That Baby (40 page)

“That’s my favorite. Do you like it?”

He pulls me toward him, my bump hitting his stomach. “You’re my favorite,” he says. “I can’t believe you picked out all these colors.”

“I want the perfect shade, Phillip.”

“That’s part of why I love you. Although we’re getting close and, so far, we haven’t made much progress in here. All we have is the changing table and a whole lot of clothes. Will it be done in time?”

“I hope so. The painters will be here this week. I’ve ordered the crib. I’ve got more swatches coming in for the rocking chair, but I needed to choose the paint color before I made a final decision. I ordered the chandelier and when the electrician installs it and the twinkle lights, he’s going to add a dimmer. I have some curtains picked out but I was waiting to decide which color pompoms I want on the edges of it. I still need to find a rug . . .”

Phillip laughs. “Okay, I got it. You still have a lot to do.”

“Yeah, but even if it’s not completely ready in time, that’s okay. The first few weeks the baby will sleep in its bassinet in our room. Trust me, the crib is so gorgeous it’s worth the wait.”

“I’m sure it will be. What is that big box in the garage?”

“Oh my gosh, Phillip. Your mom is going crazy buying stuff for the baby. That is a Little Tikes play kitchen. It’s for ages two and up.”

“There’s more than just a kitchen. I could barely get my car in.”

“Yes, we’re going to have to find a home for all the toys she’s buying. There’s a slide and a basketball hoop too. I’m thinking we’re going to need a playroom.”

“Where do you want to put it?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to decide. You want a playroom close to where you’re going to be. So most people want them by their kitchen, so that they can cook and stuff while the kids play. Once we have kids, I’m going to want to work from home, so it would make the most sense to have it upstairs by my office. But I don’t want to take up another one of the bedrooms, especially if we really do want four or five kids. It’d just be a short-term solution. So I was thinking we have that big room down in the basement that we’re not doing anything with right now.”

“That’s supposed to be my future home theater,” Phillip says tentatively.

“I know, but what if we eventually finished the storage space under the garage instead? It’s got a lower ceiling and is all concrete. The acoustics will be amazing. And we spend a ton of time in the basement. So while we have our friends over to watch football, the kids could be in the next room playing. There are French doors out to the backyard, so when they are older, they can go outside and play and I’ll still be able to keep an eye on them.”

“So you want to make that room both your office and a playroom?”

“Exactly. It’s not something we need to do right away though.”

“Actually, I’d prefer to do it now while we’re not busy with a baby. What do you want to do with the room? Have you thought about it?”

I can’t help but chuckle.

He grins. “Of course you have. Did you draw it up for me?”

I drag him downstairs, get him a beer, sit him at the island, and run to grab my dream house book.

“Ahh!” I scream. “Oh, shit!”

Phillip comes rushing into the laundry room. “What’s wrong?”

I point at the gnome, whose head is sticking out of my tote bag.

Phillip’s face breaks into a wide grin.
 

“Why are you smiling?” I glare at him. “Did you put it there? You can’t do that! I’ve heard pregnant women can pee if they get scared!”

“I didn’t do it.”

“Then why do you look like that cat who just ate the canary?”

“Danny must have done it before he left for training camp. It’s been a while since we’ve played the gnome game. I think it’s a good sign. Like maybe he’s getting back to normal.”

“Gosh, I sure hope so.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Dear Baby Mac,

While you are packing on the pounds, you are also adding to your brain. Making it bigger and getting smarter. They say, anytime now, you will move into a head-down position that will make it easier to start the birthing process.
 

But if I were you, I might wait a while before I did that.
 

Standing on my head for six weeks would give me a massive headache.
 

Your playroom, my office, and your nursery are coming along nicely. Really, your nursery is completely done except for two things.
 

The crib and rocking chair that I ordered are still not in, but we have plenty of time.
 

I’m starting to have Braxton Hicks contractions.
 

The doctor calls them practice cramps and says they are my body preparing for the big day.
 

And I can see why it’s preparing.
 

Even as much as I’ve enjoyed being pregnant with you, I’m starting to get a bit uncomfortable.
 

And we still have six weeks left to go.
 

I’d tell you to stop growing, but that wouldn’t be very motherly of me.
 

But I would like to request that you stop kicking my bladder.

Yesterday when you kicked me, I thought I was going to pee my pants.
 

This is me using my stern voice. “Baby Mac, the bladder is off limits.”

August 23rd

You go, girl.

“No. Just stop!” Phillip says, waking me up.
 

I wonder who he’s talking to but quickly realize he’s dreaming. I push on his shoulder. “What are you dreaming about?”
 

“We got stuck in a snowstorm and I had to deliver the baby myself. Which, impressively, I did.”

“Well that’s good, except you were yelling to stop.”

“Yeah, that’s because once I delivered the first baby, they just kept coming.”

“Kept coming?”

“Yeah, one baby after another. Like when you’re in a batting cage and the machine keeps pitching. The babies kept coming and coming.”

“You’ve seen the ultrasounds, Phillip. There’s only one baby,” I tease.

“I know. It was crazy. Have you packed a bag for the hospital yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m pretty sure we won’t have a snow storm on the first of October.”
 

“Still, I just would feel better if we were prepared. We finished our birthing class a couple weeks ago and we don’t have that done or a birthing plan.”

“My birthing plan is simple. Just six words long.
I’ll have the epidural now, please.
Do you need me to write that down so you’ll remember it?”

“Probably not,” he laughs. “I’m supposed to go lift with Danny this morning. He’s back home from training camp for a couple days since the second preseason game is tomorrow night. I decided I’m taking the gnome with me.”

“Where are you going to hide it this time?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll think of something.”

When he gets back from working out, he’s talking to me from the bathroom while he’s shaving. “So Danny wants us to come over for dinner tonight. He said he’s grilling steaks.”

“That sounds good. Does Lori know he invited us?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Probably for the best. Where did you put the gnome?”

“In his beer fridge on the deck. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to see him find it.”

The dog days of summer are officially here. Even Angel doesn’t want to be outside for very long.
 

I’ve been feeling pretty good but, lately, the heat has been getting to me more than it used to.
 

Thankfully, as we trod up the stairs to Lori and Danny’s deck, the breeze has picked up, giving us a reprieve.

“Hey,” Lori says to us.

“I brought some brownies,” I tell her, setting them on the patio table, hoping that will ease the tension. We haven’t really talked since the formula incident. And if it weren’t for the fact that we’ve only seen Danny once since training camp started a couple weeks ago, I wouldn’t be here.

“I can’t eat those,” she immediately says. “I’m on a very strict diet.”

“How come?”

“So I can get back to my pre-baby weight,” she says, like I’m an idiot.
 

“I figured that. I just read that when you nurse, you aren’t supposed to diet.”

“I’m still consuming plenty of food, it’s just the right kind of food. Lots of fruits and vegetables. Lots of water. Danny got me a personal trainer and nutritionist.”

“That was nice of him,” Phillip says, squeezing my hand. I know what the squeeze means.
 

More brownies for us.
 

Lori smiles. It’s pretty much the first smile she’s thrown my way since—I can’t even remember.
 

“He comes highly recommended by our team trainer, so hopefully it’s not a waste of money,” Danny interjects, joining us on the deck with Devaney in his arms. “Lori, would you mind grabbing me and Phillip a beer?”
 

Phillip and I look at each other in a panic, suddenly remembering the gnome. We both go, “Wai—”

“Ahhhhh!! What the hell!?” Lori screams. She grabs the gnome and throws it at Phillip. Thankfully, he’s quick-handed and catches it. “Why am I the only adult here?”

Danny and I bust out laughing.
 

“Stop laughing! I’m serious! It’s a stupid, ugly gnome that you keep hiding to try to scare each other. It’s childish. Are you ever going to grow up?”

Danny can’t stop laughing. “Lori, you should’ve seen the look on your face. Priceless.”

“It’s not fucking funny!” she yells.

Devaney smiles at Danny then laughs.
 

“Ohmigosh! Did you see that? Devaney is laughing too!” I burst out.

“Even you think the gnome is funny, don’t you, little monkey?” Danny says, tickling her chin.

“We’re not hiding the gnome, Lori. It’s been moving of it’s own accord,” Phillip manages to say with a straight face.

“You’re all nuts,” she says, stomping into the house.

“That didn’t go over so well,” Phillip says to Danny.
 

“Mommy needs to learn to take a joke, doesn’t she?” Devaney moves her hands around, touching Danny’s face. He grabs her finger in his mouth and shakes it, causing her to squeal with delight. “She loves it when I do that. You think your daddy is hilarious, don’t you?” he says, never taking his eyes off his baby girl.
 

We watch him play with her for a few minutes.
 

I can’t wait until Phillip makes our baby laugh like that.
 

Chelsea sent me a link to a social media account the other day along with a text that said her ovaries just exploded. The account contains pictures of hot guys holding babies. I’ll admit, there is something pretty sexy about seeing a man holding a baby. I can only imagine how sexy it will be when he’s holding
our
baby.

Apparently, Lori wasn’t too traumatized by the gnome, because she brings steaks and corn on the cob out on a platter. Danny hands Devaney to her and puts them on the grill.