The family's baby

Chapter 79

*Grace's P.O.V*

"Are you..." is all I get out before her hand covers my mouth.

"Shhh... Jazmin doesn't know yet. No one knows except Oliver and of course me... and now you. Of course you figure it out from stupid beach volleyball of all things. I forgot about your obsession over watching me play. I swear though Grace, if you tell anyone, I will kill you! This isn't your secret to tell with your unable to lie giant mouth. I will tell mom and dad tonight when they get you. That was the plan anyway so keep quiet until then. And yes, you would have been told then too." Zahira quietly hisses at me and I just nod silently, still wide eyed, so she will remove her hand from my mouth. She does so but quickly makes me take the pacifier back, just to be safe.

"Yes, Grace. I am pregnant. I will be more pregnant this summer, when I usually play, then I was when I tried to play while pregnant with Jazmin. So I will be informing my group of player friends that I'm not even going to try this year. It's just too late in the pregnancy to try. Next year, I might try to play but it depends how much the baby still needs me. As I'm sure you remember, I very rarely played until Jazmin was well into her first year. Newborns just want and need their mother's more. Plus, I just enjoy being here during those times." she tells me with a genuine smile and I can't help but glance between her face and her belly. Eventually, just because I can't help myself, I scoot closer and press my ear against her tummy. I hear nothing, sadly, as Zahira pushes me away.

"Stop being silly, Grace. It's far too early for that. The only heartbeat right now you could possibly hear is my own. You're about 10 weeks too early, unless we were at the doctor's and no, I'm not taking your annoying behind to my appointments so you can hear it. Not happening so don't ask." Zahira informs me, making me pout.

"Grace... enough. Go to sleep. This conversation is over. You need a nap and I want to read my book. So close your eyes and go to sleep." Zahira instructs, grabbing her book and opening it again. I try to be good by closing my eyes and staying quiet but something she mentioned before nags at me.

"Zahira... Za... Sissy..." I say, hoping for her attention and approval to continue.

"What is it now, Grace?" Zahira asks, not looking away from her book.

"You mentioned Jazmin has bladder issues... since when? I don't remember being told about her having any issues..." I ask, hoping for clarification. I seem to be about to get some as Zahira closes her book with a sigh.

"First off, I said she had issues. She doesn't have issues. Second off, I think you were away at college so I'm not surprised. You weren't here so there wasn't a need to tell you. What happened was we pushed too hard to get her potty trained. We really wanted her to be accepted into this very specialized daycare. It's almost like a school and really helps the children master what they will need before they start school. The catch is they only accept fully potty trained children. No diapers, pullups, trainers... no accidents allowed." Zahira says and I can't help but squirm slightly hearing that, making my pullup crinkle. Zahira sees my anxiety from her words and smiles slightly before playing with my hair to calm me down.

"Anyway, I'm sure you have noticed Jazmin is still only in the early stages of potty training. Most people will find it strange we only started it now, her being well into her 3s. At the rate she is going, she might not be fully trained until she is well into 4. The reason is because the first time we tried, she got a very bad bladder infection. It caused her to become incontinence. It wasn't that big of a deal because let's face it, she was already but it made us feel terrible, at the time. No one wants to be the cause of their child getting sick like that, after all." Zahira says with a guilty look on your face.

"The daycare wouldn't make an exception for her though so we found a different one and you know what? Jazmin is happy. She looks forward to daycare most days. She has a blast while there. She has made friends, she is usually smiling, and she could care less whether she is wearing her diapers or pullups so why should we? She will be trained when she is trained. All her friends are ahead of her so I think once they are out of pullups, she will feel the pressure and take it more seriously. If she doesn't, she doesn't. We still have a couple years until it's an issue." Zahira says with a shrug of your shoulders.