Send Me In Orbit

Newborn

Leah's eyes had barely closed when the crying started. She sighed tiredly and moved to get up but Clark was already out of bed.

"I'll get him," he said.

"Clark-" She tried to tell him that it was time for CJ's feeding but he had already left the room. Leah lay back. He would figure it out soon enough.

It has been 18 days since CJ was born and Leah was exhausted. She was happy, oh so happy. Nothing filled her entire being with happiness and love like her son. But she was barely sleeping. Having a newborn kept you up day and night. It was a big adjustment, for both her and Clark.

Clark was amazing though. He dived right into fatherhood and he was a natural. He doted on CJ day and night and took care of Leah while she was still recovering from the birth and was slow on her feet.

Leah loves watching Clark with CJ. She thought she has experienced the strength and depth of Clark Medina's love. She knows that her husband loves her like no other. But the love that Clark has for CJ is really like no other. The bond they had formed when CJ was still in her belly was only strengthening now that he was out in the world. CJ absolutely loved it when his Daddy sings to him. Unless he's wet or hungry, it soothes him instantly and he loves falling asleep to Clark's lullabies. He responds to Clark's presence almost instantly, it was like they were two radio frequencies tuned into each other, CJ knows when Clark is in the room and when he leaves it.

Leah thought she would be jealous but she and CJ have their own bond. She had thought that she wouldn't love anyone more than she loves Clark. And maybe she doesn't love CJ more but she loves him just as much in a different way. She can feel his every breath, every heartbeat as if it was tied to her own. She knew each and every single one of his cries and if he was in pain, Leah felt it more acutely than her own. She lived and breathed for her son, like she was put on this earth to meet Clark and create CJ. She would do anything and everything to keep CJ safe and happy. Motherhood was such a wonderous thing and it was like nothing that Leah could have ever imagined.

Her life revolves around her son in a way she didn't expect. Near the end of her pregnancy, Leah had been having doubts about giving up her job at Art Mart. She thought that she might be able to make motherhood work with a full time job. Many of the women in the office were mothers, afterall. She thought about it enough to consider broaching the topic with Clark but decided to wait until CJ was born. Now that CJ was here, Leah couldn't imagine being away from him one second. Babies grow so fast and she wanted to witness every smile, every tear, every gurgle, and yes, every poop and fart. Everything that CJ did was amazing to Leah. She knew she would never be happy at her job again when CJ was at home with someone else.

During her last few weeks prior to giving birth, Leah started writing a blog. It started as a journal to CJ. All her life, Leah has always found an emotional outlet in writing, from her Facegram entries written to Nanang to her letters to Clark during their separation, Leah always felt better when she could write down her thoughts and feelings. When her boredom at home became too much during her bedrest and she was brimming with anticipation and excitement for CJ's arrival, Leah started writing down her life for CJ in a journal she published online. She made it a blog because she wanted to keep a record that CJ could read when he's older and she wanted to easily share the entries with Clark, Cecile, Manang Tiffany, and a few other friends. She never imagined that her little blog would go viral.

The blog entry titled "I Married For a Greencard" was circulated on social media. It became controversial because some people thought Leah was encouraging fixed marriages. She got enough backlash that Leah decided to start a series of posts recounting her love story with Clark and how the fixed marriage did and did not work for them. The series was an online sensation, with readers waiting for the next installment every week. Soon after CJ was born, Leah was contacted by a top parenting and lifestyle blog where she was asked to be a contributor. She was paid a small fee for her articles but the biggest thing it did for her was to give her connections to brands and endorsements, eager to work with her blog. Leah was able to do similar things to her Art Mart job all at home on her laptop with CJ sleeping beside her. She didn't have to put in 9 hours of work (sometimes more) in an office and she didn't have to sit at home twiddling her thumbs either. The work on her blog kept her brain engaged but didn't require her leaving CJ's side. She only wanted to share her story with her son and it led her to her dream job. It was funny how things worked out but Leah knew that God was guiding her path.