We're Close to Meeting

Dear Honeybee,

I know we're close to meeting. Lots of things feel very different today. We've been in "labor" since Friday. At least that is what our midwife keeps telling me. But I have a feeling, that today, is the day that we get to meet. The day I finally get to hold you in my arms. I can't wait to look into your eyes. And kiss your sweet cheeks! Just thinking about it, makes me so excited!

Over the last 9 months, we've grown so close. We've been through so much! Your growth has been magical. I still remember the 1st time I felt you kick. I cried. I realized that you were really in my belly. Growing big and strong. It's been magical. Just all the new feelings. All of your kicks. And all of the love. We have so much love already. I feel like our bond is so strong!

It hasn't been an easy 9 months. I'd be lying if I said that. But together, we've made it through our pregnancy. You've been so strong for your Mommy. When I 1st found out about you, I was scared to death! How was I going to be a Mommy? What was going to happen? Would your Daddy be excited? And going through all that hard stuff, it's only made the 2 of us stronger. We've made it through all of those things. The 2 of us. We've started over. And I promise you, it's been all well worth it!

I'd do anything for you Charlotte. Anything in the world. I want you to have all the opportunities in life. I want you to be happy. And very healthy! To have a better life than me. I want all of those things for you. And I'll do my best to make your life a good one. A life that is fun, meaningful, and full of love.

Not only do I love you. But there are so many other people in our lives that love you too. All of your Mommy's friends. Mrs. G is already talking about how one day, you and her son are going to date. And get married. That scares your Mommy. But it's nice to see how my friends love you. All of us mommies, we're planning lots of play dates. I want you to have lots of close friends. To grow up in a community that loves you.

There are also 3 very special people in our lives. They're so excited to meet you. Your Uncle S, he just loves you. Everything about you, it makes him smile. You melt his heart. He's a big "manly man." But when he hears your heartbeat, sees your little face, or feels you kick, he just melts. He wants to protect you. And to provide for us. He wants to love us. And he even asked me if he could be your Daddy. We're still working on that. But I know, your Uncle S, he will always be in your life. He will love you like you are part of him. Because you are. You might not be his DNA, but you my dear baby girl, are part of his heart. And you now own his entire heart!

Then there are your Godparents. They love you more than I could ever imagine. They're always calling me. Checking on us. Making sure we're OK. Your Nono, he is always doing thoughtful things for us. Like your nursery at his house, helping me with our move, and with my job. He loves us. A lot!

Your Nana, she just amazing. She loves you with every ounce of her heart. That's one thing you're going to learn about her. She is very independent. And has everything in order. All of her life. But she loves with all of her heart. To the point were it makes her weak and vulnerable. But that's a good thing. Because you can never love too much. Or be loved too much! Your Nana does such thoughtful things for us. Sends us little presents. Writes us the perfect cards. I'm telling you, she loves you like you were hers.

That's why I picked your Nana and Nono to be your Godparents. They're strong people. Hardworking. But they love with all of their hearts. They're going to teach you so much in your life! And they have so much love to share with you. So much love!

We have so many people that love us. We might not have a family. In the traditional sense. But we have people that love us. We've made our own family. And we're going to be your family. The people you can depend on. We're going to love and protect you, for the rest of our lives!

You might not have a Daddy. In the traditional sense. But you have men that are going to help fill that void. Uncle S, he's the guy that I want you to love like a Daddy. He already loves you. He thinks of you as his daughter. He wants to protect you. Love you. And provide for you. In his eyes, the sun rises because of you. I'd have to agree.

My bestie and I, we've been through a lot in our 27 years. Lots of things. But we've always been there for each other. Always! I hope and pray that you have a friend just like her. Someone that you can always depend on. To be honest, I also pray that your Nana and Nono will one day get married. They're perfect for each other. And they have so much love to give each other. Maybe you can help me with that. We can come up with some sort of plan to "Seal the Deal." And maybe they'll have you a little playmate soon! :)

For the last 9 months, we've grown together. You've grown big and strong. And I've tried to grow as a person. And as a Mommy. I've taken all the classes. I've prepared for you. And I've loved you. Now Charlotte Madeleine Grace, I'm ready to meet you. So if 10/10/10 is meant to be your birthday, I'm ready for the ride. I'm ready to celebrate this day with you.

This is a special day. The date is special all on it's own. It's also your Nono's birthday. He'd be so excited to share his day with you! And my dear baby girl, it's special because it's the day we get to meet! I just know it. I know that by tonight, I will get to hold you for the very 1st time.

I just pray that your Uncle S will get back in time. He's trying his best. I pray that your Nana helps your Nono celebrate his big day. And I pray for a safe and healthy birth for you. I want my little girl to be healthy. And safe. And happy. Most of all, happy. That's important in life.

W and me are ready to meet you! We've spent months getting ready for this day. Preparing our home for you. Getting your nursery ready. We're ready to welcome you into our home, our lives, and our family. Most of all Charlotte, I'm ready to be your Mommy. I already love you so much. And I'm going to do all that I can to protect you. For your entire life. Baby girl, I'm ready to be your Mommy. Now all you have to do is come into our world. I love you baby girl! And I'm ready when you are!

Love,
Your Mommy

Week 41: Patients

Dear Honeybee,

Baby Girl, we're officially "7 days late." But I'm not at all worried. We've had 3 "Non-Stress Tests" this week. And during each one, you were doing amazing! Simply amazing! I got to hear your strong heartbeat. And I got to see your beautiful face this week. 3 times! Every time I see you, my heart melts. Yes, you do that to your Mommy!

Today, I got my membranes scraped after our normal appointment. It hurt. I'm not going to lie. And I started to have some strong contractions. But it is all worth it, if it helps you. Our contractions have almost stopped. It's been a couple of hours. But I feel different. Like this could be the weekend we meet. :)

On Monday and Wednesday, we got to hangout with Uncle S. He didn't want us to be alone. So he hung out with us. He made sure we ate lots of good food. We also managed to do some shopping. Because we went out for a long walk. And while we were walking, we found some nice Baby Shops. I can't wait to take you there when you're born!

Yes, your Uncle S is just spoiling you rotten! I'm sure that you have more clothes than you'll ever wear. And you have so many toys. I can't wait until you are big enough to play with them. The more shopping that I do, the more excited I am to meet you. Yes, Charlotte, your Mommy just can't wait to meet you!

W is also excited. I can tell. He knows something new is about to happen. He has been super close to us lately. Just snuggling with us. Sleeping with us in bed. Well, sleeping while your Mommy tries to sleep. This week, that's been really tough. But I'm trying. But I'm sure W is ready to meet you too. The 2 of you are still playing your games. He puts his cold nose on my belly, and you kick. He licks where you've kicked. And you kick again. It's so exciting to watch! :)

This week was also my last week of work. I only worked 2 days. But it was tough to get through those 2 days. I was so tired when I got home. So I'm thinking, that means that you are almost ready to be born. Now, we just get to relax. And wait for the day when we meet.

This week has been all about patients. I have to allow myself lots of time. I'm moving a lot slower. It's difficult to eat and sleep. But I'm trying. I'm trying really hard. It also takes me a really long time to get places. Because it's hard to walk. And I'm out of breath anytime that I'm moving or talking. But like I said before, it's all worth it. Just to see your beautiful face.

Every morning, I wake up wondering if this is the day. And I go to sleep every night, just starring at your bassinet. Dreaming about the day when you will sleep in there. When I can lay in my bed and watch you sleep. I'm very excited for that day to come!

But I've learned patients this week. I know that I have to wait. That only God knows when we are going to meet. That no matter how ready I am to meet you, you're just not ready to be born. It must be comfy inside! But your Mommy will have lots of patients. And I'll wait as long as I need to. Because I want you to be healthy and happy when you're born. Stay comfy as long as you need to baby girl!

Love,
Your Mommy

Halloween Costumes

Halloween is less than a month away! S bought W a Halloween costume as a joke. This Superman costume. And I really like it. I even tried it on W. He didn't seem to mind it. But then again, W is a pretty laid back dog.

I can't wait to dress up W for Halloween! You know, W is "Superdog." :)

But it got me thinking. Charlotte is going to be a few weeks old at Halloween. And we live in a "Family" neighborhood. I was already planning on handing out candy. But I had forgotten about Halloween costumes. So I went looking online last night.

This is what I found for Charlotte...

I'm really in love with this little pink bunny. I know it's a little big. But this is just precious!

Sunshine Bear? Are you serious? Another really cute baby costume. And who doesn't like the Care Bears?

This sunflower is too cute! And it looks very "Newborn Friendly" too!

A Glow Worm? I'm in love! This is just a cute costume!

Now some costumes for me...

A Ladybug. I think this is nice. A good post-pregnancy costume. One that I can modify a bit to be more "Mommy Friendly."

This Bumblebee is also a nice choice. Covers up everything. And is still cute.

This Fairy/Butterfly is also a nice one. I'd would probably wear leggings with the skirt. And a long sleeve top instead of this top. You know, I'm going to be a mommy. :)

I had fun looking at all the costumes. Trying to decide on what to buy. I want Halloween to be special for Charlotte and me. It's our 1st holiday together. And I think it's important to start good family traditions early. I just want my little girl to have everything that I didn't.

So what costumes did I order? I ordered Charlotte the pink bunny. It was a little expensive. But it's going to be so worth it! I can't wait to see her all dressed up. And I got the ladybug. I figured that with some leggings and flat shoes, I'd be OK. Now all I have to do is wait on my order. And my little girl. :) H

Speechless...

I went to see T today. I wanted him to know our good news. I've known since the beginning of the month. When I took my at home pregnancy tests. I called to make a doctors appointment the following Monday. And well, I didn't get to see the doctor. But I did get to see a PA. And I got confirmation that I am pregnant. At this point, I'm 8 1/2 weeks! My first appointment with my doctor is March 5th. And well, I just wanted my husband to know what was going on. I think I owe him that much.

Well, I guess I was the one that was in for a shock. You see, we lived in 2 separate homes from June until the end of summer when I moved. We were separated. We had been through a lot of pain in a short amount of time. And we were just trying to work through it. He told everyone that he didn't want to live in our house if we weren't together. Because it was "Our House." He hadn't been living there. It was were I had lived. So I went to the townhouse he lived in when I first met him. T wasn't there. But I ran into a good friend of his. Someone that lives near him. He just casually told me that T was back at our home. That he was doing some work on the house.

So I drove to our house. I got there and T was painting. Painting 2 rooms. He was surprised that I was there. I rang the door bell. Because I just didn't feel right barging in. Even if I had been the last person to live there. He came to the door speckled in paint. And he had a surprised look on his face. You could tell, I was the last person he expected to see.

We made small talk as I came in. W, our dog, came running towards me. I miss him so much! And T told me that he had been painting a few rooms. One being his office. And he wanted to show it to me. You see, when we first had our house built, I didn't believe that dark brown would be a good color for his office. I thought it was too dark. And the room has a lot of weird angles and built ins. But T had just painted it.

And as we were making our way to the office, W was really close to me. Like he could sense something. I happened to see the other room he had painted, and felt so sick! I ran to the bathroom and the morning sickness took over. At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder why there was now a pastel bedroom in our house.

As I hugged the toilet, W was guarding me. Like he just knew what was going to happen next. T stood in the doorway, pissed off! His arms were crossed and the look on his face explained it all...

When I could, I got up. I rinsed my mouth. And tried to gain my footing. I felt horrible. Like I could pass out any second! And T was seeing red. He almost immediately began yelling. Demanding to know what was going on. I tried to calm him down. I had good news to share with him. And I didn't want it to come out like this. But he wasn't having it. It probably didn't help that W was right at my side.

I didn't know what else to do. I just took a deep breath and told T that we are expecting a baby. He blew up! Started cussing and walking back in forth. He had his hands on his head. Like it might explode. Like he couldn't understand what I was saying. Then he got up and walked away. I didn't know what to do. Or what to say. I know we hadn't planned this. But we always wanted to have kids.

After an hour, I got up from the couch. I figured T had calmed down enough. He was sitting in the pastel room. Staring out the window. Lost in his deep thoughts. So I turned around. I figured I'd head home. Give him some time and space to think and process this. Heck, I've had almost 3 weeks to process our news.

Instead, he told me to stop. He needed to tell me something. He is expecting another baby. A girl. And she's due in May. Hello! I just felt like someone pulled the floor out from under me. I slide down the wall. And just sat. That room we were in, it's going to be the baby's nursery. I was sitting in his baby's nursery. How did this happen?

Here I thought, we were trying to make our marriage work. We were trying to go on dates every couple of days. Just depending on our schedules. We were talking about maybe moving in together by the end of spring. Maybe I'd start traveling with him again. And now this. Not only is he expecting a little girl with his ex-girlfriend, but he's been seeing another woman. Yes, T was somehow juggling the 3 of us. I felt like an idiot!

I didn't know what to say. The tears just came. They overflowed my eyes. And just came. I cried and cried. I listened to everything he had to say. I knew I had made mistakes, but this...I didn't know what to say. But I let him talk. It felt like this was the last time we'd ever talk like this again. So I let him talk. And when he was done. I just sat there. Staring at my wedding ring. Wondering what had happened. When did it go so wrong? We haven't even celebrated our 1st Anniversary.

My thoughts were spinning in my head. I didn't know what to do. Or what to say. But I knew immediately, that I have a baby growing inside me. A baby that I need to protect. A baby that's going to need lots of love. And deserves a good life. This, this is not acceptable to me. I took off my ring. I put it on the windowsill. I turned to leave and he told me, "I don't think you baby is mine. How do I know what you've been doing. I'm going to need some serious proof." I didn't know what to say. Instead I turned around and left.

Walking out the door, my heart was so heavy. I didn't know what to say or what to think. This is the man I love. The man that told me that he loved me. We got married. And promised each other that we'd make a better life for each other. Because we had both had tough childhoods. And now this...

Some of T's friends were coming over as I left. I'm sure they saw my tear soaked shirt and red eyes. But I couldn't stop and talk. I just needed to come home. To a place that I feel safe. I know that my marriage is over. But I want a good life for my baby. It's so hard to love someone who doesn't deserve it. But at least he gave me a baby to love. Even if he doesn't think our baby is his. H