Work Text:
My dearest children,
I am simply ecstatic!!! I still don’t know how to put my excitement into words at this point! I suppose I should start at the beginning.
This book is going to be filled with stories of how Daddy and I got married and lived happily ever after… I want to write you these stories so that you, our unborn children, can know the story, and read about our life together before you arrived!
Daddy and I were about to enjoy a whole week off, away from work and other commitments. He had just gotten home from being gone doing interviews for one of his movies, so he was really tired.
But on Monday night, around 3 in the morning, your Auntie Sam called me, waking me up. I was sleeping next to your Daddy in our old house. Auntie Sam lives in America, but Daddy and I were in London, so she said, “I’m so sorry! I forgot the time difference! I have a huge favor to ask.” Your Uncle Anthony got a call to go on a business trip all of a sudden and Auntie Sam needed someone to take care of your cousins while she was getting ready for a big garage sale. She had no one else available to help her so Daddy and I flew to America to spend a few days helping Auntie Sam by babysitting Sarah, Danny and Morgan.
We arrived the next evening. We were so tired! But we knew that Auntie Sam needed help, so we stayed up late helping her hang up clothes, fold clothes, price clothes, price toys, price books, all of that. We were awake for almost 36 hours by the time we crawled into bed. Daddy had barely kissed me goodnight before we fell into a deep and dreamless sleep together.
So now we’re up to yesterday: June 27, 2013. Sarah, Danny and Morgan were upset because it was too rainy and windy to be able to play outside. They were almost constantly fighting and Daddy and I had a tough time controlling emotions and situations, even between the two of us. (Auntie Sam was gone at her garage sale all day long!)
But there were some good times. I started that game with your cousins called ‘Musical Floor.’ (I’ll teach you when you’re old enough to play.) We played that game for a while—I controlled the music while your cousins and Daddy ran around the living room dancing and prancing and singing and flitting and jumping and running and laughing, dropping to the floor when the music stopped. (It was only the second time Daddy had met Sarah, Danny and Morgan, did you know that? He doesn’t get to see them very often because he works so much, and they live so far away… But he loves them just the same.)
Yesterday is the day that I really truly knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to get married to your Daddy. So I’m starting this diary to fill with the stories of how your Daddy swept me off my feet and into my dreams.
Not only is your Daddy a passionate, handsome, talented, loving, funny, charming, humble and romantic man, he is also amazing with children. I bet when you’re here, you’ll want to play with Daddy more than me—and I don’t blame you, he is a lot of fun to play with. And he’s really good at reading books!
He read “101 Dalmatians” to your cousins yesterday morning before lunch and he did all the voices! He’s so incredible at doing voices, and each little animal had it’s own that he made up on the spot!You will grow up listening to him read you stories in lots of different voices and I can’t wait to listen to your giggles as he makes silly noises for you!
That was the moment… He looked up at me over the top of the book and smiled, eyes twinkling. I saw a deeper love in his eyes than I ever had before. In that second I knew that he was the man I wanted to marry. I can’t wait to see him become your Daddy.
And yesterday afternoon, once your cousins had woken up from their naps, Daddy started a game with them that he called ‘Animal House.’ The four of them pretended to be animals that live in the zoo. After a few minutes, Daddy would call out another animal and they would pretend to be that animal. Your cousins loved it and they giggled and laughed until they could barely breathe. I was so jealous because I wanted to play, but I had to make dinner.
After one particularly loud outburst of laughter from the entire room, I looked in on the game and burst into a fit of giggles watching Daddy jump around like a monkey. He pretended to be dancing, “oohooh-ing” and “ahhahh-ing” as loudly as he could. It was so silly!! Danny especially liked when Daddy pretended to be a monkey. I heard him say, “Tom, you funny!” more than once. Then Daddy saw me watching. He giggled and said, “Look at our gorgeous zookeeper! I think I should go give her a big monkey hug and tell her how much I love her.” I love when your Daddy dotes on me this way.
(I want you to know that I’ve never once doubted that your Daddy loves me. So even when we have fights, just know that everything will always be all right, my loves.)
Anyway, Daddy pretended to be swinging from branches and swung himself over to me, making his monkey noises before he wrapped me into a tight hug. He whispered, “I am so deeply in love with you, my darling,” into my ear. I felt so safe and treasured in that moment.
Then he turned to your cousins and said, “Don’t you think that your Auntie deserves to know how much her little monkeys love her?!” Then Sarah, Danny and Morgan ran their little monkey bodies over to me and gave me hugs and told me that they loved me. And I can’t wait to have my own little monkeys to hug and play with.
Once I had put your cousins into their beds to sleep, I started emptying the clean dishes from the dishwasher and putting them away in the cupboards. I was thinking about your Daddy as I did this; thinking about how much I loved him and about how much I enjoyed watching him play. I imagined him reading you books and playing games with you. I was so lost in my daydream that I didn’t notice when he leaned against the doorway to watch me work. As I kicked the door closed with my foot, I turned to see him smiling at me. I returned his smile quickly before he stepped in closer to me.
“I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now, my love,” he said. His chocolaty voice and sexy accent struck me down to my bones. I looked down at myself... His sweatpants pooled on the floor covering my feet and a baggy t-shirt hung on me weird. My long hair hadn’t been brushed and was up in a messy ponytail. And on top of that, I had no makeup on... I didn’t see how he could have found me attractive in that moment, but I always believed him when he told me how beautiful I was, no matter what I thought I looked like.
“What do you mean?” I asked, gesturing at my attire and taking a step towards him.
“You always look sexy when you wear my clothes, but that on top of watching you today is just too much. I knew you would be good with kids, but my darling, you are amazing with them. You are going to be the most wonderful, loving, kind mother there ever was. You will be the envy of all our children’s classmates.”
“’Our children,’ you say?”
“Yes. Our children…”
I hugged him tightly around his waist, feeling the muscles in his back relax beneath my fingers. He always let himself relax completely when I hugged him. “I loved watching you today… you’re amazing with kids, too...” I smiled at him, gently touching his cheek.
Then Daddy took both my hands in his and kissed the back of my fingers. He swallowed nervously, as if he had a big lump in his throat. He only ever got nervous around me, and only when he had something really important he needed to say or ask. That’s another thing I love about him.
“I want you to be the mother of my children, sweetheart… I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re breathtakingly beautiful, and you’re caring, smart, funny. You put everyone else before yourself, but you also know when it’s okay to be a little bit selfish. And you can laugh at yourself but I love it most when you laugh at me; and your laughter is the most magnificent sound-my favorite sound. It’s as if each giggle brightens the stars in the sky just a little bit… and I want to keep you laughing until we’re old, so eventually the sky will never grow dark. And I want to hear your laughter until I am deaf and my face is wrinkly because I smiled too much. I will hear your laughter in my mind until my last breath…”
Your Daddy started to get choked up at this point. You probably won’t see him cry very often because he’ll want to be strong for you, but your Daddy is a very emotional man, which is OK, because so am I. I sniffled as I wiped a tear from his cheek as he dug into his pocket for something.
He held the most gorgeous piece of jewelry I have ever seen in his open palm between us. I gasped in shock at the beautiful ring. Then he said, “I’ve had this for a few weeks… I had other plans for this moment, but I couldn’t help myself after watching you today. My love, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Being the silly girl I am, and because I love making your Daddy panic, I said, “No flowers?” But Daddy saw right through me and chuckled. He looked around the kitchen and grabbed a wooden spoon from a drawer that was still slid open. He held it to me as if it was a flower and I laughed, grabbing the “flower” and jumping into his arms. I squealed, “Yes!” as Daddy spun me around the kitchen.
When he set me down, he slid the diamond ring onto my finger before I grabbed him and kissed him. Daddy and I do that a lot—kiss. Our lips fit perfectly together and it’s the best feeling in the universe. As you get older, you’ll think it’s gross, but I think it’s important that you see how much love we share. Seeing it will help you believe it’s really there.
For a few moments, we just kissed and looked at each other, with so much love in our hearts we didn’t know what else to do. We then sat down to call our families. We told Auntie Sam and Uncle Anthony when they arrived home, and we called your grandparents and your other aunties and uncles, but we want to keep this wonderful news to ourselves for a little while--a little secret.
Even as I write this, sitting on the plane flying back home to London, I can’t help but look at my ring every few seconds. It’s more than I’d ever hoped for… Your Daddy did a spectacular job picking it out.
I can’t wait to continue to fill this book with stories of the love between your Mummy and Daddy. I love you already and I can’t wait to meet you. And I know your Daddy loves you already, too.
Love,
Mummy & Daddy xx
~~~~~~
To my lovely children,
Your Mummy had the most wonderful idea! Now that our life together is moving forward, we thought it would be fun to write letters to you, telling you the story of our love. And let me tell you, I love your Mummy more than anything in the world. I love her more than air, more than wind, more than rain, more than sun. If I lost everything in this moment, I know I could still be happy as long as your Mummy was by my side. She is the best person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing and I can’t believe she’s picked me to spend the rest of her life with.
I suppose that is the story I get to tell first—how I asked your Mummy to marry me. We were taking care of your cousins Danny and Sarah and Morgan while her sister Sam, your Auntie, prepared for a garage sale. One day, today actually, the two of us were charged with babysitting all day long.
Your Mummy surprised me, inspired me and caused me to fall even deeper in love with her. Seeing the way she loved, cared for, and played with your cousins lit a new fire in my soul and I knew that I wanted her to be your mother.
Despite the problems your cousins had with each other, and despite the lack of patience her and I had, your Mummy continuously handled each situation with affection, kindness and with the appropriate strictness.She always remembered to tell them that she loved them, or kiss their cheeks, even if she had to tell them off occasionally. She’s an amazing woman, your mother, and I can’t wait until you little rascals are here so I can see her be the mother of our own flesh and blood, of our children, of you.
I couldn’t help but daydream about what it will be like when you’re here, either. Just watching your Mummy take small sips of her coffee, hair perfectly messy, pajamas still on, while she tried to make sure your cousins had everything they needed for their breakfast was enough to make me greatly anticipate the day you arrive. She will always put your needs ahead of her own. She’s the most selfless woman I know.
Don’t get me wrong; she does know when it’s okay for her to be in the spotlight of my life. I love to see her eyes light up when I bring home flowers, or watch the blush creep into her cheeks when I take her on a romantic date. It’s that joy that I know she loves--the joy of knowing that she is cherished. I wish to always provide for her a home where she can be safe and adored, happy and loved. And I know that with your Mummy’s help, I can provide the same for you.
As I sat in the living room watching Sarah and Danny play together, I could hear your mother singing along to “You and Me Together” from the Oliver! and Company movie with Morgan. I got up and peeked into the kitchen. She had Morgan on her hip and was dancing around in circles. Morgan looked so happy. At the end of the song, Morgan hugged your Mummy around her neck and said, “I love you, Penny…” Your Mummy giggled and replied, “I love you, too, little one.” That was it. That was when I knew…
I had to resist the urge to ask her right then and there to be my wife. All I wanted to do was take her lovely face in my hands and kiss her full rosy lips… The lips that can always make my day better… can cheer me up when I feel frustrated or tired—the lips that are mine.
All I knew is that I couldn’t wait another day. That night, after putting your cousins to bed, I went down to my suitcase where I kept the ring I’d picked out 2 weeks ago. What Mummy doesn’t know is that I had been planning a surprise proposal for this weekend, but when our plans changed, I cancelled everything, hoping to then do it another time. But this evening felt like the perfect time. And it was. It was perfect.
I walked back into the kitchen, with her engagement ring safely in my pocket. Your Mummy was smiling contently to herself while she finished putting the clean dishes away. I wonder what she was thinking about… She executed her signature “It is done” move, when she kicks the door closed with the bottom of her foot and turned around on one foot towards me. She smiled warmly at me as I took a step closer to her.
“I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now, my love,” I said. Small butterflies began zooming around my tummy as I watched a slight blush creep into her face. She looked down at herself. She wore a pair of my sweatpants that hung off her hips perfectly and her baggy t-shirt hugged her in all the right places. Her hair was tied up high on her head and wisps of it fell out of it, framing her heart-shaped face in the most lovely way. She had never looked more perfect than she did in that moment.
“What do you mean?” she asked. I could almost feel her body against mine as she inched closer to me.
“You always look sexy when you wear my clothes, but that on top of watching you today is just too much. I knew you would be good with kids, but my darling, you are amazing with them. You are going to be the most wonderful, loving, kind mother there ever was. You will be the envy of all our children’s classmates.” I hadn’t meant to say ‘our children,’ because we hadn’t really discussed the possibility of having children, but luckily she took it well.
“’Our children,’ you say?”
“Yes,” I told her. “Our children…” Mummy wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. I sighed. I always feel so safe, so at home when your Mummy’s arms are around me.
Barely louder than a whisper, she said, “I loved watching you today… you’re amazing with kids, too...”
She unwrapped herself and smiled up at me, touching my cheek with her delicate hand. I swallowed down the lump that was building in my throat as I took her hands in mine and kissed them. I shouldn’t have been nervous because I was confident of what her answer was going to be, but I couldn’t help it. I always get nervous when I have to pour my heart out to her—she has that effect on me, and I adore her all the more for it.
“I want you to be the mother of my children, sweetheart… I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re breathtakingly beautiful, and you’re caring, smart, funny. You put everyone else before yourself, but you also know when it’s okay to be a little bit selfish. And you can laugh at yourself but I love it most when you laugh at me; and your laughter is the most magnificent sound—my favourite sound. It’s as if each giggle brightens the stars in the sky just a little bit… and I want to keep you laughing until we’re old, so eventually the sky will never grow dark. And I want to hear your laughter until I am deaf and my face is wrinkly because I smiled too much. I will hear your laughter in my mind until my last breath…”
Now, your Mummy is a very emotional woman. Maybe I should say ‘passionate’ instead of ‘emotional.’ She feels everything so deeply that when things make her sad or happy or excited, she can’t help but cry. Watching movies, reading books, listening to music, she is often gently wiping away tears, trying to hide it from me. But I see every single one of those tears, and this was one of the many things that drew me to her when we first met. She played her favourite song for me on our first date and I saw her not-so-subtly wipe a tear away from her cheek when it finished, and from then on I was a goner—she had me wrapped around those elegant fingers from then on.
Anyway, as she wiped tears away from her eyes, I felt a tear of my own begin to spilldown my cheek. She wiped it away as I dug into my pocket for her ring.
Her eyes grew wide with surprise when she saw it. “I’ve had this for a few weeks… I had other plans for this moment, but I couldn’t help myself after watching you today. My love, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Jokingly, she said, “No flowers?” Hoping to hear her wonderful laugh, and hoping not to disappoint, I looked around the room for something I could use in place of a flower. The only thing within reach was a wooden spoon.
I held it to her and much to my delight, she laughed loudly, her eyes crinkling and her mouth open wide as she took it from me. She then jumped into my arms and flung hers around my neck as I lifted her off the ground spinning. I heard her say, “Yes,” in my ear more times than I could count. I am simply overjoyed that she said yes!!
Our life began with one syllable.
I set her back on her feet and slid the ring on her fourth finger. It fit perfectly and looked stunning and perfect on her hand. She had barely taken time to look at it before she grabbed my face and kissed my lips. I adore kissing your Mummy, dears. And I hope that as you grow, you will think of it as a gesture of the certainty of our love, rather than something you need to be shielded from.
After calling our parents and our brothers and sisters, we watched an episode of TV. Your Mummy fell asleep in my arms almost as soon as the episode started. When it was over, I carried her to bed. She awoke for a few minutes but is now sleeping soundly once again.
So I’m writing this to you under the light of my phone. Her left hand is set right in front of her face—I suspect she fell asleep looking at the new addition to her finger.
She sighs quietly in her sleep. I’ve never told her. I like to think of it as a secret that I get to keep, even from her. It is the most adorable and comforting thing.
Now that I’ve told the first of many stories, I must away to sleep. I love you, my children, so deeply, just as I love your Mummy. I can’t wait for you to be here and I can’t wait for us to be a family.
With love,
Daddy & Mummy