sends me regular updates and pictures of the gorgeous little facial expressions he makes.
We’ve all instantly fallen in love with him, and I can’t wait to get him home to truly start our lives with him. The real struggle is when this next baby arrives in a few weeks, and Bull and I have to tackle them both. Fuck, it’s going to be an interesting ride.
Zoey has been a real lifesaver too. She takes the girls as much as she can, and despite how much she loves having them, I feel awful about it. Zoey has a lot of work going on, and I know she’s been neglecting her blog a little too much recently, but she insists that it’s fine, so I let it go.
I rest my hand over my bump, though it’s not so much of a bump anymore. It’s more of a mountain sticking out of my body, threatening to overtake me. I feel like an elephant. My feet ache, and my body is exhausted. Only a few more weeks and I’ll be back to normal. Well, mostly. I’ll be dealing with my body trying to morph back to its former glory while I have four little ones depending on me.
My baby kicks me up in my ribs, and I groan for the hundredth time today. This pregnancy has been pretty good, apart from the shitty start, of course, but the kick on this baby is not something to be laughed at. I mean, surely this baby is going to be an Olympic soccer player.
Tarryn comes in, and I smile at the nurse who’s been right by our side throughout this whole journey. “How’s he doing today, Momma?” she murmurs, picking up his chart and checking him over.
“He’s doing great,” I smile, so damn proud of my little boy. “He’s had a bottle, pooped all through the crib, and just had a long sleep.”
“Oh, good,” she says, hooking the chart back onto the side of his crib. “He should be ready for a play then. Would you like to have a hold?”
My eyes bulge out of my head. Since being born, we haven’t had as many opportunities to hold him as we would have liked, but when those precious times come, I’m always sure to grab hold with two hands and never let the chance slip through my fingers. Literally.
I watch with eager eyes as Tarryn reaches into his crib and gently pulls him out while being careful not to jostle him too much. He looks up at her with wide eyes, absolutely loving the attention. He has such a goofy smile, it’s just like his fathers. It’s incredible how similar they look.
Bull’s mom had brought a baby picture with her one day, and I stared at them for hours on end. The resemblance is uncanny.
Tarryn passes Zeke to me, and I take him greedily, pulling him into my arms and holding him to my chest as though it’s exactly where he belongs. My heart melts. These are the moments I live for. Zeke snuggles into me just like his father does, and a tear rolls down my cheek. He is so damn precious.
I walk over to the recliner, more careful than I’ve ever been in my life, and take a seat. I lean back and stare down at his beautiful big eyes, and he looks back up at me, warming every little fiber within me.
I start singing to him, knowing that he loves the sound of my voice, but as the first few words come out of my mouth, something wet starts seeping between my legs.
I look down to find a wet patch between my legs that’s rapidly getting worse. “Oh no,” I whisper, holding onto Zeke a little tighter. It can’t be time. Not yet. We still have a few weeks to go.
I glance up at Tarryn, knowing exactly what she’s going to do the second the words come out of my mouth. “I think my water just broke,” I tell her with a sigh. I’ve been having Braxton Hicks contractions all day, and I figured it was nothing. I got it both with Coby and Ryan and felt the difference when it was the real thing, but maybe this time is different. Maybe I had it wrong, and I’ve actually been having real contractions all day.
Tarryn’s brow raises in curiosity before she puts down whatever it is she’s doing over there and moves toward me. “You’re sure?” she questions, reaching down to take Zeke.