January 2015

“Uncle Trevor’s here! Uncle Trevor’s here!”  Emma chanted to Noah as she opened the front door.  Noah launched himself at Trevor when he stepped inside.

“NJ!” Trevor scooped him up in his arms and flipped the little boy upside-down causing him to giggle.

“T, see doggy.”  Noah said when Trevor returned him to an upright position. 

“Doggy?  Did you get a new one?”  Trevor questioned and looked over at his sister.

“It’s one of those annoying mechanical ones that bark and flip around,” Emma rolled her eyes.  “Justin bought it for him.”

“Awesome.”  He grinned at Noah.  “Let me take my coat off and you can show it to me.”  Trevor put Noah back on the hardwood floor and unzipped his coat. 

“Go arf! Arf!” Noah giggled excitedly. 

“That’s so cool.”  Trevor hung his coat up on one of the hooks by the door.  The three of them made their way downstairs to where this new toy was with all of his other toys.  “Where’s Justin?”

“We forgot diapers when we were at the store earlier, so he had to run back out.  He should be back soon,” Emma answered.  “The day we’re done with diapers will be amazing.”  She sighed at the thought.

“See doggy!” Noah ran over to them and handed the dog to Trevor.

“Show me how it works NJ.”  Noah took the toy back and flipped it over so he could turn it on.  It immediately began its high-pitched squeaky bark, and when he set it on the floor, the dog did its little flip.  Noah giggled and plopped down on the floor next to it.

The front door upstairs opened and closed, and Emma could hear Justin moving around before he jogged down the steps.

“Hey Trevor,” Justin said.  He gave his brother-in-law a hug and pat on the back. 

“How’s it going?  Are you working on anything new?”  Trevor asked him.

“You no watch!” Noah interrupted and tugged on Trevor’s pants.

“Oh, sorry …” Trevor said apologetically and looked down at the toy dog and Noah.

“Are your parents on their way?”  Justin turned to Emma who was busying herself in the kitchen.  Her parents were coming over for dinner.

“Yeah, they’re running a little behind.”  Emma smiled.  She leaned into Justin’s touch when he walked over to her and put an arm around her waist, his other hand rubbing her stomach.  He kissed her cheek.  “Trevor do you want something to drink?”

“I’ll get something in a bit,” Trevor answered.  He and Noah were laughing about something to do with the dog. 

“What can I help you with?” Justin asked.  Emma hummed and then pointed him in the direction of the stove to check on the potatoes.  Her parents arrived 20 minutes later, and they all sat down to dinner shortly after.

“Well …” Emma spoke up at the end of their meal.  She looked across the table at Justin and smiled.  He smiled back.  “Justin and I are expecting another baby.”

“Wonderful!”  Karen beamed and reached over to pat Emma’s hand.  “That’s great news.  Isn’t it Doug?”

“Of course,” Doug smiled at his wife.  “It never hurts to have more grandbabies.”  He reached over and rubbed his hand through the curls on Noah’s head.  The little boy was picking at the mashed potatoes on his plate.

“When can we expect this little bundle of joy?”  They were excited to have another grandchild to dote on.

“The first day of September,” Emma answered.

*  *  *

April 2015

“Mama! Look!”  Noah yelled.  He stopped pedaling the big-wheel bike and pointed out toward the water.  “Boat!”  He was excited.  Everything was new to him as a two-and-a-half-year-old.

“I see that Noah.”  Emma smiled.  It was a beautiful spring evening so she had taken him outside on the terrace after dinner, before bedtime.  He had immediately climbed onto his tricycle and was riding it back and forth. 

Justin was expected home anytime from a short trip to Los Angeles. 

“Daddy dere?”  He asked.  Noah could see Justin walking through the living room toward them, but Emma couldn’t see him.

“No, Daddy’s not on the boat.”  Emma smiled at her son.

“Daddy dere.”  Noah pointed at Justin who was now in one of the open doorways.  Noah climbed off of the bike and his bare feet slapped against the concrete as he ran over to Justin.

“NJ!” Justin bent over so he could wrap his arms around his son and pick him up.  The little boy giggled as Justin kissed his cheeks.

Emma stood up from the wood chair she was sitting on and walked over to the two.  She let Justin and Noah finish their “hellos” and then wrapped her arms around Justin.  Noah was in between them, still in Justin’s arms.

“Hi.”  Justin grinned at his wife and kissed her.

“Hi.”  Emma squeezed him a little more when he wrapped his free arm around her.  “Are you hungry?”  As she asked this, his stomach growled.

“Yes.”  He laughed as she pulled away from him.  They would have time to cuddle and reconnect after Noah went to bed in a few minutes.

“I’ll heat up leftovers for you.”  Emma said and walked into the house.  Justin followed her, still carrying Noah, who had buried his head in Justin’s neck.  “Noah it’s time for bed.”  Emma looked at the clock.

“No! No! No! No!”  Noah picked up his head and bounced up and down in Justin’s arms, then wrapped his arms around his Dad’s neck.  “No, Daddy, no.”  He was going to try and weasel his way out of going to bed through his Dad.

“We do what Mama says, Noah,” Justin said softly, but firmly.  “Say ‘goodnight.’”

“No.”  Noah said and put his head back on Justin’s shoulder.

“Night Noah.”  Emma rubbed his back and kissed his cheek.  “I love you.”

Both of them knew that he was tired, and as soon as his head hit the pillow he would fall asleep.  Noah was just excited that his Dad was home and he didn’t want to leave his side.  The two were attached at the hip.

Justin walked over to the stairs and headed up to the top floor of their house.  Emma could hear Justin talking sweetly to Noah, who cried and moped the whole time.  She sighed and opened the fridge to pull out the leftover macaroni and hotdogs. 

When his dinner was done reheating, Emma set it on the counter with a glass of milk.  Justin came downstairs just in time.

“Is he asleep?”  She asked.

“He’s out cold,” Justin answered.  He sat down on one of the chairs at the counter.  “Thanks for dinner.”

“Not a problem, J.”  Emma smiled.  She opened the dishwasher and then turned the sink on.  “So how was your flight?”

“Same as usual.”  He bit into one of the hotdogs on his plate.  Justin watched Emma rinse off the plates in the sink while he chewed.  “It’s just nice to be home.  I hate being away from you guys.”

“I know you do.”  She scrubbed at a pot that had cheese residue stuck on it.  “We miss you when you’re gone.”  Emma got the cheese off of the pot and stuck it in the dishwasher.  Emma turned the water off and dried her hands before closing the dishwasher.

“Em …” He sighed and mashed the noodles around on his plate.

“Hmm …” She looked at him.  Clearly he had something on his mind.

“You know I would give it up for you guys.”  Justin said sincerely.

“I know,” Emma sighed.  “I wouldn’t ask you to do that, but I would support you if that’s what you wanted.”  She walked around the counter to where he was sitting.  “You okay?”

“Just homesick, I guess.”  He kind of laughed.  “I don’t think I ever thought that would happen.”

“Well you’re older now, and married with a son and another baby on the way.  So it’s going to be different being away,” Emma said.  She stood next to him and put her arm over the back of his chair.  Emma kissed his forehead.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.”  Justin returned her kiss and then started to eat his macaroni.  Even though she was standing and he was eating, Emma stayed cuddled up next to him.

“So is there anything special you want to do tonight?”  Emma asked when he finished eating.  She had her mouth by his ear and kissed it as she asked.

“I take it you do.”  Justin set his fork down and grinned.  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so she was standing between his knees and the counter.

“Mmhmm …” Emma hummed.  She put her hands on his forearms and leaned forward to kiss him properly.  “My hormones are crazy right now.”

“I think we can take care of them.”  Justin spread his legs apart and scooted forward on the chair so he could be closer to her.  Yup, he liked being at home.  Emma sighed when he started to kiss her neck.  His hands rested on her waist and he brushed his thumbs across her stomach, which was just starting to show, lightly.

“I’ll meet you upstairs.”  She sighed when he stopped kissing her.  Emma rested her forehead against his. 

“Sure.”  His lips met hers one more time and then he dropped his hands.  Justin watched her head upstairs before standing up himself to rinse off his plate and close the terrace doors.

*  *  *

“Well don’t you two look cute,” Emma grinned when she saw Justin come into her office with Noah in his arms.  The two were wearing khaki shorts, dark blue Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ T-shirts and sunglasses.

“Thanks.”  Justin smiled as Emma stood up from her desk.  “We thought we’d stop in and visit Mama on the way to the game.”  Justin was taking Noah to a baseball game that afternoon.

“Well isn’t that sweet.”  She reached for Noah who was leaning toward her and holding onto sunglasses that were a little too big for him.

“Mama, have glasses …” He pointed to the pair on his face.

“I see that Noah.”  She turned to Justin, “Did you put sunscreen on him yet?”

“I couldn’t find it.”

“I think there’s a bottle in the backseat of my car.”  Emma set Noah on the small table in her office.

“Ok.  I’ll go look then.”  Justin stepped over to her desk and dug through her bag to find her keys.  When Justin came back a couple minutes later, he was carrying the bottle of sunscreen and a baseball cap.  “Hey NJ, look what a found.”

“WOO PIGS!” Noah giggled when Justin put the Razorback hat on his head.

“I hate that you taught him that.”  Justin groaned in reference to his “Calling the Hogs.”

“What?”  Emma grinned.  “He’s an Arkansas boy.  He has to know how to ‘Call the Hogs.’”

“Mama, woo pig.”  Noah giggled from his spot on the coffee table.

“That’s right Noah, you tell Daddy ‘Woo Pig Sooie.’”

“No you do.”

“How about together?”  She smiled, knowing how much Justin disliked the hog call.  “Ready?”  Noah nodded excitedly and put his hands down by his sides to get in position.

“WOO …” Emma raised her hands up as she wiggled her fingers, “PIG …,” she brought her arms down and bent her right one, making a fist at her shoulder, “SOOIE!” she unbent her arm and pumped her fist in the air.  Emma and Noah repeated that two more times and ended with one last fist pump while yelling “Razorbacks!”

Noah busted into a fit of giggles, which made Emma giggle too.  Justin just grinned and shook his head at his wife and son’s actions.  He loved them, he really did.

“All right you little oinker – lets hit the road.”  Justin picked the giggling Noah up off of the conference table.  “Say ‘bye Mama.’”

“Bye Mama.”  Noah leaned over in Justin’s arms and kissed her cheek.

“Bye Noah.  Love you.”  Emma returned his kiss before standing on her toes a little to give Justin a kiss too.  “Love you too, J.  You guys have fun and be safe.”

“We will.  Love you, Emmy.”  Justin smiled as he turned to walk out of her office, leaving Emma to finish up her day. 

*  *  *

August 2015

“Mama I potty.”  Noah announced.

“Do you have to potty now or did you already potty?”  Emma asked.  She set down the paintbrush in her hand and looked at Noah.  They had ventured into potty training a month before, in hopes that he would be out of diapers before the new baby came.  It had been a slow process, but Noah was catching on.

“Now.”

“Okay!”  Emma said excitedly.  “Let’s go to the potty.”  She ushered him out of the bedroom and into his bathroom careful to not let his hands, which were covered in paint, touch the walls outside of the bedroom.

After Emma wiped his hands off quickly with a wipe, Noah pulled his shorts and pull-ups down, and did his business.  She handed him toilet paper so he could clean himself up, and after he pulled up his pants, Noah climbed up on the step stool so he could wash his hands.

“That’s so good Noah,” Emma praised as she cleaned up after him properly.  “Thank you so much for telling me you had to potty.  You’re such a big boy.”  Noah giggled and turned around to step down.

“Sticker Mama,” Noah requested.

“Oh yeah,” she said.  She washed her hands quickly and then bent over, the best she could, next to him where he was studying the sticker sheets they had hung on the wall next to his potty.  “Which one do you want?”

“Basketball.” Noah pointed to one of the basketball stickers.

“Good choice.”  Emma pulled the sticker off of the sheet and handed it to him.  Noah stuck it on his shirt.

“You guys up here?”  Justin asked loudly.

“Daddy I potty!”  Noah yelled and ran out of the bathroom.

“In the potty?”

“Yes,” the little boy answered enthusiastically.

“All right NJ!  High five.”  Their hands smacked together loudly.  Emma loved watching the two of them together.  “Were you painting?”  He noticed some dried paint on his arms and clothes.

“Come see.”  Noah grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the baby’s bedroom.  Justin gave Emma a quick kiss as he passed her.  She followed the two back into the room.

“Awesome.”  Justin smiled at the handprints covering the bottom third of the wall with the closet on it.  Emma had covered the closet door with paper in case there were any stray hands.  The two had let Noah “paint” one of the walls in the nursery, and emphasized strongly with him that this would be the only wall in the house he could paint on.  “You’re doing a great job NJ.”

“You help?”  He picked up one of the paper plates Emma had poured paint on for him to use and some of it dumped down the front of his shirt.  Justin cringed and reached for the plate before more of it could drip.  “Uh-oh.”  Noah looked at his shirt.

“Uh-oh’s right.  From now on let’s keep the plates on the floor,” Justin said.  “Let’s take your shirt off.”  Justin helped Noah pull the shirt off without getting paint all over him.  “There ya go.”  He tossed it in the trashcan.

“Help now?”

“Should we get some up high?”  Justin asked.

“Yeah.”  Noah nodded excitedly and stuck his hands in the blue paint at his feet.  Justin picked him up and held him so he could stick his hands on the wall.  He left about six hand prints before he needed to get more paint.  They repeated this action several times before Justin got tired of lifting him.

“The room is coming along great Emma,” Justin said as he took in the rest of the room.  When they found out that they were having another boy, Justin wanted the room to be a sports theme.  So besides Noah’s hand-painted wall, Emma had painted different sports equipment in muted shades of blue, red, orange, brown and white to match the bedding and room accessories they had picked out.

“Thanks.”  Emma smiled and leaned into him when he stood next to her.  Justin put his arm around her waist.  “I just have a couple more touch-ups and then we can move the furniture in.” 

“Just in time.”

“I done.” Noah announced holding his hands out in front of himself.

“Okay,” Emma said.  “Throw the plates away and Daddy’ll help you wash up.”  Noah picked up his plates and threw them in the trash before Justin took him into the bathroom to wash the paint off of his hands and arms.  Emma decided she was done painting for the day as well so she put the covers back on the paint cans and then went to wash up.

Justin had started a bath for Noah because it was nearing dinnertime and shortly after that bedtime.  Noah was already standing there with his shorts and pull-ups off watching the water fill the tub chattering away to Justin about his day when Emma walked into the small room.

“Mama,” Noah turned to Emma when he saw her.

“Yes?” Emma asked and turned the sink on.

“Done too?”

“I’m done for now,” she answered and pumped some soap into her palms.

“All right NJ.”  Justin turned the faucet off when the water was at a suitable level.  “Bath time.”  He picked the little boy up and set him in the tub.  Noah reached for the plastic cup they used and handed it to Justin. 

“Did you still want to grill out tonight?”  Emma asked Justin after she had finished washing the paint off of her hands.  She turned the sink off.

“Sure,” he answered working the shampoo into Noah’s hair.

“I’ll go get the hamburger ready then,” Emma said.  

“Sounds like a plan.  Right Noah?”

“Right.”  Noah didn’t look up from the plastic boat he was pushing around in the water when he replied.

“We’ll be down in a few.”  Justin smiled at her.  Emma nodded and turned to walk out of the bathroom.  She headed downstairs.  Justin and Noah came downstairs a while later, and Emma handed a plate with the hamburger patties to Justin to take outside and start cooking.

They ate their dinner and played with Noah for a while before putting him down for the night, and even though it was still pretty early, Emma went to bed herself.

“You still awake Emmy?”  Justin plopped down on the bed next to her, just as she was about to fall asleep.

“I am now,” she mumbled, trying to hide the smile from forming on her face.  Justin scooted down and adjusted the pillow so he could lie down next to her.  “What’s up?”  Emma opened her eyes.

“I was just wondering if you had thought more about Will’s middle name.”  Justin had picked William for the first name after his Grandfather of course.  He put his left hand on her stomach and rubbed lightly.

“I’m still debating between Jude and Elijah,” Emma answered and sighed.  “You think you could rub my back?”

“Of course I can do that.” He grinned and stood up so he could pull the covers on his side of the bed down and crawl under them next to Emma.  She rolled over onto her other side, and he scooted closer to her so he could rub her lower back.  “I think Jude sounds better – William Jude.”

“Yeah …” Emma sighed the pressure of his fingers in her skin felt good.  She had stood for too long that day.  “That feels good Justin …” She hummed out the word “good.”  The bed shifted as Justin moved closer to her and brushed his lips against her neck.  “What are you doing?”

“Just rubbing your back.”  She could feel his smile against her neck as his fingers started kneading her back again.  Justin knew she was rolling her eyes at his answer, but kept kissing her neck.  Emma turned her head, and he pressed his lips against hers.

*  *  *

September 2015

“Mama!” Noah came barreling into the hospital room.  It had been almost two days since he’d seen Emma.  He ran over to where Emma was sitting in one of the chairs holding Will in her arms.  “Baby, Mama?”  He asked when he saw the baby in her arms.

“Yeah it’s a baby.  He’s your brother Noah, his name is Will,” Emma explained.  She reached out to rub his back when he leaned against her knees to look at his little brother.  Justin walked over to the three of them and kissed Emma before sitting down in the other chair.

“Hi Will! Hi Will!”  Noah said excitedly and then frowned when the baby didn’t respond. “Mama, no say …” He looked up at Emma.

“When Will gets older, he’ll talk like a big boy,” Emma replied.

“Like me?”

“Just like you.”

“He play?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh …” Noah sighed disappointedly and looked at Justin.  “We go now Daddy.”

“We’re gonna stay and visit with Mama for a while.”

“Noah do you want to cuddle?” Emma asked.  Noah nodded.  “Okay.”  Emma handed Will over to Justin and then pulled Noah up onto her lap.  Noah snuggled up against her, and Emma wrapped her arms around him.  She looked over at Justin who was observing Will as he slept.  He looked over at her.

“Go home Mama?”  Noah asked lifting his head off of her shoulder to look at her.

“Will and I get to come home tomorrow.”  Emma explained.

“Good,” Noah sighed.  “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Noah.”  Emma kissed his forehead.  All of them had adjusting to do with the new baby in the mix.  “What have you been up to with Grandma and Grandpa?”

“We go to movie,” he answered.  “It silly.”

“It was silly?” he nodded.  “Tell me about it.”  Emma grinned when the little boy started telling her all about the movie to the best of his ability.  He chatted away about different things until Will started to fuss and needed to be fed.  Noah asked all sorts of questions about what she was doing and why, and Justin looked thoroughly amused by them.  Emma did her best to answer, and eventually Noah lost interest and turned his attention to Justin.

“Knock knock,” Trevor said as he walked into the hospital room.  Emma had just finished nursing Will.

“T!” Noah giggled excitedly and ran over to hug his uncle.

“Hey, hey, hey …” Trevor picked up Noah and gave him a hug.  “Hi Emmy-Leigh, Justin …” He walked over to where the two were sitting and looked down at his new nephew.  “Who’s this Noah?” Trevor asked.

“Will,” Noah answered.

“Is he your brother?”

“Don’t know.”  He shrugged.  The three adults laughed.  Having a little brother was a new concept to him, but Justin and Emma had done the best they could to prepare him for Will.  Trevor perched himself on the edge of the bed, still holding Noah.

“What’s the final say on the whole name?”  Trevor asked.

“William Jude,” Justin answered looking over at Emma and their new baby.  “So we’ve got NJ and WJ …”

“WJ does not flow like NJ,” Emma stated.  She laid Will on her legs and rewrapped the blanket around him.  Will started to cry when the cold air hit him.  “Shh … shh … shh, you’re okay Will, Mama will be done in a second.  See all done.”  Emma lifted him back up to her chest. 

“He’s a lot more vocal than Noah was,” Justin observed. 

“Yup,” Emma nodded in agreement.  “Trevor you want to hold Will?”

“Yeah,” Trevor answered.  After Trevor moved Noah to his side, Noah crawled over to the pillows on the bed and leaned against them.  Emma handed Will to Trevor and then made a move to stand up.  “You don’t have to get up.”

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” Emma said.  Justin got up so he could help her up.  “Thanks.”  Justin kissed her and then watched her shuffle off to the bathroom.  When she came out, Justin had moved Noah from the bed and was chatting with him and Trevor.  Emma crawled onto the bed and settled in.

*  *  *

June 2016

“Justin …” Emma sounded worried.  She was standing in their bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body.  “Can you come in here?”  When she was in the shower, Emma had felt a bump on the side of her left breast.

“What’s up?”  He walked into the bathroom.

“I want you to feel this,” she said.  Justin gave her a questioning look and walked over to her.  He stood in front of her, and she let the towel fall a little revealing herself.  Justin grinned.

“Not that.”  She knew what he was thinking.  “I felt a bump.”

“What?”  Justin’s expression immediately changed.

“Right here.”  Emma grabbed his hand and directed two of his fingers to where she had felt it.  She pressed them into her soft skin, and his face fell when he felt the same thing she had.

“No … Emma.”  He looked like he was on the verge of tears.  He didn’t move his hand when she dropped her own.

“We don’t know.”  She knew exactly what he was thinking and it only made the feeling in her stomach drop further at the thought.  That one word: cancer.  She couldn’t have it – she was still young, healthy, had two kids to raise.  It wasn’t supposed to happen to her.

Justin dropped his hand and pulled her into his arms.  Emma wrapped her arms around him, forgetting about the towel.  They held each other, both thinking similar thoughts.

“Mama … Daddy …” Noah’s voice pulled them out of those thoughts as he came into the bathroom.

“Mornin’ NJ.”  Justin put a smile on his face for his son.  He stayed where he was while Emma readjusted the towel, and then he picked up Noah.

“Will’s crying.”

“Uh-oh ...  Let’s let Mama get dressed and go check on Will.”  Justin smiled at Emma.  It was going to be okay.  It had to be okay.  He would lose his mind if it wasn’t going to be okay.

Emma could hear Noah’s giggles as Justin carried him out of their bedroom.  She was left to her own thoughts, and it sucked.