Dear mom

1. History Lesson

Stabler Residence
Thursday, September 5
7:02 am

"Mommy, I hate my new uni-uni-what's this thing called again?" Pia looked up at her mother with her big brown eyes, dissatisfied with the new uniform she had to wear for her first day of kindergarten.

"It's called a uniform baby, and why don't you like it? This is what big girls wear once they go on to kindergarten," Olivia kneeled down in front of her daughter and ran her hands through her curly brown hair.

"Well then take me back to preschool with the babies, I don't like this!" she threw her cardigan on the floor and ran to lock herself in her closet. Olivia sighed, feeling defeated this morning already. Today was Pia's first day at her new private school and she had been hoping this day would have gone a lot smoother. She took a deep breath and ran her hand through her chestnut waves before standing on the other side of the closet door.

"Pia.." she said calmly.

"I want daddy!" Pia screamed on the other side of the door. Olivia had to admit she wasn't shocked. She was a daddy's girl and had Elliot wrapped around her little finger- both of his girls did.

Olivia regretfully went to find Elliot in their room in only his slacks and undershirt. "It's only 7:30, why do you already look done for the day?" he walked over to her, noticing how tired she had looked.

"Pia is asking for you, she's refusing to wear her new uniform and has locked herself in the closet," she took a deep breath and released, trying to remember that these were the years full of testing.

"Hey don't worry, I'll get her in her new uniform and downstairs for breakfast. Why don't you go and enjoy a cup of tea? I don't want this one coming early like his sister," Elliot wrapped his arms around her from behind and ran them over her small swell.

"The doctor says he's fine, I'm fine..everything will be okay," she turned her head to kiss him before heading downstairs.

She was almost seven months into this pregnancy and Elliot was praying she'd at least make it to eight. When Olivia had gotten pregnant with their eldest, Corinna, it had been an easy pregnancy. Despite the fact that they were both Juniors in college, they both made it work after her birth. Elliot worked his way through school to provide for Olivia and Corinna, eventually moving on to starting his own business. Olivia however..ended up becoming a full time mother to Corinna after finding out the cost of childcare was well out of their budget. She'd always promised herself she would go back to school and get her degree to become a rape crisis counselor, but once Corinna was in school she had already begun to feel like it was too late. It was ten years before she had Pia. She was born premature, almost 10 weeks early, but Pia had fought like hell and came home finally after 5 weeks in NICU- their miracle baby.

And now years later she was pregnant again at the age of 37. It was risky, her and Elliot both knew but they wanted to try at least one more time for a baby boy. She needed a little Elliot.

"Morning Corinna," Olivia rounded the corner and entered into the kitchen, still in her pajamas and robe. She kissed her daughter's forehead who sat at the kitchen island barely paying attention to the bowl of cereal she had in front of her.

"Hey mom, so do you think I can borrow a few dollars and go to the mall with Lena after school?" she took a moment to look up from her phone but quickly returned to texting away.

"What's 'a few dollars'? I just gave you money to go shopping last weekend," Olivia started on a bowl of oatmeal and fresh strawberries for Pia- the  only thing she would eat these days.

"I know but there's these new shoes that I want..they're $150 but-"

"$150? No way Corinna-"

"But mom everyone has them and- and it would be so much easier if you would just give me a credit card like the rest of my friend's parents do," she pouted in her seat, her long dark hair falling over her face.