August 23rd-24th, 2014

The night of the 24th, Eugene and I went to sit on the windowsill and stargaze for awhile.  Unfortunately, the night quickly turned overcast and it started to rain, so we instead just sat and enjoyed one another's company, just like we'd done so many times before.  At one point, he pulled me a bit closer to him and kissed my forehead. 
"I can't believe that in just a couple of weeks, you'll have been here for a year.  It feels like we've known each other forever, but at the same time, it feels like time's flown.  Or is it just me?" 
I was surprised.  I hadn't really given much thought to how long I'd been here - plus, the fact that sometimes I couldn't remember when I had really arrived here put a damper on things - but it sure didn't feel like a year!  Grinning, I sighed.  "I can't believe it, either.  Out of my almost four years of being a doll, this has been the best year of my life!" 
"You know what?  I think we need to go for a walk tomorrow.   Just you and me.  Not for the whole day, of course, but we could when Zach settles down for a nap.  You know he's pretty regular with his nap schedule, so we could sneak out for a little while during his afternoon nap.  I already talked with Zelia, and she said she'd be happy to watch the girls for us if we need her to," he said, giving me a hopeful gaze.
I giggled.  He'd thought every single little thing out.  "Well...you know how busy I am..." I teased. 
"Oh, yes.  You're hardly around - you're almost always over on the other side of the table, having important discussions with everyone over there.  And--" he teased. 
Laughing, I shoved him playfully.  "Of course I want to go for a walk.  We haven't done so in AGES,"
"I know.  We need to take the girls for a walk someday soon, too.  I'm sure they'd want to ride - maybe we'll do that after Zach doesn't need his formula stuff anymore.  Then we can make a day out of it,"
I nodded.  "Definitely!"


The next morning, I woke up at seven with Zach, who was crying.  I promptly got him to go back to sleep, and by the time I got back to bed, Eugene was up.
"Morning," I whispered, crawling back into bed and turning to face him. 
"Good morning, beautiful," he smiled sleepily - his usual morning greeting.  Funny how I've known him for almost a year, and we've been married for almost ten months, but he can still give me butterflies.  "Are the kids asleep?" 
"Yeah...Zach woke up for a little bit, but I got him to go to sleep again," I told him. 
"Okay.  So...you looking forward to our walk today?  I am,"
I nodded, grinning and leaning over to give him a quick kiss.  "Yup!" 
After that, we just whispered sweet-nothings while we waited for the kids to wake up.
When the kids got up, Eugene made sure that everyone was going to behave, and then he went to go ask Tangled Fan if we could possibly go outside to walk - a very rare treat.  

At promptly two-thirty-one PM, Zachary went to sleep for his afternoon nap.  Eugene wasn't back, though.  It was safe to say that I was getting really worried, but there wasn't anything I could do except sit around and wait - and that was killing me.

When Tangled Fan came in at around three, I raced over to the edge of the table and started waving frantically, trying to get her attention.  It worked, and so I waited anxiously until she came over. 
"What's up?"  she asked. 
"Where's Eugene?"  I asked. 
"He's not up here?"  was her response.
"No, he was going to go ask you something...he left at around nine this morning," when I saw the confusion on her face, I trailed off.  My stomach twisted. 
"I haven't seen him  - but the dogs were in and out a lot today.  They may have taken him, and you know what that means, right?" 
I did.  The tales of what Tangled Fan's dogs did to us dolls were pure horror stories.  The lucky ones came out alive with mashed, chewed up limbs.  The unlucky ones...well...were dismembered.  The only two ways you can kill a doll?  Dismembering it completely or severe head trauma of some sort.
I stared at her in horror before slowly shaking my head.  "No...no.  He can't....he couldn't have been taken by the dogs...." I felt lightheaded, and slowly sank to my knees.  My head was swimming. 
"Don't freak out yet.  Maybe he got lost - It's a big house for you dolls--"
"He wouldn't get lost," I mumbled.  My lips felt numb and immovable.  "He knows his way around your house." 
She shook her head.  "I'll go search for him outside, then.  I'm sorry, but it's probably not gonna be a good outcome."
That's when Casey came over. 
"Did Daddy leave us?  Is it my fault?" 
I glanced over at her and saw the look of sheer sorrow on her face.    "No, honey.  It's not your fault, and he d-didn't leave us, not willingly...I-I don't know....I don't know what's going on."  I pulled her into my lap, and she buried her face up against my chest.  I looked back up, but Tangled Fan was gone.
It wasn't Casey's fault he'd left the table this morning; it was mine.  If it weren't for my stupid self, he'd still be here with his family, where he should be. 
I was too shocked to cry, but I tried to keep a positive frame of mind until Tangled Fan came back.  Maybe he WAS just lost...

Tangled Fan came back an hour later, shortly after I'd put the girls to bed for their afternoon nap.
She held a single brown boot in her hand, shaking her head. 
"This is all I found of him."
The single, small indent on the top only pointed to one culprit: a dog.
I felt every ounce of strength drain from my body, but I somehow managed to stay upright.  Coldness draped over me from head to toe like a sheet of ice.  I nodded slowly, staring not at Tangled Fan but at the boot she held loosely in her right hand. 
When she left, I still remained standing at the edge of the table; head hanging, stock still.  He was gone.  My husband...the love of my life, the one who I knew I could trust 100%...he was gone. 

"Rapunzel?"  Zelia asked.  "W-what.....what happened?" 
I jumped when she put a hand on my shoulder, and slowly turned to look at her.  She held an expression of concern, which was rare for her. 
I could hardly make my mouth or throat move, but I somehow managed to spit it out.
"Eugene...t-the dogs...the dogs got after him...he's...." I trailed off and gulped,  "he's gone."  Suddenly, a wave of emotion hit me, and a throbbing pain spread through my heart into my stomach and head.  My arms and legs felt as though there were shackles chaining me to the table; I couldn't move. 
Zelia gasped.  "Oh...oh, no..." she grabbed me into a hug, and that's when I lost it.  Hot tears streaked down my cheeks as I wept into my sister's shoulder, and she cried with me. 


The day dragged.  I couldn't wrap it around my head that my husband wasn't coming back. 
Telling the girls that their dad wasn't coming back was the worst thing I have ever done.  Audrey overheard me talking to Zelia about why he had left earlier this morning, and now my daughter hates me: as she should.  It's my fault.  If it weren't for me, they'd still have their dad. 
Jordan doesn't understand why everyone is crying, but she knows that she doesn't like it, and so she's been fussy all afternoon.  Zachary's uncharacteristically quiet.
Tangled Fan came in later to talk to me; she offered to let us do a funeral service, but I refused.  Those who knew and cared about him already knew about his likely death; we were mourning and a funeral service wouldn't help with closure if we didn't even have the remains. 

It didn't truly hit me until that night.  I put all the kids to bed and had a quick talk with the girls before bed. 
"If either of you can't sleep, let me know, okay?  Come back and you can sleep with us--er..me.  I...I'm sorry.  I-if you, um...just...don't be afraid to come to me.  I love you girls so much...and Daddy did, too." 
I gave both of them tight hugs, and Casey gave me a shaky smile.   
"It'll be okay, mommy.  I don't want to cry or be sad, because I know he wouldn't want us to be sad." 
I almost lost it right then and there.  "Y-you're right, baby.  Good night...try to get some rest.  I love you both."  
I tucked them in a bit tighter, gave them both kisses on their foreheads (despite Audrey's disgust), made sure that Pascal was in bed with them, and then went behind the cutout.  I kept it together until I had the bed made.  On a normal night, he'd come back and slip his arms around my waist right about now, hugging me before crawling into bed and letting me rest my head on his chest while we talked about the day, usually until one or both of us fell asleep. 
 I honestly don't know how long I cried, and my chest was so tight that I could barely breath.  My stomach churned, and tears slipped from my cheeks and splashed onto the blanket that should have been covering my husband as he slept peacefully...Where he had been doing just that twenty-four hours ago.  It was all I could do to keep from screaming, it hurt so much.  I didn't know how I could live with this; how I could live with this guilt and loss and on top of that, four little kids and one of which who hates me now, and....and how on earth could I be strong enough for them?  One way or another, I was going to have to be. 

In my silent, painful desolation, I heard a small cry that was not my own...Zachary. 
Forcing myself to pull it together, I stumbled out of bed and went to go pick him up. 
"S-s-shhh, honey...Momma's got you," I whispered, holding him close until his sniffles subsided.  When I crept back to bed, I covered both of us up and let him sleep on my chest, willing my own spasmodic breaths to slow.  Zachary was all I had left of Eugene, really.   How ironic that his miraculous birth had happened not even two weeks before Eugene died...if I would have gone my entire term, my husband wouldn't have been there for his birth, and Zachary wouldn't have known his father.  I squeezed my eyes against a fresh wave of pain, and told myself that I needed to keep myself together.  The kids needed me - all of them, especially Audrey and Casey. 

Meet Zach, and a Photoshoot [=

Yup....this basically shows how chaotic our family photoshoot went.  :P 
I'm sure some of you will be pleased to know that Mr. Zachary is making his debut on the blog today....I wanted a certain picture of him to be the first photo on this post, but Blogger is being weird and wouldn't put the photos in the order I wanted them.  Ugh. 
But anyway, without further ado...

Our family photoshoot.  At least, the pictures that are the least chaotic! :P 

I know...this picture's at a TERRIBLE angle, but that was Eugene randomly bending to kiss the top of his son's head.

For all you Sherlock fans...(if there are any that read the blog...I haven't watched BBC's Sherlock yet -can't find it online-but Tangled Fan talks about it a lot...) here's your chance to shine and play Sherlock Holmes himself: 

What can you deduce by the picture above? 
I'll keep typing random stuff to make a little bit of a space between the picture and the next picture (which should be a dead giveaway) so you can try your hand at deduction. 

 

Was your guess correct?

Can you figure it out with this picture? 
If not...
*sigh.*  Fine.

Zelia. 
Is. 
ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!

He proposed...ohh, what day was it?  Around the middle of the week.  Tuesday or Wednesday, I think?  It's all a little blurry.  All I know is that A) My sister is good at pulling a poker face and B) Zelia and Ray weren't amused that Tangled Fan made them have a photoshoot.  I'd be surprised if Tangled Fan came out of that photoshoot unscathed from burning remarks :P 

Anyway, the story of their proposal? 

Zelia was just sitting quietly beside me, holding Jordan, when she leaned over to me and said, "I'm engaged.  Ray proposed this morning...I left the ribbon on the other side of the table, though."
I almost screamed, but Zach had finally gone to sleep, so I just bit my lip until the urge to freak out passed, and then I squeaked, "Oh my gosh....oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh ZELIA!" 
She gave her classic, 'I don't get why you're so excited' eye roll, but her smile betrayed her. 
They haven't planned anything yet, and Zelia said that they are currently just wanting to take things slow "since they've only known each other since May" (Eugene and I only knew each other for two and a half or three months before we got married, if I remember correctly...) but that's fine and exactly typical of them :D

Of course, Zelia and Ray were giving Tangled Fan issues about taking photos.  Of course, Zelia being the tomboy that she is, she could care less about pictures, and Ray is quiet and doesn't care for attention being drawn to him, likely a side-effect from being ashamed of having temper issues...so she pretended to not be paying attention to them.  And this is what she got:

                                                                              ....

And this was when they realized what Tangled Fan had just done!
:P 
After our photoshoot, we headed back to the table.  Thank GOODNESS we're only feeding Zach four times a day.  Eugene and I were sooo fried from being up all hours of the day and night.  Zelia helped, and Belle and Ray as well - every once in awhile, which was very much appreciated, but it was still a loooong week.  The problem with being up with him every two hours?  He's decided that he's a momma's boy.  Anyone else is simply unacceptable.  He's never seen me, or anyone else for that matter, but he knows who's holding him.  And he knows that it is NOT momma.  Oh my gosh, the child can scream!  (This was decided and found out about three days after he was born, when Eugene went to feed him at three in the morning.) 
Anyway. 

(Random cute picture of Jordan with Pascal, just because she's cute :P)

And I also really like this picture, except for the fact that my hair is in it xD  They sat down to have a very important discussion (who got to play with Pascal after Jordan went to sleep) and Jordan was just intrigued. 

....And WE sat down for a very important discussion.  More like trying to drag wedding ideas and details out of them.  We failed.  :P 

THIS is the picture I wanted at the top of this post.  His eyes cleared up a tiiiiny, minute bit, but he's still 100% blind, and Tangled Fan said he'll stay that way forever.  Oh well - he's fine as he is....pink ribbon and all.  (Okay, so I still have a problem with the pink ribbon, but that was Tangled Fan's doing.)

Everybody Cry Now!

Hot water soaks are tolerable. 
Cold water soaks, however, are NOT. 
Apparently, Belle came over to meet Zach (Zachary)  while I was in the hour-and-a-half long soak it took to get my plastic down to normal; and Eugene filled me in when I got back at around two in the afternoon. 
"Cooold, cold, cold, cold, cold water soaks STINK," I whimpered, rushing behind the cutout to get my usual purple dress on.  Ooh, it felt good to have that dress back on!  As I brushed through my hair, Eugene watched me and talked.
"Belle came over to see him, and she offered to help us with feedings -- Zelia, too.  I'm sure we could work out shifts so two of us are awake through the night, and the other two are awake through the day to feed him.  Then we wouldn't be as brain-dead as we were from feeding him all through last night by ourselves.  Anyway, she says he's the most perfect baby boy she's ever seen, and is completely enamored with him.  Ray came over with Zelia for awhile--oh, and Zelia said she wants to talk to you later.  Anyway, you would never have guessed how good Ray is with the girls.  I think they've taken quite a shining to him, Audrey and Casey.  Can you believe it?" 
I shook my head, grinning.  "Never.  Especially not after how he went on about me...but then again, I guess my sister was the same way.  He's virtually the male, blue-eyed and ginger-haired version of Zelia, for goodness' sake!  And a bit less friendly, though.  They really like Zelia, so I guess I could see them liking Ray."  I finished brushing my hair and turned to look at him.  "There!  Done." 

His face split into that special grin of his, and he slid off the bed to come over and set his hands around my waist.  "And gorgeous, as always." 
"Hmm...I'm just glad to not have all that weight in the front anymore, or worry about being clumsy," I said. 
"Yeah - I don't know about you, but I was kind of a wreck, worrying that you'd trip and hurt yourself or the baby.  Now I just have to worry about YOU when you fall, and not TWO!"  he winked, kissing the tip of my nose. 
I wrinkled my nose in response, but I reached to hug him.  He gave me a big bear hug, which warmed me from the inside out...but a second later, I heard a loud wail.  Zachary.  He might be 'weak', supposedly, but he can still scream very loudly.  That set Jordan off, and...yeah. 
"Mom-MA!!" Audrey screeched.  "We're trying to play!" 
I giggled, pulling away to meet his eyes.  "Never a dull moment, huh?" 
"Nope," he chuckled, letting me go see to the kiddos. 
Zelia was holding Zach, but that didn't help his dilemma, whatever it was.  "He might be blind and only a day old, but he knows who is and isn't his mother, that's for sure..." she had a look of bewilderment plastered across her face, and had no qualms about passing him over to me.  Sure enough, a few quiet words of reassurance later, I had him calmed down and happy again.  Whew.  Maybe letting him sleep on my chest last night hadn't been the best idea, because he's been inseparable all day.  I can only imagine what they went through when I went to have my soak!  Once he had calmed down, I handed him off to his father before reaching for Jordan, who was still sobbing.  I got her calmed down, too, and started bouncing her on my hip, which made her giggle. 
And then Zach started crying again. 
Audrey groaned - loudly - and Casey looked like SHE was about to cry, too, but out of frustration.  It had been a long night for everyone last night, so of course, we had two grumpy girls to deal with today as well.  Belle promptly offered to take them for a walk, just to get them away from the babies.  She hardly waited for an answer before gathering them up and heading off of the table. 
I turned back from watching Belle leave with the girls, and saw Eugene frantically trying to get Zach to calm down.  It only made things worse, it seemed. 
Oh boy. 
"Trade?"  he asked, giving me a desperate, pleading stare. 
I juggled Jordan over to him, taking Zachary instead. 
"Hey, you....you need to learn to let Daddy hold you, too..." I kissed his forehead, and he almost immediately calmed down. 
Just in time for JORDAN to start crying, mad because I'd given her over to Eugene. 
Zelia fairly cackled.  "Ohhh, what have you two gotten yourselves into?" 
I flashed her a LOOK, and she promptly shut up. 

That's basically how the day went.  Pascal hid himself behind the cutout under a blanket and I haven't seen him since.  Good choice, if you ask me!  xD
 At around three, Jordan and Zach finally went to sleep -- at the same time, imagine that! -and Eugene promptly collapsed on the bed for a nap, too.  With two hours to go until Zachary's next feeding, I sat down with Zelia. 
"So...I heard you wanted to talk about something?" 
She sighed.  "Uh...well..no.  Never mind - you've got your hands full right now, and I'm sure you'd prefer sleep-"
"Nope.  I'm okay," I said--even though sleep sounded heavenly right now.   
"Okay.  Well..um....how do you know if you love someone?  Like...you know.  How did you feel when you knew you were in love with Eugene?"  she cleared her throat and looked at me sheepishly. 
 Well.
That was kind of unexpected...but then again, it wasn't.
"Well...." I took a deep breath.   "From what I can remember of the first time I fell in love with him - which, I can remember almost everything by now - I...I don't know.  You just feel...right.  You can't bear to be away from him, you could spend ages just sitting or talking with him, and you don't even really need to talk - just his presence is enough to satisfy you.  He's there for you when you need him the most, and he doesn't judge or criticize you  for who you are.  I don't know..." I trailed off, dropping my gaze down to my lap. 
She nodded.  "Thank you...I never thought I'd ever be asking my little sister for advice like that!" 
"Ray?"  I asked. 
"Yes.  He just....we had a rocky start, and I thought I'd kill him if I had to spend one more day with him when I first met him, but now..."
"There's something sweet, and almost kind...but he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined!  But now he's dear, and so unsure...you wonder why you didn't see it there before?"  I paraphrased "Something There" from Beauty and the Beast, and she laughed. 
"Basically.  I just....I want to tell him, but I'm terrified that I'll screw up and ruin our friendship.  I don't know how he feels because, oh - guess what?!  He's just like me!"  she buried her face in her hands.  I'd never seen my sister in such a state!
"Tell him," I said.  "I'm pretty sure he'll not mind." 
"But-"
I repeated myself, and she sighed, nodding.  "I'm just scared." 
"Don't be," I reached to give her a hug, but she pulled away, making weird, choking noises. 
"Nope.  No mushiness, nope, nope, nope." 
I giggled.  "Ohh, sister-mine...I thought you had changed.  Not much, huh?" 
"Don't you DARE think that this means I'm a mushy fool!" 
I instead slugged her playfully on her shoulder.  "I know." 

That night, Zelia said she would come to take her first shift feeding Zachary at one o'clock AM.  I stayed up after Eugene had gone to bed, because Zach was very fussy, still.  I was pretty frazzled by the time I'd gotten him to go to sleep at midnight, and then I sat around and waited for Zelia. 
When she finally came at one, I showed her what she'd need to do to feed him, watched to make sure that he'd go back to sleep for her, thanked Zelia, and then went to bed, praying I could get away long enough to get a few hours of sleep.  I was still kind of achy, and was beyond tired! 
When I'd changed into my nightie, I crawled into bed....and then I heard Jordan wake up and start to cry. 
Eugene, who must not have been totally asleep, promptly snagged my arm. 
"I'll get her, honey, you go to sleep," he whispered  before leaving. 
I curled up on my side, thinking about how chaotic the day had been.  The two older girls were crabby and a bit disgusted with the newest addition needing so much attention, Jordan was just incredibly hard to please today, and...Zach, of course....need I explain?  Would it be like this forever?!  Would Zach ever stop being so clingy to me?  I buried my face in the blankets and tried not to get worked up or worried about it.  Hah, like THAT would happen!
Just a minute later, Eugene came back.  "Zelia took care of her," he mumbled, collapsing in bed and yawning loudly before pulling me close up against him.  "Love you." 
"Love you, too,"  I said...but I must've sounded a little choked up. 
"You okay?"  he peeled one eye open, reaching to stroke some hair away from my face.
"Yes...I'm fine.  I'm just....overwhelmed right now," I bit my lip. 
"I know.  But things will calm down soon, I'm sure!  Everyone was just ticked off today because we all had a long night last night.  I promise, everything will work out.  Now, get some sleep, beautiful," he winked, giving me a sleepy grin. 
Sleep. 
Sounded good to me! 

And baby makes....six!

--Eugene
At two this morning, my very pregnant wife woke me up.
"Eu..Eugeeene!  Get up!" she wailed, and from that, I could assume that I had been hard to wake up.
"I'm up, I'm up...what?" I mumbled in my half-awake state.  When I saw her pained face, tears streaking down her cheeks, I flew upright.
"T-the baby's coming and you need to take the girls to Zelia because I don't want to wa...wake them up--oooh!" she gasped, clutching her stomach and curling around it, panting.
"You can't be!  You have three weeks to go, three weeks!" I exclaimed.  Three weeks left in a term is the human equivalent of three months left in a term.
"Well, it's coming, and I don't think I can change that!" she gasped, giving me a pleading look.  My eyes widened as I realized that it was really, truly happening, I propelled myself out of bed and scrambled to get the girls over to Zelia --albeit quietly...I didn't wake any of the girls, luckily.

When I got back, Pascal was on the bed, staring at Rapunzel with concern. I picked him up off of the bed and let him settle on my shoulder, leaning some of my weight on the bed as I looked at my girl.  She was flat on her back, her breath coming out in hot, fast puffs, and her face was contorted and twisted all up in pain.  I hated seeing her like this! 
"I'm scared," she whispered, rolling her eyes up to me. 
I was, too...I was flat out terrified!  I didn't want to lose my girl again, and I didn't want anything to happen to our child, either.  My heart started pounding as I realized that a  lot of things could go wrong, and that the baby would most likely than not have problems or maybe not even live.  But I couldn't tell her that, now could I?! 
"Don't worry.  Everything will be okay, I promise," I said, leaning to kiss her forehead. 
Wrooong move.
She shoved me away with surprising strength.  "Don't touch me!  And how dare you promise something like that?!  I'm not stupid, and I don't believe in filling someone with f-false...promises!"  she paused, letting a loud cry out as she clutched her midsection.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I backed up, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath.  When she opened them, she frantically looked towards me. 
"Don't leave!  I-I need you here!"
"I'm not going anywhere, I just backed up because you told me-"
"I know, but I don't know what I'm sa--ohhh, wow...what I'm saying..." she panted.  "When does this even end?!" 
"I don't know, honey...I'm sorry.  You can do it, though...if I could do this for you, trust me...I would," I told her, stepping forward and wincing when she suddenly gasped, her entire back arching as she wailed.  Her shaky hand grabbed for mine and held it in a complete and utter death grip -- I quite honestly didn't know she could hold my hand that tightly, and I'm surprised she didn't crumple my plastic!

At seven o'clock, the baby boy was born, after a very, very long five hours.  She'd had quite a bit of trouble, but she was okay.  The baby was born....choking and barely breathing; his skin rapidly turning from a reddish color to purple. 
I don't know how that girl managed to fly upright as quickly as she had, seconds after giving birth to said child, but she immediately broke down sobbing. 
"Bring....bring him to me," she managed breathlessly, and I did, not sure what to do.  I didn't want him to die.  I didn't want my wife to watch her newborn son die, and I sure didn't want to watch him die, either.  But I did as she asked, and she quickly took him from me, turning him so his back was to her, and she quickly started patting and rubbing his back vigorously, begging him to start breathing in between choked prayers.  Tears streaked down her face when nothing happened.  I held my own breath, praying myself that he would, somehow, make it.
And then he made a small, bleating cry.
She gasped, stopping her vigorous attempts to make him breathe and turning him around to face her. 
"He's alive.  He's okay, Eugene..." she sighed, and a completely joyous smile lit her face when he cried louder.  "I've never been so happy to hear a baby cry in my life!" 
"Me neither," I loosed the breath I'd been holding before I eased myself down on the bed beside her.  "You did a great job, baby.  And on top of that, you saved him.  I was too slow to know what to do," I admitted truthfully. 
She nodded, lifting his little blond head up to kiss it. 
I was  beyond happy to have a son.  While he would never grow any bigger, it was still nice to have a boy amongst all my girls -- although I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.  And I would've taken another daughter just as quickly as a boy, don't get me wrong!  I slipped one arm around my girl's tired shoulders, leaning to look down at his little face.

We eventually got him dressed in Jordan's night-clothes, which were rarely used (they were long-sleeved and were footed, so that in the summer is  a huge nope.  She always has a fit if we put her in it for nighttime).  It's partly made of pink gingham, but it was all we had, so it would have to work....and soon after, his eyes opened.
Instead of being clear and colored, his eyes were cloudy and ice-blue. 
"D-do you think he's...blind?"  she whispered. 
I'd never seen anything like it.  "I don't know," I wondered if he would track movement yet or not....probably not. "Let's not worry about it until we know for sure, though.  What boy names do you like?" 

At nine, Tangled Fan came into her room for something, and I was able to get her attention. She quickly whisked him off before even asking if it was a boy or a girl, the first words out of Rapunzel's words were asking if he was blind, and she ignored anything else. 

He came back with a pink ribbon...glued to his head; and also pronounced blind and weak but otherwise healthy; he would need some sort of powdered mixture added to some water every two hours for the first week of his life, and then four times a day for the next two. 
Rapunzel focused on the ribbon. 
"Pink?  Why would you put pink on a boy?!" she hissed between her teeth, more than just annoyed. 
"Boy?"  Tangled Fan crumpled her nose in confusion. 
"Yes! It's a boy!"  she yelled.  I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to silently warn her to settle down. 
"It's....oh wow, I'm so sorry.  You see, I have this system where I put ribbons on every baby's head: pink for babies that have parents, and yellow - like Jordan's -- for orphans.  It's so I don't accidentally give someone's kid away."
"Well, can't you make a blue ribbon for boys?  How many others have you--"
"You're the first to have a baby boy!  Boys are extremely rare," she explained.  "That's why I didn't even ask." 
"Well, can't you take it off?" 
"It's super-glued on there.  You're not getting that off without taking his entire head off.  I'm sorry," she said. 
Rapunzel groaned.  "It's fine, I guess...but it's..."
"What about his blindness?"  I broke her off, wondering about the more important issue at hand.  "And will he be okay, and get stronger?" 
"Yes, and yes.  I'll get you guys what you need to give to him, and as far as his blindness, you'll just have to be more vigilant with him; make sure he doesn't roll off of places and get hurt, because he'll be prone to doing that, of course.  And he might be more easily scared, too, so just keep that in mind."   Rapunzel nodded, her eyes filling with tears, and Tangled Fan continued.  "And as for your extra belly, I did some research.  I'll come back tomorrow to take you to a hot water soak, and then you'll have to sit in a cold water soak for half an hour.  That'll bring you down to your normal size, all in one shot." 
"Tomorrow?  Can't we wait -- at least until he's not on that...that formula mix stuff anymore?" 
"No.  The sooner you get rid of that belly, the easier and better it will be," she said.  "Now, I'm going to go gather stuff up to make that mixture, and then I'll make a blanket for him - neutral colors, I promise." 
And with that, Tangled Fan handed the baby back to us and left.
I glanced down at the pink ribbon now glued on his head, and sighed.  It did bother me a little, too, but what could we do about it now?
Rapunzel, however, burst into tears.  "I'm a horrible mother!" 
"Wait, what?"  I looked up from the baby to see her face.  Shifting him around in my arms, I furrowed my brows and stared at her. "Why?" 
"I'm such an idiot, that's why!  I was so f-focused on that stupid ribbon that I forgot to ask about his health!" she cried, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.
I reached to put a hand on one of her shoulders.  "Hey.  That's why there's two of us -- so one can ask the questions that the other forgets!" 
"B-but I-"she lifted her head and met my gaze with her watery, red-rimmed green eyes. 
"No  buts.  And by the way, you're the one who got him breathing normally, so you're obviously not an idiot," I reminded her, removing my hand from her shoulder so I could swipe at her tears.
She gulped, giving a shudder-y sigh and nodding before dropping her gaze to the baby. 
"What should w-we name him?  We discussed a lot of different names..." she trailed off, trying to think. 
"Phil, Cody, Jason...uh...Clark, James, Zachary...Chris, Ryan, Jeremy, and Grant."  I filled in. 
We went back and forth a little between Zachary and Jeremy, but finally decided that Zachary fit best.
"So....Zachary it is," she smiled finally, moving so she could plop a quick kiss on his forehead. 
Right after that, Tangled Fan came back and gave us all the stuff we'd need in order to feed him, showed us how to feed him, and gave us a timer thing to help us keep track of when we'd need to feed him again.  When she left, I turned to Rapunzel, who was watching him sleep. 
"You need to get some rest, sweetie.  Why don't you curl up in with him, and I'll go talk to Zelia and the girls and tell them how everything went?"  I suggested. 
"No...I'm fine.  I want to see my girls," she said...yawning.  Her eyelids fluttered. 
" 'I'm fine', says the girl who can hardly stay awake long enough to answer me," I teased.  "C'mon.  You'll get to see the girls later." 
"But-" she started to protest, so I put a finger over her lips. 
"Nope.  You need to get some rest - Tangled Fan even told you to!  Just remember that we'll be up through all hours of the night, feeding him."  I reminded her. 
She sighed.  "Fine.  But what if something happens to him while I'm asleep?  What if I roll over and--"
"He'll be okay - you don't move around much in your sleep unless something's really bothering you.  Just don't think about that pink ribbon, and you'll not move a centimeter.  Just keep him close and away from the edge of the bed, and he'll be okay," I told her, teasing her about that ribbon. 
Rolling her eyes (although the corner of her lips betrayed her by twitching up into a small smile), she nodded.  "Okay, if you're sure." 
"I'm positive," I told her, taking Zachary from her until she got settled down into the bed on her side.  I set the baby down beside her, spread the covers over her (as she grumbled and said she could take care of herself) and then I told her I'd see the two of them later.


As soon as I went over to the other side of the table, I was nearly attacked by two rambunctious, anxious girls....and about half a dozen worried dolls.
"How did everything go?" 
"When can I see Mommy?" 
"When can I see the baby?" 
"Do I have a  new baby sister?  Oh, I hope so!"
"How's Rapunzel and the new baby?" 
"Everything went okay, right?" 
"Did you pass out like the lily-livered doll you are?" 
I laughed.  Of course that last one came from Zelia. 
"Okay...first off: no, I did not pass out.  You girls can see Rapunzel in a few hours; I finally convinced her to go to sleep while the baby slept.  I'm sorry to those who wanted another girl or a sister; it's a boy.  His name is Zachary, and he is blind and currently weak, but he's getting fed to get strengthened up, and he'll be okay.  Rapunzel's okay, too," I said as a general announcement.  Everyone went silent when they heard the 'blind and weak' part, and a somber mood replaced the excited one from moments before. 
Belle was the first to speak up.  "Well, everything went okay, and they're both healthy otherwise, right?  That is a blessing in itself.  Giving birth is not simple, from what I understand, and a lot can go wrong." 
"Especially with preemies," I added, nodding. 
Zelia nodded, glancing over at Ray, who came and put an arm around her shoulders.  "When can I see them?"  she asked. 
"In a few hours I'll come back over, and we'll figure that out," I told her.  "Where's Jordan, and were the girls good so far?" 
Casey and Audrey, who were cuddled up against my chest, nodded that they'd been good, and Zelia agreed with them. 
"Jordan's taking a nap underneath that big bench.  She woke up around four and was pretty upset, but she fell asleep again at about eleven, so that's why she's sleeping," she added. 
"Okay.  Thank you for watching them, again...especially at two in the morning," I chuckled. 
"Eh, that's what aunts are for, right?"  she laughed.  "They were asleep anyway." 
"So is that why Rapunzel was so pale yesterday?"  Zarina asked shyly, almost so quietly that I didn't hear her. 
"Yeah, most likely," I told her. 
"I thought she looked a bit off," Ariel piped up.  I nodded curtly...I didn't want her to start flirting with me. 
"And she would absolutely not tell any of us that she didn't feel well.  She just said she needed to get back to the table," Ray finished.
"She's...something else," I shook my head.

A couple of hours later, I went back to check on Rapunzel and Zachary.  I found her awake, with Pascal on the bed by her and Zachary was on her chest, his head on her shoulder.  She kept a protective hand over his back. 
"Hey, you...I thought I told you to sleep," I mock-reprimanded her, bending to kiss the tip of her nose. 
She wrinkled her nose in a way that only she could (Gosh, I love that girl...) and grinned. 
"I did, but then I fed him, and I went to go brush my hair, and he got so upset because he was all alone, I guess, and so I had to lay back down and hold him.  He just got so  frantic...I guess it was because he couldn't hear me anywhere, or see me, of course..." she said, but her grin broadened when he nuzzled his small head into the crook of her neck. "How are the girls?" 
"Anxious to see you, as are Zelia, Belle, Ray, and Zarina," I told her, sitting on the edge of the bed by her. 
"Well....bring them over!  It's only two o'clock, but  I miss my girls!"  she exclaimed quietly.  She sat up slowly, letting Zachary remain on her shoulder, and tried to stretch her back and hold him at the same time.  Pascal watched, probably wondering what on earth she was attempting to do. 
"How're you feeling?" 
"I'm fine...I mean, I'm achy, but that's to be expected!  I just want to see the rest of our brood," she giggled. 
I went back to get Zelia and the kiddos, and the two older girls took off for our side of the table at lightning speed.  When I came back to our side, Rapunzel had slipped out to sit on the couch, and the girls quickly bounced up beside her, staring at their new brother and quietly bombarding her with questions.  Zelia sat down and took Zachary from her, and I just hung back and observed.  A year ago, if you would've told me that in a month and two days I would meet my future wife and end up with four kids and...Zelia...for a sister-in-law, I would've laughed my head off.  But man, am I thankful, and I wouldn't trade this for the world!
I'm sure Rapunzel will post tomorrow, and if not, I will.  

An Apology and A Room Tour

 Today, Belle came over at around noon, asking if I wanted to help show Zarina  and Ariel around.  Despite my huge, ungainly self, I decided I would go anyway.  I wasn't too pleased to be around Ariel, but I was willing to give her a second chance.
I told her I would be down on the floor to meet them in five minutes, and she nodded excitedly, hurrying off.
Eugene was sitting with Audrey, talking to her about something still unknown to me.
"Hey...I'm gonna go with Belle and Ray to show Zarina and Ariel around the room.  I'll be back, okay?  Love you two,"
Eugene stared as if I'd lost my mind.  "You're staying right here, dearest."
"Why?  I'm feeling okay, and it's not like I'm going to be completely alone." I reassured him.
"I still..." he sighed.  "You already promised Belle, right?"
"Mmhmm."
Huffing, he nodded.  "I really don't have a good feeling about it, but if you think you can, go ahead.  If you're not feeling well, you come right back, okay?"
I nodded, bending to kiss his cheek as well as Audrey's.  "Thank you.  I'll see you all later!" I turned to hug Casey and wave at Jordan, who was busy playing with Pascal, and then rushed to go to the floor.
Well...rushed being a relative term.  With my huge, swollen abdomen, I can't go very fast!  I actually wouldn't dare; I'd more than likely trip and fall. 

The walk was long and slow, much longer and slower than I ever remembered walks being.  Ariel didn't talk to me, so I didn't talk to her; she was far ahead with Ray (who looked none too amused about it).  I walked with Belle, until I noticed Zarina was lagging behind, looking very small and left out.  Feeling a pang of guilt, I promptly dropped back, letting Belle go ahead to talk to Ariel.
"Hey," I said quietly.  "Lonely?"
She started, almost as though she hadn't seen me through her thick curtain of hair, but quickly shook her head and mumbled that she was just thinking.
Sooo, I just backed off and let her have her space.

After a few hours, we headed back, but we took a quick break to rest about halfway across the room, which was greatly appreciated.

 I noticed Zarina by herself, sitting on the trunk at the foot of Tangled Fan's bed, which we had just left...so I doubled back around and heaved  myself back up there, sitting down with a heavy sigh, rubbing my stomach as I felt the baby moving.  A slow, nagging pain had spread across my midsection, and I was mildly concerned, but not enough to head back quickly.  Plus, I wanted to talk with Zarina.
"Well, I think I need to sit for a bit.  How are you, Zarina?"
"I'm fine.  You should probably go on ahead, though.  You look really pale," she told me.
I shrugged, biting my lip.  "So... You're really shy, aren't you?  Punzie giving you a hard time?"
She nodded, letting her hair stay fallen over half of her face.  The other eye peered curiously at me.  "Why do you care?"
"Because...about a year ago, I guess...I was in your shoes.  I know how it felt, and I know how nice it felt to have a friend," I offered.
"Who was it?  Belle?"
"Eugene...my now husband," I smiled.  "Belle came along later."
"I see." she looked down to her lap, and an awkward silence filled the air around us for a little while.  I noticed that everyone else was heading back already, so I spoke up first.
"You should tuck your hair back and not hide behind it.  You're gorgeous!" I complimented her.
"Really?  Th-thanks," she acknowledged it, but still didn't push her hair from her face.  "I guess we should catch up with the others.  And...thank you for hanging back with me."
"You're welcome.  I'm right across the table if you ever want a buddy, and I'm sure my girls would love you."  I told her, watching her drop gracefully down to the floor.
My hand, however, slipped and I missed the step down, falling hard on the floor.  I landed on my feet, but it still made me drop to my knees.  Plus, the sudden and strong wave of pain that had caused my hand to slip came back for a second wave, and I panted breathlessly.  What WAS this??  I bit my lip, pressing a hand into my side until I felt the baby move.  Whew.  The baby was okay, but I still didn't know what THAT was about!  Zarina helped me to my feet, but I couldn't shake this annoying pain.
"You really need to go home, you're so pale in the face," Zarina bit HER lip, too, but I shook her concern off, promising her that I was okay.

I made it almost the whole way back to the table before Ariel stopped me.
"You okay?"
"Yes, I just need to get home," I panted, leaning against the saw horse Tangled Fan had a horse saddle on .  The pain was nearly unbearable right now, most of it centered around my lower back and hips.  I must have hurt myself jumping.
"You don't look okay,"
"I'm fine," I said shortly.  She wasn't the doll of choice to talk to right now, and I just wanted to go back home.
"Look....I'm sorry about yesterday.  For some reason, I thought that your husband was just trying to play hard to catch and pretend to be uninterested, using the common 'I'm married' excuse, and I went too far.  I am sorry, I truly am, and I hope you don't view me as a horrible doll."
"It's okay; I forgive you.  I just really need to go home," I swallowed against a sudden wave of nausea.  I thought I had been done with the stinking nausea after my third week!
But then Ray rushed to me, quickly followed by Belle.  They surrounded me, asking if I was okay.  Zarina was behind them, fiddling nervously with her hair as she stared at me.
They ended up helping me to the table, but to keep the girls from worrying, they all said they were just taking a shortcut through our side to get to their side.  Which was quite illogical, but they didn't know that.

Eugene read through it, though, but he kept quiet until the girls were settled down for their afternoon nap, an hour late at five PM.  By then, I could barely stand being on my feet a single moment longer.
He sat down on the couch, but I collapsed on it, flat on my back.
"Cmere," he said, offering to let me use his lap as a pillow.  I gratefully accepted it, and mostly because of the hand he kept using to stroke my hair.  "What's wrong?"

"You were right....I jumped off of the trunk and missed the step, and now my back and hips ache like nobody's business." I elected to ignore the nausea and pain beforehand, still unsure about that.
"Are you sure that's all?  You still have three weeks to go, you don't want anything to happen."
"I'm sure...I just need to rest, I think.  Wow..." I groaned, rubbing at my back.


I barely made it the rest of the day.

But I was wrong about just hurting my hips and back: I found that out at approximately two in the morning when I woke Eugene, sobbing and frantically begging him to get the girls over to Zelia because I was having the baby and didn't want to scare them or wake them, since it was all I could do to not give in and scream because of the immense pain I was in.

Newcomers and an Emotional Rollercoaster of a Day

I had my last  major hot water soak today. 
My stomach has DOUBLED in size once more.
I am officially so ungainly that I can hardly bend over to pick up Jordan. 
The good part is that there's only about three more weeks until we get to meet this little kiddo....I'm SO excited.  Basically any fear I had of anything going wrong has dissipated, and now I'm just impatient to meet him or her.  We haven't even talked about names yet....maybe we should sometime soon..! 
Anyway, I was trying to get accustomed to my HUGE midsection when Tangled Fan breezed through the room, setting a couple of boxes on her bed before running back out of her room.  I heard the vacuum click on, so she wouldn't be back for a little while. 
By now, I knew what THIS meant:  More dolls. 
Eugene noticed, too, and immediately turned to me.  "Absolutely not." 
I bounced Jordan in my arms a few times, making her giggle.  "Why not?" 
He snorted, shaking his head and chuckling.  "You're two-thirds of the way through your term.  You probably shouldn't be walking the entire way across the room all that much!" 
"Ohh, I'll be fine.  Now, how'd you feel if you were thrown somewhere new and left in your box for hours?" 
His face contorted as he considered this. 
"I actually WAS.  I wasn't able to get out of the plastic things they put around my wrists, and do you really think that Punzie and that bunch would come help?" 
My eyes widened.  "Oh, geez, Eugene....well...do you want THEM to have the same experience?" 
He stared at me, and I could tell he was thinking...and thinking....and thinking that one over. 
Finally, he huffed.  "Why do I have such problems saying no to you?" 
"Because I'm your wife and you love me?"  I asked teasingly, and he laughed through his nose. 
"Yeah...well, you can go get Zelia to watch the girls, because I'm going with you, and if you get the slightest bit pale or sick, I'm carrying you back."
I tsked my tongue.  "Do you really think that me walking across the room will make me have the baby too soon?" 
"A lot of walking sometimes induces labor for people..."
"But we're not people!"  I said, standing on tiptoe and reaching to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before I went to get Zelia, still carrying Jordan. 
After we got Zelia to watch Casey, Audrey, and Jordan, Eugene and I left for Tangled Fan's bed, accompanied by Belle and Ray.  Ray didn't necessarily want to go along, but my paranoid husband asked him to, in case he'd need help carrying me back or something.  It was slightly embarrassing, but...oh well. 

When we FINALLY got to Tangled Fan's bed, (that climb up was harsh...) we found a 2014 Ariel doll and a -- you guessed it -- 2014 Rapunzel.  We all worked to get them out of their boxes, and after a good bit of work, they finally wormed out of their plastic prisons. 
The Rapunzel, who said her nickname could be Zarina, was very shy, and kept her hair down in her eyes, watching everyone warily; while Ariel was bubbly, happy, and generally a positive doll.  I hoped that I could befriend both of them  - someday.  Someday when I didn't have mood swings. 
But anyway, we left the bed, slipping from the bed to the trunk, then finally to a box by the trunk and then on the ground --that immediately brought us about halfway across the room. 
Only there was a liiitle problem. 

The mermaid pointed to her flippers, giggling nervously. 
"I can't walk.  I can't even shuffle, because this tail is so tight." 
Oh boy.  If we would've left her in her box, we could have dragged her over to the table.  Since we OBVIOUSLY couldn't slip her back in the box, I looked around helplessly. 
Ariel looked over towards Eugene with a coquettish smile, and my poor husband made quick work of slipping further behind me.  When she looked towards Ray, he looked away, face blazing red as he mumbled "No way," just loud enough that Eugene heard him.
I flashed him a LOOK, but he conveniently didn't catch THAT, either. 
"Please don't leave me alone here," she said.  She knew everyone was unsettled both by her lack of clothing AND the fact that someone would have to carry her. 
"We won't," I said, attempting to bend so I could put a hand on her cool, bare shoulder.  I shot another glance towards Ray, but he walked off.   Eugene sucked in a deep breath. 
"C'mon...it's only halfway across the room," he said -- half to himself.  I gave him a surprised glance.  What if he hurt his hip joints, carrying her THAT far?  Not to mention her...lack of clothes.  That didn't make me feel exactly comfortable, but maybe it's just me being too protective of my husband. 
She slipped her arms around his neck a little too comfortably, and he picked her up with ease.  She smiled from ear to ear, and we started walking back.  I hung back, trying to keep out of Ariel's eyesight.  I'm pretty sure I was seething -- she knew he was married, didn't she?  Did she think she would win him over?  A sharp thought occurred to me:  She probably could, and with ease.  I haven't exactly been the most laid-back over the past six weeks, between worrying and mood swings -- and she was a lot prettier to boot. 
I glanced down at my tummy and put a hand over it as I felt the baby jostle around.  Of course, he wouldn't be able to break off our marriage...but I didn't want to see it fall apart, either.  I couldn't stand the thought of him being miserable in our marriage, and vice versa...let alone what it'd do to the girls and our unborn child!  I felt an awful pang just thinking about what it would do to the kids. 
I heard a satiny laugh, and looked up to see Ariel had her head thrown back, laughing at some joke Eugene had just made.  I did notice that he was a lot more comfortable with her already than what he normally was with other newcomers...
I sighed a bit too loudly, and Belle slowed to walk beside me. 
"What is the matter?  Is the baby active?"  she glanced down at the hand I still had across my belly. 
"Yeah," I nodded, trying to keep my jealousy from showing. 
Oh, yeah right. 
"There's something else though...is it Ariel?"  she whispered.
I nodded. "It's stupid, I know, but...I can't help but feel a little upset over how cozy she is with my husband.  It's terrible of me, I know...but Eugene seems pretty okay with it, and he's NEVER this way."
Belle shook her head.  "You have nothing to fear -- Eugene would never do anything to hurt you,"
I shrugged.  "Can't blame him if he would -- I've been a real jerk lately." 
"Well, you cannot help it!  He should understand that," she said a little too loudly, and Ray swung around to look.  Ray did...not Eugene.  I swallowed hard. 
I cleared my throat, but Ray dropped back to listen in.  "Thank you, Belle...you're a good friend.  I'm sure he's just..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say. 
"What?"  Ray asked. 
"Eugene.  Doesn't he seem a little...comfortable...with Ariel?  And vice versa?"  I asked, my face getting extremely red. 
He started to blow me off in a manner that only Ray could, but then he hesitated.  "Well...I don't know.  Zelia's told me that he was a lot more shy before he met you." 
I nodded.  "But...it's different.  Maybe I'm just overreacting." 
"Maybe," he agreed, which didn't make me feel any better.  I wanted a strong 'yes, you're overreacting' or a 'no, you're not overreacting', not a 'maybe you are and maybe you aren't'! 
Belle shook her head and repeated herself.  "He would never do anything to hurt you!" 
"I apologize.  I should have taken her, but..your sister...I was worried that she'd see from the table." he cleared his throat. 
I nodded quietly, and Belle noticed my uneasiness about the topic, so she gave me a quick side-hug before giving me some space, nodding at Ray to do the same. 

When we got back to the bins, Eugene deposited Ariel -- who gave him a longing expression before squirming around on her bottom to catch the attention of Belle and I -- and then he and Ray walked away to give us some privacy. I lost track of Zarina at that point. 
I reached to climb into the bin to retrieve a dress for the redhead, but Belle put a hand on my arm, shaking her head.  "I'll get it!  You go sit."  I let her climb into the bin, but I didn't go sit.  I just wanted to get this over with quickly.  I didn't know what I would do if Ariel spoke to me! 
Of course, she did.
"I'm so grateful for you for taking the time to help me out with clothes," she said...but I couldn't help but notice the glance she cast towards my HUSBAND, instead of directing it towards me and Belle.  When her happy gaze returned to me, it promptly dropped to my belly.  "A-are you...expectant?  I thought us Ariel dolls were the only ones who could..."
"Yes, I am...it's a rare blessing," I said, giving a tight smile.  And the father is the man you're basically flirting with...."Oh!  Congratulations, but isn't it...dangerous?  I heard that the only non-Ariel Disney doll to have a baby ended up...meeting an untimely demise, as did the baby," she cleared her throat.
Belle, hurry UP! 
"Yes, that's true," I said shortly.  Was she HOPING that the baby and I would 'meet an untimely demise'?  There wasn't an ounce of concern in those eyes.  
I quickly averted my attention to my stomach once more, trying to hide the red that was creeping up along my neck.  Could Belle go any slower??  Grab a dress, throw it at the redhead, and let's get going!!  If I don't get away from this girl, I'm going to wring her neck...and if I leave before everyone else, I'll show that I'm being childish and bratty!  Ugh.
FINALLY, Belle tossed a dress out, and Ariel caught  it with surprising speed.  "Thanks!  It's gorgeous!" 
Without another word, she started trying to shimmy out of her fabric tail, and I barely had time to turn my back before she lost anything else.  Within moments, she loosed a giggle. 
"It feels WONDERFUL to be on my feet!  My legs were getting cramped."  The joyful expression on her face immediately made me feel sorry for being so resentful towards her.  She just needed a friend, and I was being weird and moody. She did a little jig before turning back to Belle and I, still staring down at her dress gleefully.  It was almost exactly like the one I was wearing -- the plaid one -- but she wore it much, much better.  "Where will I be staying?" 
"You'll come with me, sweetheart --Ray and I, that is," Belle told her.  
"Doesn't Eugene stay there, too?"  she looked hopeful. 
"No, we live on the other side of the table with our kids," I piped up.  I felt stupid for saying we were just on the other side of the table, but whatever. 
She nodded, her smile waning more than a little bit.  "Okay.  Well, I'm a little tired, so let's head up and meet everyone else, shall we?" 
Belle nodded, waving to motion Ray over.  He and Eugene were in a deep conversation, apparently, because they both snapped to attention and hurried over, looking slightly surprised. Zarina caught on, too, and appeared out of nowhere. 
"Isn't this dress LOVELY?"  Ariel immediately asked my husband...right in front of me.
He cleared his throat, nodding at her.  "Yes, Belle chose a nice dress for you," he said.  I glanced down at myself.  Of course, my form was very.....plump now, compared to her skinny self.  I bit back a sigh.

When we got back, Zelia stayed with us for the rest of the day and then helped to get the girls settled in for bed, which I greatly appreciated.  I was bone-tired, and I hardly said a word to Eugene for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I was just afraid that I'd let some snarky comment loose.  Well, when we headed to bed, Eugene tried to kiss me.  I let him, but I didn't mean to show my displeasure.  I didn't exactly feel like kissing him right now, no matter what his intentions with being friendly with Ariel were.
"Hey...what's wrong?"  he gave me a concerned look, cupping my cheek in his hands.  "Is the baby moving around a lot?"
"Yeah, that's it," I said crankily.  How oblivious WAS he?? 
He gave me a pensive stare, but shrugged my comment off and crawled into bed.  Instead of settling with his arm around my shoulders, I curled up on my side, facing away from him.  I also willed the ever-active baby to quiet down.  (Hmm, like that would happen -- it's been moving almost CONSTANTLY!) 
A moment later, he loosed a frustrated sigh.  "What's REALLY wrong? I know something is..."
I shook my head, and then he sat up. 
"Come on....what's wrong?  Please, honey...I'm worried.  Are you feeling okay?" 
I huffed with frustration, sitting up to look him in the eye.  "I'm just a little irritated with how Ariel acted around you.  And...you seemed pretty comfortable with her, too.  I've never seen you so...so friendly around a newcomer." 
He gave me a confused look, which quickly turned into surprise...and then horror.  "Oh, you don't think I have a...a...THING for her, do you?" 
I shrugged.  "I know I haven't been exactly the easiest to get along with lately, and my wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired, for obvious reasons, and I'm not a skinny little thing either...so..."
Eugene reached for my face, but instead let his hands drop, realizing he needed to explain himself first.  
"I was just trying to make her feel comfortable.  Everyone was being a little awkward, for obvious reasons, so I figured that since I was the one carrying her, I should try to break the ice a little bit, so I tried to joke around a little.  Once I realized that she was trying to hit on me, it got really awkward really fast.  I explained once more, and told her that I was happily married to the girl of my dreams, and when she asked who it was, I said it was you, and she just...blew that off.  At that point, I kind of wanted to tell her off, but I knew I shouldn't.  I'm sorry...if I knew it was upsetting you that much, I would've dropped her and left her sit there -- I had half a mind to, anyway."  he dropped his head, but tilted his eyes up sheepishly at me. 
I sighed.  "I probably over-reacted, as usual-"
"Nahh...I can understand why you were upset.  But did you seriously think I'd prefer her -- a lively, thin, young thing who can't understand the art of subtle hints, when I have you?"
"I don't know.  I've been lazy, grumpy, and fat lately, so-"
"All of which is because you're expectant and due in three weeks," he said, "and you're carrying our child.  By the way, she doesn't hold a candle to you, my dear." 
"She's so animated and...and happy-go-lucky, though, I mean...I'm timid and easily upset." 
"I never did like the over-lively type.  Plus, what do you think I'd do?  Abandon you, because we wouldn't be able to divorce -- taking a more logical approach." 
I shrugged.  "Probably just my...moodiness...talking." 
He laughed, putting a gentle hand over the one I'd rested over my stomach.  "Don't you ever wonder if I still love you, sweetie.  You're not getting rid of me THAT easily."
I met his eyes with a smile.  "I'm glad...I was worried there for a little bit." 
My husband gave me a mushy little grin.  "I'm glad to have that sorted out, then...mind if I kiss you, or...?"
I gave him a teasing grin, leaning towards him as much as my belly would allow me to, teasing him by pulling away a bit when he reached to meet my lips.  "Oh, I don't know...maybe you can kiss me, and maybe you can't."
He laughed through his nose before putting a hand behind my head and giving me a warm, slow kiss that reassured me that he meant what he'd said.  When our lips parted, he leaned his forehead up against mine a moment.  I could feel his warm breath on my face, and it was somehow a comfort to me. 
"If you ever....EVER...get upset with me over something again, don't hold it in, okay?  Talk with me.  I'm sorry...I should have made the point that I was married to you more clear, but I didn't know what would cross the line between adamant and rude." 
"And like I said...it's fine!"
"I know, but...I shouldn't have even carried her over there.  And I'm just really worried that you'll get too upset, and end up having the baby prematurely." 
I nodded.  "Well, someone needed to help her.  It's nice of you that you stepped up to the plate...at least I know now that you weren't flirting with her." 
"More like dying of horror," he said. 
I giggled, swatting his chest playfully.  "Oh...why did I ever even question you...you goof!" 
He smiled, flopping backwards onto the bed, asking me to lie down beside him.  I did, shutting my eyes for a moment, before I remembered something else. 
"What were you and Ray so deep in conversation about?"  I didn't move to look at him -- I was too comfortable where I was at.
"You and Zelia...sounds like he might be our brother in law sometime soon," he said...in an oh-so-nonchalant way. 
I gasped. If I would've been able to, I would've flown upright within the second, twisted around and given him a surprised look -- but I just settled for squeaking,  "He's going to propose?!" 
"Maybe...he was talking about it, but he also said he was terrified she'd say no, and he doesn't want to mar their friendship.  He says that she's the first one to befriend him and not be scared of him, despite his temper.  And she's helped him get through his outbursts, so he doesn't have them nearly as often."  
"Aww!"  I squealed.  "That's SO sweet!" I realized I needed to be quieter, and the baby gave a few kicks.  I settled a hand down on my stomach and smiled.  Okay, more like beamed.   
He chuckled.  "Don't tell her anything, though, okay?" 
"Oh, I won't," I shook my head, "but that's just...whoa.  I never thought I'd see the day where my grumpy old sis would get MARRIED!"
 "Yup...now, hard as it will be, you need to rest up.  You don't even know for certain if he WILL ask her!" 
"But the baby's awake, so I'm awake, and my sister might be getting engaged soon!"  I said, paraphrasing a quote from Frozen.
He laughed quietly.  "Ohh...you're terrible." 
"Well...you're the one who gave me the news."  I threw back. 
He chuckled through his nose. "Touche." 

Today's Events & Well, Now Belle Knows!

Today was interesting.
My already thin dress sleeve ripped...rendering my dress quite useless and causing me to run to behind the cutout, where I had to wait for Tangled Fan, who was already planning on coming to take me to my hot water soak.  Luckily, none of the girls saw that little wardrobe malfunction.  Yikes.

Anyway, when I was done with my soak, Tangled Fan had made me another dress, this time out of sturdier fabric, though she planned on repairing the other dress.  This one was a cute plaid, but the stripes only served to show my even larger tummy...and the hem has a tendency to be quite uneven.  Oh well.
I don't even want to know what I'll look like on Sunday; Tangled Fan said that my next soak will probably be my most important one because apparently, at the rate the baby is growing, the next soak will be the last time my belly will really grow--then it will just be a waiting game for the last  three weeks.
One excellent thing that happened today: Tangled Fan took an old shoebox and turned it into a couch for us.  It's amazing.
Since I started getting a bigger belly, I've appreciated chairs a lot more :D

After I came back from my soak, Eugene and the girls greeted me with their usual enthusiasm, and Audrey and Casey and I played tea party until it was time for their afternoon nap.  It was so sweet--Audrey was trying to include the baby in the party as well; continually leaning in to talk to my belly, explaining what was going on. I don't know what we'd do without those silly girls...

When they had finally settled for a nap, I plopped down on the couch, kicking my feet up and rubbing my stomach as I felt the baby somersalting inside.  Pascal crawled up to sit on my lap, so I talked quietly to him for a few minutes.  When Eugene came from behind the cutout, he promptly came over and started massaging my back.
"Ohhh.....thank you so much..." I drew in a deep, pleased breath and said. 

He chuckled.  "Didn't the soak help?"
"No...it just made me bigger and more uncomfortable!" I complained.
"I'm sorry.  Well, just think--you're at about five and a half weeks, right, with the new estimation?  Only about three and a half more weeks to go." he offered.
"I know...I'm getting really excited now.  Not too much longer, but it just seems like forever.  And my back aches soo much.  And my legs." I sighed as he stopped rubbing my back, and quickly slung my legs back off of the couch and crossed them at the ankles, offering him a spot beside me.  He grinned, and we settled for leaning up against one another and whispering endearments in between spinning plans for the future.

Until there was a quick knock on our divider.  Assuming it was Zelia, I just told her to come over.
It was Belle.
Who had yet to know about my pregnancy.
She came in, talking at about fifteen hundred miles an hour, as eloquent as ever.
"Hello!  I hope I am not disturbing you.  I have not seen you for what seems like an eternity, and I overheard Zelia talking to Ray about becoming an aunt again, so are you planning on adopting again?  Also, how have--"

She froze when I stood and she saw my additional weight in front. 
"Wh...?"
I explained everything, and she quickly ran over to hug me before she led me over to the couch, where the two of us talked about anything baby-related...as Eugene looked on with a mix of embarrassment over the topics at hand and amusement.  The baby was moving almost the entire time, but after a particularly hard kick, I put my hand over my stomach and glanced down.
"Is it moving?"
"Yep," I smiled, getting excited all over again to meet this child.
Belle's eyes lit up. "Could I...I mean...feel it?"
I quirked a brow, but quickly caught on and allowed her to put her hand gingerly across my bulging midsection.  I had to giggle when the baby kicked, because Belle jerked her hand away and stared at me in horror.
"That's what it does all the time...day and night."
She grew silent, stammering horribly for a second or two. "Wow...that's amazing and terrifying!"
I laughed. "Tell me about it!"

Today's Events - and the Girls' Reactions!

~Rapunzel
Today, my entire midsection was so tight and uncomfortable that I ended up catching Tangled Fan when she came in her room to do something, asking her if something was wrong.  She took me for another hot-water soak in the sink, which felt amazing.  Until I realized that my stomach had literally DOUBLED in size!  That couldn't be right.  Could it?  When I was done with my soak, I asked her, completely terrified.  What if something was wrong, what if the baby was growing too fast...what if, what if, what if...!  Tangled Fan, after yet another awkward check-up, said that that I might be about a week further along than she'd originally thought, which makes a lot more sense.  But it's still terrifying!  She told me that my due date would probably be between August 30th and September 9th. That means that I'm almost halfway through my term.  I at least wasn't sick as a dog today, aside from my tight midsection, which was soothed when the plastic had a chance to expand to accommodate the growing baby.

When I got back to the table, Eugene was trying to get three grumpy kiddos to take their afternoon nap...which was interesting.  Jordan was sobbing, Audrey and Casey were fighting, and Eugene looked just about ready to freak out.  I immediately walked over to him, taking Jordan from his arms, and he gave me a grateful smile. 
"Talk after these crazy girls settle down for a nap?"  he asked, and I nodded, dropping my gaze down to Jordan, who was calming down. 
I took her over to the chair, sitting and hoping that nobody would notice my now very noticeable belly.  The girls still haven't found out that I'm expectant.  Anyway, I sat down in the wicker chair and laid her across my chest, letting her head rest on my shoulder.

The poor, tired little girl promptly buried her face in the crook of my neck and fell asleep.  She's such a precious little girl!  I couldn't help but smile.  Suddenly, I was back to being excited to meet this new baby.  Having two little ones would definitely be a challenge, but I was looking forward to it.

When Eugene got the two older girls to settle down and go to sleep, he came over and grinned.

"You've got better skills than I do," he whispered.  "She was screaming and...it was intense." 
I snorted, trying not to burst out laughing.  "Trying to get a baby to go to sleep doesn't seem like an activity you could call 'intense', bud..."
"Well...add two girls fighting tooth-and-nail over a chameleon and who got the pink blanket today, and it was intense."  he joked, reaching to scoop Jordan carefully off of my chest, taking her behind the cutout to her bed (we decided to move the girls' beds back there - it makes more room, and it's darker back there, so they can sleep better.)

When he came back, he promptly asked how my check-up went.  He apparently didn't even notice my belly, but then again, he was looking at my face, not my midsection.   

So I stood up - with a tiny bit of trouble - and cupped by hands underneath my belly, glancing down and biting my lip.  I'd at least doubled in width, and my back was already starting to sway outwards, which was very, very uncomfortable. 
He choked.  "Well...you've definitely got a belly now!"

For some reason, that was enough for me to burst into tears.  I just wanted to have this baby and be done with it, already...and I still have a little over a month to go...!  He realized what he'd said, and immediately started to apologize, but I turned away.

"I-I'm tired...I n-need to go t-take a nap-" I lied, tears blurring my vision as I whirled away from him. 
Wrong move.  My legs got tangled up in my hair, and I tripped and started to fall FACE-FIRST.  Luckily, I was able to jam my arms out in front of me and land on all fours so nothing happened to the baby.  Eugene was at my side in less than an instant. 
"I'm so sorry, honey...are you okay?  C'mere-" he took my elbow and helped me to my feet, but then he wouldn't let me go. 
"I-I...let go, please...I'm fine, I promise.  I just-"
"Need to tell me how your check-up went.  I'm sorry, honey..I didn't mean that the way it sounded, I was just surprised," he still held onto my arm with an incredibly tight grip. 
I sighed, rubbing at my eyes.  "It's okay.  I overreacted - as usual.  Anyway, I'm about a week further along than what she originally said I was, and my due date is between the 30th and the 9th of September.  Um...that's it."
He nodded, his eyes widening in surprise.  "Wow...how are you feeling?  Both about the closer due date and physically." 
"I-I don't know," I sighed again.  "I don't feel like throwing up, but I'm fat and I'm moody and I'm irritated with myself about my moodiness and my back hurts...and I'm terrified.  I'm completely and utterly scared to death, and I can't wait, but at the same time, I'm so scared and I just want to get this over with, and I just want to meet this baby and know that he or she will be healthy and strong and....I'm just really overwhelmed  with worrying right now," I choked. 

He promptly pulled me close, letting me rest my head on his shoulder as he ran his hands up and down my back comfortingly, plopping a kiss or two in my hair before answering. 
"I'm sorry, hon.  Let's see...I'm scared, too, if that makes you feel better.  I'm scared for the baby AND you.  Before you know it, though, we'll be greeting the newest member of our family into the world, though!  And you are most definitely not fat, you're expectant.  There's a difference - and you look just fine, beautiful as always--If not more beautiful!  Moodiness is to be expected, and it's normal, and don't get upset over your mood swings, okay, babe?" 
I sniffled into his shoulder, nodding before pulling away.  "You probably think I'm a nutcase for overreacting just now, though, and-"
He broke me off by kissing me - awkwardly, though, because he realized that he couldn't pull me as close as he usually did.  When he pulled away, he chuckled quietly.  "No - I don't think you're a nutcase.  I love you,"
"Love you, too," I bit my lip, "and I'm sorry for being a grump.  I know I have been lately, so don't tell me I haven't been!"
He grinned.  "I won't deny it, but I also know it's because you're expecting, so you don't have to apologize.  Now...when will we tell the girls?" 
"Probably today, after they wake up...right?  They'll wonder why and how I got such a big belly while they were sleeping," I giggled, and he nodded with a chuckle. 
"Yeah...I'll talk to Audrey, and you can talk to Casey.  Sound good?" 
"Yep," I nodded, reaching for another quick hug. 

When the girls woke up, Audrey was the first to notice my bulging belly. 

"Momma, what HAPPENED?!"  was her reaction, as she stared up at me with her eyes bulging. 
I struggled to keep a straight face at that one.  Eugene guided her over to one side of the table (Jordan was still sleeping, luckily) and I scooped Casey up and took her over to sit at the edge of the table. 
"Hey, sweet girl.  Did you have a nice nap?"  I asked. 
She nodded, but she was too distracted by staring at my stomach to talk about her nap.  "You're having a baby?" 
I froze in surprise.  "Um...yes.  How did you know?" 
She toyed with the little plastic necklace that was always around her neck.  "One of my Barbie families...the mother had a baby of their own and then they put me back up for adoption." 
"Oh, honey...I'm sorry," I whispered. 
"You won't....you won't leave me, will you?"  she gulped, staring up at me with a mixture of fear and bashfulness. 

"Honey, of course not.  You're counted as our child just as much as this one will be!"  I smiled.  "I don't know what I'd do without my little buddy.  I'd miss our nightly girl-chats!" 
She gave me an adorable smile, thankful and relieved, and I bumped my forehead against hers to make her giggle. 
"I'm glad.  I can't wait to meet my new brother or sister!"  she gave a toothy grin, and I gave her a quick hug. 
And then Audrey came racing over and fairly knocked me down, hugging me from the side enthusiastically.  "Mommy, mommy, mommy!  When's the baby coming?" 
I laughed.  She'd taken it a lot better than I'd expected her to.  "In about another month," I told her. 
And on and on she started talking, so fast we could hardly understand her. 

She was apparently soooo very excited for the idea of having another little sister, and Casey was soon swept up in the excitement as well. 
The girls didn't settle down for the rest of the evening. 

                                                           It was an interesting evening. 

The girls ran...and ran...and ran...and shared ideas of what they could teach their new sibling...things that they'd already taught Jordan.  Such as how to pull Pascal's tail and supposedly not get caught.
Finally, at around ten o'clock, they were tired out enough to collapse into bed, after we'd exchanged "good night, sleep tight, mommy and daddy love you"s.  By then, I was bone tired.  I collapsed into bed, my hair incredibly messy and un-brushed, moving only to make room for Eugene. 
I groaned, stretching my back.  It was amazing how much strain was put on my back already, and it HURT!  I squeezed my eyes shut, squirming uncomfortably until I decided that my back wasn't getting any less sore.  With a huff, I turned on my side....and realized that Eugene had been watching me. 
"What?" 
"Nothing - just watching you and wishing you were able to get comfortable, since you seem to be having an issue with that." 
"Yeah..." I sighed.  "If my back is this sore, and it's only been ONE DAY with my belly this big....I'm gonna die before this kid's born!" 
"You'll be fine.  I'm sorry.  You'll probably stay off your feet less when your due date gets closer, I'm thinking," he offered quietly. 
"Hmmh...so that means I get to lay around in bed, bored and uncomfortable!" 
He chuckled.  "Sorry." 
"Anyway.  So...do you think Audrey's excited?  Casey was scared because she thought we'd give her back up for adoption when the baby is born.  One of her other families did that," I explained. 
My guy grinned. "Yeah...she's just a bit excited.  And oh, man....I can't believe someone could do that.  Especially to Casey." 
"Yeah," I sighed, scooting around until I could rest my head on his shoulder, which was no easy feat.  My belly pressed into his side, and within moments, a flurry of bumps and kicks erupted from the baby.  I sighed again, scooting away until my stomach wasn't pressed against him, and looked up at my husband.  He was staring at my stomach, wide-eyed, and I realized that he probably hadn't felt the baby moving yet.  His face was PRICELESS.  I couldn't help but giggle! 
Finally, he mumbled, "I can't imagine having that going on i-inside of me all the time." 
I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying not to giggle.  When I finally could trust myself to speak without laughing, I said, "I'm not used to it...nor could I have imagined it, either!" 
He nodded, chuckling, and reached to slip his arms carefully around me with a smile.  "Love you.  I would offer to let you cuddle up against me, but I think the baby would likely have something to say about that.  Again." 
I grinned, letting one of my hands drop to my stomach as I still tried to wrap my mind around the fact that I carried a baby.  "Yeah...most likely.  I love you, too!"