Best of Women

Lin

I was ridiculously excited about Pippa's pregnancy. We hadn't even been trying and one of my little swimmers had done it. It was a happy little accident.

Pippa was glowing. She was wearing her little nightie and robe as she made coffee the next morning. The kids were all still in bed, so we had a few moments of peace together before the circus began.

So far, Pippa's pregnancy had been going great. She hadn't even realized she was pregnant. No morning sickness, no pain. My wife had had difficult pregnancies, especially with the twins. With them, she'd been on bed rest the last month before they were born. I hoped the baby would go easy on my girl.

I was ready for the cravings, for the foot and backrubs. I was in love with the idea of Pippa carrying our child. She had to do all the work up front, obviously, and so I would treat her like the queen she was.

It wasn't a problem, per se, but I wanted to marry Pippa before the baby came. That gave me almost nine months. The question was how and when to pop the question. I wanted to make it special, because Pippa was so special.

I made Pippa an omelet, her favorite, and had her sit on the couch. I brought it to her a few minutes later, along with some orange juice.

"I'll have to pick up some prenatal pills today," she told me. Pippa was on it. She thought of everything.

Carmen wandered out first with Paco. I offered to make her an omelet as well and she accepted. Soon, I was whipping up multiple omelets as the kids made their appearances. Around 9:30, everyone was up but Mia. I wandered to her room and pushed the door open. The sun was streaming in and she laid in bed groaning.

"You feeling okay?" I asked her, walking over to feel her forehead.

"I'm so sore," she complained.

"Hmmm," I said. "Want some ice or a heat pad?"

"Heat pad?" she requested. I nodded and found one in the bathroom, then threw it in the microwave. I returned a few minutes later and she had kicked off her covers.

"Where does it hurt?" I asked.

"My arms," she said. I draped it across her chest so it reached both her biceps. She breathed out and relaxed a little more.

"Maybe a hot bath would be a good idea," I told her.

"Yeah" she said, closing her eyes and sighing. For now she was enjoying the heat pad. I made her my final omelet and she wandered out a few minutes later. I could tell she was sore from the way she moved.

"Sweetheart, do you need to sit out a day?" I asked her as she took her plate to the kitchen table.

"No," she quickly answered. "It'll be better soon."

Both girls were tough kids and had been dealing with a lifetime of pain and discomfort from gymnastics. They loved it so much that they were willing to put up with it. I nodded and dropped it. As long as she was eating, things were okay. Their practice didn't start until 12:30, so I ran her a bath later in the morning. She stayed in for almost 45 minutes.

I had a few things to do, so I took the girls to gymnastics practice. I decided to stay for a while to see what they were working on. As usual, they terrified me at their boldness. Any sign of Mia's aches earlier had disappeared. It was like as soon as she walked onto the floor, it was business time and there was no time for aches and pains.

When they arrived home later, Mia immediately requested ice. I got some out the freezer and set her up. She also requested some pain killer. Mia went to bed pretty early - 8:00.