I pushed my nipple into his mouth just as it opened. “There you go.” Milk gushed not only from where he drank, but from the other breast as well. A sensation shot through me and I could feel it dripping. Thank God for my pad, which would stop it from leaking out.
“Will you look at that?” Becky said. “He’s a great drinker. Addison was a bit stubborn at the beginning.”
“Hmm, I wonder who she takes after,” Nicole teased.
“What?” Becky exclaimed, laughing. “I’m not stubborn...sometimes.”
“Both of you are lucky. I had a difficult time feeding Kristen. She had a hard time latching on. It also took me some time to produce milk. Wait till your nipples get sore. I hated that part.”
“My nipples are already sore,” Becky sighed.
I had read about the possible difficulties of producing milk and babies having a hard time latching onto the nipple. Little things like that made me feel so grateful. Suddenly, a loud sound erupted.
“Oh my God,” Nicole squealed. “Was that from Connor or from you, Jenna?”
The four of us started to laugh. “It’s not me.” I couldn’t stop laughing, but I had to remain still. Conner was still drinking. When he drained one side, I patted him on the back, then switched him over to the other breast. The bulge from his diaper indicated he’d let out a big dump.
“Well, he’s a boy for sure,” Becky murmured, sniffing Addison. “I think I need to change her diaper, too.”
“Jenna must have eaten a lot of beans. Connor sure smells like it,” Kate joked, placing Kristen on her lap.
“Great, this is what I have to look forward to,” Nicole laughed, laying the diaper mat for Becky.
Becky started to change Addison’s diaper when she looked up. “This is silly, but did you think the same as me? I thought when I delivered Addison that I would get my body back. I mean, I knew it wouldn’t be back to the way it was right after I delivered her, but what the hell...I still looked pregnant.”
“I did, Becky,” Kate said. “I delivered naturally. You think all that stuff would come out of your body after you deliver and your stomach would be flat.”
“Let me help you. This is good practice for me.” Nicole pushed Becky aside and finished changing Addison’s diaper. “It’s God’s way of making sure you don’t get pregnant right away. I mean, let’s face it. I sure wouldn’t want sex if I still had the muffin tops. I’m going to assume you haven’t in months.”
“A baby came out of me. Hell, there was no way I was going to let Craig enter me even with doctor’s approval for a long time.”
“See?” Nicole shrugged. “Well, those are my thoughts.”
“I guess that’s one way of thinking of it,” I agreed.
“Maybe I did feel insecure with my body. It also took me a while to get my body back to the way it was,” Kate said.
“I don’t think our bodies will ever be the same,” Becky added.
As I waited for Connor to finish, I absorbed our conversation. As we had progressed in our stages in life, our conversations had shifted. It was wonderful to have friends you could share your thoughts, sorrow, happiness, and experiences with. Many friends entered your life, but the ones that were truly worthwhile were the ones that stayed. As I gazed upon my friends still talking about how our bodies had changed, I couldn’t stop smiling. These were the moments I wanted to capture and remember forever.
“You did what?” I heard Matthew’s voice from the kitchen, and the sound of loud laughter. “Becca, we’re going Paris. No way is my brother’s lock going to be bigger than mine.”
Oh boy!
Two months later
When Max went to work, it was just Connor and me. After I placed him down for an early morning nap, I went downstairs to get a bite to eat. As I ate a yogurt, an egg, and some blueberries, something caught my eye in the family room. On the coffee table was a letter and a single red rose. My heart jumped with excitement. What was Max up to?
I picked it up and read it.
Mommy,
Daddy wants to take you out to dinner
with Uncle Matthew and Auntie Becky.
I’ll be okay with Grandma Paige and Grandpa
Jonathan. They are going to come over by 5:30.
They are going to take good care of me.
I’ll be safe, so don’t worry. Check inside your closet.
There is something Daddy wants you to wear.
You will look beautiful in it.
Love,
Connor
With a huge smile on my face, I texted Max. You are amazing. I can’t wait for you to take me out to dinner.
Surprisingly, I got a text back right away. You have it wrong. You are amazing. I’m not sure what I can’t wait for, you in that dress or me taking it off you.