*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much*
2 MONTHS LATER:
DEAN's POINT OF VIEW:
"Does mom know you're doing this?" asks Natalia as we are standing in Oliver's brand new painted nursery. I painted it a light green a couple days ago almost like a sea green which is what Ana had requested for the nursery colors after we spent weeks trying to decide on a color. She couldn't make up her mind between dark blue, sky blue or light green. She is very indecisive when it comes to making some decisions. She wants to give him the best nursery we can give him.
"She has no idea, it's a surprise for her," I say as I start to take the crib out of the box to put it together. "And I only have a few hours to get it done before she gets back from having a girls day with Natalie.
"Is there anything that I can do to help you out?" she asks.
"You want to help me with Oliver's nursery?"
"Sure," she says, "what can I do?"
"I washed all of his clothes and his blankets. If you would like to run down to the laundry room and bring them up here. You can start putting his clothes into the drawers then folding up the blankets to put into the closet on the shelves.
"Okay," she says before she walks out of the room to go to the laundry room as I look at the instructions on how to start to put the crib together. It's been about 11 years since I put a crib together so I am a little rusty. I separate all the parts that I need and then start with step one before Natalia comes back to the nursery with the clothes basket filled with blankets and clothes. "He has a lot of clothes," she says.
"He's like you," I say with a smile as I work on the crib. "His wardrobe is going to be like yours."
"I see that," she says with a smile. "How do you want me to do this?"
"Pair up the outfits first and make sure you keep them together before you put them in the drawers. Other than that put the onesies and the sleepers in separate drawers and save a top drawer for socks, caps and mitts."
"What are the mitts for?" she asks.
"They're so he doesn't scratch his face. Babies have really sharp nails sometimes and they can't control their hands just yet so sometimes they scratch their faces so we want to put mitts on him so he doesn't scratch his little face," I say as I construct the crib.
"Oh," she says, "did I scratch my face when I was little too?"
"A couple times you did yes," I say. "Then someone suggested that we put socks or mitts on your hands to keep you from doing it. It worked wonders. You never scratched up your pretty little face again."
"Oh," she says as I watch match up the outfits and separate some of Oliver's clothes. "Dad, I don't want to do ballet anymore," she says out of the blue and I almost drop the crib.
"What do you mean you don't want to do ballet anymore? I thought that you wanted to be a ballerina and work for the ABA and be in ballets. What happened?"
"I like ballet but I don't want to do it my whole life," she says.
"What do you want to do?" I ask.
"I don't know but not ballet, I just want to quit ballet and do something else. I spend so much time at ballet I never get to hang out with my friends or get to do anything with them. I miss so much because I am always at ballet practice. It's too much for me and I don't want to be there every day."
"I understand," I say, "is it the fact you're there every day that you don't want to do it anymore?"
"It just takes up too much time and I don't get to do the fun stuff. Mom may have liked to do it when she was my age but I don't like to do it."
"So would you be willing to do just a class a week or something?"
"No I don't want to do ballet at all. I want to play sports or something," she says.
"What sports are you looking at playing?"
"I don't know. I want to play soccer in the spring," she says. "I really want to play soccer but with ballet I can't do that because I'm there ALL the time. I don't hate it I just don't want to do it."
"You should talk to your mom about it," I say.
"She's going to be upset. She put me in ballet because she wants me to do it because she never got to live out her dream of being a ballerina. I don't want that dream anymore. I want to do other things and when I grow up I want to be a veterinarian. I want to work with animals and make them feel better. I don't want to do ballet anymore. I love animals and I think they are cute. I want to help them."
"You should really talk to your mom, Natalia. Are you only doing ballet to make her happy?"
"To make her happy," she says honestly, "but I'm not happy with it anymore. I liked my old ballet school. This one is different. I don't like it. I just want to quit ballet and play soccer. I like karate too. I think karate is fun."
"I'm glad you like karate, Natalia, you have been doing a better job with controlling your anger since you started. Is that something you're interested in doing more of?"
"Yes," she says. "And I want more time to be with my friends, Dad."
"I see, you're 11 I get it you want a life with your friends. I understand that but are you really sure you want to give up ballet? I mean once you're out it may be hard for you to get back."
"I'm really sure, Dad. I don't want to do it anymore all the days I am there and all the work. I'm sure I don't want to do it. I want to do soccer and focus more on karate."
"Okay," I say, "but like I said you need to talk to your mom about it and let her know how you feel."
"I will," she says.
"And if you want my honest opinion, Natalia, I think you're amazing at ballet and I think you're one of the best ballerinas I have ever seen. I would hate to see you give up something you love so much so you could have more time with your friends but if it doesn't make you happy then you have a decision to make but make sure you talk to your mom first."
"I will," she says, "it's not that I don't love it. It is just that it's way too much work. I want to be a kid. I don't want to lose my childhood spending hours at dance class a week. I want to have fun, hang out with my friends and try other things. I never knew anything other than ballet how do I know if there isn't something else out there for me? I want to explore things. I like music. I could play the violin or the cello. I could be in to art and be an artist. I could do anything. I want to see what else is out there for me."
"I agree with that. I think you can do anything that you put your mind to no matter what it is. You have the right to try other things BUT you should really talk to your mom about this. Let her know how you feel okay?"
"Okay," she says as she continues her job. I agree with her but she is also really good at ballet. She has a good future in ballet, she's like her mom and I would hate to see her give it up over hanging out with friends but at the same time she has the right to decide to do what she wants as far as what makes her happy. If she's not happy with ballet then she's not happy with ballet and shouldn't make herself do it to keep her mom happy. I'm sure Ana will understand, at least I hope that she understands.
ANA's Point of View:
"So the baby will be here soon," says my best friend Natalie as we are enjoying our time at the spa getting manicures and pedicures. "Are you ready to do it all over again?" she asks.
"I think so," I say, "I wish I knew what I know now back when Natalia was a baby. I'm planning on doing things so much differently."
"You were also younger when you had Natalia. I'm sure you did the best you could with her with what you had back then. Now it's different."
"It's very different. I had Natalia in diapers and it was a struggle to buy diapers sometimes and formula was so expensive but after doing some research I decided I want to go a different route with Oliver."
"Are you breastfeeding this time?"
"Yes," I say. "I'm not saying moms that don't breastfeed are bad but it's definitely healthier. I understand that some moms can't produce breastmilk or whatever or have other issues with it so they can't but I want to do it. I hope that I can. I can provide Oliver with nutrients that formula can't. It's just better for him."
"How does Dean feel about all of that?"
"He's on board with it. He thinks it's a good idea. Dean has been doing his research. He missed so much when Natalia was a baby he wants to make it up for Oliver. He's always reading the baby books. He talked me into cloth diapering though. I never really thought about it but he talked me into it. It's just going to be hard to find a daycare around here that will support cloth diapering."
"You're going back to work after he's born?"
"Shortly after," I say, "I get at least 8 weeks off of work. I think I'm only going to take 6 weeks but the most I can take is 8 weeks we'll see how it goes. I don't know if I am into sending him to daycare though. I think most of the time I'll do my work from home but I do like Natalia's nanny now so hopefully her nanny doesn't freak out at the idea of having a baby. I don't think she will but she'll have to do things up to my standards. I plan on making my own baby food too. I feel that's safer."
"I see," she says, "are you still having a home birth?"
"I plan on it," I say. "After my little scare a couple months ago they weren't sure it was the best idea but I'm doing fine and so is Oliver so I am still having my home birth. I don't want any medication or any of that. I want it to be a private moment with Dean, Natalia, Oliver and I. I don't want the craziness of being at a hospital."
"More power to you for doing it all natural. I wanted to do it all natural too but I couldn't. After a half hour I was screaming for the epidural," she says with a laugh.
"See, I didn't get an option with Natalia. She was going into distress because of her heart and they needed to get her out right away so I had a C-section. I didn't plan it that way but that's how it happened. I know for a fact Oliver doesn't have the heart condition that Natalia did. She had heart surgery at 2 months old. She was so tiny and little."
"That was hard I'm sure."
"You have no idea," I say. "It was one of the hardest things I had to do as a parent to make that decision but it turned out to be the best decision for her and for us. She is a healthy 11 year old girl now."
"I can't believe she's 11. I remember our college days and she was just a year old running around your apartment. She really grew up."
"Tell me about it. I can't believe she's 11 now. She's really growing up. She's getting more mature. I'm proud of the young lady she's becoming. She goes to middle school next year. I can't believe it."
"Time flies," she says.
"Yes it does. Enjoy Kaylie because I'm sure time is going to fly with her."
"I'm sure too," she says. "She's going to be 4 soon. I can't even handle that but she's such a fun kid. You never know what she's going to say or do."
"I remember those days," I say with a smile remembering the days when Natalia was a little girl. I miss those days. "I'm ready to do it all again."
"I can't wait till I have another baby," she says.
"I can't wait for Oliver," I say with a smile.
"So how is the wedding stuff coming along?"
"Pretty good," I say. "A lot more things are getting done and accomplished with Dean being off. Maybe this was the best time for him to get a neck injury. I'm not saying I'm happy he got injured but I am happy with all the time we are getting together to get this wedding stuff together and Natalia has loved having him around. I don't know what we're going to do when he goes back to work."
"By the way your engagement pictures were beautiful. You can see how much you truly love each other."
"I know. The photographer did a great job. I was happy with them but I love our maternity pictures. They were amazing."
"They really were," she says, "you put them on Instagram and Facebook on purpose didn't you?"
"Well, I wanted my family to see them but yeah I did. I want the fan girls to know they aren't breaking me. They can hate me all they want but that's not going to tear Dean and I apart. I love that man with everything in me. I have the longest vows written for him. He's everything to me."
"I'm sure. You two have been together for almost 12 years and two beautiful kids to show. It took him long enough to ask you to marry him."
"I know," I say, "but it was beautiful how he did it. He wanted to make sure he was secure in his job and ready to do it so I understand. It was a beautiful weekend and night that will never be forgotten so much happened. I got pregnant, he won his first championship and he proposed. I couldn't have asked for a better time."
"That's a lot and the ring he got you is beautiful."
"He did a really good job but I may have given him a few hints leading up to his proposal. I only hinted at it for a year or two before he finally did it. I wouldn't trade the man for anything. He's my imperfectly perfect lover for the rest of my life. I love him, Nat."
"I can tell," she says with a smile. "I'm happy for both of you, well I am happy for all 4 of you because you four deserve this."
"Thanks," I say before I pick out the color nail polish I want for my toes and my fingers.
After we get our nails done Natalie and I go out for lunch at our favorite restaurant in Greenwich before we go out to do a little shopping. There is nothing that I love more than shopping with my best friend besides my husband and my children. It turns out to be a great day and I can't complain about it but I can't wait to get home to two of my favorite people. I walk into the front door and I am greeted by Milo. "Hey, Milo," I say as I pet him as he wags his tail. "Where is everyone?" He barks at me before giving me kisses.
"Mom, you're home," says Natalia as she comes into the foyer.
"I am home," I say with a smile. "Are you not happy to see me?"
"No, I'm happy to see you," she says. "Did you have fun with Aunt Natalie?"
"I had a lot of fun," I say. "We went out for lunch, we went to the spa and we did some shopping."
"Sounds fun," she says, "can I see your nails?" she asks.
"Sure," I say showing her my freshly manicured fingernails.
"Pink," she says with a smile. "I like it."
"Thanks," I say, "so what did you and dad do today while I was gone?"
"You know," she says, "we just hung out."
"I bet," I say with a smile as Dean comes into the foyer.
"Hey, Beautiful," he says with a smile before greeting me with a kiss. "Did you have fun with Natalie today?"
"I had a great time," I say, "Natalia was just telling me how much fun you two had today."
"Oh really?" he asks taking my bags from me.
"Really," I say.
"Well, we did have a great time," he says. "You seemed to have a good time too," he says holding up my bags. "You did a lot of shopping. What all did you get?"
"Well, I couldn't resist it. I had to get some more things for Oliver so I spent most of the time shopping for him. I got him a couple new outfits and some shoes. I couldn't pass it up."
"You don't think he has enough clothes?"
"You can never have enough clothes," I say with a smile. "I also did some shopping for you," I say with a smile.
"For me?" he asks.
"Yeah, you have a birthday coming up. I want to do something special for your birthday this year."
"Sounds good to me," he says, "I want to show you something."
"Okay," I say. "What are you showing me?"
"You'll see," he says, "follow me."
"Okay," I say as I follow him upstairs. Instead of taking me to the master bedroom he takes me down the hall to Oliver's nursery. "Close your eyes," he says to me.
"Okay," I say with a smile. I close my eyes as he takes my hand into his. I hear him open the door to the nursery and he guides me into the room.
"Open them," he says.
I open my eyes and I am impressed by everything. He put together the entire nursery while I was out for the day. I smile as I walk over to the crib and changing table combination. The crib is put together with the sports bedding he picked out. The changing table is fully stocked with cloth diapers, wash cloths, towels and baby lotion and bath stuff. I make my way around the room and smile as I look in the dresser to see all his clothes have been washed and put away. Dean did a really good job with the nursery. On top of the dresser sits his piggy bank and a teddy bear. There is a large stuffed bear on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. I admire the shelving on the walls with his ultrasound picture on it and some stuffed animals. "I don't remember buying some of these," I say as I pick up a stuffed rabbit.
"That was my rabbit when I was a baby. I found it when we were in Ohio and brought it home with us. I hope that you don't mind."
"I don't mind," I say with a smile. "It's cute." I smile at the shelf with books on it. There aren't many but there are a couple good books that we read to Natalia when she was little. I smile as I look above his crib to see his name in dark blue letters to match his bedding with light green polka dots on them. I know Dean did that himself. I smile as I look at one of our maternity pictures framed above the crib. It is one of my stomach with Dean and Natalia making a heart over it. It's one of my favorites from the shoot. "You did all this?" I ask looking at him.
"Natalia helped," he says with a smile. "What do you think?"
"I love it," I say with a smile. "You did such a great job with it. I love it."
"Thanks," he says with a smile. "I drew him a picture of a bear wearing a baseball hat and holding a baseball bat with his name on it but I want to get it painted and framed before I hang it up in here."
"That sounds awesome," I say with a smile. "I love you so much for doing this."
"You're welcome," he says with a proud smile. "I wanted to take your mind off of things. I wanted to do this to surprise you. I'm glad that you like it."
"I love it," I say with a smile. "Thank-you so much, Baby," I say as I wrap my arms around his neck as he wraps his arms around my waist. "I think I'm going to keep you."
"I'm yours to keep," he says with a smile before I kiss his lips softly. "Ana, I love you so much."
"I love you too," I say with a smile before I kiss him once more.
*A/N: What do you think about Natalia wanting to quit ballet? Do you think she should explore other things in life? How do you think Ana is going to handle it? What do you think of Dean surprising Ana with the nursery? Do you think Ana will end up going back to work after the baby is born? Please review and thank-you for reading.