It had been quite a night. Just when Bella was settling with baby girl number one, another baby was on its way. Twins! Baby number one had been born quite quickly and easily, so to speak. Baby number two, however was far more difficult. Breech, for one, and the delivery lasted hours. Bella had almost given up; she was up to the point of utter exhaustion and after pushing for so long, there was no energy left within her. Yet, somehow, she managed to dig deep inside of her and muster up some strength. Nathan was beside her, coaching her every step of the way, as was Belie, offering her support to both Anje and Bella whenever needed.
Bella couldn’t believe this was happening. Years ago, she’d been told she may never be able to have a baby. Now, she’d had one and was already giving birth to another. Kobe, she wasn’t sure if she was lucky at the moment. Not if she couldn’t push this little one out. At last, baby number two came into this world and her strong cries filled the air. Another girl. Baby number one was making small fussing noises, probably longing to be with her sister again. ~~ Later on, Bella and Nathan cuddled up beside each other, one twin in each of their arms, both of them in utter shock but happy. They were no longer a family of two, but a family of four. In the guesthouse where Anje would be staying tonight, Isa, Gabe, Ada and her husband were also there, probably waiting anxiously for the announcement on ‘the baby’s’ birth by now. Bella almost couldn’t wait to tell everyone they’d had twins, but she was too exhausted. Baby number two was a bit larger than her older sister, and already, Bella could tell she wasn’t as calm. One thing she was sure of was that they were absolute perfection. “We need names,” she told Nathan. “Two sets of them…” The naming would have to wait for later, but for now, Bella wanted nothing more than to spend this time with her brand new princesses and her hubby.
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Not a Drill (Nathaniel's Blog) Baby Dwyer wasn’t waiting. Suddenly it hit Bella, hard. Were they ready to be parents? Would the baby be too large to deliver naturally? Will her rising blood pressure cause complications? But it was too late for these worries. The midwife still wasn’t there, but Nathan seemed calm and collected. He positioned himself between her legs and confirmed that soon they’d get to meet their little cub.
Bella held on to Belie's hand for dear life. She knew she was nearly at the finish line. It would be so worth it. It Already was. "Just a few more," Nathan kept telling her. She closed her eyes and poured all of her energy into one last push. There was utter relief as baby Dwyer left the birth canal and came into the world. "It's a girl, Isabella. A girl!" "A girl..." A smile of absolute exhaustion and delight lit up Bella's face. She looked at the perfection that was their daughter. Gods it was so incredible. "Is she... okay?" Bella wanted to hear her cry. Then there it was. "Hi there, baby girl..." Tears of joy were rolling down her own cheeks now. She never thought that she would be holding her very own child in her arms. Their very own child. From bipolar, to fertility problems, to the miscarriage and this second pregnancy with its threatened complications, everything all came down to this moment. They'd done it. They created life. Their cub was so little. Far tinier than they’d expected from Bella’s massive belly. Soon, the midwife Anje arrived, in awe at the tiny baby in Bella’s arms. The baby was measured and passed the newborn test, and as their little princess lay in her daddy’s arms, Bella began to feel intense pains again. Like contractions all over again. “What’s happening?” Nathan kept demanding. Then soon… another heartbeat was heard with the doppler. Anje glanced at Nathan and Bella. Shock was written all over her face and for a moment, she didn’t seem to know how to say it, but at last she spoke up. “There’s another baby.” The evening had been a long, miserable one. It was one of those sticky, warm days where Bella couldn’t get comfortable. She’d tried to take a nap but It didn’t help that every time she woke, she felt the slightest twinge in her abdomen, a tightening of her muscles. Yet, how often had she felt that in the past weeks. She simply adjusted her position and blamed it on Braxton-Hicks contractions. It was late but Ollie, Belie and Nathan were still hard at work, taking inventories and such.
Bella eventually got up, opening her laptop to review the footage of the cheetahs from the video surveillance system. Most of the time these days, she remained with her feet up on the couch, watching the cheetahs in their 'natural environment' and taking notes. It kept her mind busy and kept her from being bored to death, but sometimes - like now - she needed to get out of the house and just walk for a moment. Ada had already returned to the guest house to catch some sleep. Bella was having those contractions again, but they were coming quite consistently. Bella figured she just needed to walk for a bit, so she headed out of the house. Midway across Ithemba, on her way to one of their buildings to visit Nathan, a pain like none she'd ever felt before literally stole her breath. She gasped and wrapped her arms around her stomach before glancing at her phone. Two minutes... Again. Maybe she should call the midwife. She began walking once the pain passed, and again, two minutes later another pain stole her breath. She'd just reached the entrance of the building when suddenly she felt a gush and warm liquid running down her thighs. For a split second, she was in shock, but then she called out as loudly as she could, "Nathaniel!" This wasn’t a test run. The baby was coming. “Make sure she doesn’t overdo it.” It was probably the fifth time Nathan had warned Ada and Belie. It had taken quite some convincing for Nathan to allow Bella to travel hours into town. “I’ll be in the car most of the time,” Bella tried to assure Nathan. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” A kiss was pressed to his lips. Nathan smiled but Bella could tell he was nervous. He rubbed her belly and returned her kiss. “Take care you two.” Bella smiled. “We will.” Moments later, the three women were on the road to Jo’burg. It was quite a long trip but that gave them plenty of time to talk about all kinds of things. With both Ada and Bella pregnant, the topics naturally lingered around babies and birth. Once they arrived in Jo’burg, they went shopping in a baby boutique. “Gods, times like this, I wish Nathan and I knew Baby's sex,” she said, holding up a little dress in one hand and a pants suit in the other. “We still need so many things. We have a bassinet in our room already but we need car seats, wipes, hats, the entire nursery--” “Breast pump,” Ada interrupted. Bella gave her a look. “Okay, it’s your birthday. How about we buy you some things that /you/ will need?” She winked at Bella. “Nursing bras will really come in handy, trust me.” “And it’ll be a while before you put baby Dwyer in the nursery anyway, right?” Belie chimed in. Bella must’ve looked overwhelmed because the two were really trying to make her feel better. Bella only nodded and walked through the store with them. Eventually, they went grocery shopping and then headed to a cafe for some cool drinks and a light lunch. Lastly, they decided to go for a little walk through town. “If you feel tired…” Belie began. “I feel fine.” Bella grinned. She stood at the bottom of some steps and smiled widely. Belie grinned. “Bella, that tummy of yours…” She chuckled. “Give me your phone. I’ll take a picture for Nathan.” Ada chuckled. “You can sent him the pic and say ‘see your birthday girl and baby are just fine’.” Bella laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” ~~
Heading home, Bella still felt great. She was all smiles by the time they made it back to Ithemba and unloaded almost a dozen bags from the car. As Belie and Bella entered the main house and Ada returned to the guest house to be with her husband, Bella was surprised to see Nathan approaching from the kitchen somewhere. “There’s my birthday girl,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. He glanced at Belie. “Did she take it easy?” “Yep.” Bella smiled innocently. “Well…” Nathan began. “Belie, if you’re up for some work, Ulwazi is showing Ollie around the medicinal stocks.” “Gotcha.” Belie held her thumbs up and immediately headed off after putting the shopping bags down. “And you…” Nathan held her close a while longer. “I just started preparing a nice warm bath for you, if you want.” He was already nudging her gently towards the bathroom. Bella chuckled. “Okay, okay, I’m going.” As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, she had to inhale deeply. The bathroom was dim - all the curtains were drawn - candles were lit on the shelves and the tub had already been filled. Bella grinned and began taking her top off. She squealed in surprise when she suddenly felt someone’s arms around her from behind. A soft kiss was pressed to her neck. “Don’t you have to work?” Bella asked, her voice a mere whisper. “Work can wait for a moment,” said Nathan. “I can’t just allow your friends to treat you on your birthday, now can I?” “No…” Bella smiled. She turned towards Nathan and kissed him gently. “The girls spoiled me and now my hubby is taking time off work to spoil me? Best birthday ever…” “Ramsey!” Bella stood just outside of her door and whistled again. The sun was hot and Bella wanted the dog inside. Unlike the other animals at Ithemba, Ramsey wasn’t built for this heat.
“Bella!” Belie came running from the guest house. “Where are you going? It’s bloody hot out here!” “I’m looking for--” Bella halted as she spotted Ramsey lying underneath a tree. She smiled, relieved to see her dog, but soon the smile faded. She moved as fast as she could go. “Ramsey?!” The dog didn’t budge. Bella clumsily got down onto her knees and placed her hands on Ramsey. For a while, she stared in silence, waiting to feel Ramsey’s chest expand, waiting to see her belly move. Her hand went to Ramsey’s nose, but there was no sign of breathing there either. Tears came to Bella’s eyes. “Oh Ramsey…” She stroked her fur. Belie stood there for a while before kneeling beside Bella. She did the same things Bella had done, even leaning over to see if she was breathing, but the dog was gone. It had been eight years since Bella had gotten Ramsey and her brother from Lexie. She was still young, wasn’t she? They’d been everywhere together. Bella wiped away her tears and sniffled. “Want me to get Nathan? We can.. bury her. If you’re ready.” Bella nodded. “We can’t keep her out here in the heat,” she said, sniffling again. “No.” Belie sighed. “I’m so sorry Bella.” She glanced at Ramsey again. “You go back to the house. Get out of the heat. I had to head over to the Cheetah Coalition anyway, so I’ll send Nathan, ok? I’m sorry.” Bella nodded again. This was the first death on Ithemba and hopefully the last one for a very, very, long time. Belie helped Bella up and as Bella headed back to the house she thought of all the great times she’d had with Ramsey. How well Ramsey had gotten along with Asha. She would miss seeing the two play together… She sighed and headed back into the cool indoors to digest what she’d just discovered. Ramsey was gone. Since it was Isa and Gabe’s last day at Ithemba, Nathan and Bella took the day off to take them to the coast. They didn’t drive too far away; just to the nearest part of the beach. In these parts, it was still rather remote so they had the beach to themselves. The fresh ocean air was wonderful and the warm kiss of the sun. It wasn’t too hot of a day and the ocean breezes made everything absolutely perfect. Isa looked adorable in her bikini with her little baby bump. More than anything, she looked happy. It was so unbelievable that Bella and Isa were pregnant at the same time. Even Ada was pregnant, about as far along as Isa. What were the odds? Three friends pregnant at the same time, and surprisingly Bella would be the first to give birth. Standing near the ocean, Bella’s hands moved to her belly. Baby Dwyer was quite still for once. Perhaps the ocean had some sort of calming effect. “Your daddy already speaks of taking you on fishing trips,” she said, looking down at her belly. “Whether you’re a boy or a girl.” She chuckled. “Your aunty Isa thinks you’re a boy though. Is she right?” She caressed her belly and glanced over her shoulder. On the shore, Isa and Gabe were setting up a picnic and Nathan was walking towards Bella. Probably coming to retrieve her. She grinned sheepishly and met him midway. “Sorry, am I keeping you all from lunch?”
Nathan’s hands moved to her belly. A little embrace for their little cub. “Hmm nope, you’re just in time.” He leaned close to press a soft kiss against her lips. “How’s our cub?” “Asleep, I think,” said Bella. “Not exercising for once.” She grinned. Nathan chuckled. “Wow, that’s a first.” He took Bella’s hand and began walking back towards the picnic blanket. He held her hand until she was seated on the blanket and then joined everyone else on the blanket. Some fruits, breads and sweets were packed for their picnic today. Nothing too heavy; just something to keep their bellies satisfied while they enjoyed the coast. They chatted easily over the foods and after a while, Bella said, “I’m going to miss you guys. What am I going to do all day indoors without Isa now.” Isa giggled. “We’re going to miss you guys too.” Nathan smiled. “Thank you for keeping my restless wife company.” “Hey!” Bella chuckled and nudged him gently. Nathan grinned a her. “Gabe, maybe next time I’ll make sure to take some time off to entertain you while these ladies go shopping or something.” “Yes! Next time, there will be a little Dwyer to do some more shopping for.” Bella smiled at the thought. They continued eating and then spent some time walking along the shore. Before leaving the coast, they took one last dip in the ocean. The ride back to Ithemba was filled with conversation as well. ~~ That night, when Bella walked Isa back to the guest house, she hugged her as tightly as possible and said, “You coming all the way out here to help really means a lot to me. Thank you.” “Aww… No problem Bella.” Isa smiled sweetly. “I’ll be back before you know it.” "On behalf of Nathan and I, you and Gabe and little baby van Loon-Jones are always welcomed. Nathan’s eyes were saying ‘I told you so’ but Bella was grateful that he wasn’t saying it aloud. His hands were doing wonders on her swollen feet, if she could even call them feet. It seemed that each day, Bella’s belly grew larger. She felt like she’d swallowed a bowling ball and the weight was certainly taking a toll on her body. Her back, hips and ribs ached, Some days she was out of breath just walking from the living room to the bedroom.
Still she could not sit still. Paperwork and phone calls didn't hold her attention. Even entertaining Gabe and Isa and spending much-needed time with Isa didn’t fill the hole that belonged to the animals of Ithemba. “You’re setting a bad example for Isa,” Nathan said with a playful grin. “No worries. Isa is far more cooperative than your wife. And hopefully when she gets to this point, her hubby won’t put her on lockdown.” She smirked at him. Nathan leaned close and pressed a kiss against her lips before whispering, “You left me no choice, love.” Bella scoffed and rolled her eyes fondly. “But it’s so boring being indoors all day! And the media will arrive soon. I can’t miss that. I want to be out there in the fields with our soon-to-be-famous cheetah family.” “Isabella…” He gave her a strict look and sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell you what. If you will sit down during the filing, then maybe we have a deal. Or how about Gail - is that the woman’s name? - comes in here to interview you?” Bella pouted but soon winced as the little Dwyer cub kicked against her ribs. “Oef…” Once again, the little one was moving as if he/she were trying to break out. It always amused Nathan, especially the way it seemed like the baby was somehow kicking across both sides of Bella’s stomach. He placed his hands on her belly. “You’re trying to tell mommy to take it easy too, huh? Maybe you’ll have better luck than daddy.” A soft kiss was pressed against Bella’s stomach and then Nathan said, “Can’t argue with the baby.” A satisfied smile was permanently fixated on Bella’s face as she gazed into her husband’s eyes. Nathan’s fingers still lightly traced her skin, sliding over her hip. The day had been bittersweet. Isa and Gabe had arrived at Ithemba the night before, and today was also the last day that Nathan was allowing Bella to work daily with the animals. Bella would still check on them every now and then, perhaps even assist with feeding, but Nathan was adamant about no long days. He didn’t want Bella constantly on her feet, looking after all seven wild cats at Ithemba. She would no longer check the fence around Ithemba, no longer do repairs, and no longer stand for hours in the storage room, taking inventory of their supplies.
Tomorrow was the start of a brand new year. In fact, in a few hours, it would be a brand new year. Bella had to admit. Year 85 had been a tough one, but year 86 already had promise. For one, they would be welcoming their very own baby Dwyer. Ithemba was rapidly becoming a success, and perhaps they would house even more animals in this upcoming year. “There are some perks to not having longs days and not being on my feet all day,” Bella whispered in the darkness. The grin on Nathan’s face was sexy and adorable all at once. “Perks, huh?” “Mm-hmm.” Bella’s fingers lightly trailed down his chest and belly. “More energy for me…” Nathan laughed lightly and stole a soft kiss from Bella’s lips. “So I’ve noticed.” His fingers slid over her bare shoulder and across her collarbone. “I can prove it yet again…” When Nathan chuckled, Bella nudged him. “What? You don’t believe me?” She joined in his laughter. “Oh you are mean Nathaniel Dwyer.” She leaned close and kissed him softly before glancing at the digital clock on the side table. “Happy New Year, love. Let’s make it an amazing one.” Christmas was a quiet and relaxing one, this year. The night before, Bella had received a text from her mum. The youngest sister, Aubrey, had taken a fall, and had been put in a comatose state by the doctors. It was not yet certain how severe the brain injury was, but gods… It made Bella’s heart ache to imagine a child getting hurt so terribly. Since she heard the news, her hands moved to her belly so often with a silent prayer sent up to the powers; she hoped that nothing so severe will ever happen to baby Dwyer. It had been difficult not to book the first plane ticket to London, but it wasn’t so simple anymore. Aside from Bella's growing belly, there was Ithemba, and of course Bella had no idea if Belie had received the notification about Aubrey. So Bella would have to some how find her, in the middle of nowhere, before she could leave South Africa. Rosa had convinced her that it was okay. She'd promised to keep Bella and Nathan updated and made them promise to enjoy their Christmas. Bella and Nathan had spread layers of blankets on the floor near the fireplace. Every once in a while, especially on days like this, they liked to imagine they were someplace cold. An excuse to enjoy the hearth. Nathan walked into the living room, holding two steaming cups of hot cocoa. Bella laughed lightly. “Keeping up with the Christmas spirit?” She patted the bundle of blankets she was sitting on. Nathan smiled. “Yes, I am.” He sat down carefully, handing Bella a cup of cocoa. “How’s your sister?” he asked. “Same.” Bella blew lightly on the steaming hot cocoa. A few moments of silence passed by before Bella nodded towards the tree. “My mum texted to remind us that we have gifts to open.” She smiled, genuinely admiring her mother for thinking of her other children even in a time like this. There were a few boxes under the tree. Mostly from overseas and two from Inyoni and Charlize. It was nice that the two women still kept in touch with Nathan and Bella. Setting her empty cup aside, Bella accepted one of the boxes that Nathan handed to her. “From your mum,” he said. Bella opened the package quickly. After removing layers and layers of tissue paper, Bella revealed a beautiful baby quilt, a set of cloth diapers, and lots of clothes. With everything was a note saying: just a little starter for baby Dwyer. There's lots more to come once he or she makes a debut! Love, the Rosewell van Loons. Bella’s smile couldn’t be any wider. “Look, Nathan!” She beamed as she lifted one of the tiny outfits. “Wow… so hard to believe we’ll have a tiny little human who’ll fit into this.” Nahan was just as awed as Bella, looking through the clothes, chuckling at the adorable designs and sayings on the onesies. "Oh wow, I remember this! I was Eli's." She chuckled.
Nathan smiled widely. They'd expected members of the family to send over clothes, new and handed down, but not such a large package. “Did your mother make this?” Nathan's fingers delicately traced the elephants on the quilt. Bella nodded. “I think so. It’s so perfect, isn’t it? We always have those elephants messing up our gates around Ithemba.” She grinned. The contents of the package held Bella and Nathan’s attention for quite a while and then they finally packed it all back into the box. The other two packages from family contained Christmas cards and more baby things. Bella couldn’t stop laughing. “Well… I guess we have a pretty good idea of what our baby’s first Christmas will already be like. A whole stack of gifts for him or her, and a card for us.” Soon Nathan joined in on her laughter while they pushed the packaged back underneath the tree. Curling up on the blanket together, Bella rested her head on Nathan’s chest. “We’ll have a little one next Christmas…” It was still so surreal. “Unbelievable, huh?” Nathan’s fingers lightly stroked her hair. “I bet it will be the best Christmas ever.” For the past few weeks, Bella had been feeling those little flutters in her belly that so many had told her about. It wasn’t much she could feel from the outside, until now. Until she was lying in bed for a quick midday nap. Ithemba certainly took a lot out of her, even with her renewed energy. The young lions were full-grown by now, Asha and Jafar were still quite a handful and the trio certainly took most of their attention during the days. They’d grown into playful young cheetahs and were still earning so much outside recognition.
In fact, within a few days, a news team were going to come by and do a story on the cubs. It would bring them even greater publicity. Who knows. Maybe before the week was over, they would have more requests for visitations, or even better: more donations. These donations enabled them to buy better medical equipment to care for the animals, it would even enable them to hire more staff. So this attention was certainly incredible. However, another living creature stole all of Bella’s attention at this moment. One little thump. It could’ve even been a muscle spasm but Bella was pretty sure what she’d felt. A small gasp of surprise left her lips and her hands automatically cradled her belly. Not only had she felt the baby actually kick for the first time, but he or she was moving around in there as if he’d just discovered it was possible. A wide smile spread across Bella’s face. “Well hello there, little one.” She caressed her stomach, laughing lightly at this amazing moment. Then she remembered… “Nathan.” Grabbing the phone, she called him. He was right in the office, answering some emails about the cheetah cubs. “Nathan,” she said as soon as she heard his voice. “You gotta come feel this. The baby’s moving around a whole lot.” Another little chuckle left her lips as the baby kicked again. “Hurry up,” she added with a grin. |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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