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!"