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“And the oldest. You helped so much with Charlie. You still do and you help with Josh.”
“Oh.”
“And three,” I pressed onwards and gave her another kiss, “Do you remember how big our family is?”
“It’s huge.”
“Yeah, you have lots of grandparents, aunts, and even a few uncles…”
“I do,” she said slowly.
“That’s a lot of love. Don’t you think?”
She bit her lip then looked at me sideways before she nodded slowly.
“Besides,” I said. “Another girl might save you from all the pink.”
Izzy’s eyes grew huger if possible. “Wait—you mean that I wouldn’t have to wear the pink dresses just because one of the grandmas got them?”
“Nope,” I told her. “I mean these little ones might love pink and then we’ll have to hose everything down in it.”
Her little nose wrinkled.
“He or she, they could both like pink.”
At that, Izzy snorted.
“Either way, they are going to be their own little selves and you’re going to be the very bestest of big sisters ever.” I tickled her a little, cajoling her smile to grow. “Do you know how I know?”
“Josh told you?”
I laughed. “Nope, Charlie. Josh thinks you’re a big ol’ meanie cause you took the last cookie.”
That got me a real laugh out of her and then Izzy hugged me again.
“I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you, too, Izzy-belle. Do you feel better?”
She gave it all the appropriate thought before she leaned back and stared up at me. “I think so. It’s okay if one of the babies is a girl.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she said then leaned down closer to my stomach, “But if you are a girl, you have to be on my side in everything.”
Laughter floated out of me again because the babies gave a flutter of movement. One of them was waking up. “You may have to keep reminding her.”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Izzy told me in all seriousness. “I will.”
“Come on, then,” I told her. “We need to go help Jeremy with the food.”
We had a lot to do.
“You should go sit down,” Kelly said as she moved into the kitchen. The grandmothers had descended in force just before breakfast. We had already set up a breakfast bar in the bigger dining room with a waffle maker out there that Jake took charge of.
The grandfathers weren’t far behind the grandmothers. Siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins drifted in. Thanksgiving had everyone here this year in particular because I was pregnant and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
Christmas, however, was ours. We floated some of the holidays from Fourth of July to Thanksgiving each year. Sometimes we had part of the family, other times not. Jeremy and Eddie were regular attendees for Christmas. Every other year, Ian’s parents came up. With the girls all graduated, they were planning a world cruise with Jake’s parents and Klara.
