Christmas Is – Francesca Battistelli

Year 2.

It's amazing how much things can change in just one year. This time last year, Jackson was camping out in a hospital room, praying that his wife and son would survive a trial surgery. Now he was coming home from work to a happy and healthy family.

They had finally moved out of their high-rise apartment and into a family home North of Seattle. It was perfect for them and had everything April wanted. He knew she would never admit it, but she loved the large kitchen for cooking and baking, and the high ceilings for a large Christmas tree. She loved the large tub that she and he took advantage of a couple of times a week and the roominess of it all. She asked for none of it but he got her all of it. After that moment when he first saw his son last Christmas Eve, he vowed to give them anything they could ever imagine wanting and needing. Because they're his world.

"Babe, don't overdo it. You need to be careful." He warned, pulling Graycin from her and ushering her toward the couch and away from the tree.

"I'm pregnant, not ill." She huffed, sitting down and folding her arms angrily across her chest.

He rolled his eyes. "I know this. But you know I can't help but worry. Just take it easy."

If she wasn't lying to herself, being taken care of all of the time wasn't the worst thing ever. But sometimes she just needed a little bit of room to swim.

When he turned around to fix the tree, she hopped up to pull her lasagna out of the oven. Her parents were set to arrive in the next half hour, insisting to take a cab over so they wouldn't have to take the baby out into the cold.

She started cutting up vegetables to add to the salad while Jackson sat in the living room with Graycin. Just because she was pregnant again didn't mean she couldn't do anything. This was a completely normal pregnancy this time around and they didn't anticipate any problems this time around.

Since she had been home with Graycin for most of the day, they spent an easy day at home. She had a Christmas album playing across the house and baked chocolate chip cookies to have for her parents when they arrived. She even made her mothers' lasagna recipe. It was going to be perfect. Such a change from last year when she was in the hospital. Not to mention the months spent in the hospital with Graycin they spent just praying they could take him home. Or from weeks after that when all she was capable of doing was sobbing.

"April, come here!" Jackson yelled from the family room. April dropped the knife she was using to butcher the veggies and ran as fast as she could toward her husband.

"What? What? Is everything ok?!" She panicked, still between the kitchen and the living room.

"Graycin crawled! He crawled!" Jackson panicked, pulling his phone out to catch the next time on his phone.

The only problem was that Graycin was sitting in the same place that she left him in when she went to the kitchen to pull out the lasagna. "Babe, I don't think he crawled. I think maybe you wanted him to crawl."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "He did. Here. Wait. I'm sure he'll do it again."

They waited. Jackson begged, "Come on buddy. Show mommy that you can crawl."

April waited. And waited. And waited. Jackson waited with his phone. Nothing.

So minutes later Jackson put his phone away and April mocked Jackson a little. "That's what I thought." She laughed. Graycin was definitely old enough to start crawling but with his type of OI it was still a miracle that he was around at all. Crawling wasn't even on her radar yet. It might not ever be.

"April!" He hollered across the house. She came back running quicker than she did before. Graycin was still sitting but he was facing a different direction. Jackson was holding his phone but it was obvious from his frustration that he missed recording it again.

"Looks like he has your poor timing." She mocked. Jackson audibly groaned. She never failed to mock him for that.

"So does my little princess," He grinned, nodding toward April's all but flat stomach.

April winced. "I know it's soon Jackson." She whispered, looking down at her belly. It felt like they only left the hospital with Graycin a couple of months ago. But then a couple weeks ago she didn't get her period and the test had two lines and then eventually the blood test was positive. And now they're having a second baby.

"April, sweetheart. I was just joking. I don't think it could be possible for me to be any more excited about her than I already am."

She stopped. "Why do you keep calling it a her?" Their first ultrasound was yesterday, there was no way he knew the sex.

"Because she's a girl. I can feel it." He assured her, sitting down next to her on the couch and slipping his hand under her sweater. April blushed. She couldn't have picked a better husband.

'Or you just want a girl." She laughed, hoping it was a girl for him.

"Is that so bad?" He asked her quietly, smiling. "I just want a little girl to spoil."

Graycin didn't crawl for April for 17 more days. They faced minor hiccups with Gracyin's health every day but he was virtually healthy and always smiling. They had the perfect life and it was the one they wanted all along.

A little happier for you? lol