It was a rather exciting day, filled with a rollercoaster of emotions. Bella went from major highs to major lows. On one hand, she was excited to be so close to finally meeting the new member of the family, but often times, she was also consumed by pain, anxiety and pure impatience as time seemed to tick on for an eternity. Isa had arrived and was looking after the kids while Belie helped out with the delivery. Things were set up pretty much the way it had been when Bella delivered the twins, except this time, everyone felt more prepared. Labour was “easier” than it had been with the girls, but Kobe was it long. Bella gave up on looking at the clock. It was just too discouraging. Instead, she welcomed intermittent visits from the girls, took short walks in the outdoors, and soaked in the tub from time to time. At least, it came time for her to much. With the midwife, Nathan, and Belie right there with her, Bella was able to push aside the exhaustion and pain and soon, a loud wail filled the bedroom. Everyone waited in brief eager anticipation until the midwife announced, “It is a boy.” The smile on Nathan’s face was ecstatic. A boy. A son. A heir, so to speak, to carry on the Dwyer name. “No more boys hidden in there, right?” Bella asked with a tearful laugh. She was so overcome with emotions. After the long, painful day, she’d done it. She’d given birth to a healthy baby boy. Soon, more excitement filled the room as the girls were allowed to meet the newest member. Everyone wanted to hold the little prince, but they were given a promise to do so as soon as he’d been fed and got some sleep.
It was quite a while before all the excitement settled down and Nathan and Bella were left alone with their baby boy. During Bella’s pregnancy, they’d played around with names, but never decided on one. Yet, admiring their baby boy, Nathan said, “What about Raphael? He looks like a Raphael, doesn’t he?” Bella smiled widely. “Yeah, actually. Raphael…” She smiled. “And that other odd name we really liked…” “Carwyn?” “Yeah that’s the one. Raphael Carwyn Dwyer. What do you think?” Bella looked at Nathan expectantly. As if on cue, however, baby Raphael made a gently little squeak. Bella chuckled. “I think our little prince has decided for himself.”
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“At least we know we’re not having twins,” Bella teased every now and then. Her belly during her first pregnancy had been far larger at this stage. In retrospect, they should’ve suspected that twins were growing in Bella’s womb. This time, her belly was the average size for someone as far along as she was. It was a rather uneventful pregnancy too--very minimum sickness, she had a lot more energy than she remembered having with the twins, and as she had given birth before, she felt more prepared.
Almost everyday, the twins asked her if they were getting a little brother or a little sister. No matter how many times Bella told them that they wouldn’t know until the baby arrived, they insisted on getting an answer out of her. Mya guessed it was a boy while Eryn guessed it was a girl. The midwife had her guess too. Based on the position of Bella’s stomach, she predicted a third girl. Bella chuckled at the thought. Poor Nathan, surrounded by girls only. Even the majority of their animals were female. Except for the dogs, that was. The more time elapsed, the more excited Bella grew to find out the sex of their baby. She couldn’t wait to see his or her face. To see if their newest addition had her curly hair, Nathan’s straight hair, or wavy hair like the twins. Would she or he be fair-skinned like the twins or more Bella’s complexion. Would he or she have light eyes like both parents, or take on the darker eyes that also ran in both families? Much to Bella’s impatience, they had to wait, but Bella enjoyed every moment of preparing for their little one. Weeks after returning from Alaska, it seemed that Bella couldn’t recover from the jetlag. She was tired all the time, lacked her usually hearty appetite, and felt generally ill. She figured that she was coming down with the flu, but there was no cough, no runny nose. It wasn’t until Nathan suggested a potential cause that all the symptoms clicked in Bella’s mind and she realised that it really could be. Quite some time had passed, and Bella had accepted this new step that they were about to take. It was exciting but scary too. Especially when things at Ithemba were so busy lately. Rather quickly, the twins’ 5th birthday arrived. It was quite a milestone. Gone were their toddler days; they were officially school-aged children. As usual, they’d received a package in the mail from Rosa. Identical dresses for the girls. Bella made sure to take lots of pictures and send them for her mum. They had a little birthday party, some cake and games. When it came time for their bedtime story, Mya placed her hand on Bella’s distended stomach and chuckled. “Mummy, I think you ate too much cake.”
Bella chuckled and glanced at Nathan. They didn’t know how to break the news to the girls, but now seemed like a great time. “About that,” said Bella once Nathan nodded. “Remember how Artemis’ belly grows when there are kittens inside?” Eryn gasped. “You’re having kittens?!” Nathan laughed. “Close, sweetie, but mummy’s having a baby.” Both Mya and Eryn looked excited now. “A baby?!” they exclaimed. Bella nodded and placed her hand on her stomach. “Is the baby a boy or a girl?” Mya asked. “We don’t know yet,” Bella replied. “We’ll see when the baby is born, though.” Nathan and Bella chatted with the girls a bit longer, then tucked them in and left the bedroom. The next day, an email was sent out to the rest of the family, along with a picture. |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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