After we had breakfast, Daniel and I go to the horses for a ride. I don't know the surroundings here so there's no way I'm going alone.
At first I thought maybe Daniel would be a bit nervous about getting back on a horse. But I guess that was a bit stupid to think about a guy who drives F1 cars for a living and has experienced crashes a few times.
As soon as we get to the gate and I call for Rain she comes running towards me. When she is in front of me she gently touches my face with her soft nose. Blowing her warm breath against my skin.
I plant kisses all over that cute nose of hers, I don't think I can ever thank Daniel enough for ignoring me this once. She truly is my animal soulmate and I love her to bits.
"Alex gave me her saddle and bridle as well, so she has her own stuff." He takes the chestnut horse out whose name is Jack. He seems very calm and relaxed and is overall a very friendly boy.
"Are you sure you want to ride baby, I mean with peanut and all?" Daniel asks me again, I think he asked me this question about 12 times this morning.
"Yeah, peanut and I are safe with Rain. We're going to take it easy, no racing. I don't want her to trip. So just a relaxed ride ok. I trust her, she'll keep me and peanut safe." I want to pick up the saddle, but Daniel won't let me lift anything heavy.
He quickly puts the saddle on her back so I can secure it. The bridle I get to do myself, as that's not heavy, even though I know by looking at him he'd rather do that as well.
Jack is all set and ready, so as soon as I'm done checking everything on Rain we get on and trot off.
I really thought I'd never be on her back again, but here we are, in Perth, riding together.
Daniel shows me the entire property, it's quite big actually. He also has some ramps build up in some paddock a bit further away.
"These are a bit high for skateboarding and I've never seen you do that, so where are these for?" I ask as we ride passed them.
"For my dirt bikes. It's just a bit of fun, but I don't really get to use them often as I have to be careful not to break anything." He looks at the things longing and I'm actually quite happy he's not allowed to do crazy stunts.
"Just wait until you retire. I heard Max once say he is not allowed to ride a MotoGP bike, because Red Bull thinks it's too dangerous."
Daniel laughs, "yeah they like us in one piece in the car. I'm glad I'm still allowed to ride after this summer. I guess they expect me to be more careful now."
"You'd better, I have no intentions of raising this little one alone." I've been riding one handed, with my other hand on my bump. I thought it would be more uncomfortable on horseback, but it's not so bad. Peanut was moving when we got on, but I think the rocking motions made him fall asleep.
"I'm so excited to see our little girl again today." Daniel says.
"What makes you so sure it's a girl?" I ask, even though I'm sure it's a boy.
"I don't know, just a feeling. I would love a boy, don't get me wrong. I will be equally happy either way. But I think I would be a great girl daddy." He melts my heart.
"I know you would be. So let's say you're right. What would you want to name her?"
I can almost hear his thoughts run a hundred miles per hour.
"Oh there are so many nice names, I like Luna, or Lizzy because they sound like names that fit a sweet little girl. But I also like Ivy, or Phoenix. They sound more feisty and if she is anything like you that would also fit her." I'm impressed, he had thought about this obviously.
"Oh I like all of them, how about if we have a girl, you get the decide on the name and if it's a boy I get to choose the first name? But we can only pick out of names we both agree on, so we will both love it." I would never pick a name he doesn't like and I know he wouldn't do the same.
"I like that. What are your ideas about boys names then?"
"Well I like Duncan, Callan or Morgan, but I also like Felix." I look at him to see his reaction.
He lets the options sink in for a bit and then smiles.
"Yeah I would love either one of them. So deal, I'll name a girl, you name a boy."
He steers Jack a bit closer to Rain and holds out his hand.
I switch the reins to my other hand and place my hand in his.
We ride side by side until we're back at the yard where he takes of the saddles and bridles before releasing the horses back in the pasture.
Grace comes outside with two glasses of juice.
"I thought you could use something to drink. It's a bit dusty out. How was the ride?"
Before answering I take a few large sips of the fresh orange juice.
"It was great. I love it here. Peanut seemed to like it as well, he was moving at first, but he settled down quite fast."
I now recognize the feeling of peanut moving, it is still so small and light, but the flutters are definitely there.
"I can't wait to see that little one. Speaking off, maybe you guys can go and get changed, we should be heading out soon." She says taking the glasses we just emptied back.
After changing Daniel carefully carries the dress to the car so we can go to the dress maker to see how much needs to be changed. We still have 3 weeks to go before the wedding, so I'll be bigger then.
About 45 minutes later the four of us arrive at the clinic where we're having the ultrasound and other checks.
Joe has had a grin on his face from the moment we drove off and Grace is pacing up and down the waiting room.
The nurse first calls me and Daniel in for the other tests, blood pressure, weight, all of that.
Everything is perfect, my blood pressure is spot on, my weight is only slightly going up, but that doesn't mean I won't gain any later on.
Then Grace and Joe are called in and I lie down on the bed.
I'm wearing maternity shorts and a top, so I only have to pull the top up and the fabric that covers my bump gets tucked down.
The doctor squirts the gel on and then puts the probe on my skin.
"So you don't want to know what you're having right?" She asks just to be sure.
"No, we want it to be a surprise."
"Ok I'll make sure I won't say he or her and I'll try not to show you what's in between the legs. Although it might be difficult to see for the untrained eye." She turns on the screen and within seconds we see our peanut appear.
"Oh my god look at that! It's actually a baby now, it doesn't look like a peanut anymore." I say when I see our baby's head and body on the screen.
I quickly glance at Daniel who is just staring at the wall where they projected what we can see on the screen, his jaw has dropped and his eyes are watering.
Grace and Joe are just watching. Not speaking but both squeezing each others hands. I actually see a tear run down Joe's proud face.
"I'll do some quick measurements and then we'll just enjoy your baby for a while." She moves the probe over my bump, we suddenly see our babies legs, he's definitely kicking around, which makes it hard for the doctor to measure.
"Feisty little one in there." She smiles and I feel Daniel squeeze my hand softly.
"She'll be just like her mom, sweet but feisty."
"He thinks we're having a girl and I think it's a boy. But we still have 23 weeks until we know for sure." I explain the doctor and she nods understanding.
"I'm not telling anything, I've already seen the gender, but I'll keep it to myself."
How on earth did she see it so quickly? This is strange, there's now one person who knows for sure if we have a son or daughter growing inside me.
"All the measurements are done, this little one is doing everything by the books. Let's listen to the heartbeat." As she turns on the sound, we hear it right away.
"Sounds perfect, I would say that's one healthy baby. Do you want to see it in 3D? It won't be as pretty as it will be later on, but it's still amazing to see."
We both nod and she adjusts something on the machine, the image on the wall changes and suddenly we see our baby in 3D.
"I have to be careful, because the whole baby fits the screen now and if he or she moves too much you might catch a glimpse of what's between the legs." The doctor grins when she sees our delighted faces.
It's definitely a little person in there, but I can imagine when we are a lot further along we will be able to see the details in the face.
"Oh look at that!" Grace is now also in tears as her and Joe enjoy the images of their third grandchild.
"Wow this is absolutely amazing, just look at our peanut Sky. I love you so much for making me a dad." He gives me a kiss on my head never keeping his eyes of the wall.
Peanut starts to bounce around and the doctor quickly turns the screen back to the original black and white.
"Sorry guys, but your baby was about to show you some parts you don't want to see yet."
"That's alright, this was more than we thought we would see so thanks." I take the tissues she is offering me to clean my stomach with.
"You're welcome. Your baby is perfectly healthy and so are you. I understand you'll be in Monaco for the 20 week scan if I remember correctly?"
I nod, "we are having that scan with our doctor there."
"That's Dr Dubois right? I'll send todays results and measurements to her, so she has all the information she needs. It was great to meet you and if at any moment during your time here you are worried or just want to come in for a scan. Just call. We can always fit you in."
We shake hands and leave with some pictures she printed.
At the tailors I get to put on the dress, Daniel decides to go with his dad to run some errands. He has seen the dress, but not on me, he wants to keep that until the 2nd of January.
It will definitely need some altering, but the dress actually isn't that tight around the stomach as it starts to widen around the waist all the way down.
I feel so relieved. I don't think I'll be wearing it the entire time, but at least for the ceremony and maybe our first dance. After that I'll change into something more comfortable, I bought the cutest dress in the Gold Coast that will be perfect.
Also as we're having a bbq I would be terrified to spill food all over the wedding dress.
We leave the dress and we'll pick it up after Christmas.
Daniel texted that he and his dad are in a little restaurant down the street so we join them to have some lunch before going back to the farm.
Time flies by and Grace, Michelle and I have spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner. Michelle and I grew really close over the last week as she is now staying over with her family as well.
We have all been decorating the Christmas tree, I can't even remember ever putting in so much effort decorating the times we had a Christmas tree at home. Usually my mom and dad actually decorated it when me and Damian were in bed.
Daniel has been the best uncle, spending loads of time with his niece and nephew. He lifted them up so they could put in decorations higher in the tree, they have been popping confetti cannons all over the house. Much to Grace's delight, not! But she raised him well, so he took out the vacuum cleaner and tried to clean up the mess they made.
Now there are piles of gifts underneath the tree and I've also spotted quite a few with 'peanut' on it which made me feel pretty emotional.
Our little one is already so loved and a part of this family. It will be amazing to have him or her grow up surrounded by these people that will adore him. Or her.
We all decided to dress up a bit for dinner, so now it's all set on the table I quickly get changed into a blush, short A-line dress with a ribbon tied just above my bump.
I've been feeling the baby move every day and every day it feels stronger. I enjoy every little kick or tumble that I feel, I can't wait to share it with Daniel, but so far he hasn't been able to feel it yet.
When I walk back to the dining table Daniel looks at me with so much love and admiration.
"You're stunning as ever my love. Come sit you've been on your feet long enough today."
He has been out chopping wood and preparing the fire pit outside together with Michael, Blake and his dad, so after dinner we will all go and enjoy the evening around the fire.
Once we all sat down we start filling up our plates. We've prepared a delicious piece of roast beef with vegetables and jacked potatoes.
For dessert I baked a Christmas cake and I decorated it with butter cream frosting.
I always loved baking and decorating cakes. Usually I was the one who made the birthday cakes for Pixie and Mason, just this year I hadn't had the time. But today I was able to enjoy baking it and when everyone is done with the dinner I go to the kitchen to bring it to the table.
"Ooooh cake!!" Isaac shouts when he sees it. Isabella, Daniels niece just claps her hand excitedly.
Daniel gets a big knife and starts to cut the cake. First he gives the kids some smaller slices, before cutting slices for all of us. Giving himself the biggest one.
"Mate you've got some working out to do after this." Michael laughs, but Daniel shrugs putting a big bit of cake in his mouth.
The evening is filled with laughter and stories about Daniel and Michelle as kids. Isaac and Isabella eventually get tired so Michelle and Grace put them to bed, while Daniel, Michael and Joe clean up the table and kitchen. All of them forbade me to help, so now I feel a bit useless.
I decide to go check on the horses for a bit, otherwise I'm only in the way of the guys who are trying to clean up quickly so we can all sit outside.
"I'll be outside, just going to check on Rain for a bit. See you guys in a bit." It's still warm, so I don't even need a jacket. Having a Christmas tree in the house while we are walking around in shorts or summer dresses is the weirdest thing I've ever experienced.
Taking the short walk to the paddock where the horses are I breathe in the fresh country air.
When I get to the gate I call Rain and she makes her way towards me. I'm so happy she will be having a little baby of her own. Our babies will be growing up together, hopefully peanut will love horses as much as I do, I'd love to go riding together as a family in a couple of years.
"Hey girl, how are you feeling? You still look very well. But you have a very long way to go before you're going to be showing." Unaware of my surroundings I stroke her nose and head.
Suddenly her head shoots up as she hears something. She snorts and is obviously tensing up.
"What's the matter girl?" I look behind me as I hear footsteps, they don't sound like Daniels.
"Hello, you are Skylar aren't you?" There's a stunning woman coming my way, I have no idea who she is, but she seems to know me.
"I am, who are you?" She comes up to me, only stopping inches away from me.
I feel myself getting a bit nervous, for some reason the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
There's something off about her.
"I'm Vanessa, I'm the person Daniel is supposed to be with." She says with a wicked grin on her face.
"You're joking right? You know Daniel and I are married. And we're having a baby together. So I don't know what you are thinking, but he's definitely not supposed to be with you." By the way her face changes I realize I might have made a mistake.
"There's always divorce. And that baby isn't born yet. Anything can happen to it." She steps a bit closer and I put my hands on my bump. For some reason I feel like I have to protect our peanut.
"Daniel and I aren't going to divorce. We love each other. He has never mentioned you. Who the fuck are you anyways?" I am nervous, but also angry that she thinks she can just come up to me and say things like this.
"We used to date, but he was too busy with his career so we split up, but I never stopped loving him and I know he will remember what I have to offer when he sees me again. We are going to be together again. You're just a little bump in the road."
I sense Rain is getting restless as she feels I'm uncomfortable around this Vanessa person. When I look around unfortunately nobody is coming to get me yet. I was hoping Daniel would call for me as soon as they were done cleaning up, but maybe they are still inside.
Unsure what to do I try to keep her talking to stall time.
"You're delusional, you might as well go home, because you and Daniel are never going to happen." I move to the side to walk past her. I just want to get to the house so I'm not alone anymore. But apparently that was a mistake which I quickly find out.
"Oh we are. You're nobody." I feel her hands on my back as she pushes me hard. I'm taken by surprise so I stumble over, falling forward.
I scream as I try to turn so I fall on my side so I don't hit my bump on the ground, but I only manage to turn a little bit before hitting the dirt.
"Skylar?!" I hear Daniels voice. "Skylar what happened." I didn't even hear him coming. He falls in his knees next to me as I'm lying there half on my bump and half on my side. The skin on my arm and leg is scraped by the little stones in the dirt, but I barely notice it.
"She pushed me! Oh my god peanut!" I start to cry as I feel my tummy tighten. I can't believe what she did.
Daniel looks up to see that wicked woman standing there, an evil smile on her face.
"Vanessa? Are you fucking insane! Why would you do this?"
He helps me so I sit up, but another tense feeling runs through my abdominal area, making me whimper. It doesn't really hurt, but it feels uncomfortable and it terrifies me.
"You need to remember who you belong to. And it's not this little bitch, it's me. We are meant to be. But I knew as long as she is pregnant you would be the good guy and stick with her. So hopefully I fixed that little problem and you can come back to me."
Suddenly I hear a loud smack as I see Michelle take a swing at the woman slapping her across the face.
"You crazy bitch! Dad call the police! Daniel get her to the hospital now! Don't wait for an ambulance just go!"
Blake grabs Vanessa as Daniel picks me up from the dirt. I'm sobbing with fear that something will happen with peanut as I keep feeling muscles contract in my abdomen.
"I'll drive." I hear Michael say. I think that's the best idea, because Daniel is to frantic to drive now. Luckily Michael has only had one beer 3 hours ago so he's fine to drive now.
As Daniel carries me to the car I feel something warm trickle down my thighs.
"Daniel I think I'm bleeding. Oh god please no! Not again!" I'm crying, screaming as my heart shatters. I can't lose another baby. Not like this. Not because of somebody else.
"We're getting you to the doctor baby, it will be ok, we don't know if anything is wrong. Try to calm down. I know it's scary, but please don't panic." Daniel puts me down in the car and jumps in next to me.
I put my hand between my legs and when I look at it there is blood on my fingers.
"No no no! Daniel please tell me this is not happening. Please! I can't do this again." I am freaking out, sobbing and hyperventilating.
Michael is racing to get to the doctor, Daniel makes a quick call to the emergency number of the same doctor we visited for our ultrasound only a few weeks ago.
"Yeah we're on our way, should be there in about 20 minutes. There is some blood loss, I can't really tell how much. Alright see you in a bit."
He hangs up and turns back to me.
"Baby, I know you're freaking out, but look at me. Breathe with me."
I look into his eyes, but I barely see him. All I can think about is the fact that I seem to be losing another baby. This time by the hands of somebody who meant to harm our peanut.