"I've gone places where I swore I would never go again"
It is now the end of November. Jimi and Karen have been married for five months and Aubree is growing like a weed. She is almost two years old. She looks just like Karen. She has shoulder length, dark brown hair and big brown eyes. She is the most outgoing baby I have ever met.
The band decided that we would take the rest of the year off of touring and start working on our new album. Stephen and I are getting married on the 28th, which is tomorrow. Karen is going to be my maid of honor and Aubree is going to be the flower girl. We're having a small wedding and Karen has been helping me plan and has been given me some of her decorations to use.
Truthfully, I didn't think I was ever going to find a man that I love this much after Steven passed away. I didn't think I would ever be this happy again, let alone get married again. This whole thing scares me to death and it is nice having Karen around to help me out.
Today, Karen is coming over with Aubree and we're going to get our nails done before the rehearsal tonight. I heard the doorbell ring. I walked from the kitchen to the front and Karen and Aubree were standing there.
"You know you can just come in right?" I said with a smile.
"I know, but she wanted to ring the doorbell" Karen said with a laugh.
"Did you like ringing the doorbell?" I asked Aubree.
"Yes I did" Aubree said.
"I am just about ready" I said and grabbed my shoes and purse.
"Alright, I'm going to put her back in the car" Karen said.
"I wasn't going to get her out, but she insisted on ringing the doorbell and wouldn't have let it go the whole night" Karen said with a giggle.
"Sounds about right" I said. I locked up the house and climbed in Karen's car.
We arrived at the nail salon about fifteen minutes later. Karen got Aubree unbuckled and brought her inside.
"What are we doing, Mama?" Aubree asked when we walked up to the door.
"We're getting our nails painted" Karen replied.
"Can I get my nails painted too?" Aubree asked excitedly.
"Only if you can sit still" Karen said.
"I can sit still" she said.
"If you can't sit still then they can't paint your finger nails" Karen said.
"I pwomise I will sit still" Aubree said with a little emphasis on the promise.
"Okay" Karen said and we walked up to the desk. I told them about our appointment and Karen sat down with Aubree to pick out nail colors. Karen decided on a red and Aubree went with pink. I ended up going with the same red Karen picked, but I wanted a silver flower design on my ring fingers.
We all sat down and surprisingly, Aubree was sitting really still. Everyone was interested in Aubree and she was loving the attention she was getting.
"So, what's your name sweetie?" The lady doing Aubree's nails asked.
"Aubwee" she said. It's always entertaining when kids can't pronounce letters yet.
"Aubree?" she asked to verify.
"Uh huh" she said and nodded her head.
"That's a very pretty name. How old are you?" she asked.
"Mommy says I'm almost two" Aubree said confidently and we all laughed.
"She'll be two in January" Karen said.
"That's coming up" she said and Aubree nodded.
"Mommy, how come Daddy didn't come to get his nails painted?" Aubree asked and everyone giggled.
"Daddy doesn't like to get his nails painted" Karen replied.
"Why not?" Aubree asked.
"I don't know, you'll have to ask him when we get home" Karen said and Aubree nodded.
We finished up getting our nails done and then went straight to the church. Once, everyone arrived, we went through everything and then went out to dinner. After dinner, we headed to the hotel. Jimi, Karen and Aubree are staying in the room next to mine and my sisters.
The next morning, I was abruptly awoken by an energetic toddler and her mother. Karen put Aubree on my bed and she crawled on me.
"Aunt Kimmy wake up" she said excitedly.
"Morning angel" I said and sat up. Aubree sat down in my lap.
"Mommy said we have to go get our hair done" she said with a huge smile.
"You're right, we do, but how about we get some breakfast first, sweet girl" I said and kissed her nose.
"Come on, come on" she said and tried to pull me off the bed.
"So you sent the baby to wake me up" I said to Karen.
"She's the one who had me up at 5:30 this morning because she is excited to get her hair done" she said.
"Let's go!" Aubree said agitated.
"Okay baby girl, let's let Aunt Kimberly get up and get dressed" Karen said and picked Aubree up.
"We'll wait out here" Karen said as I walked into the bathroom.
I walked into the bathroom and got dressed and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I walked out of the bathroom and Karen and Aubree were waiting.
I heard a knock at the door.
"It's probably Jimi" Karen said.
I went and checked the peep hole and it was Jimi.
"Morning Kim" he said.
"Can I help you with something?" I asked.
"I have been sent by the groom to give you this" he said and handed me a box.
"Thank you" I said with a smile.
"Hi Daddy" Aubree said and waved.
"Hi princess" Jimi said.
"We're going to get our hair done" she said excitedly.
"So I've heard" he said.
"I'm going to get going, we're going out to breakfast" he said.
"Okay, have fun. We'll see you this afternoon" Karen said.
"So, what's in the box?" Karen asked me.
I slowly opened the box and saw a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings.
"Those are incredible" Karen said in awe.
"They are" I said quietly.
"We should probably get going or else we're going to be late" Karen said and I nodded.
We got our stuff ready and we headed out. We grabbed breakfast at the hotel and headed to the hair dresser. Aubree was thrilled to sit in the chair. The hair dresser braided her bangs and curled her hair.
"Mommy look at me" she said and ran over to Karen's chair.
"You look beautiful, baby" she said.
"Aunt Kim, look at me" she said excitedly.
"You look very pretty, sweetie" I said.
"Can I put my dress on yet?" she turned around and asked Karen.
"When we get back to the church" Karen said. Aubree danced around the salon until everyone's hair was finished. We went to the church and got ready for the wedding. The butterflies in my stomach were growing.
"Are you okay?" Karen asked me when she finished up getting ready.
"Just nervous" I said.
"Everything is going to be perfect" she said and I nodded.
"Stephen is an amazing man and he cares so much about you" she said.
"I know he is. I just didn't think I would be doing this again. I didn't think that I would ever find someone else that makes me feel this way" I said.
"That's a good thing" she said.
"I know" I said with a smile and she pulled me in for a hug.
"Are you ready?" my Dad asked.
"Yeah" I said with a smile.
I looped my arm in my Dad's and we waited until it was time to walk down. Stephen was standing at the end of the aisle with a huge smile on his face. He reached his arm out and my Dad kissed my cheek and I looped my arm in Stephen's. We walked up to the altar and the pastor started the ceremony.
Aubree was standing in front of Karen and was getting antsy. Karen passed my bouquet to my sister who was standing behind her. Aubree reached her hands up and Karen picked her up. Karen held her on her hip and held her bouquet in the other hand.
The ceremony lasted about a half an hour. When it was done, the bridal party headed out to the limo. We climbed in and Aubree sat on Karen's lap. We went to a state park to take pictures and then headed to the reception at the hotel.
The reception lasted until midnight and then we headed up to our room. Stephen and I are leaving in the morning for Mexico. We'll be spending ten days there for our honeymoon.
The next morning, Stephen and I woke up at 7:00 and went down to the lobby to get some breakfast before heading to the airport. When we got down there, Karen, Jimi and Aubree were sitting down there eating.
"Aunt Kim!" Aubree said excitedly and ran up to me.
"Good morning sweet girl" I said and picked her up.
"I didn't expect to see you guys down here" I said when I took Aubree back over to Karen and Jimi.
"She gets up at 7:00 every morning. Even earlier when we're not at home. Today was 6:00" Karen said with a laugh.
"I'm amazed that you are fully functioning" I said.
"Me too" she said.
I went back over to Stephen and we ate our breakfast. We finished up and said bye to Karen, Jimi and Aubree.
Stephen and I headed to the airport. Our first flight was an hour flight to Florida then we had a connector flight to Mexico. We arrived and it was around dinner time there. We checked into our hotel and went and got dinner. We ended up going back to the room early because we were both tired from traveling and getting up early this morning.
*******
We spent the next ten days on the beach in Mexico. We arrived back home late and decided to just go to bed right away. The next morning I woke up and didn't feel all that well. I figured it was something I ate. I couldn't hold it back and I got up and ran to the bathroom and threw up. When I was done I brushed my teeth and Stephen was standing at the door.
"Are you okay?" he asked and rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah, I must have eaten something weird yesterday" I said.
"We both at the same things and I feel fine" he said.
"Maybe I caught a bug or something" I said.
"Let's try and get some food in you" he said and led me downstairs.
"What do you want?" he asked. I wasn't really all that hungry and nothing sounded appetizing.
"How about I make you an omelet?" he suggested and I shook my head no really fast. Even the thought of eggs made me want to throw up again which is really weird because normally I love eggs, even when I'm sick.
"I'll be fine with a piece of toast. I'm not really that hungry" I said and he nodded.
I sat there in silence and thought about what is going on with me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this isn't some bug or food poisoning.
"Honey, what's the date today?" I asked nervously.
"The ninth, why?" he said.
"I was just wondering" I said.
"I'm going to be right back" I said and headed upstairs. I found my cell phone on my night stand and called Karen.
"Hey Kim, how was your trip?" she asked.
"When did you realize you were pregnant with Aubree?" I asked immediately.
"Well, umm, I woke up sick one morning and after I threw up I found an unopened box of tampons and realized I was two months late" she said slowly.
"Why?" she added and I was silent.
"Do you think you're pregnant?" she whispered.
"I don't know, maybe" I said quietly so Stephen wouldn't hear me.
"You need to find out" she said.
"I know I do. I just don't know when I would be able to sneak to the store. I don't want to tell Schlap unless I know for sure" I said.
"I can run to the store for you and bring by a few pregnancy tests for you to take when Aubree goes down for her nap. I could be there around 1:30" she said.
"That would be amazing" I said.
"I'll see you this afternoon" she said.
"Thank you so much Karen" I said and hung up the phone.
I went back downstairs and ate the piece of toast.
"Karen's going to stop by later. She wants to know how the trip went and everything" I said.
"Okay" he said with a smile.
We hung out at home for the day just relaxing. He was relaxing, I was more of a nervous wreck. We haven't really discussed having kids just yet, but we both know we want them. I just didn't think that it would happen this soon.
Around 1:30, Karen walked in the door.
"We'll be upstairs" I said and he nodded.
We didn't say anything. We went into the master bedroom and into the bathroom. She handed me the bag with the tests in it. She stepped outside and I closed the door. I opened the packages and took all of the tests. When I was done I set them on the counter and washed my hands. I opened the bathroom door and Karen walked in.
"I have to wait five minutes" I said quietly and she nodded.
"So, was this planned?" she asked.
"Not exactly, but if I am pregnant, it's not a bad thing" I said with a smile. She smiled and pulled me in for a hug.
"It's been five minutes" Karen said. I nodded and looked down at the four pregnancy tests. All four of them had two pink lines. They were all positive. The smile grew on my face.
"I'm pregnant" I said and faced Karen. She gave me another hug.
"I'm having a baby" I said with a smile on my face.
"When are you going to tell Schlap?" she asked.
"I don't know, I want to do it soon but I also want to see a doctor first before I tell him" I said and she nodded.
"When did you tell Mark?" I asked.
"After my first doctor's appointment. I met him at a coffee shop and told him" she said and I nodded.
"Jimi was way more excited for me than Mark was" she added.
"Yeah, I know, I could tell" I said with a smile.
"I'm going to call the doctor's office" I said. I grabbed my phone and called my doctor. I was able to get in tomorrow morning.
"I was able to get in tomorrow morning. I'm using you as a cover up so I can go without him knowing what's going on" I said.
"Sure, we can say we're getting breakfast" she said.
"Good plan" I said.
"I have to get going, Aubree should be up by now and it won't be long before her and Jimi have the house destroyed" Karen said with a giggle.
"Okay, I'll let you know how everything goes" I said.
"Call me after" she said and I nodded.
I was still a little nauseous all day so Stephen and I hung out at home all day. I ended up going to bed early because I wasn't feeling well.
The next morning I woke up to my alarm going off at 8:00. My doctor's appointment is at 9:30 so I got up and got ready. Stephen went downstairs and got himself breakfast.
When I was done getting ready, I went downstairs and grabbed my shoes and jacket.
"I'm going to head out" I said and kissed him.
"Okay, have fun with Karen" he said.
"I will" I said.
I headed to the doctor's office and checked in at the reception desk. I waited for my name to be called and once it was my heart was beating out of my chest. I sat down on the exam table and they checked everything that needed to be checked. They said it was too soon to do an ultrasound so they did a blood test. They said that I was around three weeks. I couldn't contain the smile on my face the whole way home. I had to figure out how I was going to tell Stephen. I want to tell him as soon as possible because I am so excited.
I decided that I would wrap up a pregnancy test as a gift and give it to him. I got home and he was in the shower. I had the pregnancy test hidden in my nightstand. I grabbed a small gift bag and some tissue paper. I quickly put everything together before he finished up in the shower. I went downstairs and waited for him to be done getting ready.
He came downstairs and joined me on the couch.
"How was breakfast with Karen?" he asked.
"Fine" I lied.
"I got you something" I said and gave him the gift bag.
"You two went shopping?" he asked.
"Just open it" I said with a huge smile on my face.
He pulled the tissue paper off the top and pulled out the pregnancy test out of the bag.
"Is this...Are you pregnant?" he asked with a smile growing on his face.
"Yeah" I said.
"This is amazing" he said and kissed me.
"We're going to have a baby" I whispered.
"This is so amazing" he replied.
"How far along are you?" he asked.
"Around three weeks" I said.
"I can't believe this" he said with a smile.
"I know, I can't either" I said.
*********
Over the next couple of months, we were recording our album and then we were going out on the road. It surprisingly wasn't that bad. I didn't really have morning sickness. That only lasted the first month. The only person who knows about me being pregnant is Karen.
It's week thirteen and I have moved into the second trimester. My doctor said I can start telling people about the baby so we plan to tell everyone this weekend when we go out for our next set of shows. Stephen and I are getting ready to head out. We're meeting up with everyone at 5:00 tonight for shows out in Oregon and Washington.
"Are you ready to tell everyone?" Stephen asked.
"Yeah, I am. I don't know how much longer I can keep it a secret and how much longer Karen can keep it a secret. I wouldn't be surprised if Jimi already knows" I said with a giggle.
"She said she wouldn't tell" Stephen said.
"Yeah, I know, but I haven't ever asked her to keep a secret this big before" I said.
"I'm sure she hasn't told Jimi yet. She's pretty trustworthy" he said.
It was about time for us to head to the bus. We loaded up the trunk and headed out. I'm excited to tell everyone. I was going to do something special, but I just ran out of time, so I'm just going to have everyone sit in the front of the bus and we're just going to say it.
We loaded up the bus and everyone climbed on. Karen and Jimi stopped and got everyone something from Burger King that way we wouldn't have to stop somewhere for dinner and we can just keep diving as far as we can because it is a long drive up there.
Once we were done eating, I looked at Stephen and he nodded.
"We have something to tell you guys" I said with a smile.
"Okay" Phillip said hesitantly.
"Well.....we're having a baby!" I said excitedly.
"Oh my gosh Kim! That's amazing" Phillip said.
"When are you due?" Jimi asked.
"August" I said.
"That's awesome" Rebecca said.
"Where's the baby?" Aubree asked. While she was eating her chicken nuggets.
"In Kimberly's tummy" Karen said. Aubree's jaw dropped.
"She ate the baby?" Aubree said appalled.
"No, sweetie, I didn't eat the baby" I said with a laugh.
"How'd it get in your tummy then?" she asked. I looked over at Karen and Jimi and everyone was just sitting there silently laughing, waiting for their responses.
"You're going to have to ask your Mommy and Daddy that question" I said and Aubree turned her head to her parents.
Karen and Jimi looked at each other, clueless of what to say. "Well, sweetie, Jesus put the baby in Kimberly's tummy" Karen said.
"How?" she asked.
"Oh boy" Karen whispered and ran her fingers through her hair and looked at Jimi. "You got this one" Jimi said with a laugh and Karen glared at him.
"Jesus thought that Kimberly and Schlap should be a Mommy and Daddy so he put a baby in her tummy to grow" Karen said.
"Oh. So when Jesus thought that you and Daddy should be a Mommy and Daddy, I was in your tummy?" she asked. For a two year old, she's pretty smart. I didn't think she would be this curious about me having a baby.
"Yeah, he did" Karen said with a smile.
"I was in your tummy?" she asked surprised.
"Yes baby, you were in my tummy" Karen said.
"How long was I in your tummy?" she asked.
"Nine months" Karen said. Aubree finished up her dinner and climbed on Karen's lap and faced her.
"Is that a long time?" she asked.
"It felt like it" Karen said with a laugh.
"But it was all worth it because we have you now" she added and kissed her nose.
"I can't wait for the baby to be here" Aubree said.
"Me either" I said.
******
It is now the end of July. I am just about nine months pregnant. Back in March, Phillip and Rebecca got married and about a month ago, Rebecca and Phillip announced that they were having a baby that is due in December right around Christmas time.
We have been on the road throughout my entire pregnancy. Surprisingly it hasn't been that bad, but I am ready to get this little baby out of me.
We are in Arizona getting ready for our show tonight. We've been outside by the busses all day and Aubree has been playing in her kiddy pool. Jimi and I have been goofing off all afternoon like we usually do, then Aubree came running over by us. She has been really into the baby. She's two and a half years old and she is quite the little nurse.
"Schlappy told me to give this to you" she said and handed me a water bottle.
"Thank you sweet girl" I said and bent down and grabbed the water bottle. As soon as I got down to Aubree's level, I felt something weird.
"I think my water broke" I said.
"What?" Jimi asked.
"Yep, my water broke" I said and stood back up.
"No it didn't, its right here" Aubree said and handed me the water bottle.
"Not that water sweetie" I said.
"Aubree, go get Schlap and Mommy" Jimi said.
"Okay" Aubree said and ran back to the bus.
"Mommy! Aunt Kimmy's water bottle broke!" Aubree said as she ran over to Karen and Schlap.
"What?" Karen asked confused.
Jimi helped me walk back to the bus.
"She said her water bottle broke, but not the one I gave her" Aubree said confused. Karen looked up at me.
"Her water broke?" Karen asked when she saw me.
"That's what I said" Aubree said.
"Schlap, get out here!" Karen called and he came busting out of the bus.
"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked panicking.
"Kim's water broke" Karen said and his eyes widened.
"We should probably get you to the hospital" Stephen said trying to stay calm, but I could tell he was freaking out.
"Are we still going to do the show tonight?" Phillip asked.
"Yes, do the show. Don't cancel" I said.
"Are you sure?" Karen asked.
"Yes, I'm sure, do the show" I said.
"Okay. When we're done, we'll come find you" Karen said and I nodded.
"Where are they going?" Aubree asked.
"Kim's going to have the baby" Karen said.
"Really?" Aubree asked excitedly.
"Yeah" Karen said with a smile.
Stephen and I headed to the nearest hospital and checked in. This wasn't exactly the plan. This was actually supposed to be our last set of shows before the baby came. She's coming three weeks early. Not too much longer after we checked into the hospital, the contractions started coming. The doctor said that I was progressing quickly and we should have a baby by tonight.
Six hours later, I was ten centimeters, and it was time to have a baby. This was the worst and most painful part.
After a few pushes, we heard tiny cries. Stephen cut the cord and sat down next to me.
"She's perfect. Our Daisy Pearl is perfect" he said and kissed my cheek. The doctor brought her over a few minutes later and gently set Daisy in my arms.
"Do you have a name picked out?" the nurse asked.
"Daisy Pearl Schlapman" I said, not taking my eyes off her.
Stephen called Karen and updated her on everything so she could let everyone else know.
Visiting hours were over, so everyone said they were going to stop by tomorrow morning. Karen said Aubree is super excited to meet Daisy.
Around 9:00 the next morning, we saw some familiar faces creep into the hospital room. Jimi had Aubree on his hip and she had a cute flower romper on and her hair was French braided.
"Can I see the baby?" Aubree asked immediately.
"Sure, come on over here sweetie" I said with a smile.
Jimi brought Aubree over to the bed and she made herself comfortable next to me.
"Meet Daisy" I said and lowered her so Aubree could see.
"She's tiny" Aubree said.
"Can she play?" she asked.
"Not yet princess. She's too little yet. She has to grow a little before she can play with you" Jimi said and Aubree nodded.
Everyone hung out in the room for a few hours before heading back to the bus. They had to leave to go to the next show. They are going to finish up this weekend's shows and then we have a break.
We were able to take Daisy home the next day. I can't wait to raise this little baby girl. July 27th, 2007 is forever going to be the greatest day of my life.