First Christmas Day
It had not necessarily been an easy month. Mike was thrilled to have his older daughters back, but with them came the stories of what all had happened to them, some minor jealousy between them and Maddie, too many doctor and counselor appointments to count, having to buy them both wardrobes and begin getting them caught up at school.
Maddie's pregnancy was progressing and Susannah would be walking soon. The house was more crowded and they would have to find a bigger house soon, which caused Maddie to be stressed about money, which in turned caused issues between Mike and Maddie. It was never-ending. One night, a few days before Christmas, Mike felt Maddie sat back down on the edge of the bathroom and massage her lower back.
"Still bothering you?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. This baby is laying different." Maddie answered. Mike sat up and began massaging her lower back.
"We need to start thinking about a name." Mike remarked. It had not been the most joyful pregnancy for Mike, but he would still love the baby. And part of that was preparing for the baby.
"I would like to name him after my dad. Alexander." Maddie said.
"Okay." Mike answered as he continued massaging. Maddie's back muscles were tight.
"Now that the girls are getting more comfortable, do you think they would babysit Susannah so we could go out on a date before the baby gets here?" Maddie asked.
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Mike answered.
"Course, do we really need to spend the money?" Maddie remarked.
"Hey, we are okay. We still have money in savings and we will be fine, even with the new baby. We can afford a dinner out." Mike said.
"I'm so…tired." Maddie remarked.
"This pregnancy has been rough and I don't know how to help." Mike said.
"You're fine. Not much longer. Once he gets here, I'll feel better." Maddie replied. She had turned and was settling back into bed.
"What kind of a restaurant do you want to go to?" Mike asked.
"Italian sounds good to me." Maddie said with a smile.
"Alright. I'll get us a reservation." Mike said. She was trying to get comfortable, which was hard due to her ever-expanding belly. Finally, Mike pulled her onto his chest.
"Thank you." Maddie said. Mike kissed her forehead and began formulating a plan.
"I love you." Mike answered, but was only met with soft snores.
The next morning; Mike made a reservation at a nice Italian place, arranged babysitting and went and found a nice dress for Maddie to wear. It also gave him a chance to pick up her Christmas present. A new watch she had commented on several times. He made it home in time to give the dress to Maddie and Katie took charge of Susannah so they could get ready for their date.
The dress was perfect on Maddie and would even grow with her as her pregnancy progressed. And she seemed comfortable in it. As she looked at the menu, Mike could tell she was trying to find something she could savor.
"Order anything you'd like?" Mike said.
"What are you getting? I want to order something different than you so we can try each others." Maddie asked.
"I was thinking I would order the Prime Rib." Mike answered.
"Chicken Parmesan was what I was thinking." Maddie said.
"Whatever you'd like." Mike answered.
"If you want a drink, I can drive home." Maddie said.
"Nah. I have other plans for after this." Mike answered. The waiter arrived and they put in their orders.
"And what is that?" Maddie asked, full of concern.
"You'll see and you'll enjoy; I promise." Mike said.
"I am curious." Maddie said.
"Just enjoy this." Mike instructed as he reached across the table and squeezed Maddie's hand.
After eating a delicious meal, it was still fairly early and Katie had texted that everything was going good, so Mike drove Maddie to the next part of their night; a couple's massage. He had gotten the lady's name from Kara and she specialized in prenatal massages for Maddie. Mike was less than thrilled with the massage for him, but it was important to Maddie. Finally, they finished and headed out to the car and Maddie sighed heavily as Mike helped her in.
"If you aren't too tired, I have one more thing?" Mike asked.
"Let's do it." Maddie said. Mike kissed her forehead before shutting the car door and then went around to the driver's side. The next part was actually very simple; walking around a Christmas market and looking at the lights. Something Maddie would love, he hoped. As soon as he pulled up, she gave him a huge smile.
"I thought you might enjoy this." Mike said. He helped her out of the car and took her arm.
"I've been wanting to come down here but the girls didn't want to and I didn't figure you'd want to!" Maddie said. She was almost shaking in excitement.
"I should have just brought you down here." Mike said.
"Can we get hot chocolate?" Maddie asked.
"Of course." Mike answered. Maddie ordered them both hot chocolate and they began walking around the town square. He was a bit concerned she was overdoing it, but she seemed happy.
After buying some new Christmas ornaments and a stocking cap for Susannah, plus another round of hot chocolates, Mike took Maddie to see the Christmas lights before heading home. Thankfully; Susannah was asleep and the girls were settling. Mike settled next to Maddie in bed and smiled as she cuddled up.
"Thank you for tonight. I don't think I knew how badly I needed that." Maddie said before giving him a kiss.
"You're welcome. We should do it more often." Mike said.
"I'd like that a lot." Maddie said. She had turned on her side and had her arms around Mike.
"We can figure it out." Mike answered.
"Sorry for all my complaints, Mike. I know its not been an easy month for you. As much as you missed the girls and are thrilled they are back, they brought some pain with them too. I should have been more supportive." Maddie remarked.
"You have had a lot thrown at you. Just know, I love you and that is not changing. The girls will adjust and learn to love you too." Mike assured her.
"I love you too." Maddie said before giving him another kiss.
They both fell asleep quickly and Maddie actually slept through the night. Mike had to get up once with Susannah and once when Katie had a bad dream; which was a frequent issue now. Mike sat with her for a bit before she went back to bed.
The next day; both older girls cooked and baked all day with Maddie; even using Christine's recipes for fudge and sugar cookies. Mike could tell the girls were glad that Christine's recipes were included and the activity with Maddie was a way for them to bond. Susannah was particularly hyper and it took both Mike and Maddie to get her to sleep. As soon as she was out, and both girls were asleep; they set up the presents under the tree and headed to bed themselves.
Hannah was the first one up, quickly joined by Katie and Susannah. They began opening presents while Mike and Maddie watched from the couch. Katie loved all the books she received and Hannah loved the camera that Maddie had picked out, already planning on taking Susannah's next photos and pictures of the baby when he was born.
For the most part, it was a very relaxed day. Maddie had chosen to fix soup and sandwiches. So, they ate and napped off and on all day. Maddie had loved the watch Mike had gotten her and was already wearing it. Mike could tell the girls were missing Christine and Lucas, but they were happy. Katie had remarked that for the first time in a long time; they had a roof over their head and plenty of food; making the losses a little easier to bear. Not half bad for their first Christmas altogether.