That one morning when you knew for sure you were pregnant. It’s been a couple days where you’ve been feeling nauseous, had headaches and just felt tired all day long. On top of that, you were pretty sure you had missed your period. You and Calum hadn’t necessarily been trying for a second child, but neither did you try and avoid getting pregnant. You didn’t use condoms during sex and the two of you had agreed it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if you’d stop taking your pill. You both wanted a second child, that was mutually agreed, you just didn’t really try your hardest.
“Calum,” you mumble that morning. He was cleaning up Kaea’s mess she had made during breakfast. She was now playing in her playroom, you made sure to check on her before going downstairs to tell Calum. You wanted to tell him first and then you’d figure out a way and a moment to tell friends and family. And Kaea. You were scared about how she’d react to a new brother or sister.
“Yes, baby?” he asks, not even looking up at you. He’s too busy tidying. It annoys you a little. You need some attention right now.
“Could you look at me for a second? This is really important,” you tell him, the annoyance clear in your voice. He turns to you, eyes wide as if he’s scared and going over everything he’s done in the past weeks to check if he didn’t do anything stupid that could make you angry. The truth is, those are the hormones giving you the biggest mood swings.
“What’s wrong, baby girl? Are you okay? Is Kaea okay? Is it Duke? Did I do something wrong?” he rambles, causing you to roll your eyes.
“No, stupid. I am pregnant. I mean, I think I am,” he freezes as he stares at you. You don’t really know what to say or do. You had expected him to be a little more excited about it. “I haven’t done a test yet. But I am pretty sure there’s a bean in the oven,” you mumble, averting your eyes from your husband. You’re startled when he’s suddenly really close and starts peppering you with kisses.
“Are you really? Should we get a test to be sure? Are we going to tell everyone already or should we wait? Shall we tell Kaea?” he rambles again, taking a break from all the kissing.
“Maybe we should go to the doctor’s first to make sure. Then we can tell our family and friends... I’m kind of scared for little Kaea’s reaction though,” you tell him honestly, playing with the hem of his shirt.
“I think she’ll be delighted,” Calum tells you and kisses you on the lips as a sign of true happiness.
Your hunch was right; you are pregnant. The doctor had done an ultrasound and even though it’s the second time, Calum still cried at seeing the little bean inside me. The doctor had told me we were already 7 weeks far, which means it’ll be with us around the 23rd of July. Calum and I are beyond excited about having a second little Hood to extend our family. We might still be young, but we know we can do it, we’ve shown that by taking care of Kaea for five years already. When you’re 10 weeks far, so three weeks after our doctor’s apointment, you decide to have your friends over for dinner to break the news to them. You were excited, yet nervous to tell them.
“Mommy, why are we having a party?” Kaea asks as she looks at the dress you put on her. It’s December, so telling her and everyone else it’s a Christmas party, may have been the best excuse ever. That way, they won’t be too suspicious.
“Because it’s Christmas, baby. We have parties for Christmas every year,” you tell her while pinning earrings in your ears.
“Right, yes,” Kaea mumbles and runs out of your room. Peculiar girl that one. It’s almost like she feels something else is going on. She’s been much timider, has helped you a lot more and has drawn a lot more pictures for you.
“Are you ready, gorgeous?” Calum asks when he enters your shared bedroom.
“I think so. We just need to put everything out on the table and we’re done,” you tell him with a little smile and rub your belly with a sigh.
“You look perfect, my love,” Calum tells you as he comes to stand behind you and puts his hands on your stomach. He’s been too kind for you the past couple of months, even though you’re only at the end of the first trimester.
“Do you think we’re too young to have children?” you ask him, having a random burst of insecure thoughts in your mind. Calum kisses the bare skin on your neck as he chuckles.
“Not at all, darling. You’re never too young or too old for anything. As long as you’re ready for it, I say we’re perfectly old enough,” says 25-year-old Calum. You take a deep breath and nod. He’s so right. “Let’s get downstairs. Our parents will be here soon,” he tells you and leads you out of the bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen. Kaea is playing with her dollhouse in the living room and it makes you smile and wonder if she’s going to get on with her brother or sister. You just hope they’ll be two peas in a pot like Mali and Calum. You just hope she’ll be excited about the news. Dinner has passed, and you and Calum have given one another some glances while eating to figure out when you’d tell them. You hadn’t drunk anything alcoholic, so they must’ve already caught on. But no one has said anything yet. After the main course, you all decide to open some presents as you hadn’t done that yet.
“I want to start! Open the cards first!” You tell them as you each give them a present with a card stuck between the ribbons and strings around the presents. While everyone opens the cards, Kaea comes to sit on your lap with her teddybear in her arms. The little girl is starting to get tired.
Choruses of “No way!” and “Are you really?” chime through the living room.
“What is that, auntie Mali?” Kaea asks her aunt sitting next to you. She had just opened the card that had the first ultrasound stuck on the inside with Hood n°2 coming July 2023″ written underneath. Mali looks at you as if to ask if she knows yet, you shake your head.
“Hold on, princess,” Calum tells his little girl, “I believe we have a present for you too,” he tells her and hands her a gift. You and Calum had the cutest idea for matching jackets for the two children. Two little glittery jackets, like the ones their daddy wore on tour a lot. On the back of Kaea’s was “Hood n°1″ embroidered, while the second one, a much smaller one, reads “Hood n°2″.
“Pretty jackets like daddy’s!” she exclaims as she looks at both.
“Yeah, but honey, do you think this one will fit you?” you ask, holding up the small one for the new baby. Kaea sticks her finger in her mouth, Mali immediately pulling it out, as she thinks about it.
“Why did you buy one that’s too small, daddy?” she asks, frowning at her father.
“Because that’s not your, baby girl,” he tells her, chuckling a little.
“For who is it then?” she asks. The others had stopped opening their presents as they wanted to see Kaea’s reaction first.
“For your little brother or sister in mommy’s tummy,” Mali explains to her, pointing at your stomach. Kaea looks up at you, then at your belly. You anticipated her reaction, kind of sweating in freight as you didn’t know how she’d react. She then puts both her tiny, tiny hands on your stomach and softly rubs it.
“I want a sister,” she then tells you, and it makes you burst out into tears. You hug your little girl tightly, not wanting to let go of this moment and this precious human. When you look up, you can see your husband beaming with pride. He gives you a little wink. He knew everything would be fine.
“Wait, hold up...” Mali then says, making you jump out of your thoughts. You look at her to see she has opened her present. A mug that said “Only the best sisters get promoted to godmother” with July 2023 in small font beneath it. She looks at you, then at her brother. For Kaea, you had chosen Joy and your dad as godparents, but this time, you wanted Mali to be the godmother of your new child. Ashton was the next one to gasp. He had gotten the same mug as Mali, only with “Only best friends get promoted to godfather” on it.
“Aw, that’s so cool!” Michael exclaims excited when he sees his ‘Best uncle’ mug. Luke got that same mug, Sierra and Crystal got one with ‘Best auntie” on it. They’re so stoked and that makes you stoked too. You’re stoked for this child to come into a family this warm and amazing. To have an amazing big sister, an amazing dad and amazing godparents and uncles and aunties. This is going to be one lucky kid. Like you are one lucky woman.
