Chapter 9
"How are you doing, sweetie?" Diana asked her daughter.
Diana had arrived just hours ago, as it was a weekend and she didn't have any classes to teach until Monday.
She was very helpful when it came to her daughter's pregnancy since she's been through it four times herself. She had many useful tips that would help Lynnette get through her pregnancy easier though many of the tips didn't apply to an immortal.
Still, Lynnette didn't say anything when her mother told her something as Diana knew nothing about immortality or mates, just accepted her advice gratefully, as if she was a normal woman who was pregnant with her first child.
"I'm fine mom," Lynnette promised her mother. "I've actually been feeling pretty good."
"Still only, mild morning sickness?" Diana and Lynnette nodded.
"Yes, mom, but Dave told the cook Giorgio to make sure he washes any fruits and vegetables thoroughly to make sure he gets rid of the pesticides. Also, to get rid as much of the fat as possible on any meat, which is likely why I've only had mild morning sickness so far," Lynnette explained.
"That could only help you not to have bad morning sickness," Diana said approvingly. "Dave is so thoughtful and I'm really glad you met him sweetheart. It's clear he loves you and wants to do as much as he can for you while you're in the family way."
"Yes, he wants to help as much as he possibly can," Lynnette agreed. "He knows that he can't carry the baby for me, so he's always finding other ways to help out to make this pregnancy easier on me. He's always spoiling me rotten. He's always taking me out to dinner or having lunch or dinner delivered."
"That's very good, Dave is so thoughtful and you can't say that about many husbands when their wives are pregnant," Diana said pleased at what she was hearing
"True," Lynnette agreed, giggling. "Most men seem clueless when their wives are pregnant, but Dave is the exact opposite."
"Well, pregnancy and babies aren't really a man's territory, at least normally," Diana said smiling. "There are some exceptions however, men that do everything they can to make their wives as comfortable as possible when they're pregnant. I'm glad to know Dave is one of them, though if he wasn't, you always have Michelle to help you out."
"True, but you have to remember Michelle is newly married herself and while I'm sure she'd help out where she can, I know she'd rather be spending time with my brother," Lynnette said.
"True," Diana said. "So have you been shopping for all the baby things that are necessary?"
"Not yet, and I figured you and I and maybe Michelle can handle at least some of that while you're here," Lynnette said.
"Yeah, we do need to do at least most of the shopping for all the essentials before you get any further along," Diana said.
"We still have much time yet before this baby is born, as I'm only four months along and am barely starting to show," Lynnette said poking her tummy with one finger.
"Still, we need to get at least most of our shopping done sometime over the next couple of months as you won't be able to stand on your feet for long periods of time once your farther along due to the weight of the baby," Diana said. "I know how much trouble I had standing on my feet when I was teaching when I was in my seventh and eighth month, but I still managed. You, however, aren't going to have that problem, as you don't necessarily need to work until the baby is born and you sit down more than I could when I was teaching when I was pregnant with all four of my children."
"Yeah, Blake Yearwood has been very accommodating because of this pregnancy," Lynnette said. "My schedule is light until after I give birth."
"And what will you do when you have to go on tour after the baby gets here?" Diana asked.
"Well, Dave is intending on traveling with me, so the baby can just come with us. Dave is intending to hire a nanny to travel with us and then she'll come back home with us once the tour is over and become a permanent fixture."
"Well, it looks like you and Dave have everything well in hand," Diana said approvingly.
"Yeah, we do," Lynnette agreed smiling, as she rubbed her tummy.
"You know you can often do things when you have money that us of more ordinary income cannot," Diana said thoughtfully.
"You can afford to hire as many people as you need to look after any children and I'm sure Dave will have someone do a full background check on them before he allows them anywhere near his family," Diana suggested knowing how protective Dave could be of those he loved.
"Oh absolutely!" Lynnette agreed. "Dave would never risk any of his family, so of course he does his due diligence beforehand. It's taken him a long time to find someone he can love, so he's very protective.
"He's well aware that there are a lot of crazy people or just people with criminal tendencies out there. He knows that someone could kidnap one of our children and demand a ransom and the kidnapper would still kill that child. So many people can be bribed to do the wrong thing if they're offered enough money, as not many people are completely honest and would never consider taking someone's money in order to do the wrong thing."
"That's good then," Diana said. "So do you want to go shopping today or tomorrow as I leave on Sunday and today is Friday?"
"Tomorrow bright and early," Lynnette said. "It will take all day just to get the essentials and we can have lunch while we're out."
"No, there's no need to rush as there are many shopping trips in your future to buy all the necessary baby things. Clothes, a crib, bottles rattles, a mobile. The list is endless," Diana said ticking off just some of the items they were going to need on her fingers.
"I'm sure Dave and I will do some shopping when I'm singing and playing in other cities," Lynnette said. "But even if we go overboard, we plan on having other children so we'll just store whatever we buy until it's needed.
"And you'll be able to reuse most everything, so you only have to buy most things once, except for things like diapers, which will save you at least some money," Diana said.
"Dave isn't worried about that," Lynnette told her mother her tone as dry as the Sahara. "While he has nothing against saving money, he has so much of it that it doesn't worry him if he has to buy things more than once, because something happens to the original.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not worried about that either, as I have plenty of money of my own due to my singing career. I'm not above looking for a bargain, but still, I'm not worried about saving money," Lynnette said.
"I know finances were tight because you had four children and being a professor, even at a well-known college, doesn't pay as much as other professions, so you really had to watch what you spent, even with the monthly checks from that man for the three children, he knew of, only helped so much, especially since he only sent the bare minimum. What he sent was basically scraps from his bank account, money that he could have spent on groceries or some activity. I mean, it was only like 400 each a month for the three children he knew existed and that's really not much at all, especially with inflation being what it is. That's not true for Dave and me however, so I'm not going to worry about spending money if we need to. Between the two of us, we're not about to go into debt anytime soon."
"Well, rich people can often do things or buy things that ordinary people can't," Diana said. "and you're right about your father that he only sent the bare minimum. $400 was barely pocket change for him and yet that's all he sent, which really means he didn't care about his children at all. By the time I bought clothes for each of you, since you all outgrew your clothes every year or so until you were teenagers, paid for things like doctor's it was gone in no time. Insurance covered most of the doctors bills, but I did have to pay the deductible that insurance didn't cover."
"See that's exactly the point I was trying to make," Lynnette said. "In any case, I know the wealthy can do things like take cruises around the world if they want," Lynnette said.
"Or buy real estate or something like a sports team," Diana said glad to change the subject.
"Exactly, which is why I'm not going to worry if we spend a fortune on things for the baby," Lynnette said, grinning from ear to ear, as she rubbed her stomach yet again. "We'll go shopping tomorrow right after breakfast."
"You should ask Michelle if she wants to come along since soon it will be her, turn," Diana suggested. "I certainly hope so anyway."
"Well, she's not pregnant yet, but I was already planning to," Lynnette promised. "She might not want to come, but it's only polite to ask if she does."
"Well, you have things well in hand," Diana said pleased.
"The fact that I really like her means I don't mind if she comes along. The two of us get along well which is a good thing considering she's married to my brother. I know very well that some sister-in-laws don't get along at all, but that's not the case with Mellie and me," Lynette said.
~~~Dave and Lynnette~~~
The next day after breakfast, Lynnette, Michelle and Diana got in the car that Dave had arranged for them. Dave had even arranged a driver for them for the day though usually all three women were perfectly capable of driving themselves, but still it was nice of Dave to do so because finding parking spaces in New York was often difficult and Lynnette at least didn't need to be doing much walking, even though she was only three months along. In normal circumstances, this would save Lynnette from swollen feet from doing too much walking while she was pregnant, but thanks to her being immortal that wasn't a problem in this case. Lynnette had given Dave a scorching kiss for being so thoughtful leaving him with a rather goofy expression.
When Michelle had been asked if she wanted to join them on their shopping expedition, she had eagerly agreed, because she was hoping to be pregnant herself sometime soon.
Going with Lynnette gave her some idea what she wanted when it came to baby furniture and baby clothes when her own time came.
The fact that Michelle really liked someone who was technically her mother-in-law and also her grandmother-in-law made the decision an easy one, and so Michelle kissed Lynnette's brother goodbye just like Lynnette did her father and the three of them got in the car that was waiting for them at the front steps.
"Let's get going we have a long day of shopping ahead of us," Diana said, as she got in the car that Dave had arranged.
"With many more shopping trips in the near future," Michelle smiled.
"It's not like any of us mind," said Lynnette. She sat in the front passenger seat so she could stretch out her legs. The front seat always had more legroom than the back.
"Definitely not," Diana said smiling. "That we're shopping for baby things for my first grandchild, just makes this an extra special day.
"Ready to go, ladies?" the driver, whose name was Michael, asked courteously.
"Absolutely!" Lynnette told him. "We have a long day of shopping ahead of us. Dave and I need so many things for the baby that there will be plenty of shopping in my future."
"It's not like any of us mind having to go shopping," Michelle told Lynnette with a wink.
"And what better reason to shop then shopping for baby things for my first grandchild," Diana added smiling brilliantly.
"So, where to first ladies," Michael inquired.
"What's the best store for buying things for a newborn?" Lynnette asked Michael.
"I've never had a child, ma'am," Michael told Lynnette blushing. "In fact, I've never been married, but if you're asking my opinion for what store is best for getting things for a baby my sister-in-law has said Babies Plus is the place to start your shopping expedition. My sister-in-law said that the service is exceptional and they'll help you find everything you need. From what I understand, they're not the cheapest place to shop, but since money isn't an issue, I would try there first."
"Quality cost," Diana said knowingly. "If the quality is stellar, then of course it's going to cost more than those things that are more cheaply made."
"Stuff that is good quality will last longer. It can even last a lifetime or beyond that and whatever the item is you can pass down to your children," Michelle said.
"Well then, we'll try there first," Lynnette said. "We'll see if we agree with your sister-in-law about Babies Plus being the best place to shop for a newborn."
"Babies Plus it is," Michael agreed, as he started the car and drove down the long sinuous driveway where the gates automatically parted before he got there to let the car through.
The three women chatted about Lynnette's career, and babies until they arrived at the store Michael had suggested.
"You call me whenever you need me," Michael said. "If you get too many packages to carry, call me and I'll come and put them in the trunk. I'll try to find somewhere close to park and wait for you to finish."
"If you have to park far away, then that's OK, as we all know how hard parking is in New York," Lynnette told him.
"Yeah, finding a street spot is sometimes impossible and if you find a decent one, then you stay there until you're done with all your stops in that area, as you might not find another one," Michelle said.
The three women got out of the car and headed into Babies Plus.
~~~Dave and Lynnette~~~