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Jenna finished the crocheted baby blanket, read a dozen books, looked at every magazine in the house at least twice, watched movies until she felt cross-eyed, played online until she couldn’t think of a thing she hadn’t googled and made lists of dozens of baby names, none of which she and Josh could agree on. She had napped, rested, lazed around and felt like a useless blob.
Josh was running around cleaning house before today’s babysitter arrived. Jenna felt like such a burden to Josh and their family. She’d love to be able to get up and go for a walk or even make a batch of cookies. She was grateful to everyone for all their time, meals and care, but so tired of being cooped up.
She heard the vacuum turn off and knew Josh would be putting it away before he picked up the duster and ran it around the family room. He came into their room and ran the duster over every surface then disappeared in their bathroom. She knew he was scrubbing the tub, toilet and sink. He would wipe down the counters, take the towels to the laundry room and start a load of wash. He at least brought the laundry, fresh from the dryer, to the bed where she could fold it without exerting any effort. It gave her something to do and made her feel useful for a few minutes.
“Tell me again who is coming today?” Jenna yelled as she heard Josh clomp down the stairs.
“I already told you, it’s a surprise,” Josh called back. She heard him banging around in the kitchen. He soon appeared in the doorway with a steaming cup of tea. Setting it down on the nightstand, he gave her a kiss and a wink. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Jenna ran a hand over her hair and looked down at her clothes. She insisted on taking a shower, fixing her hair, putting on mascara and getting dressed every day. Josh studied her and smiled.
“You look just fine, little mama.” Jenna glanced up at him. She hadn’t told him, but every time he called her little mama, she could feel a piece of her heart melt.
“For a hippo,” Jenna said, rubbing a hand over her ever-expanding middle. “I forget the last time I could see my feet.”
Josh laughed and grabbed one foot, giving it a massage, then rubbed the other one. “They are still right here, just as cute as ever. Now, I need to go take care of a few things. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, I’m good. How far are you going?”
“I’m just going to run into town. I’ll be back in an hour. I’ve got my phone if you need me. Do you want to stay in here or go out to the family room?”
“The family room would be great,” Jenna said, swinging her legs over the bed. Josh hovered over her and she gently pushed him back. “I really want to walk by myself. Shuffling from here to there will be fine. You can walk with me.”
When she was settled on her side on the couch, he went back into the bedroom, retrieved her mug of tea and warmed it in the microwave before placing it on the end table next to her. He made sure the remote was within her grasp as well.
“Are you sure you don’t need anything?”
“I’m fine. Go on. Breathe some fresh air for me.”
“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”
Josh had been gone only a few minutes when Jenna heard a knock at the back door. “Come in,” she called.
The knocking continued, so she yelled louder. “Door’s open, come on in.”
Jenna heard the door open and then footsteps in the mudroom. She thought she heard shushing. Then the door opened and she was soon looking into the face of her mom, dad and oldest sister Chrissy. Sitting up on the couch, she was speechless as they hurried into the family room.
“Jenna look at you!” her mom gushed as she came to give her a hug. Her dad bent down for a hug followed by Chrissy, who then plopped down beside her.
“Wow, look at this belly,” Chrissy said, rubbing Jenna’s stomach. Leaning down she said, “Hello, little nephews, Aunt Chrissy is here.”
Jenna laughed and cried and smiled, all at the same time. She had no control over her emotions these days and had learned to just go with whatever came along. Grabbing a tissue from the ever-present box on the table behind the couch, she dabbed at her cheeks. “What are you all doing here? This is the best surprise! Josh said someone special was coming to stay with me today, but wouldn’t say who. Oh, this is just wonderful. Take off your coats and tell me everything.”
Jenna’s dad laughed and gathered up their coats, hanging them in the front coat closet. Chrissy found mugs in the kitchen and made them all a cup of tea. Settling down into the comfy chairs, they talked for an hour when Josh came in carrying hot pizza.
“Anyone hungry for lunch?” he asked as he came in and set the boxes on the counter.
“Josh, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me they were coming,” Jenna called from the couch. “You are so sneaky.”
“Yep, that’s me, the sneak.” Josh walked into the room and shook his father-in-law’s hand, then kissed his mother-in-law and Chrissy on the cheek. “Dan, Vivian, I’m so glad you could come. And Chrissy, I wasn’t sure you’d be able to get away but thrilled that you could. Where are your kids?”
Chrissy and her husband, Greg, had three little girls, ages three, seven and ten. “They are at their grandmother’s house today and then their dad gets full-on duty for the weekend. He’ll really appreciate me by the time we get home Sunday evening.”
Josh laughed. “How was your drive? You must have gotten an early start.”
“We did and being a Thursday traffic wasn’t terrible this morning, so we made good time,” Dan said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I forget what a nice drive it is from Seattle to Portland and really isn’t that far. We’ll have to think about making the trip more often.”
“We’d love to have you whenever you want to come this direction,” Josh said, motioning toward the kitchen. “I brought home some pizza and there is a salad in the fridge. Shall we have some lunch?”
“I’m starving,” Chrissy walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, taking out the salad and setting it on the table. Vivian and Dan wandered in and set the pizza and napkins on the table. Josh helped Jenna up and walked with her to the dining table, helping her ease into her chair with the footstool.
Chrissy, Vivian and Dan stood watching, then looked at each other and smiled. Chrissy was pretty sure Greg had never been that attentive during any of her pregnancies.
“Wow, Josh, are you always so helpful with our girl?” Vivian teased.
Josh blushed, but smiled at Jenna then her mom. “Someone has to keep her on the straight and narrow.” Josh got plates out of the cupboard, grabbed some forks and placed them on the table.
After Josh gave thanks for the meal, they all sat eating the pizza and enjoying the conversation. Jenna was tiring and was trying to think of a graceful way to excuse herself for a nap when Josh noticed her drooping.
“Well, little mama, isn’t it about time for your nap?” he asked, scooting his chair back from the table and standing beside her chair.
At her weary nod, he gently helped her up and walked her into their bedroom. Josh returned to their company, knowing Jenna would take an hour-long nap then be ready for more visiting with her family.
Stepping into the kitchen, Vivian and Chrissy were putting plates into the dishwasher and Dan was wiping off the table.
“You guys don’t need to help, you’re our guests this weekend,” Josh said as he looked around and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t already done.
“Now Josh, you just get this straight from the get-go. We came to help this weekend so whatever needs done, just point us in the right direction,” Chrissy informed him, hands on her hips. “Mom and I will take care of dinner tonight. Anything in particular you’d like to have?”
Somewhat taken aback, Josh shook his head. “No, whatever you make will be fine. Really, I didn’t invite you to come so you would work all weekend. I just thought Jenna would enjoy seeing you all.”
Vivian put a hand on his arm. “We know that Josh, but we want to be useful while we
are here as well. I had no idea that Jenna was so limited in what she can do. Is she really not even able to walk around much?”
Josh smiled. “Well, the doctor said only when necessary. So if I’m here in the house and she needs something, it’s no problem to help her. We are really trying to make it to thirty-seven weeks with the babies and we still have a few to go to get there.”
Chrissy walked over to him and looped her arm through his. “Well, I think it is sweet the way you are taking care of her and calling her little mama. Frankly, I’m glad I had my kids one at a time. She looks positively miserable. Now, how about you show us this nursery Jenna has bragged about?”
Josh gave them the grand tour of the nursery and they made all the appropriate comments. Dan kept looking at the table Clay and his cohorts had made for Christmas.
“You say your brother-in-law made this?” Dan asked, running his hand over one of the carved faces on the back of a chair.
“Yes. Clay and some of the relatives worked on it together but I think he did most of the work.”
“It is absolutely amazing. These two boys are pretty lucky, aren’t they?”
Josh smiled, warmth lighting his eyes to a silvery gray. “I like to think they are very blessed.”
“Josh, did you buy these?” Chrissy asked, snatching up one of the tiny John Deere hats from the peg on the wall.
“Nope, those were a Christmas gift. Aren’t they cute? You have to see the little Wranglers,” Josh said, pulling open a drawer and taking out the miniature jeans.
Vivian and Chrissy made over the clothes and Dan smiled indulgently. “Suppose you’ve got boots to go with those, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Josh admitted, opening the closet and pulling out two tiny pairs of cowboy boots. “But Jenna hasn’t seen these yet. It’s kind of fun to buy things and hide in here for her to find later.”
Vivian and Chrissy shared a look. Josh was way more interested and involved in Jenna’s pregnancy than either of their husbands had been.
“Josh, that is fantastic. I bet Jenna will be thrilled when she is able to come up here again. Unless you plan on packing her up the stairs,” Chrissy teased.
“If she begged, I might do it,” Josh said, rubbing his back. “But there are a lot of steps to go up and down.”
They all laughed.
Josh helped them bring up their luggage. He had changed the sheets in the two guest rooms and put fresh towels in the bathroom yesterday, with Callan’s help. She, of course, had to fluff the pillows and arrange the soaps just so and add a bouquet of fresh flowers to the bathroom counter. The little touches women appreciate and men never notice.
Turning on the bathroom light and noticing the flowers, Vivian turned to Josh with a grin. “Did you do all this yourself?”
“Callan came and helped me yesterday. It was sure hard to try and get everything done while Jenna was napping,” Josh said, thinking how he and Callan had rushed to get things done during the two naps Jenna took.
“Well, you will have to thank Callan for us for all her help. According to Jenna, she has been a lifesaver.”
“She’s as good as gold,” Josh said with pride. “I’ll leave you all to freshen up. Just wander downstairs whenever you are ready. Jenna usually sleeps about an hour or so.”
“Thanks, Josh. We’ll be down shortly,” Vivian said, turning back to their guestroom.
By the time Jenna woke up, she was ready to rejoin her family and Josh helped her back into the family room. She, Chrissy and her Mom sat talking a mile a minute so Josh took Dan out to show him the shop and barn. Josh was working on equipment repairs right now. He always liked to fine tune the equipment during the winter.
After years of watching his dad work on equipment, he was pretty handy as a mechanic and kept everything in prime working condition. Dan was impressed with not only the assortment of tools Josh had but the tidiness of his shop.
“A place for everything and everything in its place, that’s what my dad taught me. Sure is a help. I know exactly where the tool I need is at when I want it,” Josh said, running a hand along his clean workbench.
“That’s working smart,” Dan said. As an investment banker, Dan didn’t spend much time outdoors and certainly not in the country or working around equipment, but even he could tell Josh was successful at farming.
“We’re really proud of you and Jenna. You’ve worked hard and built this farm up from nothing. Now you’ve got a legacy to give your boys,” Dan said, clapping Josh on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Dan, I appreciate it. We have worked hard, but we both love it here. When I first asked Jenna to marry me, I wasn’t sure my city girl would ever adjust to country life, but I don’t know what I would do without her. She makes all the blood and sweat seem worthwhile.”
“Glad to hear that, son,” Dan said. “I always pictured Jenna marrying some muckity-muck with a big stock portfolio and a penthouse. But the first time I saw you two together, I knew you and Jenna just belonged. I thought you’d lost your mind when you decided to buy the farm, but obviously, you had a clearer vision of the big picture than the rest of us.”
Josh looked at his father-in-law and grinned. “I don’t know. There are some who would tell you I did lose my mind and am still trying to find it.”
Dan laughed and slapped Josh on the back.
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The weekend flew by and Jenna was tearful as she gave her family one last hug and watched them walk out the door. Her mom promised to come back and stay for a week when the babies arrived and Jenna was really looking forward to it. Bobbi and Maggie were as close to mother figures as she and Josh had nearby so having her mother come stay would be extra special for them both.
“Just think Babe, before long the boys will be here, your mom will be back for a visit and you’ll be able to move around as much as you want again,” Josh said, handing her another tissue as she attempted to dry her tears. “That’s great, right?”
“Great. Yes. Can’t wait,” Jenna said, sniffling. Only a few more weeks of erratic emotions, frequent trips to the bathroom, restless nights and complete boredom. At least it still gave them time to decide on names for the boys.
CHAPTER TWENTY
By mid-February, Jenna was growing used to the boredom. Her blood pressure was lower although the doctor diagnosed her with preeclampsia. Jenna knew it could be fatal so she was being extra careful to do exactly as the doctor ordered. Dr. Meliah said during her regular check up last week that if she could make it one more week, she could deliver the twins any time and everything should be fine.
Josh, of course, gave her a pep talk about how they were going to make it, no problem. They narrowed down the list of baby names they somewhat agreed on to three dozen. Bags were packed and in the car ready to go and they discussed at length the birthing plan, the get-to-the-hospital plan and the notify-all-relatives plan.
Callan arrived one morning bright and early because Josh wanted to go to a bull sale about an hour and a half away. After giving Callan the number where he could be reached at the sale just in case something happened with his cell phone, he asked Jenna for the tenth time if she was fine with him going. When she rolled her eyes and waved toward the door, he kissed her one more time and left.
“Good grief, he’s like a mother hen with a chick,” Callan laughed as Josh pulled out of the driveway and drove down the lane. “Has he been hovering like that for long?”
“Since the last trip to the doctor,” Jenna said, trying to find a comfortable spot on the couch. She had been unable to get comfortable for the last couple of days and last night an ache started in her back that seemed to be getting worse. She felt kind of nauseated and twinges had been fluttering in her stomach for hours. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was heading into labor, but decided if she was it would be awhile before anything serious started happening. Thinking about what she ate the day before, she thought it was probably just indigestion.
Running her hand over her
ever-expanding belly, Jenna was convinced her figure would never be the same. Her stomach had been stretched beyond anything she could have imagined. Her feet and ankles were a bloated mess and if her hands decided to swell anymore, she’d have to let Josh cut off her wedding ring. She should have removed it a month ago, but refused. Now she worried about losing circulation in that finger.
So far this morning, she hadn’t felt like eating anything despite Josh trying to talk her into toast. She relented and had a few nibbles just to keep him calmed down and get him out of her hair for the day. She appreciated his attentiveness but she was tired of him treating her like a sister or a child instead of his wife.
He doted on her, encouraged her, fluffed her pillows, and made her tea. Josh was the model husband and it was making her nuts. She would love for him to leave a mess somewhere, to make some sarcastic comment that made her mad, to ignore her so she could pout for a bit about his inattentiveness.
Sighing, Jenna knew her emotions and thoughts were running amuck, to put it lightly. She was probably one of the most blessed women on the planet to have a husband who devoted so much time and attention to her care. Now that he had left for the day, she was feeling resentful that he could actually walk out of the house and go enjoy himself while she sat here in swollen misery.
Sniffling, she grabbed a tissue and gave herself a mental scolding. Callan, who had just finished mopping the kitchen floor, gave her a puzzled look.
Rinsing off her hands, she came and sat across from Jenna and smiled.
“Emotions a little hard to control these days?” Callan asked with a knowing smile.
“Yes,” Jenna said, releasing a choppy laugh. “I cry when I should be laughing, laugh when I ought to cry. I’m mad for no reason and cranky and irrational. This is so not normal for me and way beyond my ability to comprehend.”
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