Getting Ready For Baby

"Did you have fun?" Horatio asked, reaching over and squeezing his wife's hand while they drove home.

"I did. Did you know about this?"

"I didn't. I swear. But maybe I should have known Alexx would have something up her collectible sleeve," Horatio replied. "I think he had a good time, too," looking at Kyle in the rearview mirror.

Kyle was solid asleep.

"All those hotdogs, cake and candy he finally crashed out," Aimee said.

Alexx had given the soon-to-be big brother a new Lego set when his mom and dad were being given all the gifts for the baby. He was surprised to get a present and gave Alexx a huge hug.

Horatio and Kyle were definitely related.

Both father and son had stomachaches from over an hour after they got home. Aimee smiled as she took two doses of pepto-bismal from the medicine cabinet; two bubblegum-flavor children's chewables for Kyle and two regular adult for Horatio.

"Where's my bubblegum chewables?" Horatio said, looking at the pills.

"You don't get any," Aimee said, "Since you don't listen to me when I told you you should lay off the ribs."

"Hey! Kyle didn't listen to you when you told him to stop eating and he got the flavored ones!"

"He's six."

"I can act six," Horatio said, sticking the tip of his tongue out at his wife.

"Well aware of that, dear."

Whenever her baby kicked or moved now a small foot or fist could be seen poking out.

"Did you enjoy your party, baby girl?" Horatio said to the unborn child, kissing his wife's skin when she lay down next to him in the bed shortly after.

For the past few weeks Horatio had told his wife he believed that they would have a daughter. Both were firm that the doctor or ultrasound technician not tell them the gender of the baby. They were willing to wait another few weeks to find out if Horatio was right in his prediction.

"Eric and Frank said they'd be over tomorrow to help me to put the crib and other stuff together," Horatio said. The baby furniture was going to arrive the next morning. There was a a call left on their voice mail saying so.

"Oh, I'll be pulling up a chair to watch the show. Three of you not having a clue what you're doing is gonna be quite amusing."

And it was.

Calleigh had come over with her husband and both woman were the three men bicker over of the instruction manual.

"When did you say you're due again?" She asked Aimee.

"I think the more important question is how long can the baby sleep in the bassinet," Aimee giggled.

By the evening the change table was put together.

The wardrobe, dresser and rocker didn't count; they came assembled.

Aimee couldn't stop teasing Horatio.

"Between the three of you, two men with degrees in science, mind you, you got one piece of furniture together. "

"Hey! What about the wardrobe and other stuff?"

"Taking stuff out of a box and putting a few knobs on it doesn't count. Face it, handsome, your talent is catchin' bad guys, not assembling furniture."

It was coming more and more real for the couple they were having a baby. Aimee was now registered at the hospital where she would give birth, her hospital bag was packed.

And much to the expectant mother's dismay, Horatio had signed them up for childbirth classes in four weeks. Aimee always thought prenatal classes were dumb. And it came down to it, no amount of silly breathing was going to help her with the pain of labor; that was what an Epidural was for. And she really didn't want to know the details of what was ahead of her and view videos of childbirth before she went through it; she was afraid it would give her nightmares. The class was once a week for six weeks. He had already had it arranged for the grandparents to watch Kyle on those evenings.