I Don't Understand
Lillies for Lillian
Friday, 7/03/09
I was sitting on my bed with my laptop, scrolling through my Pinterest feed and eating my hot, perfectly crispy grilled cheese sandwich. Harry and Damian were in my room reading manuals and messing with knobs and setting up computers, working and pouring over my recording studio. I really hoped they could tell me how to work it, since I had less than no clue. Everything was quiet in my room, and I ate the last bite of my sandwich, as mom BURST into the room. I almost choked. "Zoe Jean is in labor! This is all unexpected, but she's at a hospital in Cleveland, and it's time for us to go!" Dan and Harry hurriedly got up and went downstairs to help. Mom followed them, and I ran over to my mirror. This is it, girl! You're going to be a big sister again. I ran around the room throwing things in the sling bag and setting up for Luna and Sunshine to be stuck inside my bedroom today. I looked at myself in the mirror again, and for some reason, I felt like getting dressed up. I got dressed, did my hair, swiped on some lipgloss, checked my reflection and nodded my approval before grabbing my bag and heading downstairs. Outfit
It turns out Dad had sold our Suburban in LA, but the Jeep had been shipped to us. With the money, he bought a brand-new red Chevrolet Traverse, and he was setting up a carseat for Lillian in the middle of the first row. My sisters were dressing their matching twin dolls to come with us, Dan and Harry packed whatever their definition of a family dinner was, and I helped Mom pack a diaper bag. I called off a checklist in my head. Burp cloths, newborn diapers, wipes, baby powder, changing pad, diaper rash cream, baby bottle, formula powder, portable bottle warmer, pacifier, 3 newborn outfits, frilly headbands and bonnet, "Mom are we using your receiving blanket?" My grandma had knitted a blanket while she was pregnant with my Mom. That's the blanket that my Mom and all her daughers had used as babies. "Oh, good idea, Angelina! It's in that box, on the shelf in my closet." I went and found it, than hugged it close. It still smelled of newborn babies. I folded everything up and grabbed my Mom's brand new diaper bag. I put everything in it, than just admired it. Honestly it's the prettiest diaper bag I've ever seen. "Mom, when did you get this?" "Oh, I ordered it by mail a week or two ago, I figured since the diaper bag is going to practically be my purse for the next two years, it may as well look nice." She grabbed her old purse and emptied it out, putting some of it into pockets in the diaper bag, and some of it got put away. She hung up her purse in the closet, and headed downstairs. I went to my room and grabbed my sling bag, than skipped down to the driveway and asked Dad where he wants me to sit. he's pretty particular. "You three older ones will be in the back. Your sisters will sit on either side of the carseat." I nodded. Wait... "Three?" Now Dad nodded "Yep. Harry asked his parents if he could come with us. So we're bringing him, too." Alrighty than. I went into the kitchen, where Harry and Damian were packing up tortillas, lunch meat, cheese, mustard, lettuce, and tomatoes to make rollups. They also threw in some strawberries with dip and bananas. At least they understand the concept of a meal.
We were all loaded up in the car. Harry on my left, Dan on my right, and everybody else in front of me. Kenzie and Leigh had their dolls strapped into Lillian's carseat, and I giggled. That was pretty adorable. Dad started the car and it jolted forwards which I didn't expect at all. I gasped and braced myself against the seat with my left hand, which landed on top of Harry's, but even when the car was moving slowly I left my hand there. Harry looked at my hand on top of his and smiled. My hands were so small compared to his large ones. I was pretty squished in, though. Dan and Harry have broad shoulders.
Two and a half hours of silly old road trip songs and a messy lunch in the car later, we were at the hospital! The Cleveland Clinic. We all climbed out of the car and grabbed something. Dad grabbed a briefcase full of everything concerning Lillian. Mom grabbed the diaper bag. Kenzie and Brayleigh carried the carseat with their dolls in it together, I grabbed my bag, Dan grabbed the cooler, and Harry grabbed my hand. Alrighty than. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. Than we started walking and I let go. We walked into the revolving doors and up to the front desk. Dad talked to the lady there and handed her a few sheets of paper from his briefcase. She read over and scrutinized every singly word on those papers for what seemed hours, and than handed mom and Dad something to sign. They read it over together and scratched out their signatures at the bottom with a flourish. We were directed to the maternity ward, and once we got there they told us to go to a very specific room. The water-birthing suite. Mom and Dad talked to the midwife outside the suite, and than Dad came back to tell us that Zoe was still in the first stage of labor, but should be entering stage 2 within the next 2-3 hours. Whatever that means. Wow I should know this stuff. Mom grabbed the diaper bag and rushed into the suite, she was going to go help Zoe and hold her hand where the biological father should have been. We waited there in the maternity ward waiting room for what seemed - and was - hours. The clock showed us that while we had arrived at 3:30 pm, now it was 7pm. No wonder I was hungry. Dad picked up the cooler and we followed him to the cafeteria downstairs, where we bought and ate our dinner.
I was standing in the gift shop looking around at everything. There were cards, flower arrangements, some packaged food, and piles of stuffed animals. Oh. My. Goodness. I can't even tell you how much I love stuffed animals. I browsed around, just looking, until Harry balanced a little 10" bear on my head. I pulled it off and laughed. Oh my goodness! It's so cute! I decided it would definitely be to my benefit to buy this little bear for Lillian. I purchased it, decided to forego the bag, and met Dad back at the cafeteria. He was holding a vase of Stargazer Lillies, and I smiled. They were for Zoe, the mother of our Lilly. We grabbed our cooler and headed back upstairs, where we waited some more. For ten hours.
I was sitting on my bed with my laptop, scrolling through my Pinterest feed and eating my hot, perfectly crispy grilled cheese sandwich. Harry and Damian were in my room reading manuals and messing with knobs and setting up computers, working and pouring over my recording studio. I really hoped they could tell me how to work it, since I had less than no clue. Everything was quiet in my room, and I ate the last bite of my sandwich, as mom BURST into the room. I almost choked. "Zoe Jean is in labor! This is all unexpected, but she's at a hospital in Cleveland, and it's time for us to go!" Dan and Harry hurriedly got up and went downstairs to help. Mom followed them, and I ran over to my mirror. This is it, girl! You're going to be a big sister again. I ran around the room throwing things in the sling bag and setting up for Luna and Sunshine to be stuck inside my bedroom today. I looked at myself in the mirror again, and for some reason, I felt like getting dressed up. I got dressed, did my hair, swiped on some lipgloss, checked my reflection and nodded my approval before grabbing my bag and heading downstairs. Outfit
It turns out Dad had sold our Suburban in LA, but the Jeep had been shipped to us. With the money, he bought a brand-new red Chevrolet Traverse, and he was setting up a carseat for Lillian in the middle of the first row. My sisters were dressing their matching twin dolls to come with us, Dan and Harry packed whatever their definition of a family dinner was, and I helped Mom pack a diaper bag. I called off a checklist in my head. Burp cloths, newborn diapers, wipes, baby powder, changing pad, diaper rash cream, baby bottle, formula powder, portable bottle warmer, pacifier, 3 newborn outfits, frilly headbands and bonnet, "Mom are we using your receiving blanket?" My grandma had knitted a blanket while she was pregnant with my Mom. That's the blanket that my Mom and all her daughers had used as babies. "Oh, good idea, Angelina! It's in that box, on the shelf in my closet." I went and found it, than hugged it close. It still smelled of newborn babies. I folded everything up and grabbed my Mom's brand new diaper bag. I put everything in it, than just admired it. Honestly it's the prettiest diaper bag I've ever seen. "Mom, when did you get this?" "Oh, I ordered it by mail a week or two ago, I figured since the diaper bag is going to practically be my purse for the next two years, it may as well look nice." She grabbed her old purse and emptied it out, putting some of it into pockets in the diaper bag, and some of it got put away. She hung up her purse in the closet, and headed downstairs. I went to my room and grabbed my sling bag, than skipped down to the driveway and asked Dad where he wants me to sit. he's pretty particular. "You three older ones will be in the back. Your sisters will sit on either side of the carseat." I nodded. Wait... "Three?" Now Dad nodded "Yep. Harry asked his parents if he could come with us. So we're bringing him, too." Alrighty than. I went into the kitchen, where Harry and Damian were packing up tortillas, lunch meat, cheese, mustard, lettuce, and tomatoes to make rollups. They also threw in some strawberries with dip and bananas. At least they understand the concept of a meal.
We were all loaded up in the car. Harry on my left, Dan on my right, and everybody else in front of me. Kenzie and Leigh had their dolls strapped into Lillian's carseat, and I giggled. That was pretty adorable. Dad started the car and it jolted forwards which I didn't expect at all. I gasped and braced myself against the seat with my left hand, which landed on top of Harry's, but even when the car was moving slowly I left my hand there. Harry looked at my hand on top of his and smiled. My hands were so small compared to his large ones. I was pretty squished in, though. Dan and Harry have broad shoulders.
Two and a half hours of silly old road trip songs and a messy lunch in the car later, we were at the hospital! The Cleveland Clinic. We all climbed out of the car and grabbed something. Dad grabbed a briefcase full of everything concerning Lillian. Mom grabbed the diaper bag. Kenzie and Brayleigh carried the carseat with their dolls in it together, I grabbed my bag, Dan grabbed the cooler, and Harry grabbed my hand. Alrighty than. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. Than we started walking and I let go. We walked into the revolving doors and up to the front desk. Dad talked to the lady there and handed her a few sheets of paper from his briefcase. She read over and scrutinized every singly word on those papers for what seemed hours, and than handed mom and Dad something to sign. They read it over together and scratched out their signatures at the bottom with a flourish. We were directed to the maternity ward, and once we got there they told us to go to a very specific room. The water-birthing suite. Mom and Dad talked to the midwife outside the suite, and than Dad came back to tell us that Zoe was still in the first stage of labor, but should be entering stage 2 within the next 2-3 hours. Whatever that means. Wow I should know this stuff. Mom grabbed the diaper bag and rushed into the suite, she was going to go help Zoe and hold her hand where the biological father should have been. We waited there in the maternity ward waiting room for what seemed - and was - hours. The clock showed us that while we had arrived at 3:30 pm, now it was 7pm. No wonder I was hungry. Dad picked up the cooler and we followed him to the cafeteria downstairs, where we bought and ate our dinner.
I was standing in the gift shop looking around at everything. There were cards, flower arrangements, some packaged food, and piles of stuffed animals. Oh. My. Goodness. I can't even tell you how much I love stuffed animals. I browsed around, just looking, until Harry balanced a little 10" bear on my head. I pulled it off and laughed. Oh my goodness! It's so cute! I decided it would definitely be to my benefit to buy this little bear for Lillian. I purchased it, decided to forego the bag, and met Dad back at the cafeteria. He was holding a vase of Stargazer Lillies, and I smiled. They were for Zoe, the mother of our Lilly. We grabbed our cooler and headed back upstairs, where we waited some more. For ten hours.
Notes
Here you go! Maybe I'll write one more today...
Keep reading, Daisies!
@AyeeeBriii
Thank you so much!
8/15/14