FicWad

A week before Halloween I was in the living room helping Marvel try on her costume. She wanted to be a kitty. We found her the cutest costume ever. It was an orange striped full bodysuit with a tail and a headband that had ears on it. She kept saying she was Fred for Halloween since her tail wasn’t fluffy.

“Moony, I need whiskers!” She told me after looking in the mirror.

“Ok, I can draw some on you. Come here.” I said as I pulled a black eyeliner out of the bag of face paint and other Halloween extras.

She came over and stood in front of me as I put whiskers on her. I also gave her a little black tip on her nose. As I sat on the couch and she stood in front of me, the twins started kicking. They were both kicking me and each other.

I winced and put a hand to my belly hoping it would get them to stop. It didn’t help.

“Can I feel the babies?” Marvel asked when she noticed. She loved feeling and talking to the twins. She was fascinated with them.

“Yes, of course you can. Here, right here. Do you feel them?” I had taken her hands and put them where I knew she would be able to feel them.

Her fathers grin split her face. “I can! Why are they moving so much?” The wonder that was on her face was adorable.

“They need the exercise to grow big and healthy.”

“How did they get inside you?” She asked me. This wasn’t the first time she had asked that.

“Your Daddy put them in me because he loves me very much and we wanted a baby.” This was the normal answer I gave her.

“But how did he put them in you?” This was also the normal response.

“In a very special way that I’ll tell you all about when you’re older.”

“But, I wanna know now.”

“Marvel, one day Moony and I will tell you all about it. But not until you’re older and can understand it more.” Pete told her as he came into the room. “You look just like Fred.” He gave her a grin and tousled her hair.

That made her happy and she forgot about where babies come from.

“Hey, Baby. How’re you feeling?” He asked me and then leaned in and gave me a kiss.

“Huge. I feel like a blimp.” I told him with a smile.

I had been extremely lucky with this pregnancy. All three of us were healthy. Star and Jupiter were growing. I hadn’t gained too much weight but I felt every pound of it. But all in all I felt good, I had enough energy to not feel exhausted until the end of the day. I was able to keep up with the kids. And I was still exercising daily, either with yoga for pregnant women or hiking or walking on the treadmill.

“Mom called me. She wants to come out for Christmas. Her and Dad.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I said. “I love your folks, but I do not want company right now. And if I don’t want company right now, I’m not gonna want it in two months.”

“They could help us out, you know.” He was trying to talk me into it.

“They could. But we both know that I’ll end up feeling like I have to host them. I’ll be almost eight months along by Christmas. And probably about to give birth. And where would they stay? We’re turning the spare room into the nursery.”

“We still have to decide what we’re gonna do with the kids when you go into labor. We might want to think about having them or some of our family here when that happens.” He said thoughtfully.

“I know you’re right. We are going to need someone here. My biggest concern is that whichever Mom is here will want to take over and run the house her way. I’m not ok with that. This is our home, our family, and our babies. And if I hear my mother say they are her babies, I might have to punch her.” I know my mother well enough to know she would do that. She did it with Lisa and Scott. Scott had to kick her out because she kept calling Abby her baby and she kept taking Abby away from Lisa so she could bond with ‘her’ baby. She and Lisa still have a strained relationship because of it.

Pete gave me a very startled look. “I take it you think that might happen?”

“Yes. She did it to Lisa. Mom decided she needed to move in with them and take over, because you know, first time parents don’t know what they're doing. Like, she wouldn’t give Abby back to Lisa when she asked. Told her not to breastfeed because then Mom wouldn’t be able to bond with Abby. Lisa wasn’t having that. They got into a huge fight and Scott had to kick Mom out of their house. Lisa didn’t speak to Mom for over a year. Mom finally apologized and they talk now and they get along well enough. But Lisa will never trust her. And to be honest, I don’t trust her either. I wouldn’t leave any of the kids with her unsupervised for more than 20-30 minutes.” I told him.

“What the fuck? She actually tried to take Abby away from Lisa?” He asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, it got nasty. Scott finally told her that if she didn’t get her head out of her ass and apologized to his wife, and keep her nose out of their parenting, he would make sure she never knew her granddaughter. I hope she learned her lesson.”

“Baby, I promise you, I won’t let any of the Mothers or Fathers come in and take over. They will be reminded that we are the parents and we make all the decisions.” He assured me. He slid over so he was right next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I promise I won’t let them do that to you. I told you, I’ll do everything I can to make this as easy as possible for you.”

I leaned in and rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank you Honey. It is something I’ve been worried about.” I curled into his side and snuggled with him. “Oh, they’re at it again.” I said as I felt another round of the twins moving and kicking. “Wanna feel?”

He slid his hand over my bump and rested it over Star. The last scan I had was only a week before. They were still in the same position as they had been in the first scan.

“Wow, they really are active.” His face held the familiar tender expression. He turned his gaze to my face. “I love you so much. I promise to protect you and the twins from the parents. If you could pick one to be here when the twins come, who would you want?” He asked me.

Without thinking I answered, “Amy.”

“Why Amy?” He asked surprised.

“She was an OB/GYN and Labor and Delivery nurse for thirty years. She'll know what I’m going through. If I could have two people in the delivery room with me it would be you and her. But no one else.”

We were quiet for a while, just sitting together thinking our own thoughts. Marvel came back in and was ready to change out of her costume. I took her upstairs and got her dressed and put away her costume. Saint was going to be a Knight. We had the plastic armor for him. Bronx was only dressing up for the Fright Night carnival thing Pete and I were taking the kids to. It’s a bit of a tradition for them to go there every year. They missed it last year because he was in England. We had a lot of fun there.

The week after Halloween my Mom called. She wanted to know what we planned on doing for Thanksgiving. I told her we had Bronx for Thanksgiving this year since we had him for Christmas last year. I planned on cooking a traditional dinner. But that we were staying home with just the immediate family.

She made the offer of her and Ryan coming out to visit. And, you know, maybe stay for a while. Like until the twins came. I shot that down almost before she had finished talking.

“No.” I said a bit aggressively. “Mom, I love you. And, I will talk with Pete about the holidays. Everyone wants to come out and be here when the twins come. But I don’t want you here. I don’t want any of you here.” I had a bit to say to her and to Dale. Both of them were being pushy. I understood they were excited, but I wasn’t about to give either of them the limited time we had together as a nuclear family before the twins came. Saint and Marvel and Bronx deserved this time with us. Just our family.

“I’m six months pregnant, by the time Thanksgiving comes, I’ll be in my seventh month. Christmas? Almost eight months. I don’t want people in my house, disturbing my family, while I’m trying to get ready to have the twins. Besides, we don’t have a guest room anymore. We’re turning it into the nursery. What I need is to be with my husband and our children as we get ready to expand our family. Saint and Marvel need this time with just me and their Dad.” All I wanted was a quiet holiday season since I was going to be heavily pregnant. I wanted to focus on my family only. Not the extended family.

“But I have the right to be there when my grandchildren are born. I thought you’d want your mother in the delivery room with you. You’ll need me.” My mom tried to insist.

“No, you do not have the right to be there. Did you learn anything when Abby was born?” I asked her.

“I don’t know what you mean. I just want to help you. You’re going to need me there.”

“No. I don’t need you. I have Pete. And I do not want you in the delivery room with me.” I told her. I would never allow her there. And I didn’t want her to come out until the twins were at least four months old.

“But, what can he do for you that I can’t? I’ve had three babies. I know what you’ll be going through.” Mom argued with me.

“Pete is the only person I want there. He’s the one that put them in me. He’s the only one who gets to see them come out. And don’t forget, he’s done this three times before too.”

“Well, I don’t know why you’re getting all upset about this.”

“Because you’re getting pushy. I will let you know when we will entertain the idea of having any of the grandparents here to meet the twins. I have no intention of keeping any of you from them. But you will respect our decisions for our family. All of you. And if you don’t, there will be consequences.”

“Why are you being difficult?” Mom asked.

“I’m just telling you like it is. Take it or leave it. If you want a good relationship with me and the kids, I suggest you take it. I love you Mom. I’ll call you in a few days. Goodbye.” And then I hung up on her.

Pete had been on the other side of the room and heard my half of the conversation.

“Did your Mom really just ask to be in the delivery room?” He asked me.

“Yes! She wanted to be there instead of you. Can you believe that? That’s not gonna happen.” I said as I crossed the room to the kitchen. “I’m hungry. Want a snack?” I asked.

“Yeah, bring me some string cheese, please.” He called after me.

I brought back a cheese for him, and one for myself too. I also had a banana. I handed him his cheese and sat on the couch. My conversation with my mom was still on my mind.

“You know, I meant what I told her.” I continued our early conversation.

“I never doubted that. You always say what you mean.” He said as he opened his string cheese.

“I mean about you being the only one with me. And I want to keep her from visiting for as long as possible. I don’t want them all here when the time comes. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Everyone expects us to come home the next day with two healthy eight pound babies. But that’s not how it’s gonna happen. They might have to stay in the hospital. I might have to stay in the hospital longer than expected. When we do come home, I wanna come home to just the kids. I really want that time for us as a family to bond with the babies. And I’m gonna need that time to heal.” I sighed and ran a hand over my bump. “Is that asking too much?” I was really asking that. I didn’t think it was, but maybe I was wrong.

“No, that’s not asking too much. I don’t want them here either. But we do need someone here to watch the kids. There are a few people I can ask. Ashlee has even offered to watch them if we want.” He paused and then asked, “Are you worried?”

I didn’t speak right away, but I nodded as I continued to hold my bump protectively. “Yes. I’m worried. I’m worried about a lot of things. I’m so scared they’ll come too early. That they’ll be too small, too fragile. I’m scared I’m really too old for this and that will cause something to go wrong.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him so I rested my head against his shoulder. “Hey, your doctor has said everything is fine. You’re healthy and so are Star and Jupiter. I’ve been there for all your appointments, I know what she’s told you. You’re doing everything to stay healthy. You're going to be great at this just like everything else you do. They might come early, and they might be small, but I know they’re gonna be strong and healthy.”

He held me for a few minutes. “Has your Dad or Amy asked about coming out for the holidays or being here when you have the twins?” He asked.

“No, not really. Both of them have told me that if I want them here at any time to just let them know. Dad’s excited to meet both of them. But he said he can wait as long as he needs to. And to be honest, the two of them are the ones I really want here if I had any of them.”

Pete nodded and thought that over for a few minutes. “Why don’t we ask them to come and stay? You said you would want Amy if you could have her. And she has the experience. She’ll be able to advocate for you and me in a way I can’t. I like the idea of having her here.”

“Dad could stay with the little kids while you and Amy are with me. And Bronx can help too.” I said.

“I think the kids will like having Pops stay with them while we’re busy having the babies. If we need to, we can always find room for them to stay here at the house. But I think I can find an Airbnb close by.”

I curled further into his chest. “I don’t want to host anyone for either holiday this year. I don’t have the energy physically or mentally. I want a quiet year while we put together the nursery and spend time with Marvel and Saint and Bronx when we have him.”

“I’ll let Mom know. They won’t be too disappointed. They still have everyone else in the family up there. No visitors this year. And we’ll let them know when we’re ready for them to come out.” Pete assured me.

“I’ll call Mom in a few days and let her know we’ve decided no visitors until after the twins are here. And, I’m going to let her know that if she wants to visit at all in the first year of the twins' lives, she’s going to have to be vaccinated. She’s not gonna like that but I don’t care. I’ll call Dad and Amy tomorrow and ask them to come out after Christmas.”

I stayed curled up against him for a little while. He is so comfortable to cuddle with. I finally got up and started dinner for the family.

I did call Dad and Amy the next day. They both agreed to come out after the new year to stay until the babies came. Amy told me she would be in the delivery room with us since that’s what we wanted. She promised that she would watch out for me. And both of them promised to not say a word to the other sets of parents. Dad knows how Mom is. And they didn’t want Dale and Peter to feel left out either. I knew I would tell the other parents when the time came. But I wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

Bronx’s sixteen birthday came. He, like most teenagers, wanted to take his driving test on his birthday. Both Pete and Ashlee went with him. I stayed home with the little kids. He came home a few hours later as the newest driver in the family. We were very proud of him. The four of us parents threw him a huge party with all four of his siblings and a bunch of Bronx’s friends. He had a very fun sixteenth birthday.

I did call my Mom a few days after Pete and I decided no visitors for the holidays. It didn’t go well.

I called her when all the kids were busy with school and Pete was working. I was alone in the living room.

“Hi Mom.” I greeted her when she answered.

“Hello Grace. How are you? Are the babies doing ok?”

“I’m fine. Babies are growing and healthy. I have an appointment next week.” I told her. “So, Mom, I wanted to call to let you know we’ve decided to not have any visitors over the holidays. We want to spend these last few months before Star and Jupiter come with the kids. Just our nuclear family.”

“But Grace, you need me there with you. You don’t know what you’re doing. You need me there to show you how to take care of the twins. You can’t do it on your own.” Mom was starting to go on a tangent.

I had to yell over her to get her to stop. “No! You are not welcome here until after the twins are born and even then, it will be a few months before we invite you to meet them. And, so you know now, you and Ryan will have to be vaccinated before you can meet them.”

“What? No, I don’t have to get vaccinated. Vaccinated from what? I had all my shots as a kid. You don’t need more once you’re an adult.”

“Covid, flu, DTaP. You will have those shots before you will be allowed to meet the twins.” I said forcefully. I didn’t want to take any chances with the health of my children. I will admit, this was in part because I knew they would probably be premature and that could mean an immune system that isn’t fully developed.

“Oh that’s ridiculous. I don’t need those. You can’t stop me from coming out there and spending time with my babies!” That was it. I would not tolerate her calling my babies hers.

“You didn’t learn a damn thing when Abby was born did you? These are not your babies. They are mine. I decide who, what, when and where for them. They are going to be small and vulnerable. Getting vaccinated is for their protection. We need to keep them from getting sick. I will do everything to protect them.” I was getting heated and I know I was getting loud.

“I have rights! Grandparents rights! They’re my babies too. You can’t keep me from them. I have to be there when they’re born. I just have to. I need to see them born. Grace, you can’t do what Lisa did. You can’t keep me from them. I was only helping her. She didn’t listen to what I told her. Everything would have been fine if she had just taken my advice.”

“What is wrong with you? You don’t even know what grandparents' rights are. I will not be threatened by you. If you keep acting like this, you’ll never be invited out here. I don’t need you to tell me how to take care of my babies or my family. There’s a reason Scott and Lisa only visit you for a few days every other year. They don’t trust you with Abby. And I don’t trust you either.” I was yelling right back at her.

Pete came in at this point because he had heard me. He didn’t say anything, just walked up to me, took the phone out of my hand and said into it, “Rebecca? Yeah, I know what Grace said and I agree with her. No, none of the parents are going to be here when the twins come. We don’t want you here because you’re not going to be helpful. No, not even my Mom. And if you ever spew the grandparents' rights bullshit again, you will never see my children. Ever. And if you piss her off too much you and I both know Grace will cut you out of her life. If we do decide to allow you to visit and meet Star and Jupiter it will be when we say so and only if you are fully vaccinated. I don’t give a fuck how you feel about this. I only care about the health and safety of my kids.” He stopped talking for a few minutes while Mom went off on him. “Well, if that’s how you feel, then I think you need to remember one thing. I went to school to be a lawyer and my father is one. I know the law much better than you do. I have better representation than you can buy. And, I have fuck you money. Do yourself a favor and calm down, think this through. We aren’t saying you’ll never meet the twins. All we’re saying is, it will be on our timeline and on our terms. Give Grace some time. Don’t call her, she’ll call you when she’s ready to talk to you. Goodbye Rebecca.” Then he hung up on her.

He handed me back my phone. “I think you should mute her number for a while and take a break from her.” He said. “Or you can just let me answer if she calls before you want to talk to her again.” Then he smiled at me. “I promised you I wouldn’t let any of the parents come in and steamroll you or us.” He stepped closer and put both hands on my hips. He leaned in and kissed me softly. “I’m gonna protect you. This is something I can protect you from. But I still think the mountain lion is scarier.”

I chuckled and smiled at him and raised both hands to cup his cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you so much. That was so fucking sexy, the way you stood up for me and put your foot down. If I wasn't already pregnant, I'd take you upstairs and make a baby with you right now.” I flirted with him before kissing him.

“She’ll calm down, give her some time. Maybe I can have Mom try and talk some sense into her. But, give yourself a break, don’t talk to her for a little while. Put her in time out.”

I liked that idea, and that’s what I did. I didn’t talk to her for two weeks. I didn’t answer when she called after a week of silence. I didn’t answer her text messages either. I didn’t even bother to read them. I ignored her for two weeks.

During this time, both Dale and Dad called up to hear our side of the story. Both of them had heard that we were going to keep the twins from her because of the issues she and Lisa had had. That I had called her a terrible mother and grandmother. That we wouldn’t let her visit or help when the babies were born. That we were going to make her get shots before visiting. That as the grandmother, it was her right to be there when I was in labor.

I told them the truth. Dad wasn’t surprised at all. And said that’s what he figured. He knew how to handle my Mom so I let him do what he wanted with the situation. Dale was more surprised at my mom. All this fuss just because she was told to be vaccinated and that she was going to have to wait until the twins were strong and healthy enough for visitors.

When I did call my Mom again, I was firm and told her the next time she had a meltdown would be two months before I would even consider speaking to her again. That if she wanted any kind of relationship with me and the kids, she needed to keep herself in check. I wasn’t playing around and I didn’t need her at all. She needed and wanted the relationship much more than I did. And until I felt like I could trust her, what I was going to offer was slim. Take it or leave it. I think she got the message.

I was still reading to the two little kids every night. Sometimes Pete and/or Bronx would join us. But not every night. We continued to read some of the classics. I had given both Saint and Marvel the books I had written for them. They both thought the books were awesome. And some nights, they wanted their books read to them. I always read them if that’s what the kids wanted. Saint would always be on my right and Marvel was always on my left. They would cuddle with me as we read. I took the opportunity to bond with the kids. I wanted them to know just how much they were loved. And I allowed them to feel and talk to the twins. I told them if they talked to the babies, they would know their older siblings' voices before they were even born.

Pete and I were still working on the adoption of Marvel and Saint. We had all the paperwork completed and ready to be signed. The only hold up we were having on moving forward with the adoption was Meagan. She had to sign away her parental rights. I couldn’t adopt them until she did that. And the reason she wasn’t signing them away was because we couldn’t find her. Even her parents didn’t know where she was. Our attorney suggested we hire a private investigator. So we did.

I was also still filming for my channel. I was still taking the family on small adventures. We did Universal Studios and the full Harry Potter experience. We got wands at Ollivander’s, visited Hogsmeade, shopped at Dervish & Banges, and enjoyed some Butterbeer. We had a fantastic time. I had also started writing another book.

Thanksgiving came and we had a very delicious meal as a family. We enjoyed the long weekend together. We made sure the kids had fun. I cooked a big meal and we ate on the leftovers the next day. My pecan pie was a huge hit. I made two because I had been craving it badly. And I was only going to allow myself to bake it one time.

During all of this, we were trying to get ready for the birth of the twins. We moved everything out of the guest room and painted it white with gray accents. I painted a mural on one wall. It was Harry Potter themed. It was a scene of Hogwarts and the lake and the Hogwarts Express pulling into the station. We had the cribs delivered, and the changing table. I wanted a chair in the room as well. I found a rocking chair and had that delivered too. We also made sure that we had car seats, a baby monitor, and a pack-n-play that could be set up in our room if we wanted them closer for the first few days or weeks.

I went shopping and picked up everything I thought we’d need. Clothes, diapers, wipes, and everything else I could think of. I had been reading all the books and blogs. Pete knew I had missed a few things and ordered them for us. By the time Christmas came, we were as ready as we could be for Star and Jupiter. Now all we had to do was wait for them to come.

I went to the doctor every other week to check on everything. My blood pressure was fine, my blood sugar levels were good. I was as healthy as I could be and so were the twins. I had only gained forty-five pounds. That surprised me, I felt like I had gained 100 pounds. My doctor thought I’d probably not go to full term, but if I made it anytime after 32 weeks she said they should be big and strong enough. Everyday they stayed in me they got bigger and stronger. As ready as I was to meet them, I also wanted them to wait for as long as possible.

Jupiter and Star kept growing and growing. I felt huge. I couldn’t see my feet any more. And I no longer had an inny belly button. My center of gravity had changed and instead of walking, I waddled. I felt large and gross. Pete didn’t seem to think that though. He spent time just doing anything to make me feel good. As in, he spent time almost everyday just making sure I was as comfortable as possible. My feet or ankles were swollen? He rubbed them for me. My hips and lower back aching? He massaged them for me. And he constantly told me he loved me and that he thought I was a sexy pregnant lady. He still touched me like he thought I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Even as big as I was, we still couldn’t get enough of each other.

Christmas came fast. We were only a family of four that year. We tried to give them a magical Christmas again. We did last year. I think we did a pretty good job of it. I baked cookies with the kids. We made a gingerbread house. We decorated the house and the tree. We FaceTimed with Dale and Peter. The kids got most of what they wanted. Pete helped me cook because I needed him to lift the ham in and out of the oven. It wasn’t too heavy for me, but it was awkward. I even made a Yule Log. It was a good Christmas. We had fun, and we were able to spend lots of time with Saint and Marvel. We all needed that.

New Years came and we rang in the new year just Pete and I. The kids were fast asleep. We didn’t have champagne, but we did have lemonade. I had been drinking gallons of lemonade because it tasted so good. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was making it myself so I could control how much sugar was in it.

When the clock struck midnight, Pete kissed me and then said, “Happy New Year, Baby. I can’t wait for what this year is gonna bring us.”

“Happy New Year, Honey. 2025 is going to be an amazing year.”

We didn’t stay up too late. I needed to sleep. I was tired and wasn’t sleeping as much as I wanted. I got too uncomfortable and would wake up. And, for some reason, when I was still for too long, Jupiter and Star would start moving. Once one of them started moving the other one always joined their sibling. They woke me up a lot those last few weeks.

As we climbed into bed that night the twins started kicking me and each other.

“Oh boy, they're at it again. It’s gonna take a while to get to sleep tonight.” I said as I tried to get comfortable.

Pete scooted close to me and placed one of his big, warm hands on the babies. Leaning in he started talking to them. “Hey you two. It won’t be much longer and you’ll be out here with us. And I’m so excited to meet you. But until then, give your Mom a break. She needs to get some sleep.” He was saying. But at the sound of his voice they both settled down. They always did when he talked to them.

“Oh, please keep talking to them. You know how much they like it.” I said.

Pete continued to talk to them. He told them all about how all of us were ready for them to come. And how each of the kids were ready to be big brothers and a big sister. How loved both of them were already. I fell asleep as he talked to them.

Bronx had told us and his Mom that he wanted to be with us when I had the twins. Ashlee was fine with that. She also asked if there was anything at all she could do for me. She and I had gotten to know each other better the last few months. We got along really well. I didn’t think of her as a best friend, but I did think of her as a friend. We had a long talk one day over coffee, regular for her, and a decaf for me. We agreed that Bronx and all the other kids were what was important to both of us. And the relationship we all had with them needed to be positive. I wanted to include Jagger and Iggy in some of the things we did. And she wanted Saint, Marvel, Star, and Jupiter to be included in some of the things they did too. We were a large and blended family. We wanted to make it as good and positive as we could. This didn’t mean that I took her kids for every adventure we went on. But I did make sure they were included in birthday plans, or extended the invitation to some things. Things were they could meet us and let the kids play together.

Pete and Evan were both a bit surprised with this when Ashlee and I told them. But neither of them were against it. Pete and Evan had always been respectful of each other and did their best to make sure Bronx was never in the middle.

Dad and Amy came out the second week of January. Pete had let his parents know that we had decided to have Amy and Dad there to help us. Dale was actually fine with that. She agreed with us that with Amy’s work background she was the best choice to be there with us. And Dad absolutely adores the kids. He was planning on making sure they didn’t worry while we were at the hospital. He had fun things planned for them to do while they waited.

Pete had found a place in our neighborhood on Airbnb. It was within walking distance from our house. Just go down the street to the corner and turn right. It was four houses down. It took less than ten minutes to walk there. We rented it for six weeks hoping that would be long enough. Turns out, it was plenty of time. I went into labor almost a week after they arrived.