"I think we should go on a babymoon."
Molly glanced over at Nick and said, "I thought you were looking at furniture for the nursery?"
"I'm doing that too," Nick defended, "Found a few options for cribs at a decent price."
"Yes, we need two of everything, which means we don't have the extra money to waste on a frivolous vacation where I can't do much anyways," Molly stated, closing Nick's laptop for emphasis.
"Molly, Dr. Thompson said as long as you take it easy that it's perfectly safe for you to travel," said Nick, "And did you know that babymoons can relieve stress and help couples connect before the baby, or in our case babies, come?" Molly looked at Nick skeptically, "What? You think you're the only person who knows how to Google things?"
"No, but I just never suspected you were a take a trip in the middle of his wife's pregnancy kind of guy," she admitted.
Nick sat his laptop on his nightstand and began to kiss Molly, "Please honey? It'll be the last trip we get to take together before we become a family of four," his hand drifted down to her abdomen. Although Molly was only sixteen weeks along, she was already fairly big looking about twenty-four weeks along. Nick stopped kissing her and stroked her cheek, "If it'll make you feel better, we can ask Dr. Thompson at you check-up tomorrow and get the green light from her. Okay?"
Molly sighed, "Alright," she finally gave in to his request, "Where were you thinking about going?"
"Well, I've read two of the best cities to on a babymoon are San Diego and Charleston," informed Nick.
"Charleston? As in South Carolina?" Molly raised an eyebrow.
"As soon as Dr. Thompson clears you for travel, we can discuss our options," Nick shut down his laptop and turned off the lamp.
"I guess," Molly sighed as he snuggled next to her; his physical support helped alleviate stress on her back.
"Good," Nick kissed her temple and laid a hand on her abdomen, "I love you. All three of you," he emphasized.
"We love you too," she couldn't help but smile.
Nick didn't sleep a wink that night. He would think that Molly would be the one with insomnia, but as long as she had a few dozen pillows surrounding her, she still slept pretty comfortably, at least at this point. He supposed it was because he was so worried about his wife and the babies. Sure, Molly was eating well (mostly, other than when she was craving sweets), exercising in an appropriate manner, and overall, taking everything in stride, but he knew she was hiding anxiety. He knew deep down she was suffering from many aches and pains and that she was understandably worried about their exit manner, not to mention the concern about parenting two babies at the same time. Maybe he could calm her down before her appointment.
Once the couple arrived at the hospital, Molly couldn't help but notice that Nick was nervously tapping the armrest of his chair. She finally grabbed his hand and said, "Honey, calm down! I think you're nervous enough for everyone in this room."
"I'm not nervous, I'm just worried about you since I know how nervous you are," he said. Molly raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Once they were called back, they waited a few moments before Dr. Thompson entered the room, "Good morning Molly, Nick," she acknowledged the expectant parents, "Well congratulations on making it well into the second trimester. How have you been feeling?"
"Alright," Molly sighed, "My main complaint is that my back is constantly hurting no matter what I do to relieve the pain."
"Well, what have you been doing?" asked Dr. Thompson.
"I've been doing pregnancy yoga, taking warms baths, taking walks, he's been sleeping next to me as support," she motioned her head towards Nick, "Those are the main ways."
"Well, perhaps a nice massage and maybe wearing a support belt to aid in balance as your abdomen grows can help relieve pain," informed the doctor, "Also maybe investing in a body pillow to support your baby bump can help relieve some of the pressure. And make sure to sleep on your side, preferably your left side."
Molly looked over at Nick, "Go ahead," she mocked jokingly.
"Travel…" Nick began, "Is it safe for her? And if we travel….is it safe if we?" he hesitated.
"Oh for goodness sake, he wants to know if we can go on a babymoon and if it's safe to be…active on the babymoon," Molly butted in before her husband could stutter even more.
Dr. Thompson chuckled, "Well, we'll check to make sure the babies are growing properly and everything is developing as they should be, but if everything looks normal, then travel and sexual activity are both perfectly fine as long as you both feel up to it. I would take a trip in your second trimester though and you might not be up for sexual activity much in your third trimester, even before your water breaks."
"Okay," they both nodded in understanding. Dr. Thompson fired up the ultrasound machine and squirted the gel onto Molly's growing bump. She maneuvered the wand around some and two wriggling figures became visible on the screen. They were both easily recognizable as babies at this point in gestation, "Is everything alright?" asked Nick, a slight quiver in his voice.
Molly chuckled and squeezed his hand, "He's a little nervous, can you tell?"
"I'm not nervous, I'm just worried because you're so worried," Nick lied.
"Right," said Molly sarcastically.
"Well, everything looks good. Babies are nice and healthy. Both are growing at a decent rate, and it looks like they might be interacting with each other," Dr. Thompson pointed to them on the screen.
Nick and Molly couldn't help but chuckle at their babies frolicking with each other and Nick visibly relaxed beside Molly, "How much longer before I start feeling those kicks?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"Well, it shouldn't be too much longer before they get stronger, but those sensations that feel like gas bubbles or butterflies flying around your abdomen are probably some of their movements. But given the fact that your abdomen was fairly taut pre-pregnancy, it might be a few weeks yet," she explained. She tapped a key and their heartbeats filled the silence of the room, "Well everything looks good, Molly. Continue to eat well and keep it up with your light exercise. I will see you at your twenty-week appointment."
Later that night, after Nick and Molly had settled into bed, Molly couldn't stop staring at the sonogram printout of her babies. She didn't understand how she could already love two humans she had yet to meet face to face so much, but watching them play with each other gave her a sense of comfort. She turned to find that Nick was still fairly quiet; he had been quiet ever since they left her check-up, which was unusual for him, "Are you alright, honey? You seem awfully quiet."
Nick sighed, "Yeah," he said, "I just….I just can't believe you're not nervous about this whole parenthood thing."
"Nick, of course I'm nervous," she grabbed his hand, "As I recall, you were the calm one when we first found out, remember?"
"Yes, but now it's sort of hit me! No offense, but when your belly was flat, it was easier to forget; but now that they're growing and your bump is growing, watching them on the ultrasounds, planning for them, designing the nursery, looking at baby clothes, the reality is setting in for me and I'm terrified."
Molly raised her eyebrows in astonishment, "And you think I'm not? You can at least go to work or close your eyes or whatever and pretend this," Molly rubbed the mound in her midsection, "Doesn't exist. I can't. I'm thinking about it or dreaming about it 24/7. I just take deep breaths to calm myself down when I get overwhelmed."
"And that works?" asked Nick.
"Most of the time. And even when it doesn't, it's still good practice for labor," she said, a hint of angst in her voice.
Nick squeezed her hand, "I know you, Molly Dyson. You will handle it just fine."
"Yes, and I know that millions of women have gone through it for thousands and thousands of years, but I know it's still going to hurt like heck, so I can't help but feel anxious. Not to mention that giving birth to twins is a whole other ballpark."
"But I'll be there every step of the way and I will never leave your side," assured Nick.
"Well, as long as you don't pass out on me in the delivery room, I'll be fine," Lucy jumped up on the bed and rested her head on Molly's baby bump, "You will probably be staying with Uncle Rennie and Aunt Lisa when I have your brothers or sisters or brother and sister," she smiled and scratched behind her ears, much to Lucy's delight.
"Well I guess we'll find out at your next appointment," said Nick.
Molly scowled a little as they hadn't really discussed whether they were going to find out the sexes of their babies. She supposed that would be a conversation for a different time. They settled into more comfortable positions and Nick was slowly drifting off to sleep when Molly said, "San Diego sounds like a nice place to take a babymoon."
Nick smiled and kissed Molly's temple, "Well, we can certainly look into it."