It was a gray afternoon for the Clarke Isaac Hanson family. The dreary Tulsa sky was the perfect match for our moods as we cuddled together on the couch trying to recover from our various doctor visits. Somehow, Nikki managed to schedule them for the same day so we could all go into town together. I had my follow up visit with my regular doctor, more blood work and another antibiotic shot, “just in case.” I tried to talk them out of it, citing articles that said overuse of antibiotics could lead to resistance, but they insisted, saying my frequent travels weaken my immune system. The pain medicine for my left side helped ease the throbbing knot left by the student nurse, but I was so tired. I would only be able to take them at night once I went back to work.

Nikki had an appointment with her OB doctor. A round of blood work and a B12 shot for her, along with a new prescription for prenatal vitamins. Our baby was healthy, and everything was normal. We would be able to find out if Everette was getting a brother or sister in a couple more months. We both wanted to know so we could plan for him or her and have everything ready.

It was time for Everette’s checkup, too. He handled everything better than we did. He was growing right on schedule, and mostly slept through the appointment until it was time for his shots. He only cried for few minutes, though, and calmed down as soon as he was back in his mother’s arms. I missed holding him so much. This was almost as good, though. I had my left arm propped on pillows, Nikki curled against my right side and Everette between us. He was sleeping, and Nikki was humming softly to him. He would be walking before long. He was trying to talk, and I was glad that I wouldn’t be on the other side of the world when he said his first words.

“Ike,” Nikki said.

“Yes, darling,” I whispered, not wanting to break the mood.

“We have a Christmas party to host in 2 days. I emailed out the invitations, everyone is coming. The house needs to be cleaned and we haven’t even started decorating yet.”

“Hmmm, that is true.” Last year we started planning everything weeks in advance. This year things were a little more hectic.

“How does a caterer fit into our budget considering your medical bills and our one on the way?”

I kissed the top of her head. “Oh, I imagine we could swing that. Do you think we could get one on such short notice?”

“I’ll call around and ask.”

“Ok. And I’ll help you clean and decorate tomorrow. I can’t believe we haven’t done that yet.”

“Well, we’ve been busy. And you still need to keep from moving that arm so much. Should we call one of your brothers or your dad to come help?”

My first thought was that Zac might be bored and want to help, and would certainly appreciate the exercise. Taylor had his hands full with three kids, so I knew he didn’t have time. My dad would come no matter what, even if we told him to be here at midnight.

“Let’s call Dad and see what he has going on.”

“Ok.” She settled back into me and put her head on my chest. I just barely heard her whisper “tomorrow.”