The last few days Niels' happiness couldn't possibly have been bigger. First up had been the ultrasound, right before his birthday and then the talk to Amanda. All of them had made Niels so happy, and he sure had things to look forward to.
With their newest boy on the way, Niels did agree to Amanda telling him they needed a bigger house. After all, how would they ever fit two boys and two girls in one house once they were older? It was a thing Niels knew was impossible at their current penthouse. After calling their real estate agent, Jen, Niels smiled at Amanda as he wrapped his arms around her. "So... we've got an appointment with Jen in a week," he said, looking into her eyes. Amanda beamed at him. She obviously was really excited about the prospect of moving, especially since it would provide their children with everything they needed. Space to play outside, a personal room, maybe even a playroom. Seeing her excited gaze, Niels couldn't help but beam as well. It was everything he was looking forward to as well, although it would be a little weird to leave behind the penthouse they had spent a big part of their lives in. But it was something that had to happen. Kissing Amanda, Niels winked at her. "Think we should take the kids house hunting?" he asked. It was something he wasn't sure of, and looking at Amanda's face, he saw she was in a bit of doubt too. It was only natural, since it would be a big change for the kids. But than again, wasn't it important that the kids liked the new house as well? Niels playfully pressed a kiss against Amanda's neck, which made her giggle softly. "You can answer me later," he said, "for now... How about we go to Rio? Or well... Maybe after I check out that birthday gift of mine first..." He gave her a playfully seductive smile, which made her giggle. It was amazing, how deeply Niels loved her, he realized later that night. She had always been amazing to him, and there was no place he's rather be.
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Since they were a while into this pregnancy already, Amanda seemed to have accepted the prospect of having this addition to their family. But nonetheless, Niels worried a little. After their last two pregnancies, he was hoping this one would go by without serious side effects or problems at birth.
The process was a bit hard, and Niels could see those same worries being present in Amanda's eyes every time they went to the doctor for a check-up. But every time the doctor said it seemed okay at that point, and Niels didn't want to argue with what the doc said. Even if it was for the kind of selfish reason of keeping Amanda's and his own mind at ease. That technique seemed to work most of the time, but over time, the feelings of doubt and worry emerged again. The one thing that made this pregnancy really amazing was the way the children reacted to it. It made Niels smile widely. The reactions made him remember over and over again why he had wanted a fourth child. Angelo and Emi, used to being big siblings by now, smiled widely as Amanda was showing. They were both really excited, touching her belly at times and asking her all the time if they were going to have a brother or a sister. And Amanda saying she didn't know yet didn't stop them. Elia on the other hand looked up at Amanda's belly in awe. All of her other family members kept on telling her she was becoming a big sister, but the little girl didn't exactly understand. Once Amanda started showing, they told her that was where the baby was, making her look at the belly all the time. They all read to Elia from the big sibling books, even when she was too young to remember and mostly liked the pictures. In the end, the bright sides outnumbered the bad ones. Niels and Amanda were having a new child, the kids were excited about a new sibling, and Amanda was finally opening up to the new child. Niels couldn't be more happy about the way things were going, and the smile on his face was barely removed. When Amanda had returned from the hospital to tell Niels she was pregnant, Niels had been shocked. This was the last thing he had expected to happen. Not after she had told him that she didn't want any more children. But now this child was incoming, they would have to face the pregnancy and everything that came with it.
Ever since that day, Niels had been struggling with his emotions. On the inside, Niels couldn't help but smile. He was becoming a father again. It had been what he had wanted for so long, this fourth child. But he didn't know if it was wrong to show his happiness. After all it wasn't what Amanda wanted, and she didn't seem too excited about it. Maybe she would grow into it, Niels thought, but he wasn't sure about that happening too fast. So for the time being, Niels kept his emotions low. He just spent his time taking care of Amanda and the children. Maybe that would be able to help Amanda cope with this new pregnancy a little better. But for the time being, Niels doubted it was improving too much of Amanda's feelings. Every time one of their two youngest grew clingy, Niels could see it on her face. So he hid the happiness he felt. He knew Amanda knew he was happy about this, they had known each other for so long, but he felt it would be wrong to be real happy. After some time, Niels could see Amanda beginning to accept the pregnancy a little more, and they started thinking about how to tell the kids. Maybe, Niels thought, this was a first step towards the happiness he wanted Amanda to feel. But he also knew that happiness was far away for now. And he couldn't change that, no matter what he tried. When the time came to tell their children, he looked at Amanda before going to round them up. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, the faintest of smiles playing around his lips. He could see her nod, and he hoped she was ready. After that, off he went to ask the kids to join them in the living room, where they would hear the big news. Niels and Amanda had experienced a stressful day in the end. It had all started out fine, when they had decided to host a small party for Daphne and their Kobedaughter Maë. Emi had insisted on inviting them over, a thing Niels and Amanda had gladly agreed to. So they had set up everything, and when their guests arrived, the kids had been playing together in the pool while Niels was on grill duty.
After the food and dessert, the kids went back to playing around the pool. When Elia began to cough a little, that immediately triggered Amanda's motherly instincts. After all the times in the hospital they had gone through, Amanda was on high alert every time Elia began to cough even a little. So she got her little girl, but Elia was reluctant to stay with her mummy. The kids kept on playing some more, just running over the grass until the youngest two came cuddling up to their mothers. Despite the fact Elia seemed a little tired, her coughing recommenced. Soon, the little girl was finding herself in a coughing fit. As usual, it made Elia incredibly cranky. She was fussing, nobody able to console her. When someone tried to touch her, she moved around a bit, her cough seeming to get even worse. Not even her inhaler helped. The girl began to cry, the coughs hurting her. It didn't take too long before Elia started complaining about chest pains, and with the complaints, the crying began. So Amanda told Niels they had to go to the hospital with their little girl. Niels immediately reacted, getting the car started and soon they were on their way. The way to the hospital almost resembled a living hell though. Elia was screaming in her car seat, tears rolling down her cheeks. The expression on her face revealed the pain seemed to grow more intense with every cough. and the coughs seemed to become more frequent. It was horrible for Niels and Amanda to witness their little girl like this, and it only made them more afraid. When they arrived at the hospital, Elia's condition had grown even worse. Her lips had begun to turn blue, a thing Niels and Amanda hadn't seen since Elia had been a newborn. And the memories of what Elia had had to go through back then didn't exactly make it easier on them. It increased their fear of something really bad happening to Elia in the end. Luckily for them, the doctors had been waiting for them. Following Niels' call in the car, the ER had been on the lookout for the arrival of the family, as the had realised Elia's situation was rather dire, and that they would need to act quickly once Niels and Amanda arrived, for the sake of the little girl. On the way to a place for Elia to rest, Niels quickly filled the doctor in on Elia's elaborate medical history. Once the kid was lying down on the hospital bed, the doctors barely managed to examine her. Elia was fighting them for all she could, but eventually Niels and Amanda managed to calm her down enough to let her be examined. Soon, the little girl was on some medication and a nebulizer. Niels could see it was hard on Amanda, just as it was hard on them. But they managed to stay strong in the face of their youngest child, not crying there. They had to, for seeing her parents break down would upset the little one again for sure. It helped, and before long the little girl was asleep in the hospital. She was monitored closely, and a steady supply of oxygen was admitted to her. Because Niels nor Amanda was sure when Elia would be dismissed from the hospital at that point, Niels already called Daphne, asking her to stay over and look after the children until they returned. Thank Kobe the mother of their Kobedaughter was okay with that, so they didn't have to worry about that. And then, after another nebulizer treatment, Niels and Amanda received the news they had been hoping for. Elia was allowed to go home for the night, even when Niels and Amanda would have to monitor her closely... |
Niels at a glanceName: Niels van Loon Archives
September 2017
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