Friday, June 3, 2022- 21 weeks
Penny and I have just left our husbands for the evening for girls' night, minus Bernadette. Halley was sent home from daycare this afternoon with a stomach bug and Bernadette doesn't want to leave her. We didn't have anything big planned for tonight, just dinner and maybe shopping. We offered to postpone, but Bernadette insisted we go without her.
"Where do you want to get dinner? Anything you've been craving?" Penny inquires, turning the key in the ignition of her car.
I haven't been craving anything in particular or weird, but I know what I want, "Can we go to In-N-Out? I could go for some fries."
Penny drives us to the fast-food restaurant across town. We order our dinner before finding a table in the back corner. I'm slurping my strawberry milkshake when I hear my name called from the counter. I'm stopped from going to retrieve it, "You stay, I'll grab it. You want extra ketchup for your fries?" I nod and continue drinking my shake until Penny returns to our table, balancing a tray in each hand. She slides them onto the table before slipping into the seat across from me. "When was the last time we hung out, just the two of us?"
"Was it when we picked up our dresses for the Nobel ceremony?" I honestly can't remember the last time it was just me and Penny, without Bernadette, our husbands, or Ava. I love when Ava joins us for adventures, but I've sure missed spending time with my bestie one-on-one. Ava is almost two and growing more independent by the day; at the same time, I'm getting ready to have a little one attached to me for the next several months.
"You know, I think it was! Can you believe that was two and a half years ago? I was terrified you were going to suspect something when the tailor had to let out my dress." Penny pops a fry into her mouth. We're silent for the next several minutes as we both eat our burgers. "How's your dad doing?"
I nod, finishing the bite I just took. "He's been taking it easy, and my mom is making sure he's keeping up with his new diet. The doctor cleared him for light exercise, so he's going to start going for walks around the neighborhood. He's asked me to join him when I can after work or on weekends. To be honest, I think he wants a little time away from my mother."
"I probably would, too, if I'd been stuck with her for the past two weeks," Penny chuckles. "I'm sorry, she's just a bit overbearing at times."
"No need to apologize. I grew up with her. I'm well aware of how she can be." I don't know where the thought comes from, but I'm suddenly asking, "Can you promise me that you will stop me if I ever act like that with my child?"
Penny's face softens, "Sweetie, you have nothing to worry about. You are one of the kindest, most loving, most patient people I know. Hell, you've put up with Sheldon for over a decade and haven't murdered him. You wanna walk around the mall? Maybe we can find some cute baby clothes for you."
I'm trailing a few feet behind Penny through the baby section of the large department store when I press my hand against the lower part of my stomach. "Penny, I think something is wrong."
"What?" She stops in her tracks, turning to see what I'm talking about. I'm slightly hunched over, still holding my hand to my stomach. It doesn't hurt, but something feels different than it has. My best friend rushes to my side, placing her hand over mine.
Eyes wide with panic, I explain, "I've been feeling things the past week or so, but it was only ever once or twice, then it would stop, and it was never this strong. I've been feeling it every few minutes since we finished eating."
Penny slips her hand under mine. "Right there?" She asks as I feel it again. I nod. "Oh, sweetie. I think that's just the baby kicking that you're feeling. Is it always in the same spot that you feel it or does it shift around?"
"It was more on the side earlier, but now it's closer to the bottom. I just felt it again. That's my baby moving?"
"It is and with how much they're moving, I'd say they either really like In-N-Out or never want you to eat it again. Ah, this is so exciting!" Penny is almost giddy. "Do you want to leave so you can tell Sheldon?"
I shake my head, "No, we can finish here. I'll wait until we get home to tell him. He's going to be so excited."
She grins at me, "How did he react when you told him you were pregnant? You never told me. Did he completely panic or did he know before you? You know that Leonard was the one who suggested I take a pregnancy test."
I need to be careful with what I say. Our friends don't know Sheldon and I resorted to in vitro to get pregnant. I don't have a problem with them knowing, but I don't know if Sheldon feels the same. I'm sure one of us will say something eventually; I don't think now is the right time. "Sheldon and I discussed starting a family, so he knew it was a possibility. I woke up one morning and just had a feeling that I might be pregnant, so I took the test that I'd hidden in the bathroom right after we first decided to try having a baby. I was taking longer than usual in the bathroom that morning, and Sheldon asked if I was sick. I opened the door and told him I wasn't sick; I was pregnant. He was in such a hurry to look at the test in my hand, that he fell getting out of bed, and landed on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh at him sitting on the floor, reaching for the pregnancy test."
"That sounds exactly like Sheldon," Penny laughs before turning back to the clothing rack in front of her. "Oh, Leonard and I were talking. We want to get something big for your baby shower, so talk to Sheldon and give us a couple of options. I know you've got a crib already, but we were thinking something like the car seat or stroller."
"That's not necessary." Our friends are too good to us sometimes.
Penny is starting to lead us back to the parking lot as she explains, "The two of you have been so helpful with Ava. All those last-minute babysitting requests, plus the month of Ava's colic where she was up screaming most nights. I know that was hard for you guys to sleep through. We won't take no for an answer."
"Okay. I'll talk to Sheldon."
I don't mention what happened in the department store to Sheldon until after I've been home for a while. He's sitting on the couch with his computer while I search for something to watch. That's when I feel it again. "Give me your hand," I demand. He doesn't say anything, but his expression tells me he thinks I've lost my mind. "Just give me your hand, quick." Reluctantly, he extends his hand, which I place on the upper left side of my stomach. I don't say anything further, waiting for him to feel it.
His eyes go wide before his face softens. "Is that?" Sheldon can't finish his question without getting choked up.
"That's our son."
"That's our son," he repeats before leaning over to gently kiss me. "When did you start feeling that?"
I release my hand from holding his to my stomach, but he doesn't remove his. I watch Sheldon smile when I feel it again. "I think I felt it a few times earlier this week, but it's been pretty consistent since dinner. Penny said he either really likes In-N-Out or never wants me to eat it again. I thought of something while we were out that I wanted to check with you first before I said anything." Sheldon doesn't ask what I thought of, but his gaze is focused on me, so I know I can continue. "Penny asked how I told you I was pregnant and if you suspected anything before I told you. I said you knew it was a possibility, but didn't go into detail about why you knew it was a possibility. I know we didn't want to tell our friends we were doing IVF while we were doing it so we didn't have them questioning us all the time, but how do you feel about them knowing now?"
"That's okay, I guess," he shrugs, having moved his hand from my stomach. "We don't need to make a big thing out of it and sit them down to tell everyone, but if it comes up, I think we can be honest with them about how long we were trying and ultimately decided to do in vitro."
Resting my head against his shoulder, I reach for his hand again, this time intertwining our fingers. "That's what I was thinking, too."
