End of Generation One - Possible Heirs

Yay! I made it to the end of Generation One! That was a lot more work than I had expected it to be when beginning this legacy story. Now, if you have been reading from the beginning then you know all of the possible heirs, and you may have a favorite. But that doesn't mean you should count out the others just yet. So I have made the list of heirs with their traits, and favorites listed under them. Whoever wins the heir vote will return in the beginning of Generation Two as a young adult.
Anyway, enough of my rambling, on to the list of the possible heirs!

Traits

Loves the Outdoors, Genius, Good, Athletic

Favorites - Music, Food, Color

Classical, Frogs Legs, Yellow

Traits

Neat, Excitable, Vegetarian, Friendly

Favorites

Indie, Veggie Rolls, Green

Traits

Virtuoso, Ambitious, Friendly, Vegetarian

Favorites

Roots, Veggie Rolls, Lilac

Traits

Disciplined, Eco-Friendly, Perceptive

Favorites

Indie, Goopy Carbonara, Violet

Traits

Rebellious, Disciplined, Artistic

Favorites

Egyptian, Tofu Hotdog, Red

Traits

Disciplined, Perfectionist, Eccentric

Favorites

Indie, Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce, Hot Pink

Okay, so I've decided to do away with the poll to decide on the heir. Instead I'm going to let all of you comment below with which one you would like to see take over the Rodriguez Legacy.

Chapter Twelve

Going from having three kids to having six kids is was way more difficult than what I had expected it to be. Sure by now Jay and I were really comfortable with babies and kids in general, but even with the experience we had, when the triplets were brought home, the chaos began. Our bedroom at the moment was extremely cramped, we had Tory sleeping in our room since she was just a toddler and the two older boys had to share the only other bedroom in the house. Then when the triplets came home from the hospital, we had to cram three more cribs into our bedroom so that everyone would have a place to sleep. Jay and I no longer could switch every other night who would get up and who would sleep.. We both had to get up and do the routine of changing dirty diapers, bottle feedings, and a few minutes of snuggle time with the triplets. Saying that we were exhausted all the time is an understatement. I literally felt like a zombie for the whole time the triplets were babies, since we would be up at two o'clock in the morning, and then maybe get to sleep until six o'clock, get up and make breakfast for the boys who are school age, and then get Tory up and ready for a full day of play.



Tory, like her older brothers is a laid back little one. She hardly ever cried unless she was hungry or needed a diaper change. She loved to learn, and to explore, and overall just a happy baby. If I was having a bad day, all I had to do was look into her big green eyes and everything would just melt away.

Before long though, it was time for Gabriel's birthday. Tory had celebrated her birthday the month before and now I couldn't believe that our second born was going to become a teenager, and I was still in shock over the fact that our third born was now school age. I mean, it was a happy time for Jay and I as parents because it meant that things would get a little easier in terms of caring for the triplets. It was also a sad time as well because it just meant that my babies were all growing up and would soon be ready to move out and begin their own lives. Besides it still felt as if I should be a young woman, still bumbling through what life had to through at me. But instead I'm a happily married, middle age woman with six children, as well as one of the top surgeons in the world now. Life has brought me much success, much more than I could ever ask or hope for, and for all of that, I am very, very thankful.

Then just as quickly as they had arrived in the world, the triplets celebrated their first birthdays. Maci, being the oldest of the triplets is the leader of the trio, and can figure people out in a snap. Mya, is the second born of the triplets, and loves nothing more than to play with the xylophone or finger paint. Finally, Miles is the youngest of the triplets and he generally is content playing with the blocks, or snuggling with one of us. All three can be independent, and they are all really good babies, but at the same time they really do have different personalities, even if it is a very slight difference.

Now that our three oldest kids were in school, Jay and I focused mainly on the triplets during the day and taught them how to walk, talk, and of course potty trained them. They all learned at their own rate, and each other had a different strength than the other. Like Maci, she learned how to walk first, and Miles was the first one potty trained.

And Mya learned how to talk first. They were all three so very intelligent in their own ways. It was hard to believe that all three of them were mine and Jay's.



The boys loved the new trampoline that we bought for all the kids to use, since they have very little to do around the house. Trust me, when you have a house full of kids like we do, it's a very good idea to have something that will appeal to all of them. Blaine and Gabriel both absolutely LOVE the trampoline, I haven't seen Tory jump on there yet, but at least it's a hit with the boys. We also just moved across the street from our old home, and built a new house with most of our savings so it's like a new beginning for all of us, even though I do miss our old home, but our family just simply outgrew it. In this house, there are four upstairs bedrooms which are: Mine and Jay's bedroom, Tory's, Gabriel's, and then on the farthest side of the upstairs floor is the largest room, the triplets' bedroom. The fifth bedroom is located in the guest house which is where Blaine sleeps since he's the oldest, he deserves at least a little more privacy than the rest of the kids. They all have their own room except the triplets' who have to share, so they all have their own privacy in a way. The triplets' could care less though, all three of them are always together no matter what so it's not as big of a deal to them.

Time marched on and then the triplets' were becoming school age. It felt like just yesterday that they were born, and now all three would be starting elementary school. Where has the time gone?

Then just like that, Tory was becoming a teenager and beginning her journey through high school. Again, it's the craziest feeling in the world to be the mother of three teenagers, and three children, all school age, and all that much closer to leaving the nest.

I'm sure Tory wishes that she could have had a much more planned out birthday party celebrating her entering into her teenage years. But when you have a family this big, expenses pile up on top of each other like you wouldn't believe! Plus the recent move and building the new house pretty much drained the bank account. So I say that she's even lucky she got a birthday cake, but at least she was surrounded by her loving, supportive family who were all thrilled for her on her birthday. Time sure does fly by.

Eating breakfast together as one big family is a bit hectic in the mornings, same thing with dinner in the evenings. No one is hardly ever on time for dinner even though they're all at home by the time dinner is served. And very rarely do we all actually sit down together at the same time. But when we do it's a lot of fun. Everyone talks about their days at school, or chatters on about their favorite colors, interests, or what's happening around town. It's times like these that I don't feel overwhelmed by parenthood and being an adult running a household, in fact, it makes me feel so happy that I overcame my fear of becoming a mother and helps me realize that Jay and I did a wonderful job. All of our children have turned out wonderfully, and sure there are some rocky points, but what family doesn't have those? The point is we are all happy, and are all thankful to be a part of the same family.

Jay and I still manage to get a little alone time despite how many kids we have now, and how demanding my job can be. It's usually at night time right before bed that we can even find time to say hi to one another from the moment the day starts until it's almost at it's end. But even though we still don't spend much time together as a couple, there's nothing that either of us would change about it. I'm so thankful that this man was introduced to me, because he has helped shape me into a much better woman. It's almost silly of me to think back to the time when I thought that love was never going to find me... Because it did, in a big way, which has made all of this worth it. I only hope that all of our children find happiness, success, love, and whatever else their heart and mind may desire in their lives. But no matter what, Jay and I will always be there to suppor them, through thick and thin.

Chapter Eleven

Life in our household became nothing but non-stop running, once Tory was born and settled into the family. Jay and I adored our little princess, as we do our two boys. But as busy as life has been for us with three children to care for, and love, our marriage is still just as strong as it was when we first got married, if not stronger now. Jay's painting career is still blooming beautifully, and my work is still going good as well.

Blaine is also a very good big brother, better than I could have hoped for. He doesn't mind keeping an eye on his little brother, Gabe, while I tend to Tory or if I need to get a little research or cleaning done. Their favorite activity to do together is playing peek-a-boo, Blaine taught Gabriel how to play one day when I needed to desperately clean the house since things had been so chaotic that week. It was so cute when I came downstairs to check on the two of them, and I saw the boys engaged in their game of peek-a-boo, it truly warmed my heart and reassured me that Jay and I are doing well as parents.

Somehow though time seemed to fly by, it was probably due to all the busy days I've endured since becoming a mother. Before I knew it, it was time to celebrate Blaine and Tory's birthdays. I just couldn't believe that our oldest child was going to be a teenager now, and that our youngest was already celebrating her first birthday!

Even after Blaine became a teenager, he still had a soft spot for his younger brother, the two of them were nearly inseperable. He is even helpful around the house, and always gets his homework done on time, just as he did when before he started high school.

Tory has also proven to be just as laid back as both of her older brothers are, she even enjoys getting attacked with 'the claw'. She is the most adorable little girl I have ever laid eyes on, and it's almost surreal that she's mine and Jay's.

Soon it was time for Gabriel's birthday, which everyone was really excited for, especially me, since running after two toddlers drained me physically every day. Now our second-born would be starting school in just a few days, and it would just be Tory at home with Jay, while our boys are at school and I'm at work. In a way it makes me sad that two of my three children are going to be in school now, since it means they are getting closer and closer to that age where they'll be faced with high school graduation, moving out, going to college, finding a job, starting their own families... It really opens your eyes to how much time has truly passed in your life.

Blaine helped his little brother to the birthday cake and helped him blow out his candles, with Jay, Tory, and myself standing back a little bit to cheer and sing happy birthday to Gabriel. He grew into a handsome little boy.

As handsome as Gabriel is though, he seems to be serious most of the time, the only time I ever see him smile is when he's playing with his siblings, or spending time with Jay and I. Hopefully he will learn to loosen up a little and have a bit more fun in his young life.

Then after a few weeks of feeling completely awful, I made myself take a home pregnancy test, even though I didn't think that I could possibly be pregnant now. Jay and I are always so careful now that we have three children, and believe me I wouldn't object to having more, I just think that three is a good number.

But then after the three minutes were up, I nervously glanced down at the stick and that's when I saw it, a bright pink plus sign. This is crazy, I thought as my eyes focused more and more on the results of the test... Jay would be happy, that's for sure, I'm happy too but, what would our kids think? Would they be excited or be upset at the thought of another little one around the house? As the reality of it sank in a little more, I gently placed my hands on my belly that has not even begun to show the life that's growing inside.

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As the months progressed, so did my pregnancy, I'm now thirty-two weeks pregnant which makes all of us very excited. The kids took the news better than I could have ever imagined, except for Tory, she is still a bit too young to fully understand. However, Blaine and Gabriel kept their grades up in school and never once did I hear them complain about how there was going to be a new addition to the family or about how many more chores they had to take on around the house. Since Jay had to devote most of his time to his painting career he couldn't keep up with everything that needed to be done as well as care for Tory. This pregnancy my body is constantly sore and my back is constantly aching which causes me to have to sit down or lay down more than a handful of times throughout the day. I had to abandon constantly doing housework to keep myself busy when I wasn't tending to Tory, because it just took way too much out of me.

During the times that I felt okay enough to be waddling through the house, and Jay was taking a break from painting, we would catch each other for a few minutes to just chat and just be us for a little bit. Jay's gentle touch on my growing, round belly always made me smile, and be thankful that my children have such a wonderful man as their father.

 Tonight the entire family settled in at the dinner table, except for Tory, she's settled into her high chair with her baby food. The rest of us are eating spaghetti with meat sauce, except for Gabriel since he's a vegetarian and decided that an autumn salad would be better for him than risking getting sick from the meat in the spaghetti sauce. Blaine had made the autumn salad for Gabriel while I was busy cooking up the spaghetti and making Tory's baby food.

Dinner goes by smoothly, we listen to how Blaine and Gabriel's day went at school, then progress into talking about other random things, like what's happening around town and sharing all of our excitement about the new little one arriving in just a couple of months.

After dinner was a different story though. My hands clutched onto my large belly as a contraction hit hard, it took me by surprise and seemed to knock the breath out of me. My face must have twisted into something awful due to the pain because everyone was up and running toward me, asking if I was okay and what was going on. Of course the pain had immobilized me for a few moments, and it was hard for me to even begin to answer any of the questions. All I could manage was a groan of pain, and then it seemed to let up a little. My thoughts were swirling inside my head, I had to get to the hospital and fast. My eyes darted to Jay and the look of fear that displayed on his facial features didn't help to calm me any.

"Hospital.. Now.." That was all I could muster up the strength to say, tears began to well up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of my kids. They didn't know that something isn't right. I shouldn't be going into labor already at only thirty-two weeks, something had to be wrong. Jay must have been waiting for those words to come from my mouth, because as soon as they came out, he was by my side helping me toward the door. He even managed to grab the packed hospital bag, that was by the front door in case of an emergency like this, he quickly pulled it onto his shoulder by the long strap and before I knew it we were in the car and he was driving me to the hospital. Thankfully Blaine was old enough now to stay home and watch the two younger kids, and it was close to bed time anyway, so all he really had to do was put Tory in bed and make sure the dishes were cleaned up before him and Gabriel fall asleep.

Within five minutes we were at the hospital, there were more contractions but I fought through them as I managed to walk inside the hospital with Jay. The nurses saw the fear and uneasiness that was displayed on both of our faces, thankfully they hurried us to a room that had just been cleaned and ready for a new patient. Lucky for us my doctor was on call tonight and had just finished checking in on another patient when her eyes locked onto mine, she instantly knew that something was wrong and followed us into the freshly cleaned room.

In only a few minutes I had already been completely stripped of my clothes and dressed in a hospital gown, and was in position on the bed for delivery. My doctor had confirmed that my water had already completely broken and I was completely dilated and thinned out, so this baby could come any time now. As soon as the team of nurses that would be cleaning up the baby and giving it medical attention since it was going to be born premature, I began to push.

Two hours passed, and things weren't progressing correctly, my body was already becoming tired and I was growing frustrated, I have never had this much trouble delivering a baby. But somehow I kept finding the inner strength to keep trying and fighting against having a cesarean section. However, after another thirty minutes of trying to have this baby naturally, I went ahead and signed the form to have a cesarean section performed. In a matter of minutes the first part of the preparations for surgery were complete, and I was wheeled into the OR. Jay held my hand all the way up to the doors, before he had to let go so that they could get me on the table and finish the preparations for the surgery. By now I was crying, scared of what was going to happen, and if Jay was even going to be with me during this. The anthesiologist administered the numbing medication through a needle that has to be stuck into my lower back, but pretty soon everything from my chest down to my toes has been numbed. A curtain has also been put up, to keep me from seeing everything that was going on during the surgery, which is good because I really don't think I could handle seeing a surgery performed on me while I'm still awake. Then I hear the doors open and more nurses come in, but then I see a male figure, and a smile grows across my face as I realize it's Jay! He's dressed in sterile white gown/jumpsuit looking outfit, with a hair net on, I sort of laugh at the sight of him, but the thoughts of what's going on with our unborn child has me worried still. He takes a seat beside me and gently strokes my hair, and holds my free hand, the other is strapped down so I won't accidentally hit the doctor or knock anything over if I get really freaked out.

"I love you..." My voice is soft, and shaky. It's filled with happiness that Jay is here, but it's still filled with fear for the health of our baby.

"I love you too... Everything is going to be okay, Estelle.. You'll see. Just try to relax.." His voice soothes me into a slightly more relaxed state, and I nod slowly biting on my bottom lip. 

A nurse comes over to me and places an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose, after I indicate to her that I prefer having an oxygen mask instead of the tube that has two smaller tubes on it that goes in my nose. After that she is back over with the rest of the nurses and doctors that are waiting patiently for the surgery to begin and to start giving care to the life that's inside of me.

"All right Estelle, I'm starting the surgery now. All you should really feel is pressure, and some pulling and tugging but no pain." My doctor says quickly. I nod and manage a reply, but fall silent once more as I feel the pressure and know exactly what she was meaning by the pulling and tugging. It felt like an eternity before I heard my doctor speak once more, but this time her voice was filled with surprise. "We need more hands on deck, there's more than one baby in here!" Now that wasn't what I was expecting at all... More than one baby, wow, no wonder I went into labor so early. Quickly I turned my head to face Jay and the look on his face was filled with as much shock as mine was. This was definitely going to be a fun twist for our family, once everything was cleared and the babies would be allowed to go home. The surgery ended up going very smoothly, and my doctor did a great job with closing my incision.

Just as I had expected though, the babies had to stay in the NICU for a few weeks. But luckily, they didn't have a ton of health issues, but it was still nerve-racking and scary to have more than one baby in the NICU. However, they were all allowed to go home soon, which is when the real fun began for us.

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Triplets. Jay and I were lucky enough to be able to bring home triplets, two girls and one boy. Our bedroom was now extremely cramped with four cribs, plus our bed, dresser, and clothes hamper. Our house was now in need of an expansion, and fast!

Now, introducing the Rodriguez Triplets:

Maci was the first of the triplets to be born, and she is in the red crib on the far left corner of the bedroom. She was born at 12:02 am weighing in at 3 lbs even and measuring 18 inches long.

Mya was the second triplet born. She came at 12:09 am, weighing in at 2 lbs 12 oz, measuring 17 1/2 inches long. She is in the violet/purpley crib close to our bed, across the room from Tory.

Miles was the last triplet born, and he came into the world at 12:15 am, weighing in at 2 lbs 10 oz, measuring 17 1/2 inches long. He's of course in the blue crib in the far right corner of the bedroom.

All three of my babies were now home, which meant that the chaos will begin in the morning of trying to parent six children: a teenager, a child, a toddler, and three newborns. This is definitely a very interesting new chapter in mine and Jay's life together.



Chapter Ten



The months passed by quickly, and Jay is still spending lots of time painting, his career is going very well, and he's a local celebrity, though still not as well known as he wants to be. Little Gabriel and I spent a lot of time watching the cooking channel on television, so I could learn new recipes and different techniques to try. Life with two kids wasn't as hard as I had expected it to be, but that's only because Blaine is in school.

Afternoon naps are also still very common for me to take while Gabriel slept, and while Jay was busy painting. The house was almost always quiet unless Gabriel was crying to alert one of us that he needed a diaper change or to be fed, he was a very good baby from the start, much like how Blaine had been as an infant.

As soon as Blaine gets home from school each day, Jay would stop painting and ask Blaine about school and just enjoy spending time with his oldest son. Being the very intelligent child that Blaine is, he would always talk about how easy the subjects in school were and how he wasn't really being challenged a whole lot with the work. I almost dropped to the floor when Jay told me this the first time Blaine had mentioned how easy the school work was. I mean, Jay and I always thought that Blaine was very smart for his age even when he was just a toddler and was able to grasp the basics of walking, talking, and using the potty chair within the first few days of introducing the concepts to him.

Family dinners were always great, even if Jay did eat extremely fast on most nights so he could get back to whichever painting he needed to get finished for a deadline. The important thing is that he had sat down and ate with Blaine and I before even thinking about painting another work of art, or finishing one. Gabriel was almost always in bed by this time, the little fellow always got tuckered out really early, which could be a blessing for some or a curse for others since he would get up extremely early in the morning time.

Jay and Gabriel bonded really well too. If Gabriel, or Gabe for short, was being fussy and nothing I did worked, Jay could work magic with him. Thankfully those fussy moments where nothing I did worked never lasted very long, or happened very often.

Gabriel is our world, as is Blaine. Those two boys have transformed Jay and I into the most loving, caring parents in the entire world. Being a mother to my two kids has been so much more than I could have expected it to ever be. Which is strange coming from a workaholic, but come on, a job is a job even though I love mine with a passion... Being a parent though is one of the highest and most rewarding jobs a person could ever ask for or want.

Speaking of Blaine, him and I have spent a fair amount of time pillow fighting. It's a lot of fun, and we use a couple old pillows that Jay and I had bought right after we got married. This quickly became one of mine and Blaine's favorite pastimes to engage in together. Jay always had a good laugh out of it when he'd walk in and see the two of us whacking each other with pillows, and sometimes he'd even join in so I could get a quick breather. In this house there's almost never a dull moment.

Then there was some exciting news. Jay and I found out that we're expecting our third child! Like I said before, there's almost never a dull moment in our house... But once our next bundle of joy is born, there will never, ever be another boring moment at our home.

Then it felt as if I spent all my time cleaning, and taking care of Gabriel, then entertaining Blaine when he would get home from school. Jay helped me out too, like he has done during my two previous pregnancies. But this time around I made him let me do more around the house, I knew what I was capable of doing and what I should avoid, so he agreed and that he would only do the things that I needed him to do. Of course my nesting instinct took over with this pregnancy much as it did with the first two, only this time it seemed a bit more intense and much earlier. I had only just started to show about a week ago, and then this crazy cleaning kick began.

Almost as quickly as he had been born, Gabriel was now celebrating his first birthday. It seemed like it was just yesterday he was a tiny, wrinkled little thing, and now he was turning one, as well as in a few months becoming a big brother. We threw a first birthday party at our home just like we had with Blaine when he was his brothers age, but no one came really, everyone was busy with their own plans that day. So Jay, Blaine, and I celebrated little Gabe's first birthday together.

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Even more time passed and my belly grew larger, and rounder by the day it felt like. My due date was rapidly approaching and Jay still rubbed, talked to, and listened to my belly each day just like he had with both of our sons. This time around since we have two boys already we're hoping for a little girl to complete our family.

"Ahhh!!!! The caw Mama, the caw!!" Gabriel sqealed as 'the claw' gets him and tickles all over his belly and sides.

"Hehehe, the claws getting you Gabe!!" I would laugh as I continue to tickle him until he needs to catch his breath, then the two of us giggle uncontrollably, which causes the growing life inside my womb to kick like crazy. After a while, I have to sit Gabriel down so my back and arms can get a break. Gabe is a lot like Blaine when he was a toddler. The only real difference between the two at that age is the hair. Blaine had a head full of it, and Gabriel's seems like it's a bit slower in the growing department, but that's genetics for you.

Family dinners with Gabe were a little different than most dinners in our house. Jay would usually take over dinner duty with Gabriel so he would sit at the island and eat next to the high chair. I would sit at the table because the chairs at the dining table offered more support for me, and were much lower than the bar stools. So it was much safer for me to eat at the dining table rather than try and hop up on one of the stools in my current condition. Finally Blaine would change up who he sat with, one day he would be with me at the table and the next day he would be by Jay at the island. I always ate fairly quick too since my energy was nearly gone by the time dinner is over each day.

But on this particular night, I went into labor right after dinner so any hope that I had for getting to bed early tonight was shot down now. Only this time, I knew that it was labor pains and not just random pain that I thought it was with my first two pregnancies. Jay also must have noticed that I was in pain because he got up quickly from hit seat at the island and rushed to me, Blaine did the same.

"The baby is coming Jay!" I shouted, breathing through the contractions, I knew that I needed to get to the hospital and fast. "Jay, stay with the boys. I'm going to the hospital." I instructed through gritted teeth as another wave of contractions hit my body, full force.

"I want to be there Estelle. Just let me call th--"

"There's no time! This kid is on his or her way out and I need to go now!" My voice came out a bit more harsh than I had intended for it to be, but this was no time for us to be discussing anything. I flashed an apologetic look to Jay for yelling at him, and quickly headed for the door. "I love you guys. I'll be back soon. Mommy's going to have the baby tonight." I said quickly as I blew kisses to my husband and two boys. Thankfully Jay didn't try to stop me, he just nodded and then instructed Blaine to put away the leftovers from dinner and to clean up the dirty dishes, then scooped Gabriel up in his arms to take him upstairs to bed.

Thankfully I made it to the hospital after driving myself there, and how I managed to drive myself to the hospital while in labor,  even if it's only two minutes down the road I will never know. But something in me made it so that I could get through it and make it to my destintation. I must have also scared Molly and the other woman that was standing outside of the hospital whenever I arrived, obviously in pain and driving by myself. But they did end up helping me up to the L&D floor, and judging by the look on my face, a nurse realized I was in labor and needed a room quick. However, even though I thought my labor was going to be really short, it lasted much longer than my first two, which was a shock to me.



Meet little Tory Rodriguez. She was born at 10:53 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs and 12 oz, measuring 20 inches long. Jay and I got our wish to have a little girl now that we have two boys, and we are so very pleased with how our little family has grown. It's also nice to finally have some more estrogen in the house. I also believe that little Tory has her daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger already. Life couldn't get any better than this, and now that our family is complete we can focus on watching our children grow up.

Chapter Nine, Part Two

"Blaine, are you excited for your first day of school?" I asked, smiling brightly as I looked toward my son.

"Probably not as excited as you are, Mom!" Blaine laughed after swallowing a mouthful of pancakes, he had been talking about how excited he was to be going to school and how he thought his first day would go. In all honesty though, he was for the most part correct about me being 'more excited' than he was about school starting up this year.
"Aw, it just means that my little boy is growing up, and it's exciting for us to watch you mature and learn new things." I paused for a second before opening my mouth to say something else, but when the words were about to come out, they were interrupted by the sound of the school bus honking it's horn. "Oh! There's the bus! Go on, before you're late."
"Okay, see you both when I get home! Love you Mom, love you Dad!" Blaine said quickly as he got down off the bar stool and headed out the front door.
"Love you too, sweetie!" I said cheerfully, placing another bite of pancakes in my mouth.
"See you later bud, love ya." Jay said quickly before getting up and taking his dish, as well as picking up Blaine's plate, it was his turn to wash the dishes today. When I finished my plate, Jay came to get that one too, it was nice to know that he was true to his word when he tells me that he's going to do something.

This pregnancy was going by smoothly now that the morning sickness had passed and now that Blaine was a child. But for some reason today seemed to drag by, I ended up reading another new medical journal and taking a short nap. I woke up refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the day.

"Hello in there." My voice was soft as I patted my rather large, round belly. "You father and I can't wait to meet you little one... You're already so loved, and you have a big brother waiting to meet you too." After my last sentence the baby began to kick and move around like crazy, which caused me to laugh and rub my belly more. It was definitely true that the growing life inside of me could hear my voice, even though I've known that since my first pregnancy. It was hard to believe that soon I would be a mother to not one, but two kids, my life has already changed so much, I couldn't imagine it being any other way now.

After admiring my baby bump, it was time to head downstairs to see what my wonderful husband was up to. I hadn't seen or heard much from him all day, which lead to me being very curious as to what he was doing. Slowly, I waddled to the stairs and carefully walked down them, making sure to hold onto the rail tightly as I descended down each step. As soon as I had reached the bottom of the stairs and had walked a few steps into the living area, I was greeted by the most handsome man on the face of the planet. But before I could open my mouth to even say anything to him, Jay planted a small kiss right on my lips, which took me by surprise, but it was a welcome gesture.

Jay smiled a very large smile as he pulled back from my lips and locked his eyes onto mine. My cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and a smile formed on my face, as a small laugh escaped from me.

"Hey, you.." I said finally after recovering from the surprise kiss. "You've been quiet down here all day long, what have you been doing besides painting?"

"Nothing.. Just waiting for you to get up from your nap, so I could give you a nice back rub.. I heard you say something about your back hurting earlier before you went upstairs for your nap." He replied gently as he motioned for me to turn my back toward him, so he could give me a massage.

"Oh, I love the way you think Jay!" I laughed as I turned to face my back toward him so he could help relax my tense back muscles.

"Ahh... Yep, that's the spot..." I sighed in relaxation as Jay began the massage. His large hands felt nice rubbing in a circular motion all over my back and shoulder area, he applied just the right amount of pressure to relieve the tension in the muscles and I think a little bit of drool may have even escaped from the side of my mouth during the back rub. It felt so very nice, and paired with the refreshing nap I had just woken up from a few minutes ago, I was now ready to take on anything the day had to throw at me.

"Feel better?" Jay asked as he stepp back once he was finished with the massage.

"Yes, much, much better.. Thank you, you're the best." I replied as I nodded my head.

"You're welcome. If it starts hurting again, tell me and I'll give you another massage."

The two of us spent the entire afternoon catching up on each other's day, and just being together. I spent most of mine upstairs reading, or just laying down to relieve the stiffness from my back even though it never fully went away until Jay gave me that wonderful massage. Jay told me about the wonderful painting that he had started and finished during the day, and almost before we knew it Blaine was home and it was dinner time.

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After dinner was finished and the kitchen had been cleaned up, my back was hurting again, but not intensely, so I thought maybe relaxing in bed for a few minutes would help. If that didn't work then I was going to take a warm bath. Just as I got to the bottom of the staircase, and was about to begin walking up the stairs, this nearly unbearable pain immobilized me. There I was, trying to breath through the pain and try to get my body to move itself, but I couldn't.

The next thing I knew, Blaine rushed over to me, his face was full of concern and fear. My eyes barely caught sight of him, but I knew he was there, I could finally breath through the pain that had just hit me all of a sudden, but I still couldn't move.

"Mom! Mom! Are you okay, what's wrong!?"

"Owwwwww!" I yelped as another wave of pain, this time it was clear that I was in labor, and that this baby was on it's way out whether we were ready or not. My due date wasn't for another week, but I was already full term and the pregnancy had been a healthy one, so there weren't any fears for the baby coming out unhealthy or anything like that, I just wasn't prepared like I thought I would be. "The baby's coming!" I yelled. 

Jay must have heard all the commotion going on downstairs because he came rushing down them just as the second set of contractions passed. I was instructed to go get in the car we had just recently bought, and then Jay turned to Blaine and reassured him everything was okay, and that we would be back soon. He also instructed Blaine to stay inside and wait for the babysitter to arrive before he went to bed. With that we were on our way to the hospital to bring our second child into the world.

When we arrived at the hospital, Jay ran ahead of me with all the documents he needed to check me into the hospital. Thankfully they weren't too busy tonight on the L&D floor and had a room prepared for me as soon as we got to the floor. It was about nine o'clock when the doctor got into the room and before long we were holding our second child in our arms.

At 10:13 pm little Gabriel Rodriguez was born at a whopping 9 lbs and 3 oz, measuring 21 inches in length. Jay and I are both thrilled to have brought another son into the world, and we can't wait to see what the months and years ahead bring us as a family. We definitely cannot wait for Blaine to meet his little brother and to see how well the two of them will bond. Life is just getting better all the time.