Turning Page

Definitely Ours

She was scared at first, and almost felt guilty for even being scared of something that most people looked at as a miracle. She couldn't help that she was scared and she knew she had a really good logical reason on why she was afraid in the first place, afraid of what this new addition to their family may bring. She was even afraid that their new little addition, their new little miracle wouldn't even make it, because of what had happened last time. Just the thought of it made her shiver and shake, and she could feel her anxiety creeping up on her so much that she had to walk around a bit, rubbing her temples and whispering words of strength to herself...and the baby inside of her uterus.

"I understand that you guys have been through an unfortunate miscarriage prior to this pregnancy, but I can assure the two of you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that this baby comes into this world as healthy as anyone possibly can," Dr. Jacobs shared a warm smile with the tense couple, watching the two of them visibly relax.

"Of course the health of the baby also has to depend on the two of you, but I will be here with you every step of the way. I will do my part, as long as you do yours, and we'll deliver a healthy and happy baby, okay?" Dr. Jacobs' words somehow comforted the two of them, and Demi squeezed Wilmer's hand as he nodded at her in reassurance before they bid their thank you's and goodbyes to Dr. Jacobs and was on their way.

"So I got Pregnancy for Dumbies, Fatherhood for Dumbies, Motherhood for Dumbies, the Healthy Baby, Your Baby and You, and the Pregnancy Cookbook," Demi sipped on her green tea as she rubbed her flat stomach. She knew that she should be terrified of gaining weight, considering her past, but a part of her wanted her belly to get big, just for some evidence that there really was a little human growing on the inside of her.

"Wilmer, I don't think some book can teach us how to be good parents. I think it's an instinctive thing. We'll know what to do when the time comes, but for now we can practice with Nyah and take some classes. Put back the fatherhood and motherhood books, it's kind of insulting," she demanded, shifting through the baby name book that she had found before pushing her glasses further up her nose.

"You're right it's just...it's scary. In seven months we're gonna be in charge of another life and sometimes it feels like we can barely manage our own. Our relationship used to be my perfect thing, but now it's gonna be this baby. I can't screw this up," he breathed out, running his fingers through his short hair as Demi pouted in sympathy and lowered her book away from her face. She reached across the table and grabbed his hand, running her thumb across the back of it as she stared into his eyes. Things had been rough since the miscarriage, both of them putting the blame on each other, and both of them too wounded to try to patch things up. But they both understood that it was time for them to move on. They were bringing a baby, a human, into this world and they were responsible for it.

"Usually you're the one that gives me the motivational speeches," they both chuckled at the realization that their usual roles had been reversed, "God wouldn't put this on our plates, wouldn't put this baby into our lives, if he thought that we couldn't handle it. We've overcome so much, together, this is just another chapter in our book of life, that we're gonna write together. We can do this," she coached as Wilmer nodded and squeezed her hand.

"We can do this," he repeated, and in that moment, they actually felt as if they could.

Month Four

Staring at her swollen stomach in the mirror was almost intimidating. During her last pregnancy, she hadn't made it far enough along to even get a bump, but now it seemed as if the little baby inside of her stomach had decided to make itself known, growing so much to the point where her skin was beginning to stretch, and her stomach and hips were expanding. It was as if it had happened overnight, because even if people couldn't tell that her stomach wasn't flat anymore, she could feel it. She was pregnant. She was actually pregnant.