Wait For It

3

Vanessa swallowed her pre-natal pills, already glowing from the knowledge she was pregnant. It wasn't planned, but she knew she'd love this baby just the same. She'd made a follow-up appointment so Lin could come along and watch the ultrasound live. She wasn't showing yet, of course, but she still instinctively ran her hand over her belly every now and then.

Lin walked into the bathroom behind her, bedhead on full display. He put a hand on her hip and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Morning," he said in his gravelly morning voice. He went straight to the shower and turned it on. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said. It was something he asked her constantly throughout her other two pregnancies. He was so sweet and took extra care of her. Towards the end of the pregnancies, he would massage her feet and go on late night ice cream runs. He really was the best.

"Mom already sent another text this morning," he reported. "Eight more baby names to consider."

Vanessa rolled her eyes as she began to put on her make up. Sebastian and Francisco had both been on her lists, so she thought she got a say in what they named their babies. Truthfully, it didn't sway them. It was important they named their kids to honor their heritage.

Sebastian ran into the room as Lin began stripping his shirt off to get in the shower. "Daddy!"

"Homeboy!" He greeted his son.

"Come play with me!"

"In a minute, bud," he told him, ruffling his dark brown hair. "I'm about to hop in the shower. Can you go make sure Lexi and Emma are up?"

He nodded and took off running out the bedroom and down the hallway. Though he'd been reminded many times, he still pushed the doors open without knocking. Emma was already up and fully dressed, trying to figure out what shoes to wear.

"Sebby!" She greeted her younger brother. When he ran to her, she bent down to receive his hug. "Which shoes do you think I should wear today?"

Sebastian looked between the two pairs she had picked out, and pointed to a pair of black Chucks. "Thank you," she told him. He took off running to Alexis's room. Predictably, she was still in bed. Sebastian propelled himself onto her bed and sat on her back.

"Wexi, wake uuuuup!" He told her. When she groaned and turned her head the other way, he not-so-gently pushed her hair aside and leaned in closer to her ear. "Weeeexiiiiii!!"

Alexis burst out laughing. This was really the best way to wake up. She turned onto her back underneath him and began tickling him mercilessly. Sebastian escaped by jumping off the bed, causing a loud boom.

"Alright, I'm up!" She said as Sebastian raced towards the living room and his toys. Reluctantly, Lexi swung her legs over the bed and stretched. It was her third day at Hunter today. So far, things had gone okay. Some of the kids were really intense, but most were pretty cool. She missed having Amber, especially at lunch time.

Unlike her older sister, who carefully applied make up and did her hair to perfection, Lexi threw on a semi-clean pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and threw her hair up in a ponytail. She didn't see the point of bothering with make up, and she luckily had flawless skin. After quickly brushing her teeth, she went to the kitchen to grab some quick breakfast. She was ready within 15 minutes.

"Bye girls!" Vanessa called as she started to make some toast for the boys.

"Bye, V!"

At school, the girls quickly parted ways as they went to their lockers and got ready for first period. None of the school work so far had been too difficult. Things seemed to go at a bit of a faster pace, and the work load was greater. Still, she didn't mind. Lexi had to admit it was nice to have the extra challenge. School was more interesting and she wasn't bored and finishing her work too fast.