As the day started, they had looking forward to a lot of fun. They had gone out into the snow, letting Nicco enjoy it. And had he been happy. The little man had been busy making snow angels, trying to eat snow, to grab it. In the meanwhile, his siblings had been busy having a snow ball fight or making a snowman. And Niels, he was taking pictures.
Going home, Niels and Amanda had to carry their two youngest. Both Eliana and Nicco were sleepy, and before long, both kids were asleep in their arms. Getting home, the Christmas music was still playing, putting a wide smile on Emi's face. "See, it's more Christmassy!" she exclaimed, beaming. She ran to the living room, dancing to the music. Angelo followed her, giggling. He smiled at his sister after, sitting down by the Christmas trees. "When are we opening the gifts, mummy?!?" he asked, looking at her with big eyes. "We will after your little brother and sister had a nap, sweetie!" Amanda replied. She kissed his forehead gently before they carried the two youngest children to their rooms. A few hours later, everyone was awake again, and after they had Christmas dinner, it was time to unwrap the gifts. Everyone beamed as they did, and Nicco unwrapping a gift was adorable. He was just tearing off the paper, smiling widely at his new toys. Niels and Amanda had made sure to buy him toys that stimulated his senses. Everyone was busy playing with their new toys after, and after watching a Christmas movie, they noticed the kids were getting sleepy. So they were laying down, talking to each other silently. They were all resting underneath the Christmas tree, and when Niels offered Amanda -who was the only one awake at that point- to get her a drink, she gratefully accepted his offer. When Niels returned, Amanda had dozed off. He grinned, looking at her. However old she was, she was still gorgeous, and this sight was just to cute. He joined her on the floor. That's where they would spend that night.
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After Amanda successfully gave birth to little Niccolò, a wide smile was over the both of their faces, watching the little man. He was so adorable, so perfect. His tiny little hands and feet, the cute little fluff of hair on his head, it all made him absolutely adorable.
Looking at Amanda, Niels knew this would be a good day. But the day wouldn't be complete without the little man meeting his family. So Niels picked up his phone once the kid was safely in Amanda's arms and he called Isa once again.He told her the little one was born, that he was healthy. He also asked her if she wanted to come visit them with the kids. If there was anyone Niels wanted to meet this newborn boy, it was the rest of their kids, so that they knew how cute and sweet he was. Before too long, their three children were at the door. Niels gave them all a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead before letting them into the room. "No yelling kids," he said. He knew just as well how excited they were, but he didn't want them to wake the baby. Once inside, the kids were angels. Although all three of them wanted to hold the baby and were jumping and dancing around in excitement, they were perfect with their new baby brother. Emi and Angelo were allowed to hold him, being closely monitored by their mother, and Elia was allowed to hold the baby briefly. Suddenly there was the nurse with all the required paperwork to take the baby home. Niels and Amanda filled out the paperwork as Isa and the others that had remained at the birthing center met the baby. Once all was done, Niels and Amanda told everyone to go home, that they could visit again when they wanted, after giving them a ring. After that, Amanda started dressing the kid. Niels could see how tired she was, but despite the tiredness, she seemed to be in the clouds. Having dressed the baby Niels snapped a quick shot of his wife picking up the baby. Life couldn't be better. After Amanda told him the baby was coming, Niels knew exactly what to do. He helped her to one of the chairs on the veranda, after which he got out his phone. He quickly dialed his younger sister Isa’s number. He knew she was there with her boyfriend, but she was their only family other than Rico. And he didn’t want to cause more stress for Rico and Ceci. After all they had two children of their own to take care of. And Niels needed someone that could fully focus on these three kids.
When Isa answered the phone, Niels quickly told her Amanda’s pregnancy was running to an end, and he invited her over. “We would really appreciate you and Gabe coming over, at least for the night. You two can use the guest bedroom, and all you have to do is take care of our kids when they wake up. Is that something you can do?” Isa sighed sleepily at the other side of the phone before speaking up. “Sure I can bro,” she said, “let me just call a cab after I wake up Gabe. We’ll be there as soon as possible.” After thanking Isa, Niels helped Amanda into the house. He quickly ran upstairs, grabbing the bag Amanda and he had prepared before. It was something they had learned from their previous pregnancies, the importance of that. A while later, Niels got a text to inform him of Isa and Gabe’s arrival. He let them in, quickly telling them where the kitchen and their bedroom was before rushing off. He helped Amanda to the car quickly before driving off. En route, Niels started making a handsfree call. When he reached the birthing center, he told them Amanda was having contractions, and he told them to prepare a room for her. She would be there soon, and after that, Niels would be there for Amanda until the kid was there. Arriving at the center, check-in was easy and all was prepared. Niels kissed Amanda’s forehead once she was installed. “It will all be fine,” he whispered, kissing her forehead again. He truly believed that, and he hoped it would be a reality too. The last few days, after moving house, Niels had often been in touch with his brother-in-law, Rico.
Together, the two men had been working on creating a nursery for the newest van Loon boy. Rico’s artistic eye combined with Niels’ vision of what his new son’s nursery had to look like was an interesting concept. It was something the two men had to work on, especially when they went to the nursery section of the furniture store. Sometimes their ideal pieces of furniture weren’t present, and they would need to adapt. But they managed to do so, and the items they selected all went together well. After all the painting had been done, they could finally assemble all the furniture. That wasn’t the hardest task they had to perform though. The hardest was keeping Amanda from walking into the nursery. Time after time Amanda tried, but Niels and Rico kept her out. At nights Niels even locked the room, so that his curious wife wouldn’t enter it. But all the waiting would soon be over for Amanda. The entire room had been finished, and now it was ready to be revealed to her. Niels made sure to invite Ceci and the kids over as well, since Rico had been a big help during the last few weeks. Once everyone was there and they had enjoyed some beverages and snacks, Niels winked at Rico. “Time for the mummy-to-be to see her youngest’s nursery…” he said, playfully pulling out a blindfold. Amanda did complain for a moment, especially since she would have to scale the stairs. Much to her surprise, Niels allowed her to go up the flight of stairs before he stopped her once more. “Do I have to?!?” she asked, giving him a look that showed she’d rather not do it. But as usual, Niels managed to convince her to put on this blindfold, especially since it would only take a few moments. After that, he led her into the nursery. Exclamations of admiration left the kids’ mouths as Niels was removing the blindfold. And Amanda’s reaction was just like that. She gasped, looking around with big eyes. “This is amazing,” she finally managed to say, “You two have done such a nice job… Thank you so much!” She wiped away a tear, being overly emotional even this late in her pregnancy. She went on to give her husband a sweet kiss and her brother a big hug, thanking them over and over. She smiled, taking a snapshot of the room on her phone. That way, she could show it to her friends if they asked about it. 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. 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... After they had spent the evening out on Valentine's day, Niels and Amanda were now doing even more things together. They often cooked together, sat on the couch together. They playfully kissed each other often. And when they did, Amanda often giggled. Niels couldn't help it, but after that time out, he felt so much more playfulness between them. It was almost as if they had went back a few years in time, to when they had been young and free of the responsibility they had these days.
A few days after Valentine's Day, Niels decided to do something special for Amanda. He knew she would wake up as soon as he left the bed, but as they had been up late the day before to watch a movie, Niels got up. As he had predicted, Amanda shifted, feeling his empty spot, to which she opened her eyes a little. As Niels kissed her forehead, she let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes. Niels grinned and walked out of their bedroom, making his way into the kitchen. He began making her a delicious breakfast, and as that was done, he plated it all. He put a glass of juice on the platter as well before walking to a cabinet. It was probably the only one Amanda barely looked in, and he had been lucky that between the time he had gone grocery shopping and that day, she didn't look in it. Placing the small extra on the plate, he smiled and went back upstairs. Once he entered their room, he sat down on Amanda's side of the bed. He grinned as she stretched and looked at him sleepily. He kissed her forehead gently, whispering: "Your hubby's here again, and he's come bearing the gift of breakfast in bed..." He chuckled as she sat up a little before taking the box that was on the platter. "This is for you too," he said, kissing her softly before she opened it. The smile that made her face light up made his day. The effort he had put into this had been worth all of it. On Old Year's Eve, Niels and Amanda had decided to take a moment for themselves and their family, which now included Daphne and little Maë, to enjoy the presence of each other in the comforts of their home. Niels looked around, cooking. Elia was growing up so well, and when she played with Maë, she was just adorable. It made Niels a little dreamy, seeing his little girl play so good with a younger kid. He was shaken from these thoughts when Amanda snuck up on him, playfully covering his eyes from behind.
"Baby, I'm cooking," he said before laughing softly. "I know," Amanda said, moving her hands playfully, "I just wondered if you needed any help?" Niels gave her a loving smile, and before long, they were cooking together, preparing what could well pass for a feast. When all the food was ready, Niels called for Angelo, telling him to ask everyone to come sit, so they could eat. He chuckled, watching Angelo run off and ask everyone to come. It was clear the little man was proud of the task that had been given to him, and Niels gave Amanda a playful look. "They're so adorable, don't you think?" he said, winking at her. Amanda only giggled before nudging him. It was clear she still couldn't believe her babies were growing up this fast, and that they were so eager to do things. After dinner, which was a great time to just talk about things, including what they would do in the next year, Emi asked if they wanted to go to the park to watch the fireworks. She looked at Daphne and Maë in particular. The girl was smart enough to know they would have the hardest time, but Maë was still wide awake, obviously excited about everything going on. So they headed out, and after finding a spot to watch the fireworks, they were all set. Rocket after rocket flew up, displaying beautiful things, but sometimes all Niels could look at was the woman that had her arms wrapped around him. "Happy New Year, love," he whispered. |
Niels at a glanceName: Niels van Loon Archives
September 2017
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