The Story of Us (Part 7), A Family

The boy and girl learned to live with his condition. They moved on with life and tried to keep smiling and get the most out of every day. The boy continued to work, the girl took the medications her doctor prescribed. She wanted to be healthy, quickly, she wanted to take care of the boy.

Soon the boy and girl were expecting another little one. This time felt different, this time her belly grew and grew. They moved again, they chose a midwife and home birth. They were happy and ready to start their family.

The boy worked hard and the girl was winding up her work at the office. She was ready to be at home with this baby, to cuddle, and breastfeed and love, cherish, and be captivated by her little one. The boy and girl spent many nights talking late and imagining what life would be like. They were excited and nervous.

One night almost a week past the wee one's due date, the boy was at a friend's house and the girl was getting ready for bed. She took the dog out to pee and he jumped over the gate right into the street. The dog was hit by a car, he came back into the yard and seemed ok, but the girl called the boy and told him to come right home. He took the dog to the vet, they said he would be fine, but they would keep him overnight.

At midnight as the boy and girl were going to bed her water broke. The boy and girl were overjoyed, this was the beginning! Labor lasted more than thirty hours, it was hard. But still, a little boy was born and life was magnificent.

The girl stayed home for most of six years, working some here and there when the need arose. Mostly she spent time with her little boy and loved being a mother. They chose to home school him and practice attachment parenting. The shared a family bed, nursed the little boy well into his boyhood, carried him, talked to him and tried to honor the person he was and was becoming. The boy worked hard and took time off here and there when the need arose. Life was not easy, but still, it was so very worth it.

The little boy grew and was incredible, they were stunned by him daily. When he was five another little one came along. She was also born at home, her big brother was there, with his arm around the girl's neck, cheering her on, "You can do it Mom, I know you can!" The labor was swift, the midwife almost missed it and a girl was born. Tiny and sweet.

The family was four and they fit together so well. The boy and girl were tired quite a bit, sometimes they wondered if they were wrong to add another, they worried they had ruined the little boy's life when he felt sad and missed all the attention he was used to receiving. But still. Not long after the little girl was born, as the little boy held her sleeping in his lap, he said, "She is the person I love most in the world." The girl and boy were thrilled and felt blessed.

The family moved again to another small house with a big yard. The boy had quit working completely and the girl went back to work at the preschool. The boy took over the responsibilities of the home: all the home schooling, the cooking the cleaning and walking the baby when she cried. He planned play dates, changed diapers, and worked hard to maintain the life they wanted to provide.
The girl was sad to leave each day, she saw herself as a mother, at home. She loved the job, the cooking, the baking, the afternoon naps and holding her baby. She pumped milk for the little girl and was rueful she missed out on so much of her little girl's babyness.

But still. She went to work with a smile, she knew in her heart this was best for her family. The girl wanted more than anything for the boy to take care of his body and mind - to be as well as he could. She came home each night so happy just to see their smiles. And they were smiling. Her little boy and little girl were truly happy and so the girl and boy were truly happy.