Massive chapter coming your way... after a quick note from me.
I'm sorry that this is almost a week late but I have been off work for going on 3 weeks due to a work related injury. And...I am in the midst of my own *fairy tale* romance. So with that being said please forgive me as I attempt to make up for my tardiness with a fairly massive chapter.
Chapter 10 (Edward)
Email overload…
Reading about Mia's struggle with talking made me realize that I never for a second thought that my precious baby boy could have been born with something wrong with him. I had just taken it for granted that he would be born healthy with no medical issues and I was lucky that it had happened that way considering Tanya's actions so soon after he was born.
To say that I was nervous sending that last email to Bella would be the understatement of the century. Suggesting that I crash her vacation as our first meeting had been a spur of the moment thing but I decided to go ahead and leave it in the email and just see where it got me.
About an hour after I sent the email my computer dinged with an incoming email alert. I smiled broadly as I pulled the email up on my screen.
Date Sent: Saturday, April 7, 2012 8:03 pm
Subject: After consulting an outside person
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
Just so you are aware me and my girls are not the only ones going on our family vacation. We are going to Biloxi, Mississippi for seven days starting June 16th before me and my girls will be driving to Disney World for a few days. So my suggestion would be this…come out to 'crash' our vacation on the 20th. That will give us a few days to meet each other and if you want then you and Noah could maybe join me and my girls at Disney World.
Until then though may I make a revision suggestion to our daily questions/emails? My suggestion is this…instead of sticking to one question and one email per day we just respond when we can even it ends up being more than just one a day. You game?
Nickname, huh? Bella is my nickname and I'm not sure who gave it to me first but it's what I've always been called unless I was in trouble. Isabella is my full first name but I rarely hear it these days since I don't have a close relationship with my parents. My friends will occasionally call me 'B' and of course there is 'Mom!' and 'Mama!' which I hear more than anything most days.
My question for this email is…
What's your favorite fast food chain?
Today I took the girls by Papa John's Pizza to grab chicken strips and pizza for dinner since we had such a busy day at Alice's baby shower. It's an easy option when you have four different tastes to satisfy. Molly likes pineapple and pepperoni, Mia likes sausage with extra cheese, Maci likes ham with pineapple, while I like supreme.
I'm not too big on eating or letting my girls eat fast food but it is a nice treat to not have to cook dinner after a busy day. During the week I will admit to living on slow cooker or crock pot meals for the most part because I can put it all together in the morning before I leave for work and set the timer so it is ready not long after we get home. For lunch during the work week I usually eat at a little café down the street from the clinic or will grab something off the taco truck that parks in the hospital parking lot.
As for tomorrow I plan to have a chill out pajama day with my girls while we binge on Disney movies all day.
That is how a Sunday should be spent.
Let me know what you think of the revision and vacation idea.
Your anxious friend,
Bella
I'm glad that we were on similar pages where the emails were concerned. Sometimes it took tremendous strength on my part to not get overly anxious in replying to her emails so that we didn't get ahead of ourselves.
Hoping that she wasn't in bed yet I decided to quickly respond to her email.
Date Sent: Saturday, April 7, 2012 8:26 pm
Subject: Isabella, huh? I like it!
Recipient: VirgoMama2_3G
Sender: GreenEyedDaddy2011
I think I like your ideas. Both of them. Since I work for myself I don't see why I shouldn't be able to make those dates and meet you on the beach. I will research a place for me and the munchkin to stay, any suggestions? At least now I don't have to wait to reply to your emails which I have to tell you was difficult sometimes.
I like your idea of how Sunday's should be spent but Noah and I have a standing dinner date with my mom and dad. It's a tradition since Emmett and I moved out when we started college and have continued ever since.
To say that I am curious about why you don't have a relationship with either of your parents is an understatement but I will hold my curiosity for later. I couldn't imagine not having a close relationship with my parents, they've been my rock through many hard and trying times and that stands true to this very day.
To answer your question…. White Castle.
I am a sucker for those tiny burgers. They are so delicious that I am embarrassed about how many I can eat in one sitting.
You and your girls have some very strange pizza combinations to say the least. I think your choice of supreme is the most normal out of all of them but I have to say that I am a meat lover's kind of guy.
My question for the (day, email, moment…) is…
When is your birthday?
I ask this because I'm not sure if it is coincidence, fate, karma, or what but my birthday just happens to be June 20th.
Seems like it will be a big event all around this year. I get to meet you and I will be turning 33 years old.
Until next time,
Edward.
After sending the email I shut my computer down and headed for my shower. I was in the middle of a very important self-loving session when I heard my phone chime from my bedroom. "Damn she's quick and eager." I mumbled to myself as I twisted my hand back and forth causing my hips to buck as I spewed all over my shower wall.
I quickly toweled off before wrapping the towel around my waist as I rushed to my bedside table where my phone sat beside the video monitor that showed my precious boy sleeping soundly in his crib. "Sleep tight sweet boy." I mumbled to him as I picked up my phone to see if the email was from Bella.
It was.
Date Sent: Saturday, April 7, 2012 9:17 pm
Subject: Are you sure?
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
We could always just meet up at Disney World so that you can stay in Tennessee and spend your birthday with your family. I hate to be the reason that they miss out on celebrating your birthday with you. I'm sure we will be anxious and eager to meet by then but a few more days won't make that much of a difference.
Well since we know your birthday is coming up before mine my question is…
What is the best gift ever given to you?
This is a hard one since I left home at 18 and haven't been back since which coincides with the abrupt stop of gift receiving. I don't want to be cheesy and say my girls but when I look back on my whole entire life they are the best gift ever given to me although the circumstances weren't the best. As far as materialistic gifts I would have to say my first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice that Alice bought me when I graduated college. I'm a sucker for classic literature.
To this day she refuses to tell me the exact amount she paid for it but she comes from money so it's not that big of a deal for her like it is me.
I guess I put it off long enough….my birthday is September 23rd and I will be 30 years old.
Goodnight Edward. Hope you have an easy and relaxed Sunday with Noah.
Your friend,
Bella
After reading her email I tossed my towel towards the hamper and slid between the sheets of my king size bed. I was shocked to see that it was after eight o'clock when Noah's morning wake-up call echoed through the baby monitor. "Coming buddy. Please don't knock a hole in the wall." I called out to him as I tossed the blankets aside heading for the dresser for some bottoms. Ever since Noah started sleeping through the night I went back to my old sleeping habits which seldom involved clothes.
After I got my pajama bottoms tugged on I headed for the nursery directly across the hall from my bedroom. "Good morning, my sweet boy." I called out to him as I flipped his light on causing him to squint as he stood gripping the edge of his baby bed.
"DaDa! Out!" he called again reaching for me. I picked him up cuddling him to my chest as I headed for his changing table that he was about to outgrow. Instead of laying him down I sat him on the pad as I reached for a diaper and wipes underneath though I kept one hand on him at all times because my little daredevil wouldn't be too scared to jump off just to try it. "Hi, DaDa."
I chuckled as I tossed his diaper beside him on the changing pad. "Hi, Noah. Did you sleep good last night?" I asked him as I unbuttoned his pajamas slipping it off his shoulders before getting him to lay down.
He nodded at me as he reached for the diaper that was beside his head playing with it while I tugged him pajamas off along with the full diaper. "Bite?" He said handing me the diaper once I had him wiped clean.
"Yep, we're gonna go eat in a few minutes. Want some pancakes this morning?" I asked him as I scooped his diaper clad body into my arms as I tossed his clothes into his hamper and the diaper into the waste basket on my way out of the room.
"Yum yum's!" He said with a decisive shake of his head.
Chuckling at him I settled him into his high chair as I headed for the fridge to get him his 'yum yum's' to tide him over while I fixed us some pancakes. Any kind of fruit satisfied his 'yum yum' obsession temporarily. I quickly sliced a few blueberries and strawberries up before tossing them on his tray along with his morning bottle while I fixed some pancakes.
After breakfast Noah got his morning bath because as much as the boy loved his food he got it everywhere but I didn't want him dependent on me for food. Rose had told me that it was an important step for children to learn how to feed themselves so I had followed her advice. "Bub!" He called out cheerfully as I soaped up his hair getting the sticky whipped cream and pancake pieces out of his golden red hair that needed a haircut but I was holding off as long as I could.
"Yeah, bubbles." I told him as I ran a soapy hand over his hands transferring the bubbles from my hand to his causing him to cackle gleefully.
Bath times were always fun for Noah and I as we swam ships in and out of the water, played with bubbles, squirted each other with his little fish, and got clean. I remember the first time I ever gave him a bath in his tiny baby tub. It was traumatic for both of us. He screamed as I sat his little bottom in the warm water and I cried thinking I was hurting my week old baby but my mom had reassured me that it was just a different sensation that was frightening him.
Once he was dried off and dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and socks we headed for the living room where I sat him down in front of his toys while I grabbed my iPad so I could reply to Bella's email from last night.
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 9:07 am
Subject: ...this is kind of embarrassing…
Recipient: VirgoMama2_3G
Sender: GreenEyedDaddy2011
I don't like to admit it to folks but I would have to say that my leather bound journals were my favorite gift. I got my first one on my fifteenth birthday. My parents get me a new one every year for my birthday so that I can continue writing things down instead of bottling them up. I was never a very talkative teenager/young adult until things just bubbled over and I exploded on people. My dad thought the journals would be a way for me to talk things over with myself. Some of the pages are filled with sketches and postcards and pictures I've printed off but mostly it's my life in my own words. I got the last one on my 30th birthday and the last post in it is Noah's very first sonogram picture and my feelings on becoming a father.
I know I could've updated to typing things out (it is quicker and I'm fairly proficient on a computer) but like I told my sister in law…there is something therapeutic about putting pen to paper and writing your feelings out.
That leads into my next question…
If you could go back in time, what time period would you choose?
The early 1900's. I love the way things were done back then. The romance of courting was done correctly back then. Things were also much simpler back in that day and age but I also like the conveniences that this day and age offers to me. Like the ability to read and reply to multiple emails from you in a single day instead of waiting months to get a letter. But there is something that is appealing to a hand written letter instead of a typed one.
Also if we were still in the 1900's I highly doubt I would have ever known you existed since we live so far apart. So with that being said living in this century isn't so bad after all. LOL
Hope you enjoy your relaxing Sunday…I am planning to stay in my pajama pants until I have to get ready to go to my Mom's later.
-Edward
After sending the email I slid into the floor to play with my little man who was banging away at the roll out piano pad I had bought him for Christmas.
Throughout the day Bella and I swapped several emails until I had to get ready to go to my parents for dinner.
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 10:19 am
Subject: Interesting…
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
I'm glad you are enjoying a pj clad Sunday. That is how me and my girls typically spend our Sunday's unless we have important plans that can't be done on Saturday.
You're a journaler, huh? That is nothing to be embarrassed about. If it helped you to deal with tough spots in your life then I'm glad that your parents were thoughtful enough to know that you needed that type of outlet. Molly draws. A lot! That girl has went through nine art pads in the past year alone. She was with me a little over a month when I noticed her doodles all over every scrap piece of paper in the house seemingly. I went out the next day and bought her the first of many art pads. I've never asked to see what she draws but she does show me on occasion and let me tell you that the girl has some talent. Jake could draw before the drugs took over and caused his hand to shake all the time.
I've never really thought about living in another century but I love all the classic novels…Jane Austen most specially…so maybe living in that time would be interesting. But then again women were treated like possessions back then so that is a deterrent.
Also, like you said if we lived back in those times we most likely would never know each other existed in our lifetimes so I think I will stick with 2012 and be happy about it!
Let's change things up a bit here…
Favorite Christmas movie?
I ask this because Mia picked out Jingle All The Way as her movie choice of the day. I would have to say that Miracle on 34th Street is my all-time favorite Christmas movie. The 1947 classic is the best but the 1997 version isn't too bad either.
Whenever I was a kid we watched It's a Wonderful Life every single year on Christmas Eve. I like the movie but I think I was worn out on it growing up because by the time I left home at 18 I had seen the movie 18 times and had it fairly well memorized.
Till next time…
Bella
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 11:03 am
Subject: Christmas in April…I like.
Recipient: VirgoMama2_3G
Sender: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Not sure if I have a favorite Christmas movie but as a kid Em and I always watched the Home Alone movies around Christmas time. My mom likes A Christmas Story but we were never required to watch a specific movie during the holidays.
At least Molly has found a way to deal with all the things that has happened in her life. From what little you've told me it seems like the little girl had it hard before she came to live with you. It's good that you allow her to be the little girl that she wasn't allowed to be when she was with her bio parents. It sucks that your brother allowed the drugs to ruin his life because his daughters sound like amazing little girls and he is missing out on that. As a father myself I could never dream of doing anything to dampen the sparkle in my child's eyes.
You keep referencing your childhood like that and I'm gonna come straight out and ask eventually. But for now I will skip to my next question…
What did you want to be when you were a child?
I always thought I would follow in my father's footsteps and become a doctor but I realized as a teenager (I broke my arm falling out of a tree) that it just wasn't in the cards for me. I was nauseated just at the sight of my arm bending at an awkward angle. That was when I realized that I absolutely loved numbers. Numbers are straightforward and never lie so that is why I became an accountant.
Your turn,
Edward
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 12:27 pm
Subject: The dreaded question every parent fears…
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
I will tell you all about my childhood eventually but for now I will tell you that it wasn't all bad.
Seeing my girls smile or hearing them laugh at something silly or having them snuggle in my arms is what I live for each and every day. I can't imagine putting these innocent little girls through the bs that Jake and Nessa did but what's done is done. I blame my parents for Jake not taking responsibility for his actions because they have babied him and supported him despite his addiction problems. This has been going on since he was 12 years old and got caught smoking weed in the school bathroom. Jake and Nessa had Molly when he was just 14 years old and Nessa was 15 because they had sex when they were drunk and forgot to use a condom.
When I was a kid and a teenager I wanted to do something in the English field. Teaching? Editing? Writing? Not really sure just something along those lines which is why I have a minor in Creative Writing along with my Pediatric RN major.
Is Santa real?! This is the question Mia just asked me. The little girl is too smart for her own good. Should I lie to her or tell her the truth? This is not counting as my question btw. I've deterred for now by us baking cookies.
How old were you when you learned Santa wasn't real? How did you find out?
When I was seven and Jake was four we caught my dad pulling the presents out of the backseat and trunk of his car on Christmas Eve. Jake had been laying in his bed awake when he heard a loud bang and came rushing to my room saying he thought Santa was there early. We both rushed to the window and caught my dad unloading all of the wrapped presents while Sue (my stepmom and Jake's mom) helped him. I asked my dad about it the next day and he told me the truth…Santa wasn't real.
-Bella
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 1:01 pm
Subject: Umm…
Recipient: VirgoMama2_3G
Sender: GreenEyedDaddy2011
I don't know what to tell you about that but…let me know what you choose and how it goes so I can be better prepared when Noah gets to that question. In the far distant future.
Wow at how young they were. Babies having babies. At least the girls are in a good home now. I guess we can all be grateful for that. Think you could send me some of those cookies?
Emmett told me Santa wasn't real when I was six and he was nine. He laughs about it now just like he did back then. I remember being so excited that the next day was Christmas and 'Santa' was coming! When I told Emmett that we had to get to bed early that night so Santa could start his job he laughed and just said "Santa's not real, Eddie. Dad puts the presents under the tree and Mom buys them." I ran crying to my mom begging her to tell me it wasn't true. Unfortunately she didn't lie to me like your dad didn't lie to you.
You mentioned that you are a fan of the classic stories so what is your favorite book?
Mine would happen to be a classic also… Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger.
Edward
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 1:48 pm
Subject: …went with the truth.
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
She isn't too heartbroken over learning that Santa wasn't real. I think the most painful thing was her asking me if she would still get presents. I told her that she would most definitely still be getting presents and she just nodded before going back to eating her cookies.
I'm not sure they would be any good by the time they made it from Louisiana to Tennessee and I'm not willing to risk my cookies like that. Maybe you will get lucky when you come to Biloxi and the girls and I will whip up a batch. Maybe Noah could help too?
Yes, Jake and Nessa were babies having babies. Our parents supported them 100% until they moved out when Jake was 17 and Molly was barely 3. Even after they moved out Sue and Charlie still sent them money regularly until they got arrested this last time and sentenced to prison. I'm sure they still send them money to the prison yet they can't 'afford' to come visit their granddaughters and me. It's a sore subject…sorry.
Favorite books, huh? Do I have to just list one? How about top 5 favorites?
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
3. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
4. Dollanganger Series by V.C. Andrews
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I can talk about books all day long…just ask Angela and Alice.
Electronic device or hardback book?
While there is something about holding a hardback book in your hands while getting lost in another world, these days electronic devices are so much easier and cheaper a lot of the times. I have over 1000 books in my kindle but I also own more than that in hardback books. I have attached a photo of what the girls refer to as the 'wall of books'.
Bella
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 2:37 pm
Subject: Today has been fun
Recipient: VirgoMama2_3G
Sender: GreenEyedPapa2_3G
I have immensely enjoyed being able to respond back and forth with you all day but now it is time to head to my parents. As soon as Noah wakes up from his nap. Aside from meal times I think nap time ranks as one of his favorite times ever. Though he does enjoy bath time too…
Maybe he's just a happy baby.
Wow that is a lot of books! I think that may rival my dad's collection that takes up an entire room in their house. It is a smallish room (maybe 10x10) that is lined floor to ceiling wall to wall with books of all types. I will show you one day…hopefully. In the middle of the room is a chaise lounge that my mom insisted on because she likes trashy romance novels and a quiet place to enjoy them. You may just like it too!
I like holding a book in my hands too but like you it is easier to read on some electronic device. I have an iPad that has a kindle app on it. While I don't have near as many books as you I still have a fairly impressive collection of about 250 or so books on the app and probably another 150 or so in my office.
Since I am heading to my mom's soon I think my next question is appropriate. How would you spend your ideal evening? Playing a game, visiting with friends/family, going to a movie, or reading a book?
I think it depends on who you are with. Spending a quiet night at home with just me and Noah is just as much fun for me as spending an evening with my family. I think my ideal night, if I were in a relationship, would be spent at home with our kids doing whatever.
Talk to you later,
Bella
Date Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012, 3:14 pm
Subject: Have fun…
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
Your parents 'smallish room' sounds like a bookworm's heaven on earth.
As for my ideal evening I'm like you it depends on the situation and circumstances. Having dinner with family sounds amazing to me but that may be because I don't get that option with my parents. My mom passed away when I was just 12 years old but we weren't close to begin with and I haven't spoken to my father and stepmother in over a year. And before that it was just courtesy phone calls once or twice a year to make sure I was still alive. They didn't agree with my decision to move all the way to Louisiana for college when they needed my help to raise Molly and help out with Jake. I left just a few days after my high school graduation and haven't been back since.
With that being said…
Where did you go to college at?
I went to LSU all four and a half years of my college career and absolutely fell in love with the area. Let me tell you though…moving from Washington State to Louisiana was a culture shock to say the least. While I had taken French for two years in high school it didn't prepare me in the least for the Creole French people speak around here. The temperature was a huge adjustment too. I think I nearly froze Alice half to death the first summer I was here while I thought I would die from heat exhaustion. The bugs are another thing you have to get used to. Oh, and the sunshine. Where I'm from it rains or is cloudy more often than sunny outside.
Have fun at your parents because I had fun today,
Bella
I wasn't able to reply to her last email because it was time to leave. "Come on, buddy. You ready to go see Nana and Papa?" I asked him as I strapped him into his car seat.
"Nana?" He asked with a broad smile, his eyes sparkling with his excitement.
I nodded at him. "Yeah and Aunt Rose will be there too along with your new little cousin, Sophie." I explained though I'm not certain he understood what I was trying to tell him he still nodded and clapped.
Pulling into my parents' driveway earned a squeal from Noah as he recognized where we were at. "Nana Nana Nana!" He chanted as he tugged and growled at his straps. I couldn't help but laugh at him as he continued to growl at the straps when he couldn't get them undone. Growling was his newest discovery and it was absolutely adorable.
"We're going, we're going. Have some patience, bud." I told him as I undid his straps lifting him into my arms only to have him wiggle wanting to be put down. Glancing down to make sure his laces were still tied I sat him on his feet just for him to take off towards my mom who stood in the doorway. "Well I love you too, son." I mumbled as I closed the car door before following after my son who was now getting lots of kisses from his Nana causing him to cackle uncontrollably.
I placed a kiss against the side of my mom's head as I slid past her and into the house.
We didn't get back home until almost eight that night and Noah had passed out in the 30 minute car ride home. Luckily my mom had given him a bath before we left having a good idea that he would fall asleep on the way home so now all I had to do was get him from the car to his bed without waking him up. Lucky for me he slept like the dead and never even mumbled, sighed, flopped, or batted an eye as I carried him gently to his room and placed him in his crib.
As I flopped onto my bed I pulled out my iPad and began to compose a return email to Bella.