35 weeks.

4:00 am.

"Grayson, I'm gonna need you to step off my bladder if you don't mind.  This is the sixth time mama has peed in the past hour!"

Jessica goes to the bathroom to use the restroom, then washes her hands.

She catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and raises her eyebrows.

"Grayson!  Did you drop?!  Sweet boy, what are you up to?  No wonder I've been peeing more!  Grayson, if you don't com early, then mama still has a month with you on her bladder!  But I guess it's better that I can finally breathe, huh?"

***

That morning Jessica waddles down to the kitchen and the boys stare at her.

"What?" She asks confused.

"Why is your stomach so low?"

"Your brother decided to drop in the middle of the night."

"Drop?"

"Yeah, he's like right on my bladder and his head feels like it's in my vagina!"

"Ew mom!" Sam says grossed out.

"You need to stop acting like that!"

"I don't want to know about your parts."

*Laughs*

"Samuel, I remember when you dropped, you were head down and buried in my birth canal for weeks!"

"Oh God!"

James laughs and Jessica says, "And you used to kick him further and further down!  You boys beat my vag so bad!  It was the most painful thing!"

"Sorry about that." James sighs.

She laughs and says, "I kinda have a feeling that this baby is coming early."

"You do?"

"Yeah!  Well for one, he dropped and I'm only 35 weeks, which my doctor told me that it's okay if he does.  It doesn't necessarily mean he'll come early.

I'm just happy he's already there and ready to come out!

Another thing is, I've been getting a lot more contractions. 

..I don't know, this may just be me wanting something to happen.

I guess I wanted him here before your dads birthday.. Then he could be this huge distraction for me... For us. I don't know.  It's stupid." Jessica looks down.

James stands up and puts his dishes away, then walks over to her and says, "It's not stupid, mom!  It's understandable.

Maybe he will be here before his birthday.  You still have a couple weeks, so just give him time." He rubs her belly.

Jessica smiles and kisses his cheek.

"Thanks, baby."

"You're welcome!  Now before I forget, can I go out tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, me too!" Sam adds.

"Where?"

"Nolan is throwing a Halloween party."

"Oh that's right, it's Halloween!  My pregnancy brain is just horrible!"

"Heh, it's okay!  So can we go?"

"Will there be parents there?"

"Yes." Sam answers quickly.

"James?"

"Yes ma'am, there'll be parents."

"ADULT parents?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay, then I trust you to go and to STAY OUT OF TROUBLE.  Do you hear that, Samuel?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay."

"Can I go too?" Michael asks.

His brothers give him and look and Jessica asks, "Can you go where?"

"To Nolan's party.  I was invited too."

"But you're a freshman." Samuel says.

"A cool freshman!" Michael smirks.

"Mikey, I don't know if I want you going to this party.  I mean, you're fifteen!  You're just a little baby."

"But I was invited!  And know I'm not!" Michael says clearly offended.

"I know, but you're my baby and I'm scared!"

"Why?"

"This is your first high school party and it's a seniors party!"

"The twins will be there!"

"Baby, I don't know!"  Jessica tilts her head and pouts.

"You don't wanna stay in with me and brother, and watch a marathon of Married with Children?" She smiles and rubs the side of her belly.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I still wanna go to the party."

"You don't wanna go trick or treating with mommy?" She smiles cutely.

"Heh!  I'm okay." He smiles.

"Awe!" Jessica drops her arms and pouts.

"Mom, don't be sad, it's just a party."

"No it's not!  You're my baby boy, so to me it's not just a party!" Jessica sits down and pouts.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm losing my baby!"

"Mom, it's one party!  It's not like I'm not going off to college!"

"Yeah ma, we are!" Sam smiles.

Jessica looks at them and bursts into tears.

"What did you say that for?!" James hits him, then bends down to comfort Jessica.

"Mom, it's okay!  It's just Halloween.  It's just a party, and you have months before Sam and I leave!  A long long time!"

Jessica looks at him with a pout and rubs one eye.

"You should let the kid go." He smirks at Michael.

"I'll watch both of them." He looks to Sam with a blank face.

Jessica laughs and looks at the boys.

"Okay.. You can go, Mikey... Just please be careful and don't do anything stupid."

"Yes ma'am.  Thank you, mom!" Michael hugs her.

"Sure baby...

Grayson and I will just stay home and shut the outside lights off so we can eat all the candy for the trick or treaters." She smiles.

"Heh!  Why don't you go over to Sarah's so that you're not home alone?"

"No, that's okay.  I need sometime alone, anyway.

It'll be fun." She smiles softly.

***

The next day.

"Look at my pumpkin belly!" Jessica smiles wearing a skin tight pumpkin shirt that she wore the year before.

"Haha!  Grayson's a pumpkin!" Michael smiles and holds the sides of her stomach.

"Yep!  Heh, you boys heading out?"

"Yes."

"Have fun and don't stay out too late."

"Yes ma'am.  Call us if you need anything." James says.

"I will.  Be careful."

The boys leave and Jessica sighs.

She looks down and holds her bump in her hands.

"Just us two, huh, Grays?

Well.. That candy isn't gonna eat itself!"

Jessica waddles over to the couch and grabs a big bowl of candy.

"Ooh Twix!!" She smiles and grabs it from the pile.

"You know, Grayson.. Last Halloween was pretty great.

Your daddy always made popcorn balls, hot dogs, homemade chocolate bars.. He would decorate the house and give all the neighborhood kids extra candy.

Last year he and I wore these cheesy pumpkin t-shirts.. He was so cute! Daddy loved Halloween.

I wish you would have come a little sooner, so daddy and I could go through this exciting new journey together...

But mama is going to try her best!" She smiles down and places her hand on her bump.

***

*Ding Dong*

"Trick or treat!"

"Ugh! I shut the lights off!"

Jessica says as she struggles to even sit up.

"Ow! Shit.."

"Trick or treat!"

"Just a minute!" She snaps.

She takes a deep breath and pushes herself up on her feet.

"Ah.. *Breathes heavy* Well that was difficult."

She waddles to the door with the bowl of candy, and opens it.

"Trick or treat, Jessie!" McKenna smiles big in her Trolls costume.

"Oh my goodness! What a surprise! You look so cute, Kenna!"

"Thank you!" She smiles big.

"Looks like Jessie's giving out wrappers this Halloween." Sarah laughs, looking at the bowl of mostly eaten candy.

"Oh! Haha, sorry about that! Come in and I'll open another bag."

Jessica walks over to the kitchen and Evan shuts the door.

"You're alone tonight?" He asks.

Jessica pouts and nods her head.

"Yeah. My babies are at a party.. Even my baby, Baby boy! I was so scared to let him go."

"Why?" Sarah chuckles.

"Sarah, he's my baby!"

"Aw, well at least he has his big brothers there to watch him."

"Yeah right!" She scoffs.

"Well he has James!"

"Yeah, I guess." She says walking back to the living room.

"You look so cute! Look at this belly poking out of the bottom of your shirt!" Sarah giggles and pokes the bottom of her stomach.

"Heh! I know, I should've put Sam's on, I guess!"

"It's cute on you!"

"Thanks" She smiles while plopping down on the couch.

"Jessie, Grayson is a pumpkin for Halloween!!" McKenna sits beside her and hugs her belly tight, and rests her head on it.

"He is!"

"Do you like my trolls costume?"

"I love your trolls costume!

What's Rylie?"

Evan turns the stroller so Jessica can see her.

"Awe! She's a cupcake!" Jessica smiles at Rylie passed out in the stroller.

"Yeah! That's what we called her when I was pregnant with her, so I though it'd be cute if that's what she went as."

"It's adorable!!"

***

"Alright, time to go, Bugga Boo!" Sarah calls McKenna.

"Awe man! I wanna stay with Jessie and Grayson!" She pouts.

"We promised grandma we would come over."

"But the baby loves me! He moves when I talk to him!"

Jessica smiles and rubs her fingers through her hair.

"Please aunt Jessie? Can I stay with you, PLEASE?"

"Awe, I'd love that, but I think your grandma really wants to see you in your cute costume."

"Can we have a sleepover another day?"

"Of course we can!"

"Yay!

Bye bye, Grayson!" She kisses Jessica's stomach, then hops of the couch.

"Hey what about me?!" Jessica asks.

"Oops! Sorry!" McKenna laughs and goes back to kiss Jessica.

"Bye baby. See you soon."

"Bye, Jessie!"

McKenna runs to Evan and says, "Daddy, I'm coming! Catch me!!"

She jumps into Evan's arms and laughs uncontrollably.

Evan kisses and tickles her, making her laugh harder and harder.

"Daddy!" She says in a high pitched voice.

Jessica smiles, but can't help but get a little sad.

Sarah smiles at them, then looks at Jessica and sees the sadness in her eyes.

"Hey.. You okay?"

Jessica inhales and nods her head.

"You sure?"

"...Yeah.

He's a good dad." She says in a whisper.

Jessica looks back at Evan and her eyes fill with tears.

"Jess." Sarah rubs her back.

Jessica swallows and quickly snaps out of it.

"You guys get out of here, grandma's waiting!"

"Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!" McKenna yells.

Jessica laughs and Sarah chuckles and rolls her eyes.

"She's had a lot of sugar, hasn't she?"

"Hah! Ya think?

.. You sure you're okay?" She asks again.

"I'm fine." Jessica smiles softly and nods her head.

"Alright.

Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks."

Sarah and Evan leave with the kids, and again Jessica is left all alone.

She sighs and lays back on the couch to watch tv.

About thirty minutes later the door opens.

Samuel, James and Michael walk in with bags of groceries.

"Boys? What are you doing here? It's still early!"

"Well, the party was fun the five minutes we were there." James says.

"Five minutes?!"

"Yeah..

It just didn't feel like Halloween." Sam adds.

"Which is why we've been at the store buying all this crap! Sam and James can start making the hot dogs and attempting dad's chocolate bars and popcorn balls, and I'll start decorating."

"Aw, boys!" Jessica smiles with teary eyes.

"You're the babies a mama could ever ask for!

.. Yes you're still my babies!" She smiles.

"Of course we are!" Samuel smiles.

***

"You like it, mom?" Michael asks as they eat in their decorated house.

"I love it, boys! Now it feels like Halloween.  Thank you." She smiles.

"No problem!

Next year, little man will be here! We're gonna make it so fun for him!" James says before Sam adds, "He's gonna have a kick ass costume!"

"Language!" Jessica raises her voice.

"Sorry, ma!"

Michael laughs and says, "We're gonna tell him about all those crazy Halloween's we had with dad.

Like that time he almost burnt down the house!"

"Haha! Oh God! That was horrible!" Jessica says remembering the day in perfect detail, as if it was just yesterday.

"I know!"

Jessica takes a piece of the chocolate bar the twins made, and eats it.

"Mmm! How did you boys do this?!" Her eyes widen.

"We found dads recipe in the kitchen."

She smiles and pauses for a moment.

"... Boys.. I love you."

"We love you too.

Happy Halloween, mom." The boys smile.