Chapter 43
(Phoebe's POV)
It has been 3 weeks since Henry's birthday. I am 9 weeks pregnant today which is so exciting but also scary because I lost our first baby around this time. December and the holidays are in full swing which is exciting. I can't wait to spend Christmas with Henry. We have been talking to him about Santa and I think he kind of understands.
Today, Nathan and I have a meeting with Lia and a child protective service worker. Teddy and 8 months pregnant Liv are taking Henry while we meet at our place. They are taking him to lunch and the indoor park. He is so excited.
"Bee Bee," I hear pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Yes Hen?" I ask and bend down to his level.
"Teddy here?" he says and he is asking when Teddy is coming.
"He'll be here soon buddy. Do you want to play while we wait?" I ask him. I had him watching the Lion King and he lost interest.
"Yes pway in bub car," he says and runs over to where we keep the motorized mini car my parents got him. He is obsessed with it.
"Okay Buddy go ahead," I say and he starts driving it. He has almost run both Nathan and I over. He loves the damn thing though. It is the exact car that Nathan has so Henry really loves it.
Henry drives around the living room. He is yelling "Bee Watch," I smile and give him two thumbs up. He keeps driving and goes into the kitchen then back around.
When the elevator doors open and Liv and Ted walk out Henry is out of the car faster than I have ever seen him move. He runs over and Ted picks him up holding him on his hip.
"Hi mister," Ted says and Henry smiles.
"Hi," Henry says.
"Look who's here," I smile.
"We are ready to play with you, Henry," Olivia says and Henry smiles clapping his hands.
"Okay, Hen, remember what we talked about. Be a very good boy for Teddy and Liv," I say and Henry nods.
"Yep I be," he says and I have to bite my cheek not to laugh at him.
"Thank you guys so much again," I say and they both tell me it is no problem and they are excited. I rub Liv's bump and feel a sharp kick.
"Oh my goodness, Baby Grey," I say and they laugh.
"Soccer player in there," Teddy says and I smile.
"Where Baby?" Henry asks and looks at Liv seeing if she is holding a baby.
"There's a baby in Liv's belly," I explain to him and point to her baby bump.
"No baby," Henry says and I laugh. I don't know if he'll really ever understand.
"Inside Liv's belly is a baby. That is why her belly is big," I say and Henry reaches forward and Ted leans him down. Henry puts his hand on her belly and pats it. I laugh and Henry jumps back and I assume the baby kicked his hands.
"Did you feel a kick?" I ask him. Henry puts his hands on his belly. I assume he is waiting for a kick. He has us all in hysterics laughing. This probably is confusing for him.
"Okay, well we better get going. We will call you if we need anything," Ted says and I nod. I give Henry a hug and a kiss goodbye and they leave.
I go into the kitchen and start flipping through the adoption paperwork Lia gave us. When Nathan walks in he has a bunch of groceries. "Hi baby," I say and kiss him then go to help him unload the groceries.
"Did Henry get off alright?" Nathan asks.
"Yes, he ran and jumped in Teddy's arms and was ready to go. I say and Nathan smiles. He is such a funny guy.
"We also told him about the baby in Olivia's belly and he felt the baby kick then put his hands on his stomach and was waiting for a kick," I tell Nathan and that sends him roaring laughing.
"Oh my goodness," he says and I smile.
When we finish putting the groceries away I do one last minute check of the house and wait for Lia and the Child Protectice services worker to come in
"Breathe, babe," Nathan says and walks by me kissing my head. I smile and nod.
When the knock on the door comes I jump out of my skin. Nathan smiles and opens the door. I shake both their hands. The CPS worker introduces herself as Janelle. She is intimidating. We go to the table and sit down. I hand them our signed forms.
"So these forms were confirming your interest in adopting and consenting to home visits and home checks if we get to that stage," Janelle says emphasizing the word if. I nod and give her a tight smile.
"So how long have you two had Henry in your foster care?" Janelle asks.
"Almost 3 months," Nathan says and I nod.
"Good, have there been any complaints or mishaps?" Janelle asks Lia.
"Not at all, these two are superstars," Lia says and I smile thanking her.
"So our next of kin search for Henry is still being conducted. We have found no family willing to take him. We had one, but she did not live in this country. For right now, you both are in a good spot to adopt. I am sure you know but this is an extensive process, for people who are not family members," she says and we nod.
"Our next step is to start doing monitored visits. Since Henry is already living with you this will look like someone coming into the home and observing," she says and we nod. We already had to do that with fostering.
"Do they have a time frame of what this process looks like?" Nathan asks.
"It is a case by case basis. Like I said, since he is already living with you and there have been no complaints or mishaps, it is looking like you will be a good fit," she says.
"If you find his family who will take him, what does that look like?" I ask.
"Well, they still will have to go through the training and visits, but we are on a family first plan here in the state of Washington. Who knows if it is best practice, but that is where we are," she says and my stomach turns to knots.
"As Janelle said, Phoebe, we do not have any family at this moment willing to take him," Lia says and I nod.
"So what I need from you both now is to get into contact with Rachel. She is Henry's caseworker. You will schedule visits where she can come and observe. Then after the 36 hours of observation are done, we will move onto the adoption process," Janelle says. She also hands us a ton of paperwork to fill out.
"My best advice would be to not sweat it. You are doing everything right. Keep doing what you are doing an provide a loving home for this child," Janelle says and we nod.
After an hour more of talking they leave. When the door shuts I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "You okay?" Nathan asks and runs his hands through my hair. I nod and go over hugging him.
"It'll be okay," Nathan says and for once I agree. Everything is looking up right now. I smile and hug him. He puts his hands on my belly and I smile. There is no bump, but knowing our baby is in there is all I need.
"That was stressful," I say and he nods.
"But you got through it," he says and I smile.
After Henry gets back home he is all sugared up. He shows us the stuffed animal that Teddy and Liv got him. We invite them to stay for dinner.
"We can," Liv says and Ted nods.
I decide to order subs from the market down the street. "Wiv," Henry yells.
"Yeah, buddy?" She says and leans down as best she can. We're all sitting in the living room and it is so relaxing to be here.
"Baby," he says and puts his hands on his belly. We all start laughing.
"No buddy you don't have a baby in your belly. I have one in my belly," she says and points to her bump.
"I want baby," he says and we all start laughing. He is so funny.
"You will get to meet this baby. This baby is your cousin," she says and that melts my heart. I never thought about it that way.
"See baby?" Henry asks.
"No buddy, we can't see the baby yet. In two months," Nathan says and Henry goes to her belly.
"Hi baby," he says and we laugh.
"Teddy pway," Henry says and we smile. Teddy gets on the floor and is playing with Henry's legos.
"So is the nursery done?" I ask.
"Yes, finally. You guys have to come by the new house," Liv says and I nod. Teddy and Liv just bought a house together. My parents weren't too thrilled as they aren't married, but I think it will be best for baby grey. I am so excited to see Teddy be a dad.
"Yes, just tell us when," I say and she nods.
"He's good with him," I say and nod to Teddy.
"He's going to be the best dad," she says and I smile nodding.
"Bee Bee juice?" Henry runs over. I check the time.
"No, buddy. It is too late. Do you want milk or water?" I ask.
"Juice," he says and I bend down to his level. I feel a tantrum coming on.
"Hen, I know you want juice, but it is too late. I don't want your belly to hurt when you go to bed. So your choices are milk or water," I tell him. I see the tears fill in his eyes.
"I want water," Teddy says. Henry looks over at him.
"Yeah me too," Nathan says. I smile at them.
"Water peas," Henry says and runs over to Nathan and Henry. I get Henry water and he chugs it down.
When our food gets to Escala we all sit down. Henry insisted on sitting on my lap instead of his booster. I got an italian sub and I got Henry a turkey and cheese sandwich. "Me," Henry says and goes to grab my sandwich.
"You can have a bite, Buddy" I say and hold it to his mouth. He bites it and looks at me.
"More peas," he says and I laugh.
"Henry are you going to take Bee's sandwich?" Nathan asks.
"Peas," He says and I give it to him. Note to self little man likes italian subs.
I end up eating Henry's sandwich. After dinner we put Henry to bed and say goodbye to Liv and Teddy. We are going over to their new house for Christmas which should be really exciting. Nathan and I crawl in bed and I am exhausted. Nathan pulls me to him and I rest my head on his chest. He runs his hands through my hair.
"Three weeks," Nathan says and I look at him.
"Til we can tell people," Nathan says and I nod.
"I can't believe it's real," I say and Nathan nods.
"Believe it baby," he says and pulls up my shirt so my stomach is out. There is no bump yet. I feel heavier though, I think that might just be my head messing with me.
"Are you still going to love me when I gain 40 pounds?" I ask him. He rolls over and looks at me.
"Is that a real question?" He asks and tickles my stomach. I laugh and turn my head in his chest.
"I will love you til the day I leave this earth. And then some," he says and I smile leaning up to kiss him.
"And I will love you too," I say and he smiles.
"I love you, Bee," he says and kisses my head.
"Do you want a boy or a girl?" I ask.
"As long as it is healthy," he says and I nod.
"Well no shit sherlock, but that wasn't the question," I say and he starts laughing.
"That mouth of yours," he says and I laugh.
"Well, I don't know. Having a girl would be fun, but I also think Henry would love a brother," he says and I smile nodding.
"What does your mother's intuition tell you?" he asks and I smile. I have felt it from day one of knowing.
"She is a girl," I say and he smiles.
"Are we going to find out the gender?" Nathan asks.
"I don't want to, wouldn't that be a fun surprise?" I ask.
"It would, but you are the most curious person I know. I can't imagine you wanting a surprise," he says and I smile laughing. That is true.
"Well yes, but this is different," I smile.
"I am fine with not knowing. Then we can all place bets," he says and I smile.
The rest of the night is spent talking about Baby M. I can't believe it is real. I still feel like I am going to lose this baby anyday now. I don't tell Nathan that, but part of me refusing to believe I am able to be pregnant.
The next morning I wake up to Henry on the monitor. He is yelling for us to come get him. I roll over and turn the monitor off. I go upstairs and open his door. "Hi Bee," he says and I smile.
"Hi little man, how was your sleep?" I ask him.
"Goods," he says as I pick him up.
"Are you hungry?" I ask him.
"Yep," he says. "My bewwy want cakes peas," he says and I smile.
"Okay, pancakes it is," I say. Both my babies like pancakes cause the one in my belly really likes the sound of pancakes right now.
"Wanna help Bee make them?" I ask Henry.
"YES," he yells and I smile.
"Okay get your stool," I tell him and he pulls it out and stands up next to me. He helps me scoop in the flour.
"Do you want to crack an egg?" I ask. I know this is a bad idea, but he will love it. He watches me crack one and then takes an egg. He lifts his arm up and chucks the egg into the batter.
"I do good?" he asks. I laugh and fish the egg out.
"So good, buddy," I say and he claps for himself. He helps me stir and then watches as I get the pancake griddle out and makes it. I make a stack for Nathan and then 2 for Henry and 4 for me. 2 for me and 2 for the baby that is the size of a cherry.
"What smells so good?" Nathan walks out in his pajama pants and a white tshirt. He looks good enough to eat.
"NATE," Henry yells and runs over. Nathan picks him up and tosses him in the air.
"Did you sleep good?" Nathan asks Henry as he walks over while I set the table.
"Yep," Henry says.
"Did you have any dreams?" Nathan asks.
"Yep," Henry says and then goes into a whole story about his dream that has something to do with a car and Mickey Mouse.
After breakfast, I am going dress shopping with Berk and Nathan is taking Henry for a boys day. I have my hair and makeup done and am wearing jeans and a sweater. Henry runs in the bathroom full speed. I hear Nathan behind him roaring while Henry giggles. Boys.
"You look pretty baby," Nathan says and Kisses my head.
"You wook pwetty baby," Henry says and hugs my leg. Oh my heart can't take it.
"Thank you sweet boys," I say and they run out playing.
I grab my purse and go out to the mainroom. Nathan and Henry have swords and are now playing ninjas. I laugh and watch them for a minute. Nathan is such a kid at heart.
"Okay crazy daisies I have to go," I say and they both look over.
"Bye Bee," Nathan says and walks over. He gives me a kiss and my stomach a kiss. "Help her pick a pretty one okay?" He says and I nod. He is so protective over Berkeley.
"I will, I will take pictures," I say and then bend down to Henry.
"Bye lovebug," I say and he smiles giving me a hug.
I head out and head over to the wedding dress store. This is where I found my dress. I walk in and see Noel and Berkeley. "Hi guys," I say and give them both a hug.
"Hi sweetheart, you look beautiful," Noel says and I smile.
"Thank you," I say. Three more girls walk in who are Berkeley's bridesmaids.
"I'm Ella," the petite brunette says. "I went to college with Berkeley," she says and I nod.
"Nice to meet you, I am Phoebe. I am the sister in law," I say.
"I'm Piper, I am from high school," she says and I smile and shake her hand.
"I am Alyssa, I am also from college," she says and I smile. Berkeley only wanted 4 bridesmaids. She said it was easier that way. I agree I had 7 and it was a lot.
"Okay, so should we get shopping?" Noel asks and we nod.
We each get handed a glass of champagne. Shit. "Phoebe isn't this your favorite? The vueve clicquot?" Berkeley asks. Shit it is my favorite.
"Yes," I smile and take a glass.
"Well cheers everyone," Noel says and we all clink glasses. I pretend to take a sip and set my glass down in front of me. I am going to have to tell the dress fitter that I am pregnant.
"So bridesmaids first?" Berkeley says. She has a couple of dresses pulled for us. She wants us in sage dresses. I love that color so I am excited.
"But before we do the fitting, I have to ask. Phoebe will you be my maid of honor?" she says and I smile looking at her.
"Really?" I say.
"Well you are the closest thing I have to a sister," she says and I nod smiling. I give her a big hug.
We get taken back to the dressing rooms and each of us have a person to help. Mine's name is Janet. She helps me step into the first dress that is a body con silk dress. It has a small slit up the side. It is beautiful. She zips it on me and I turn.
"Stunnong," she says and I nod. It is.
When we walk out Berk smiles and gets up. "I love them, you all are so stunning," she says. We turn and do different poses in them. They are absolutely stunning. I just don't know how I'll get a belly in this.
"Okay, one more," Berkeley says. The next dress has a rousched top and then flows out. This would be much more bump friendly.
"Oh my gosh that is stunning," she says and we smile. We do the same turns and poses for Berkeley. I can tell how indecisive she is.
"I lied one more," she says and we all say it is okay.
The next is a halter style top with an open back. It is flowy material and has a boho vibe. When we walk out Berk smiles. She hates them. Her poor face says it all.
"Okay, so this one is not it," she says. She has on eperson put on the silk dress and one put on the second dress. I lucked out and am sitting watching.
"Okay, I think I like the silk," she says and we smile.
"One down one important one to go," I say. It is her turn to try on dresses.
She goes through multiple dresses. She has some tight fitting, some loose fitting, some mermaid style. She has no clue what she wants. I can see it in her eyes she is getting frustrated. "Sorry guys," she says and we tell her not to worry. I decide to do a little snooping around the shop.
She says she doesn't want anything glitzy but not too lacy. She doesn't like strapless, but doesn't want a full sleeve. Finally I pull a dress. "Berk try this," I say and she takes it.
When she walks out everyone stops and stares at her. It is a thin strapped open back gown. It has a lace train, and a sweetheart neckline. She looks absolutely stunning.
"Phoebe, you might have done it," Ella says and I laugh.
"I'm speechless," Berk says and I smile.
"This is it," she says and everyone claps. I look over at Mrs. Moore who is crying. We put a veil on her and get a bunch of pictures. She is the most stunning bride.
After wedding dress shopping, I head home. When I walk in I don't hear chaos which is surprising. Nathan's car is here too. I walk over to put my bag down and stop in my tracks. Henry is sitting astride Nathan and is asleep on his chest. Nathan is asleep too. I grab my phone and take a bunch of pictures. Henry's little cheek is smushed against Nathan.
This is were I am the happiest.