Full Bloom

Twists and Truths

It's never easy keeping the three-year-old quiet at a funeral, especially when we were throwing her a birthday party the next day. I wanted to mourn my grandma, not deal with a temper tantrum.

I ended up holding her hand and taking her out of the church, right in the middle of my grandpa's heartfelt speech. I lifted my sunglasses, wiped my tears, and placed them back down. Chrys had magically composed herself.

"Chrysanthemum, that is no way to act. You're at a funeral. Funerals are a sad, quiet thing. You can't go run around a church, and you can't make noise," I said to her.

"I want the playground!" she whined, pointing to the playground next to the church that she used every weekday during preschool.

"We're not playing on the playground today. Just because we're at your preschool doesn't mean we're using the playground. We're at the church, not school."

"But Mom-my!" she whined.

"No, no buts, Chrys. Keep it up and we won't be going to McDonalds for lunch. We'll go straight home and you can have PB&J for the fourth time this week. No chicken nuggets, no shake, no Happy Meal."

She pouted, but I walked her back into the church and she didn't make a problem. I rubbed my baby bump. My little lady was active today. She moved a heck of a lot more than Chrys did.

We left the church and went to Joan of Arc Cemetery, where we had the burial. I tried my best to comfort my grandpa. I can't imagine the love of your life being put into the ground, never to be seen by you again, in this lifetime.

Once that was all said and done, I made sure my grandpa was okay, then got into our car. Oliver drove us to the nearest McDonalds. The funeral lunch was going to be held at The Aquarium, which was not kid friendly at all, hence the fast food trip. We ate our food, then let Chrys run off to the playplace.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said to Oliver.

"Sure. What is it?"

"The baby...I know we agreed on naming her Iris after my dance teacher but...I have to name her Poppy, after my grandma. I have to. I hope that's okay with you."

He smiled. "Jen, of course it is. When she passed last week, I was thinking the same thing."

"Perfect," I said, a wide smile making its way across my face for the first time in days. "Then it's settled. Chrys and Poppy!"

"Chrys and Poppy," Oliver said, taking my hands in his.

The next day, I did my best to put a smile on my face for the birthday party. I seriously couldn't believe my first little baby was already three. We decorated the yard in a fun luau theme. I got all the decorations on clearance last September, when it was the end of the summer season.

Our typical group of people were there, plus some extra relatives who were still in town from the funeral. It was good to have them around. About halfway through the party, I saw Annie coming up the driveway. I knew her and the rest of the family were a "maybe," so I was a little excited. Behind her was Doctor Green and Mary, who was pushing a high-end baby stroller. Doctor Green gave me a quick hello before heading over to the snack table.

"Look at you, Jen! I didn't know you were showing already!" Mary said with a smile. She looked tired. "Do you know what it is yet?"

"Yup! It's another girl!" I said.

"Oh, yay!" Annie said, raising her fists and jumping up and down. "She can be best friends with my little sister!"

"That's right. They'll be born the same year, if she comes before then. My due date is January third," I said.

"That's when she was born, the third of last month," Mary said.

"Mom, show her Ayla!" Annie said.

"Ayla? That's different. I like it," I said.

"Yeah, it's like Kayla but without the K," Annie said.

Mary turned the stroller around, and I got to hold baby Ayla. My heart was so full. I missed holding babies so much. I couldn't wait for Poppy to be here.

"Do you have a name picked out, Jen?" Mary asked.

"Yes. Poppy, like my grandma," I said.

"Aww, that's sweet," she said. "I'm sure she would love that."

I sat down with them for a little while, since my feet were starting to hurt. Chrys was busy playing in the kiddie pool we set up. Oliver was chatting with some of his school friends. I was happy with everyone here, but I felt empty without seeing Karen and Nassi. They were working, being regular twenty-year-olds. Meanwhile, I was on my second kid. Still, I wouldn't change a thing.

"How's work going, Jen?" Mary asked while giving Ayla a bottle.

"Oh, it's good. I ended up getting the promotion! I'm so thankful."

"That's amazing, dear. You work so hard over there. You should be a manager. I hope they gave you a good raise."

"They did! A little over five dollars an hour. And I'm really gonna need it with baby number two here," I said, holding my little bump.

"Two is crazier than one, trust me. Good thing Annie is a little helper. Is Chrys excited?"

"I think so. I'm not sure she completely understands, but I try to talk to her about it every day. I hope she'll be okay with it when she finally gets here," I said, chuckling.

"She'll be fine. I was worried about Annie, but it seems like she's adjusting well."

"Hey." Oliver tapped me on the back. "Time for cake and presents."

"Oh. Perfect," I said.

We got up, wrapped Chrys in a towel, and sang for her. She blew out the candles on the cake I made. Getting a premade one at the store would've been double the price. Grandpa took some pictures of the three of us before we opened presents. Life was really full of twists and turns, but I was so grateful for my family.