"This is the crib you were in as a baby. Your father shipped it to me, and Max and I sanded it and painted it. I thought I had picked up plain white at the paint store, but it's actually a sparkly white. The mattress is new and so are the ball bearings. And, we bought a bassinette and put that together as well".
"I love it! Great job, darling".
She hugged him and kissed him.
"You too, Max".
She went and kissed his cheek.
"Ok, so let's go into the nursery and plan where we want the crib."
They hemmed and hawed for several moments, and then finally decided on putting it against the wall across from the windows.
"Darling, if it's a girl, I want her monogram on the wall above her crib. And if it's a boy, I want to do the room in a sailboat theme".
"I like those ideas. Do you want us to paint the furniture?"
"Yes, but not just yet. Sparkly silver if it's a girl. White if it's a boy".
Jonathan and Max brought the crib in and put it against the wall.
"Darling, we need to get blackout curtains. I want our kid to get used to sleeping in complete darkness, so they will sleep longer".
"We can do whatever you want, I promise".
They headed to the bedroom and she showed him where to put the bassinette.
"Oh, and we got this thing at the shower today-it attaches to the bed so the baby sleeps right next to you".
"Sounds interesting".
"I think it's supposed to be helpful for feedings and such".
She kicked her shoes off and sat down on the bed.
"Darling, do you think the meat lover's pizza would be good if I added sliced pickles and a thin layer of peanut butter to it?"
"No, I do not".
Their pizzas arrived so she went to change while Jonathan and Max went downstairs to eat.
She came down and joined them a few minutes later. Jennifer had one plate of pizza and one plate with a scoop of peanut butter and several pickles on it.
After they were finished eating, she and Jonathan headed to the couch to watch a movie.
Jonathan got really into the movie, but Jennifer's mind was very, very far away.
She decided that she wanted to do something special but she would need a little help.
They headed to bed after the movie and he gave her a nice long shoulder rub.
"Darling, tomorrow we have Lamaze at 6. It's our first one, so we can't be late".
"We won't".
"We have it every night this week".
"Why?"
"It's supposed to help me remember to breathe when I'm in active labor. And when the contractions start, you will know how to time me, and how to tell when I am transitioning".
She fell asleep while he massaged her, so when he was through, he covered her with the blanket, and wrapped his arms around her.
"Goodnight, I love you".
He kissed her gently, and then reached up and turned out the light.
***The next morning***
Jennifer woke up around 5 to go to the bathroom and then came back to bed.
She fell back asleep with ease and slept till his alarm went off.
They had breakfast together and then she went back upstairs to bed.
On his way to the office, Jonathan called Susan.
"Hello, this is Dr. Kendall".
"Hi, it's Jonathan. I've noticed that Jennifer is sleeping a whole lot more and that's not like her. She wasn't like this before pregnancy and she wasn't like this even last week. Do you think something is going on?"
"Yes, she's pregnant, Jonathan. That's all this is. And more power to her, because in a few short weeks, you two aren't going to be getting a whole lot of sleep, so bank up now".
"Got it. Thanks for your expertise".
He hung up and continued to the office.
***Jennifer***
Jennifer slept till 10, and then woke up and took a shower.
When she got out, she made a phone call.
"Hi. I have a secret project that I want to do, and I need your help. Now, the emphasis here is secret…. Nobody but you and I can know this is happening. Here's what I want…."
After her phone call was over, she got dressed and went downstairs.
She worked on her latest article till about 2, and then took a nap.
Jonathan woke her up when he got home at 5 so they could have dinner.
After dinner, they headed to their first Lamaze class.
"Darling, we are supposed to bring pillows with us. And grab that yoga mat. Now, let me fill my water bottle, and I'll meet you in the car".
She filled her water bottle and then grabbed a tote bag with a notebook and several pens. She put a couple snacks in there as well.
She came and climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up.
He laced his fingers through hers as they drove, and she helped him find the place.
After a great first class, they stopped for ice cream on the way home.
When they came in the house, Jennifer was so tired she headed straight to bed. Jonathan and Max stayed up to watch a game on tv.
"Have a good class, Mr. H.?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I just hope I can keep my cool and remember everything when the time comes".
"I'm sure you will. You will be the best daddy, Mr. H. I just know it".
"I can only hope to be somewhere around ½ the dad you've been to me. If I can make it that far, I'm doing good".
"That's very kind of you to say, Mr. H. But look at what I had to work with. Underneath all your boyhood pranks and tough guy exterior, you were-you are-a good person. You get to mold this kid from the very beginning. I didn't get to do that. I had to polish what I was given".
They chatted for a little longer and then Jonathan headed to bed.
Jennifer had gotten up to go to the bathroom and was just coming back to bed when he came in.
"Feeling ok?"
"Yeah, just had to pee".
He changed clothes and climbed into bed next to her.
She nestled into his arms and he wrapped his arms around her.
"How many weeks are we, darling?"
"32. Measuring 34".
She drifted off to sleep, but he wasn't able to turn his mind off at all.
***5 weeks later***
Jennifer was now 38 weeks. They had finished Lamaze, finished their new parent's class, and taken the hospital tour. Jennifer had packed a bag for her and a bag for the baby, and had picked up a few extra bags so they could bring stuff home.
She and Jonathan were going out to dinner tonight, one last date night before the baby came.
On their way home, she spotted something on the side of the road.
"Jonathan, can we pull over? I want to see what that is".
He pulled over and she walked back in the shoulder.
It was a tiny little puppy in a cardboard box.
She immediately picked it up and carried it back to the car.
"Darling, it's a puppy. It was abandoned out here. We have to take it home and care for it, we can't abandon it to".
"Sure."
They headed to the store and got him some puppy food and a dog bed and a collar and some toys.
"Tomorrow, I will take you to the vet and have them check you out from head to toe. And when we get home, I'll give you the best bath you've ever had".
She was kissing its nose and loving on it.
"What do you want to name it?"
"How about Freeway? I mean, we found it on the freeway".
"Sounds good to me, if it's a boy. What if it's a girl?"
She turned the overhead light on and held it up.
"It's not".
They got home and she took him to the sink to bathe him.
She got him all dried off and he ate some food as long as she held the bowl in her lap.
When they were ready for bed, she took him upstairs with them and put him in his dog bed.
He yelped and yelped and cried, until she put the dog bed in the bassinette. He slept all night long in the bassinette.
Jennifer slept till 5, when she woke up to pee.
She felt something strange during the process and was very concerned.
She came back to bed.
"Jonathan….Jonathan…"
"Darling, we can't. The baby…."
"No, not that. Wake up, I think we need to call Susan".
He sat up and turned the light on.
"Everything ok?"
"I think my cerclage is coming out on its own. Will you call her and ask her if it's supposed to do that?"
"Yeah, I will".
He called her and got her answering machine. He listened to the instructions and paged her.
As soon as she got it, she returned the page. He picked up the phone as soon as it rang.
"Hi, sorry to bother you. Jennifer was going to the bathroom, and she said she thinks her cerclage is coming out. She wants to know if that's normal".
"Not really, but I was going to take it out today at her appointment anyways. If she can get dressed and meet me at the office, I can examine her now".
"We'll see you there in a few minutes".
They got up and got dressed and after taking the puppy downstairs and leaving a note for Max, headed to the office.
She opened the door for them.
"Hi, thanks for meeting us. Sorry to have woken you up".
"That's ok. I would rather check you out and it be nothing than not and it be something".
They went into an exam room.
"Ok, disrobe and put the gown on and lay on the table".
Jennifer did as she was told and Susan turned a bright light on and took a look.
"Yes, you are right, it's coming out. So, I'm going to spray some numbing stuff on you and then take it out as gently as possible".
Jennifer reached for Jonathan's hand and he stood up and grabbed it.
After she was completely numb, Susan removed the stitches in pieces. Jennifer never felt a thing.
"It's a good thing you felt that. You're dilated about 2 cm. If you hadn't felt it, it could have been very painful if it kept trying to open on its own. And while you are numb, I went ahead and stripped your membranes. So all that's left is the mucus plug. Every time you go to the bathroom from now on, look for it. Until that's removed, your water won't break".
She went ahead and did the rest of Jennifer's exam so she wouldn't have to come back.
"Bag packed?"
"Yes. Mine and the baby's".
"Perfect. Car seat installed?"
"That's on Jonathan's honey-do list for tonight".
"Ok, great. Now, unless you go into labor before then, I want to see you back next week. And between now and then, I want you to rest, rest, rest. Keep doing your walking, that will help you dilate and get the baby into position, but other than that, rest, rest, rest. And not to stick my nose into your business-now that you are dilated 2 cm, no more sex till 6 weeks after the baby is born".
"Thank you".
"Now today, you might feel a little pain, but nothing like you did when you got the cerclage. So, if it's like that, call me."
They headed home and Jennifer headed upstairs to change clothes.
Jonathan went to the kitchen and started the coffee.
"Mr. H., what happened? Is Mrs. H. alright?"
"Yeah, she's fine. The medical procedure she had back before we got married, when they put her on bedrest, undid itself. So we went and got her checked out. Do me a favor and keep an eye on her today? I have to go to the office but I'll be home as soon as I can. And the puppy will need to be taken out every few hours".
"He's sleeping like a champ right now. I took him out about an hour ago".
Jennifer came in and stood behind Jonathan and scratched his shoulders for a minute.
"Mrs. H., are you hungry? I can make you breakfast if you want".
"I'm pregnant Max, I'm always hungry".
"Darling-"
"I'm sorry, Max. I didn't mean to snap at you".
"Oh that's ok, Mrs. H. How about waffles?"
"That sounds great, Max".
They sat down and ate breakfast when he got it ready.
"Darling, do me a favor, and maybe start saving your walking for when I get home? Just in case something happens?"
"Alright".
"I have a meeting this morning, but I'll be home as soon as I can".
"Wonderful".
She walked him to the door, and kissed him goodbye.
"I love you, see you tonight".
"I love you too, take it easy ok?"
"As easy as I can".
A few kisses later, she headed to the recliner and he headed to the office.
Around 11, her contact for her secret project called.
"Mrs. Hart? I have found everything you asked for, and I sent it by messenger to your house. It should be there within an hour, and it's still a secret".
"Thank you! You're a lifesaver!"
She hung up the phone and returned to her movie.
Max answered the door when the doorbell rang, and brought her the envelope.
"Thanks, Max".
She opened it and read through it very thoroughly. She grabbed her legal pad and started making a list.
By the time Jonathan got home, she had her mind made up.
He came in the door at 4:30.
"Hi gorgeous".
"Hi darling".
She got up and came and kissed him.
"Feeling ok?"
"Yeah, just pressure and heaviness".
"Well, let me run change and we can go walking".
"Yay".
She went and filled her water bottle and then met him at the door.
"We're going on a walk Max".
"Ok, Mr. H."
They walked to the privacy gate and took the neighborhood trail and did exactly two laps.
He told her all about his business meeting and the new projects they had lined up.
"Darling, how long can you stay home after the baby is born?"
"Well, I was going to talk to you about that. I figure I will be home all day every day the first 3 weeks. After that, I'll go back for ½ days, and then when you are ready, I was thinking we could hire a nanny to help you out here at home. Not all day, unless you think you need it. And we can hire an overnight nanny to get up with the kid too, if you want".
"If I breastfeed, I'll have to get up to feed the kid anyways".
"Have you decided if you want to breastfeed or not?"
"I want to try. I was reading about it today. Sometimes the mom can't make enough, and sometimes the kid doesn't like it, and sometimes the mom has to feed the baby her milk plus formula as well, so I guess we will find out what we are dealing with when the baby comes".
They walked back to the house and Jennifer sat in the car with Jonathan and read him the instructions so he could install the car seat.
Max came and told them dinner was ready right when they finished.
"I made a special dinner tonight. Grilled steaks, sautéed zucchini with tomatoes and onions, and a chopped salad with all of Mrs. H's favorite veggies".
"You spoil me, Max".
"My pleasure, Mrs. H."
He lit them candles and had everything they needed on the table.
Jennifer declared it to be the best steak she had ever eaten.
Jonathan did the dishes while Jennifer went upstairs to change for bed.
She was walking back through the bathroom when she felt it.
As soon as she realized what it was, the pain hit her and was so intense that she had to hold on to the wall.
She staggered out to the top of the stairs.
"Jonathan! Jonathan!"
"Yeah, baby, what is it?"
"My water broke".