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1&2 nd month -Realisation
Something was amiss with Cha young. She is dozing off more frequently .Not that its uncommon but she never ever had dozed off in a middle of an intense discussion .She keeps staring at nothing particular and zones out .Is it exertion ?They just came back from a month long trip from Korea .Or it’s PMS? No, it can’t be PMS because during that she keeps trying to get on his lap saying he looks “extra hot “. Her words not his. Then what can it be?
“Darling do you think I can be pregnant? I doze off in middle of the day, my back keeps aching and feet’s feels swollen.”
Pregnant!! Pregnant!! Can it happen so soon? They were trying to get pregnant, so she went off the pill 2 months ago.But their doc said it can happen immediately or can take many months.
1 hour and 6 pregnancy test kit later. They have their answer. On Board Baby Cassano.
3rd month –Caution
They say your life changes when you become a parent but what they don’t say it changes many times during this process.
pum,pum,whoosh, whoosh,pum, pum, whoosh ,whoosh.
At 7th week checkup when they heard a sound of heart beating at 90/110 it changed their life for the first time. Baby was like a blueberry but its heartbeat was so loud. Even the process was so fascinating that they felt they are living a new life. As their doc cautioned that most miscarriage happens during 3 months they were cautious about everything , if Vincenzo had his way he would have grounded himself and chayoung but they didn’t wanted to attract attention only his mother and housekeeper knew about this news as they wanted help who has gone through this journey. Her walk- jumping stopped, so was her erratic dance movements, nausea, morning sickness, sleepiness kicked through the system and they knew baby Cassano is here.
4th month-Revealation
As the doc gave them signal of passing the crucial stage they were eager to share the news with their Korean and Italian family. A small bump made its appearance and this was the final proof of their baby growing steadily inside its mommy’s tummy. They decided to share the news with both families together. They wanted to invite tenants to Malta and tell the whole family together but they were scheduled to arrive in late May, so they decided tell them through video call.
They invited Cassano family for a lunch, so that it can be dinner time in Korea .Tenants will join at Arno’s for the dinner, they asked Chef Toto to close the restaurant for the evening and let the party planners do their work. Table was set and dinner was laid. It was a scrumptious meal consisting both Koran and Italian dishes. Both family members greeted each other and sat down for the meal. Placing the napkin on their laps they started eating .It was a hearty dinner/lunch infused with laughter and chatter .Both the families had did this several times so the barrier of language was crossed by their affection towards each other. Cha young and Vincenzo eyed each other and waited for the penny to drop.
It was Vincenzo’s fan boy Director Ahn-GiSeok who caught the cursive writing at the corner of napkin when he picked it up to dab his mouth.
Samchoon, Coming soon!! Baby Cassano July 2030.
It took a minute to realize; he shouted and started jumping in middle of the dinner making finger heart towards Cha Young and Vincenzo. In another couple of minutes the whoop of joy can be heard from Korea to Malta with Cassano members hugging and kissing and congratulating the couple while Geumga send their love through the call.
As the nausea and morning lessened, her cravings increased .Vincenzo definitely liked this better. Baby was a fan of both cuisines with sometimes wanting entirely different thing .Although he had read about weird cravings but see his favorite aglio olio pasta mixed with sea weed sometimes gave him weird sensation in stomach.
5-Changes
Vincenzo was in a full to be father mode. As time moved so was his knowledge on pregnancy. Smoking was banned within 500m radius of Cha Young .So was her stilettos, raw meat,eggs, cheese, coffee;even her beloved iced Americano was reduced to 1 cup a week as more caffeine can be harmful for baby. He always kept his one hand on her waist whenever they travel and special instructions were given to the chauffeur to open the car gate safely .
Vincenzo sheepishly said goodbye to all the stash of makgeolli, wines, champagne as he promised to drink again only when she will .Luca and his men had quite a party that night . Their doctor visit always result in learning something new and falling in love baby again .They were given the choice to know the baby’ s gender but they wanted to keep it as surprise .Morning sickness reduced quite considerably cha young only had issues with smell of few things. As soon as he knew baby can hear it became a daily routine of Vincenzo to talk with the baby about his day minus the gory details.
6-Preparation
It was beginning of the 21stweek when his life changed again. Cha young has been feeling fluttering movement since 19 weeks but it was not strong enough for him to feel. It was the day when her eomma died he woke up early and was deep in thoughts when he suddenly felt a kick against his stomach. That day he knew this little one will bring so many happy moments that it will reduce the pain of past memories.
Crib, dresser ,playpen, diapers, onesies, socks, bibs, burp clothes, bottles, nursing pillows ,rash cream, changing pad ,nightgowns , mittens, stretchy sleepers, laundry detergent, ,cotton blankets ,receiving blankets, infant tub, washcloths, baby soap, cleanser, soft hair brush ,hooded towels, stroller, nail clippers ,baby thermometer , baby monitor, rocking chair , sling ,diaper bag, pacifiers, rattles , mobile, lots and lots of toys. 5-8 pound baby and this much things!!
More than the dent it created in his bank account he was fascinated by the whole different world of babies .What more enjoyable was apart from all the research they had done, it was the advice they nearly got from everyone. From Geumga tenants to Luca everyone had some opinion on something. Nursery was painted in light hues of yellow and red with stars and cloud on the ceiling as homage to his apartment 606.
Han Seo painted a beautiful mural of Winnie the Pooh on the wall. Who knew he had such talent. Cassano chauffeurs along with personal bodyguards of Vincenzo were given a detailed tutorial on how to install a car seat.Sometimes they felt it is harder task than murdering someone.
7-Celebration
Geunga members arrived at Malta for their bi- yearly holiday and this time they are going to spend whole 2 months until cha young’s delivery. Both Italian and Korean sides didn’t have the tradition of baby shower so instead they decided to do a small party with family members. Cha young teared up when Vincenzo’s, mother gifted her the“Corredino” or birth -kit, which is usually given by baby’s grandmother. It consisted of a hand- made set of knitted baby blankets, baby cardigans ,mats, shoes, baby bed , baby bibs and baby towel decorated in cross -stitches or painted with cute animals and generally the baby’s name. It is completed with the “camicettadellafortuna” or the good- luck shirt which is a tiny baby sleeveless shirt in red or white which is the first thing the baby should wear wishing him her the best of luck. Although they have already bought a lot of things for the baby but it was special as it was made from the love of a grandmother.
It has become baby’shabit to not sleep until he ‘she had its daily dose of papa’s talks .No matter how he came late the baby kept rotating and kicking until Vincenzo fulfills the ritual of night chatting . It made Cha Young quite mad as baby was turning mini Vincenzoeven when it’sinside her tummy.
8-Anticipation
Apart from making her tummy playground baby now sat on her pelvis making her pee every hour .As much as she loved the baby her irritation level was rising .She would never trade this experience for anything else but she would like to get back her center of gravity. It was hard to move around, someone has to be there to help her to get up, her husband was getting more handsome day by day while she was turning fat .They couldn’t cuddle at nights as there was wall of pregnancy pillow .They can still make love but sometimes she missed that wild side of themselves. Now it was all cute, careful and slow.
She longed to drink unlimited iced Americano, so the makgeolli. She kept staring at her beloved stilettoes. However, Geumga tenants arrival was a blessing .As much has she loved Malta it was nice to see familiar faces and language. Her taste buds were craving authentic Korean tteokbokki now- a- days and Mrs. Kwak gladly indulged her. The nursery was done and was waiting for its tenant. Cha Young was banned from entering the room while it was getting painted as paint fumes can be harmful but seeing the final result she was happy .It was a cozy room set up with lots of love. They decided to hang two photo frames on the wall. One her graduation picture with her abeoji and the other was the picture with Vincenzo’s mother. They wanted their child to get blessings from its grand-parents every time . Looking at the picture, how she wished he was here. He would have loved his grand child in his own peculiar way. In other photo frame she encountered her smiling eommoni .How many booties, scarves she would have knitted for the baby. She had asked to take care of him hope she is satisfied the way things turned out. Another thing that adorned the room was first toy they bought for the baby i.e. a stuffed pigeon. Vincenzo hadn’t forgotten Inzhagi in all these years so it was homage to an old friend. They have moved on in their lives but there was a void which can never be fulfilled. A sharp kick brought her back from the musings and it was time to pee again.
9-Life
They both were quite lonely souls .Both lost their mothers quite early in life .He found a new family but he was a stranger amongst them. She had her father but he was so busy in bringing justice for the poor that they were living separate lives .Their youth was spend to prove themselves .They barely had any friends to count upon. When they met ,it was shadowed by corrupt law, officials, bureaucrats, babel .They have to spend 4 years separately so that they can make a future together .So after 9 years of their epic meeting at Geumga plaza they were finally here. 8 hours of name calling, cursing and frantic labor, he was here.Healthy,screaming, moving his hands jerkily, covered in blood and goo. They quickly bundled him in a towel and put him on her breast, Vincenzo was on her side cradling both of them, tears were streaming down their faces and as they touched the baby for the firsttime they finally knew their life has changed. Nurses finally cleaned him up and bundled the baby in a clean shirt, knit cap and diaper. He was pink and beautiful. A band was placed around his ankle making it official,” Male –Cassano , 7/07/2030.”
Both set of families decided to give them a grand welcome when they discharged from the hospital. With rose petals strewn around and a quiet marching band standing with their swords raised from both sides, Baby Cassano got the same welcome as his father got long back . However the banner said ,” Welcome Home Vito.”