"I see skies of blue,
And clouds of white.
The bright blessed day,
The dark sacred night.
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world."

(What A Wonderful Word - Louis Armstrong)

Title: Bouncing Baby Boy

September 2009

My entire body was sore beyond belief, but even that couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. My little boy was finally here and in my arms. The term little doesn't really fit well, but he was still the most precious thing I had ever seen. It felt like my entire life changed the moment they put him into my arms; all of a sudden, I felt a love like no other and it engrossed my entire being. Now, I know what Renee meant when she would say 'You'll understand when you're a mother.' I would throw myself in front of a train to save this little man.

Daniel was perfect in every way possible. He was the spitting image of Jake, especially from his baby pictures. He had a head full of black hair and dark chocolate eyes. He ended up with a widow's peak like I have, but a russet colored skin. He was going to be a heartbreaker one day. I smiled down once more to my nursing son and then looked to Jake who already had his eyes on us.

"He's perfect." Jake murmured as he brought his chair closer to the hospital bed. He took my hand in his and rubbed soothing circles into it. He brought my hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the backside of palm. "You did great, Bella. I have no words to even describe the love I have for you or our son. You're so strong and I admire you so much. Thank you for blessing me with your love and little Daniel." I felt the hot tears roll out onto my cheeks as Jake spoke. I squeezed his hand in response along with a smile.

"You did good too, Daddy." Jake shot me a bright beam full of pride before turning his head to the opening door of our room. Emily popped her head inside and I could see the excited smile on her face.

"Can we come in?" She whispered softly.

"Yes. He's awake." I called out to her while covering up my chest and wiping the line of milk off of Daniel's tiny chin. His eyes were open as he lay in content in my arms. Emily and Sam entered the room quietly, along with Charlie and Billy. Emily nearly ran over to the bed with a giddy smile. Her eyes welled up with tears as I handed her the swaddled baby. Sam came to stand behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist as they looked down at my son.

"How much did he weigh?" Emily asked after a moment of silence. Her eyes were tear filled as she had a huge smile on her face.

"9 pounds 7 ounces." I answered with an exhausted sigh. That child was huge and he would hear about it for the rest of his life. Both Emily and Sam got wide eyes before letting out a laugh.

"That's a big boy." Sam commented while softly stroking Daniel's cheek. It was a beautiful sight to see my best friend and her husband holding my son adoringly. It brought a warm feeling inside of me to know just how much he would be loved.

"I swear I won't miss the next one." Emily said with a regretful tone and a small smile towards me. I laughed and shook my head at my crazy best friend.

"I barely popped out this one and you're talking about the next one?" I questioned her incredulously. She paused for a moment before joining in with my laughter.

"I guess someone wanted to come to the wedding." She cooed down to my happy son. Jake laughed from his spot next to me.

"Had to have been the good music." He murmured with amusement. I smiled over to him affectionately. Our exchange ended too soon as there was scuffling coming from outside the door. Suddenly, Seth and Quil burst through the door and landed on the ground with loud thuds. They both had sheepish smiles on their faces.

"I forgot to mention that the whole pack was outside." Billy laughed at the two guys on the ground and shook his head.

"Hey Bella…" Seth laughed nervously as he and Quil stood up. I smiled at the two of them to let them know I wasn't upset.

"You guys can come in." Quil called out of the door and soon people started piling into the room. Billy wasn't kidding when he said the entire pack was here. Daniel was passed around from person to person and it made my heart swell with how much my family loved him already. I was surprised that he wasn't fussy since that was something our baby book said to expect.

It was nice to visit with our friends and family, but after giving birth to Daniel, we had to call it a night early. The pack left understandingly and promised to help out however they could when we brought Daniel home, which would only be in another day or so. Billy had gone with them too, talking about wanting to get some rest from his sore body. Words could not express how grateful I was for the amazing people in my life. This day just didn't feel real, but it made me joyous to know that every last part of it was.

I sighed from my bed as I adjusted slowly, trying to keep movement to a minimum. Jake was already passed out on the small window couch in the hospital room; he looked uncomfortable in the ball he was curled into. I guess hospitals aren't used to having fathers that are nearly 7 feet tall. I looked over to the only guest still awake in the room; Charlie. He was holding a sleeping Daniel close to his chest while looking at him with so much love and joy on his face. The sight made me want to cry from how beautiful it was. I was just as excited to be a Mom as he was to be a Grandpa. Charlie was faintly murmuring soft coos to the sleeping baby boy while snuggling him close. He looked up at me with a proud smile.

"Who would have thought that this is where we would be in this very moment? Your mom is heartbroken that she can't be here until next month, but you know how it is. I'm proud of you, kiddo." Charlie murmured softly while moving ever so slowly to put Daniel in his crib that the hospital offered to us. He laid him down onto the mattress and Daniel didn't stir at all; Charlie was a pro.

"Thank you for supporting me through it all. I love you, Dad." Charlie and I were rarely this affectionate, but it was only appropriate given the day's circumstances. He smiled softly at me before coming to the side of the bed. He bent and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, lingering for a moment.

"I love you too, Bells. Get some rest, you're going to need it."

I didn't realize how right Charlie was. It had only been three weeks since bringing Daniel home and I was completely drained. Breastfeeding every couple of hours took a lot out a person, especially when there was laundry to do, dishes to wash, floors to mop, and people to keep in touch with. Sleep was a luxury that I was not very fortunate to get a lot of these days. I would wake up most of the nights with Daniel to feed or change him and other times, I just couldn't sleep, no matter how exhausted my body was. It was difficult, but I couldn't ever deny that I loved being a mother. Daniel was the most precious and important thing in my life. I wouldn't change any of the choices that brought him to me. I was one of the luckiest people alive to have such a beautiful family.

Jake was already such a wonderful father. It warmed my heart every time he was with Daniel. I knew the two of them would have an inseparable bond as he grew up. Jake loved that little boy so much and he was meant to be a father. He would let me sleep through the night and get up to give Daniel a bottle from the pump or change him. He would also try and help me as much as he could around the house, which mainly included holding Daniel while I did things, but I didn't mind. I loved seeing my two boys together.

Most people say that having a baby puts a strain on a marriage, but I think Jake and I were an exception. If Daniel did anything, he brought us closer. I had never felt closer to Jake than I have in the last three weeks. We were spending everyday together with our son and getting into a routine of things. Our romance didn't dwindle at all, even without having sex. We were both still as crazy about each other as the day we became one.

Emily was over nearly every day to see the baby and get in some girl time of her own. She loved being married to Sam, but there was no doubt in my mind that she wouldn't. It brought her and Sam closer together if that were even possible. I kept teasing her that she would still get pregnant by the time they were married for two months, but she didn't seem to be caving in on that bet. I loved having her support and her friendship. It was only the first week of October, but Emily was already making plans for Halloween. She brought a light into my life that only a friend could and I'd always be grateful for that.

I was excited for two different reasons; one, Renee would be flying in next week and two, Daniel would already be a month old! I couldn't believe where all the time was going. He has already gotten bigger and it was such a surprise to me. I wanted him to stay little forever and ever. I couldn't anticipate how much he was going to grown in the next year, but I knew I had to cherish his time as a small baby. I took pictures of him constantly and we already had tons of them framed around our house. We would get professional pictures from Emily done when he is around 6 months then again for his first birthday. I didn't realize how sad I was the Renee wasn't able to make it out sooner, but I was completely understanding about it. I knew things come up and Phil wasn't the most supportive, so I wasn't mad at her in any sense. I couldn't wait for Renee to meet my little man. I knew she was going to cry, but who doesn't when they meet their first grandson?

Jake's loud gawk brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up from the rocking chair in Daniel's nursery over to Jake who was currently changing him. Jake turned towards me with a disgusted expression on his face as he looked down at his shirt. There was poop spread all across the bottom of his shirt. Jake looked absolutely mortified as he kept looking between the shirt, Daniel, and me.

"He just shit on me!" Jake cried out, trying to control his gagging. I nearly fell out of the rocking chair with my laughter. Jake sent a glare over to me as he ripped his shirt off and finished changing Daniel. He picked him up in his arms and looked down at the precious baby boy. He attempted to have a stern look, but it quickly faded.

"There is no denying that he's your son." I murmured, still shaking with light laughter as I moved to join him in looking at our son. Jake stuck his tongue out at me before looking back at Daniel.

"No more pooping on Daddy." He mused while smiling down at him. Daniel gave an adorable smile in reflex to Jake's words and I couldn't help but feel the happiness spread throughout my being. I smiled in content at the sight of my small, beautiful family.

I anxiously paced back and forth in the averagely packed airport in Port Angeles. Renee's flight landed a few minutes ago and I couldn't wait to see my mom. Jake and Billy had both teased me saying that I would walk a hole into the ground, but it didn't matter, I couldn't stand still for the life of me. Charlie had just finished burping Daniel. He had asked me in private if he could hand him to Renee and I had no objections. I adored how shy Charlie was about things, but I kept mum about it.

I saw her coming down the escalator and tried to control my bouncing. Jake laughed and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. She was adorned in fall clothing with her hair in a classic Renee style, a short bob with some spikes. She had always been eccentric and I loved that about her. Renee ran down the rest of the steps with an abundant cry of happiness as she threw her arms around me. I breathed in her scent, remembering how she always smelled like her favorite rose lotion. I felt the tears falling from my eyes as we communicated without words. I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was here in front of me. We always had a close bond, even in distance. It felt like forever that I stood there holding my mom, but we finally let go of each other. Her makeup was smeared across her face, but she had a big smile written across it.

"Hi." She squeaked out hoarsely from her crying voice. We all laughed and shared a smile with her. Charlie walked up to her slowly with Daniel in his arms. Immediately, she began to cry again as she took the little boy into her own arms. Charlie smiled lovingly before backing away towards his spot with Billy.

"Meet your grandson." I murmured softly as I wrapped an arm around her waist and rested my head on her shoulder. She smiled and started cooing sweet, loving things to my son.

"He's beautiful, Bella. You and Jake did a good job." Renee cried out softly while stroking Daniel's cheek with her finger. My heart swelled with happiness from the love my son had. This was complete and utter bliss in this packed airport on an October morning. There was no better feeling than being a mother and I would cherish every moment like it was going to end.

Hey loves!

I'm sorry it has taken me forever to update! I have been super busy with my college classes and trying to keep up with everything. I also just recently got a job as an intern in a high school working in a life skills class that I took for two years, so I'm pretty excited about that.

Anyways, I don't have any good excuse to why it has taken me so long to update, but I promise I will crank out chapters faster. I have a few new stories in the works as well, so keep an eye out.

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! I appreciate it so much!

Love,

GVE