”Merry Christmas,” Zac said softly in my ear, waking me from my dreamless slumber. I was so tired between the birth, trying to get the hang of breastfeeding, and waking up in the middle of the night worried about Jordi. But, I always loved waking up to Zac’s voice.

“Mmh,” I answered not opening my eyes but sticking my hand out and touching Zac’s stomach. “Merry Christmas to you too.”

“You’re right,” he said as he took my wandering hand into his. “It is a merry Christmas. Last year our gift was taken from us, and this year we’ve finally gotten everything we’ve ever wanted.”

“And so much more than that,” I replied finally opening my eyes to see that he was wearing a tight black sweater turtleneck and faded American Eagle jeans. “My eyes say merry Christmas too,” I said as I laced my finger into Zac’s belt loop and pulled him towards me. Accepting my tugging, he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against mine.

“Dirb, maybe we should wait until we get home so that you can get out of that nasty hospital gown,” Zac laughed and I just smiled. We couldn’t do anything anyway; I wouldn’t be up to that for a good while. I was sorer than Zac could ever imagine. But, I would be back in the game as soon as possible. I had missed what Zac had to offer over the nine months of my pregnancy. But, the fact that I had won over his heart was more than enough to satisfy my every need.

“I love you baby,” I said as Zac sat down on the bed with me.

“I love you too,” Zac replied just as there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Zac and I said in sync.

The nurse walked in carrying Jordi who was wearing a tiny, but extraordinarily beautiful apple red dress with elegant white lace.

“She looks so beautiful, I don’t understand,” I said as the nurse placed her in my arms.

“Dirbee, I have a beautiful gene and you have a beautiful gene. Do you understand now?” Zac asked making fun of me.

“No Zac! I meant the dress,” I said slightly upset that he was making fun of me in the emotional state that I was in with my raging pregnancy hormones.

“Well, Diana came by very early this morning and wanted to give her first Christmas present to Jordi to wear home today,” Mindy, our faithful nurse who hadn’t left our side for the three days that we were in the hospital, said as she started to put the many flowers I had received into a large box that we would load into our Pilot and then drive home with our gorgeous daughter.

“Oh, I had forgotten today was the day to go home,” Zac said with a hint of mild laughter in his voice.

“I didn’t, because I’m ready to open that closed door,” I told him as I examined Jordi’s gorgeous dress.

As soon as we had found out that Jordi was a girl, we had decorated the nursery and we put everything that she would need in it. When we were done decorating we had shut the door and locked it so that no wandering family member would stumble upon the room and figure out that Jordi was a girl. But, now we could open it, and I was excited.

“You’re right, that is exciting,” Zac said as he took Jordi from me so that I could get up and get ready to leave.

About an hour later everything was in the car, including the new car seat, and of course the baby that was in it. Seeing that I was one of those nervous first mothers, I sat in the back seat with Jordi and complained horrible about Zac’s driving. I didn’t have anything against his driving, I was just worried about something happening to Jordi, and Zac knew that so, hopefully, I didn’t get on his nerves too badly.

As we pulled onto the Hanson’s private lane my stomach turned into millions of butterflies whom were just as excited as I was to get home. As we pulled into the driveway I excitedly unbuckled my seatbelt and began to unhook Jordi’s carrier/car seat from the seat belt.

“So, you’re not excited,” Zac said sarcastically.

“Not one bit,” I said as I opened the door and jumped out. As Zac busied himself trying to carry the box of flowers and his bag, I hurriedly grabbed my bag and fished my keys out; I then pulled the carrier out of the car, gently so as to not startle her. Jordi had been awake for most the car ride and she was awake now, and I was glad because of that, I wanted her to be awake the first time that she saw her house. As I unlocked the door that led into the house I said softly:

“First we have the hallway that leads from the garage to the kitchen, Daddy’s favorite place in the house,” I said as Zac walked past me.

“Ha ha,” he replied sarcastically as he kept walking.

“Now, here’s the kitchen,” I said when I walked through the open door at the end of the hallway. “To your right is the breakfast table where we eat as a family every morning. And on your left, as we’re passing is the refrigerator, oven, and sink, where you’ll be receiving your first bath.

“Now, we’ll enter the dining room where we eat dinner every night and sometimes the whole family comes over, but you and your cousins will eat in the kitchen,” I said as I walked to the opposite wall of the dining room and looked out the window into the backyard. I then turned around and went back out through the kitchen and turned into the hallway again, only to be led to library/TV room, where I found Meredith and Roman watching TV.

“And this is the library where you will always find your Aunt Meredith and your Uncle Roman,” I said as I smiled at them.

“And you can always come to us for anything,” Meredith told Jordi a she tickled Jordi’s stomach lightly.

“Now, we move on into the living room, we don’t spend much time in here, but this is where your mommy or daddy might have a business meeting.

“To the right through that opening is the foyer and front door. That’s where most people come to visit, but never open the door for strange girls, because all they want is your daddy’s attention.

“Now, to your left is the den this is where we spend our good quality family time when Daddy and I aren’t working or traveling. Now, these are the stairs,” I said as I walked out of the den, through the living room and to the left of the foyer.

“Hey baby, want to come join us?” I yelled up the stairs.

“Yeah, be right there!” he answered.

“Now the thing is, is that Daddy is always busy, but trust me he loves you very much and he wishes he could spend more time with us.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Zac said as he joined us at the bottom of the stairs.

“Now, for your first trip up our magnificent staircase,” Zac said taking the carrier from me. “This staircase is so magnificent that it is a seven foot wide spiral, that only has one spiral in it,” he finished telling her just as we reached the top.

“Mommy is really afraid of heights and is really scared to go to your room, but if you ever need her, she’ll always be there,” Zac said, telling it like it was! “Now, if you take a left as soon as you’re at the top and then walk straight down this little hallways, you’ll be at your bathroom, which connects your room and the guest room,” Zac said as he opened the door, walked in, made a slow 180 degree turn and then walked out.

“But, if you’re coming from the stairs and want to go to me and mommy’s room you take a right ad then our room is the second door on the right,” Zac said as he opened our bedroom door and walked in. “This door will always be open if you need us, unless it’s closed, then you need to knock, because Mommy and Daddy might be playing a game of our own.”

“Zac!” I exclaimed. “She doesn’t need to be exposed to s-e-x at this young of an age.”

“Better now while she’ll still listen instead of when she’s sixteen and already doing it,” he said making a very clear point.

“Yeah, you’re right, okay… The other two guest bedrooms are for special guests as of now, but they will one day be your little brothers or sisters rooms,” I said as we walked out into the hallway.

“Yes, but not any day soon, because Daddy can’t take another nine months without Mommy for a while,” Zac said as he pinched my butt, which made me jump.

“Now, for your room Jordi,” Zac said walking down the hall, her room being the last one on the right. As we approached the door I could see the wood letters we had put on her door. Each letter was a different font and a different color and they were placed in various places, but you could tell that it said “Jordi”.

“Now, Dirb, if you will please hand me the key and we can unlock the next chapter of our lives,” Zac said as he put his hand out to me.

“Sure thing my love,” I said handing him the key that I had been carrying around with me for the last four months.

“Here we go,” Zac said opening the door and walking into the breathtaking room. The walls were a deep lavender color and the room was filled with the things that babies need. Crib, cradle, changing table, diaper jeanie, lots of diapers, and if you opened the closet you would probably be able to find outfits for the next six months that would fit her development. And the best part of the room was over the crib, in fancy cursive letters, the wall said, “La Petite Papillon,” which means “The Little Butterfly” in French.

Zac placed Jordi in the cradle and turned the baby monitor on that was sitting on the table right next to her head. He then turned on the monitor that was in his hand. We walked out of the room holding hands and the shut the door behind us.

“Welcome to the new chapter,” I said softly to Zac as we leaned on the wall outside of her room.

“I have a feeling this is going to be one where we’re not going to want to put the book down,” he replied to me just as softly.

“I think you’re right, come on let’s go call our families, we have to find out when we’re getting together today.”

”Okay, sounds good to me,” Zac said and then we headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where we called all of our family and let them know that we were home. I was truly thankful for all the things that Lord had blessed us with that Christmas. I don’t think I’d ever been that grateful.

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