I wake up super early because I have to pee. Then, I can’t go back to sleep, so I grab my phone, thinking I’ll read for a little while when I notice I have a group text.
Danny: ***IT’S A GIRL!!!*** Baby Diamond was born via emergency C-section at 3:07 this morning. Both mother and baby are doing fine. Labor was rough. She pushed for two hours before they tried forceps. (Don’t ask.) Then, they decided baby was just too big and did a C-section. Baby weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds, 2 ounces and is 17 inches long. And she’s perfect.
“Phillip!” I screech. “It’s a girl!”
“Uh, what?” he says groggily.
“Danny and Lori had their baby. It’s a girl!”
“Aww. That’s awesome. Everything go okay?”
I read him the text.
“Did they say what they named her?”
“No. At least, not yet. I’m not sure if they had decided on a name.”
“We need to start thinking of baby names. What do you think of Otto?”
“Otto? Are you serious?”
“Sure, it’s cool. Two Ts and two Os. Easy to learn to spell. And it’s a palindrome.”
“Is it short for ottoman?” I tease.
“Very funny. Fine. Let’s hear your ideas.” He rolls over and faces me, propping himself on his elbow.
“For boys, Owen is kinda cute. Carter. Liam, um—”
“I thought you weren’t thinking of baby names yet.”
“I don’t want to choose one yet, but if I hear a cute name, I try to remember it. Although my favorite boy name right now is Chase. Chase Mackenzie just sounds like a little stud. Like a boy I would have had a crush on in school.”
“I’m surprised. I thought you would like funkier names.”
“Well, for a girl, I do. I like Harley and Aria. I also like Addison, Landon, and Emerson, but I want to spell them with a Y at the end, like mine, instead of an O. And we know her middle name has to be James.”
“Of course,” Phillip says. “Those are all pretty. When do you think we should decide for sure?”
“Well, we have plenty of time. But I suppose we should make a firm decision a few weeks before we are due. Naming a child is hard. You have to think of all the potential bad nicknames kids could come up with.”
“I think you can rule out Aria. That reminds me of that word for nipple. I never know how exactly to say it.”
“Areola?”
“Yeah, that’s it. And Airhead. Hairy, Scary, Airy. Short names are tough. They rhyme with a lot.”
“You’re cute,” I tell him, ruffling his hair and giving him a good-morning kiss.
Which leads to some other morning fun.
Before we go to the hospital to see baby Diamond, we check in on the kitchen progress. I made a cute pink It’s a Girl banner to hang in the entryway. The crew has been working nonstop in shifts since last night. I’m shocked at all they have accomplished. The backsplash is in, and the cabinet doors are being installed.
“Can you believe how much they’ve gotten done already?” I ask Phillip as we’re walking down the hall at the hospital.
“Yeah, it’s starting to look like a real kitchen. Mom said she’s headed down.”
“I thought we could go shopping and stock their fridge. Your mom’s going to whip up some dinners and put them in the freezer along with an assortment of baked goods. Danny’s parents are on their way, too, and have offered up their help. I think we’ll have it done. Especially since she had a C-section. I think that means she’ll be in the hospital for a day longer.”
“So, does all this mean that you and Lori are okay now? You still haven’t talked to her much, have you?”
“No, just some awkward texting.”
“And are you doing okay with being here at the hospital?” he asks, giving me a little squeeze.
“As long as you hold my hand, Phillip, I’ll be fine.”
“I can tell you’re pregnant today. Your shirt’s tight around your tummy. It’s cute.”
I look down. “No denying it anymore.”
“What you’re doing for Danny and Lori is really nice. Are we going to tell them today?”
“No. I want them to be surprised when they walk in the door.”
“Will you tell them it was you who made it happen?”
“Probably not, Phillip. I’ll let the designer take the credit. I don’t … like, it’s not about that. I don’t know if she’ll ever be my friend again. But, regardless, I want both of them to be happy when they bring their baby home. Maybe it will help them, too. I know they made up, but Danny said things are still a bit strained.”
“I saw her wearing the necklace the other day,” Phillip states dryly.
“Well, she must not be as traumatized as she claims.”
He flattens me against the wall, his strong body firmly against mine, holding me in place. “Are we good?”
“We seemed pretty good this morning.”
“Okay, let me rephrase that. Are you good? Do you feel good about us?”
“I feel great about us, Phillip. I can’t wait until people are coming to the hospital to visit our new baby.”
He kisses me. “I can’t wait either. Let’s go see this new little girl.”
Phillip knocks gently on the door, and Danny tells us to come in.
Lori is lying in the bed, holding a little pink bundle.
“Congratulations!” we both say. “Are you so excited it’s a girl?”
Danny takes the baby out of Lori’s arms and holds her out for us to see.
“She’s beautiful,” I say sincerely.
“Thanks,” she says.
“She has a little bit of a cone head,” Danny says with a laugh. “Stuck in the birth canal for a few hours does that to them, I guess. And I was surprised. I thought she was going to be a boy.”
“So, the birth sounds like it was a little crazy,” Phillip says.
“Oh, yeah. You should have seen it. Miss I Want A Natural Birth here was like, ‘Get me the epidural now!’ And I was like, ‘Honey, but you told me, no matter what you said, I was supposed to follow the birthing plan.’ I told her she should focus on her breathing more, like in yoga. Then, she grabbed me by the shirt, like a scene out of The Exorcist, and said in a voice that sounded like the devil himself, ‘Get me the fucking epidural. NOW!’ So, I did. Thank goodness, too. They were able to do the C-section quickly when they needed to, and it was amazing. They pulled this sweet little monkey out of her lickety-split, and I cut the cord, and she was crying, and I was crying. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He sits on the bed next to Lori, and they share a sweet look.
I hope that means they are going to be okay.
“So, the text didn’t mention a name. Have you chosen one yet?” Phillip asks.
“We have,” Lori says. “Meet Devaney Alayna Diamond.”
“Devaney?” Phillip says. “Like the great Nebraska coach, Bob Devaney?”
“Yep,” Danny says. “Isn’t it the coolest name ever?”
“I really like it,” I say. “It’s very pretty. I’ve heard of the name Delaney before but never Devaney.”
“That’s why we like it,” Lori says. “It’s different and pretty. We’ll probably call her Devan for short.”
“That’s really cute, too,” I say directly to Lori. “I’m glad everything worked out so well.”
“Do you want to hold her?” Danny asks me.
“I’d love to. Can I wash my hands first?”
“There’s some antibacterial soap in the bathroom.”
After washing my hands, I am rewarded with a beautiful baby girl lying in my arms. She looks up at me and moves her lips, like she’s doing a fish face.
“She’s ready for selfies.” I laugh, mimicking her.
Danny talks to Phillip while I stare in wonder at Devaney.
“So, one thing you should know about childbirth is your doctor, who your wife has spent months getting to know, only shows up the second it’s time for delivery. You think he’s going to be with you the whole time. Like through labor and all that. No. He’s like a designated hitter, only shows up when he’s at bat.”
The baby looks like she’s going to cry.
I gently pat her back and hand her to Lori. “I think she wants her mommy.”
Lori smiles at the baby. “I think I’m going to like being a mommy,” she says, snuggling Devaney into her chest.
