The family piled into their beach house, stuffed to the max after a delicious dinner at "Surfside Seafood." The clams, as advertised, had been especially wonderful, and no one could possibly have eaten another bite, except for Philip and Jamie, who headed back out to the boardwalk in search of ice cream and waffles. Amanda had been particularly careful as she didn't know how too many clams would sit during the last few days of her first trimester. Dotty had just marveled over everything, and Lee exclaimed that he had never had such amazing seafood, despite the fact that he had been a world-traveler and had eaten a plethora of exotic things in many countries.

Lee glanced at his wife to make sure she was alright, for sometimes she had "evening sickness" as opposed to morning sickness. She had immediately sat down on the sofa and put her feet up, happy to be able to rest at last. It had been a wonderful but busy day at the beach! Dotty headed out to sit on the veranda overlooking the ocean. Lee undid the top of his pants and breathed a sigh of relief before cozying up next to Amanda on the sofa, his book in hand. He'd developed a big interest in Confederate General James Longstreet and was reading "Gods and Generals" and its companion volume "The Killer Angels" simultaneously. Amanda loved seeing him so relaxed and free of the phone and the stress of working at The Agency.

"That food," he exclaimed, "was incredible!" Now a bit more comfortable, he rested his hand on his wife's leg and looked longingly into her eyes. "Are you OK, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just fine!" she responded with a smile, taking her husband's hand from her thigh and resting it on her belly. "And so is baby Stetson! What about you? I wasn't the one out there acting like a teenager this afternoon!"

Lee flashed her one of his winning grins. "That was so much fun!" he exclaimed, referring to his frisbee game with Philip, Jamie, and the group of friends they'd found to hang with. He rearranged himself on the sofa with a slight wince. "I'm going to pay for it in the morning, though." He ran his hand through his hair thoughtfully. "I'm loving this vacation, Amanda! I'm going to hate to see it end. You know, I wonder if . . . . "

He stopped short, for he felt what he thought was a fluttering beneath his hand. He looked quizzically over at his wife, who was already looking in his direction. "Did you feel that?" she asked, her smile lighting up the room.

Lee was absolutely ecstatic. "I sure did!" he exclaimed. "I've never felt a baby move before! And this is OUR baby!" He was grinning ear-to-ear and trying not to move, wanting more than anything to feel his first child move again. "Oh, my God!" he exclaimed, amazed at the feelings the tiny movement generated inside him. Amanda looked at her husband with love; he was over the moon with joy right now, as was she. He leaned over and gave her a long, passionate kiss. It was easily one of the greatest moments of his life.

But Baby Stetson had no more activities planned for the evening. Try as he might, Lee could not make his child move again. Not talking to Amanda's tummy, not singing "I've got you, babe," not even giving the child a direct order. Disappointed but still giddy with emotion, he decided the child was just like him and Amanda both, a little hotheaded and kind of stubborn.

"That was just amazing, honey!" he said, straightening up on the couch and pulling some kinks out of his back. "And I was actually here, too!" Work had NOT interfered with this moment in his life, and he was very glad.

"Me too, sweetheart! I want you to be here for ALL the firsts! With children, there are always "firsts," no matter how old they get!" Amanda said. "This is going to be an amazing road, you know?" She leaned over toward her husband and gave him another kiss.

"I just wish we had more time now," Lee agreed. "I really don't want this vacation to end. You know, I actually LIKE not being at work!" He snuggled into his wife, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Don't get too comfy just yet, sweetheart," Amanda cautioned him. "I need to use the bathroom."

Lee sat up suddenly, looking alarmed. "You don't have to . . . ?" he said hopefully.

"No, honey, just the normal things in life," Amanda smiled reassuringly. "Everything's OK!" Lee pulled himself up straight so Amanda could get off the couch and head down the hallway.

Lee watched his wife walk towards the bathroom, admiring how her derriere was starting to widen just a little bit. He wasn't stupid enough to mention that to her, though, no matter how wonderful it seemed to him. Sighing, he picked up "The Killer Angels" and began reading. Pickett's Charge was just in the planning stages, and General Longstreet was following orders from General Lee, no matter how strongly he objected. The words began swimming on the page almost immediately . . . . . . .

Amanda emerged from the bathroom and made her way back to the living room. Lee was snoring softly on the sofa already, his book having fallen onto his lap. She smiled and went out to join her mother on the porch, anxious to tell her about the baby moving. She also had something she wanted to discuss with her.