did when you were born," Leslie rushed over to me and kissed my cheek. The Fords had been on a vacation that summer I was born, they were some of my first visitors according to my parents.

"Just darker hair," I reply automatically.

"She does have Ken's hair yes," Leslies agreed. "What her name?" She asked as Ken was handing over Owen to her namesake after wrapping her in a blanket.

"Elowen Amalia Rose," I say out loud. "Owen for short though," It takes a moment as Owen looks in my direction, and then back down to the infant in his arms. "I used to pronounce Eowyn wrong from Lord of the Rings. Owen came from that, but I do like that it has a familiar tie for Ken."

"It's very thoughtful of you," Owen nods his head smiling.

"Elowen is lovely though for both reasons," Leslies smiles, already knowing where Amalia came from. "Where are your parents?"

"Dad's working, mom is around, she's been in and out most of the day," I said not entirely sure. I wasn't sure when I was being discharged. In the corner of my eye, I see Ken putting on his shirt once more.

Leslie nodded. There had been plenty of telephone calls between the households, differences in opinions. She took her granddaughter from her husband who jutted out a foot from her unfolding blanket. Her id tag that said Infant Blythe, mother Marilla Bythe. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," I tell her as I lay back down on my bed. I watch Owen be passed to Owen. I see him looking at the card in the bassinet she sleeps in. Elowen Blythe was written neatly by the nurse who helped me earlier this morning.

"Leslie, Owen, you made it," My mothers says from the doorway, holding a bag in one hand. Her purse slung from her shoulder, dad behind her who was dressed in his scrubs. "How was the flight?"

"It was uneventful," Owen answers my mother. "It's nice to see you again Anne," I watch as he kisses her cheek. "Gil," he says shaking my father's hand.

"You as well," My mother answers back. I sink into the background as the adults talk, Ken sits down beside me as he checks over his phone.

"It's all right that I tagged you?" He asked once again as he checked over Facebook.

"People already know, it's no use in denying it. Though thank you for making look somewhat presentable." I tell him nudging his side with my elbow as I take a drink of water. My hand running down over my present bump. At least mom warned me it takes a few weeks to completely go back to normal size.

It was two-thirty when the nurse came by knocking on my door.

"Sorry but visiting hours are over with until 4:30, even for grandparents right now. I suggest we let the new parents rest and bond with the baby as we make sure we are all healthy?" She tells to our parents. Meaning it was bath time and a bunch of tests for Owen along with a check-up for me. "Even you Doctor Blythe," she warns my father who hadn't seen much of his granddaughter yet today.

"I'll stop by on my dinner break," Dad says kissing the top of my head as he caressed the chubby cheek of his granddaughter.

Leslie kissed my cheek, while Owen nodded his head to me. "She is beautiful Rilla," he tells me.

I smile tiredly, accepting the baby from one of them and I look down at her watching them leave. "You know I have no idea what I'm doing right? I might as well carry you around in a soup bowl or something I am that clueless."