so long - t.s.h [sequel to pinky promises]

[ten]

As excited as you were for this pregnancy, you did your best to keep your daily routine going, and to make time for Maggie. She was excited too, but you knew she didn't fully understand, so you wanted to make sure she still felt seen by you and Tom. Even though you were going to have a new addition, you would never stop loving Maggie as much as you did before. She was your kid, and nothing would change that. It was hard because the first trimester wasn't going too well, in terms of being sick and being tired all the time, and it was hard to juggle everything on top of your job, but you were determined to make it work. You couldn't let Maggie feel forgotten.

So, one evening when you knew that Tom was going to be working late (he'd been working as much as he could in order to support your growing family, even though there were now two incomes), you picked Maggie up from school early and announced that the two of you could do whatever you wanted that evening.

Even though you now picked Maggie up from school nearly every day, she still flew across the room when she noticed you were there and practically launched herself into your arms, "Mama!"

"Hi, baby!" you grinned, pressing a kiss to her cheek as you picked her up carefully. "How are you doing?"

"Good!" she smiled, wrapping herself around your torso, refusing to let go even as you walked back out to the car.

"It's just you and me till Daddy gets home, kiddo. What do you think we should do?" you asked as you got her into her car seat and buckled her up.

"Can we get ice cream?" she asked, giving you those infamous puppy dog eyes.

The look wasn't necessary, though, because you were 100% in. When you could stomach food, all you wanted was ice cream, and Maggie was living her best life because of it. At the small ice cream shop on your way home, Maggie insisted on getting her ice cream in a cone. You knew that it was a recipe for disaster, but you let her anyway, and immediately regretted your decision as she sat at the picnic table, ice cream dripping down her chin and onto her shirt. Laughing to yourself, you quickly snapped a few pictures and sent them to Tom, who you knew would want to see the mess she'd made.

At home, Maggie decided that she wanted to build a fort out of blankets in pillows, and play house. It was her new favorite game to play, especially since you'd found out that you were pregnant. She always wanted to be the mom and would take care of her baby dolls. You'd already known that she was going to be a great big sister, and this only confirmed it with the way she doted on each of her dolls, kissing them and feeding them and rocking them. Maggie had the most vivid imagination, which made playing with her pretty easy; most of the time she would tell you exactly what to do or say. That was all you had to do to please her.

When Maggie was finally hungry enough for dinner, she insisted on having macaroni and cheese, which you gladly agreed to make since the smell didn't make you feel like you were going to throw up everywhere. She continued to play with her baby dolls as you made dinner, and you could hear her talking to them, not much differently than you or Tom talked to Maggie. It made you happy that she felt so loved and cared for because that was all you ever wanted for her.

Maggie was quick to ask if you guys could have a picnic in the living room since it was one of her favorite things to do, but it didn't happen too often. Since you'd told her that the two of you could do whatever she wanted that evening, you found a picnic blanket and laid it out on the carpet of the living room, setting her plate in front of her. As soon as you sat down next to her, you knew you wouldn't be leaving any time soon as she crawled into your lap and curled up there, looking up at you expectantly, "Can we watch Tiana?"

Turning on the princess and the frog, you tried to focus on the moment, rather than think about the numerous things that were running through your head. You'd always been an anxious person, but it only multiplied when you realized you were pregnant; there was so much to do, the list of things to worry about was never-ending. But with the four-year-old cuddled up against you, it got a little easier to push away the things that didn't matter. She was what mattered. Completely entranced with the movie, she played with your fingers as she stared at the screen intently. This was what mattered.