This thing called motherhood!

Jaci Marks had been searching for the right time to tell her husband about her "unexpected" surprise, she knew that she had to tell him soon and she had planned it all out. First there would be dinner at "their" table at The Dophin club, then a drive up to hillcrest Park where they would take a walk and stop to sit on the bench from which they could see the temple shining through the darkness. This, she hoped, would be the perfect setting to tell Craig the "news." She had just finished getting ready, after taking time to fix her hair just the way he seemed to like it, and took 20 minutes choosing just the right clothes. She just had enough time to finish dinner for the kids and run up to spray on her "liz clayborne" perfume. As she entered the kitchen and was heading for the fridge, Dylan and Tessa came running through the kitchen shooting water guns at each other.

"Knock it off would ya, take it outside", Jaci snapped. "Take a chill pill, Mom" Dylan teased, and squirted her right in her face, drenching her hair, makeup and freshly pressed shirt. "Great, just great" she cried, "Dad will be home any minute, I wanted to look just right for our dinner tonight and now I'll be doing good to get changed and throw a pony tail in my hair."

"Well, I think you look great in a pony tail mom and I'm sure Dad won't care", Dylan said, as he raised his eyebrows approvingly, "besides I got ya real good, you should've seen the look on your face." Any other time, Jaci would have grabbed the gun and drenched the poor kid before he could move, but not tonight, there wasn't time for that. This was supposed to be a perfect night, to help soften the blow, and now. . . "Just look at me".

"Quick, Tessa, get the chicken nuggets out of the freezer and turn the oven on to preheat. I have to run up and change and try to be ready in 10 minutes." Just then Kyle and Brock walked in from their service project and simultaneously yelled "Mom, what's for dinner?" Dylan rolled his eyes, "Chicken Nuggets, Again!" With that Jaci slammed her bedroom door, and willed herself not to cry!

Chapter two:
She had hoped that if she looked and smelled just right, Craig would be so struck with her that he would be able to handle the news she was so nervous to share with Him. How would she ever tell Craig? They had prayfully made the decision 12 years ago that their family was complete. That 5 children was plenty, with Jaci's health problems and Craig's busy profession and church calling, they knew their plates were full. They had even taken what they thought were "permenant" precautions to prevent this from happening.

Kyle had just turned twelve and was so glad to be out of primary and Reid would be home from his mission next month. And now, Jaci thought, now, I'm going to have a baby, I can't do this now, I just tried out for the symphony and I had that book I wanted to finish writing, and now? Just then she heard the car door slam and she was still dripping wet.

Craig was home, it was time to face the music. Quickly she tore off her wet casmere sweater and put on the Coral shirt (Craig had told her he liked it once) She threw her hair into a ponytail wiped off the mascara running down here face, put some lipgloss on, spritzed herself with "Liz" and ran to meet Craig at the door.

"Hey hun, ready to go?" Jaci flashed a quick smile and winked. "Go where?" Craig grumbled, "I can't go anywhere tonight I have to finish this paperwork and prepare for a deposition tommorrow." Jaci had to choose her words very carefully here or her carefully planned night would be ruined. "Remember the text I sent you about my plans for us to go to The Dophin Club, and long walk in the park and you sent back a text saying that'd be great." Yea, Jace, I did, but did you scroll down and read the rest, I said, 'That'd be great, but I can't tonight. Let's do it next week when things calm down.' I'm sorry, I just can't postpone this. I hope you understand." Normally Jaci would not have let her disappointment show, but too many weeks, or actually years had gone by with work taking over their lives. "No Craig, I don't understand, not at all this was important to me and now I have to just change my plans, because you have a stupid, rediculous amount of paper work AGAIN. And another deposition AGAIN. Well guess what mister, I am starving, I need some time to talk to someone and I am calling my sister and we're going out. And you can just eat chicken nuggets with the kids AGAIN!" Jaci screamed angrily and then grabed her purse and jacket and slammed the door! Only to have to open it again because half of her coat got stuck in the door. 'Of all the dumb luck' she thought. Then she threw open the door, yanked her coat away and this time she slammed it even harder and stomped to her car.

Jaci rummaged through her purse for her hot pink razor cell phone as it began playing her ring tone she had programmed for Craig, "If you could see the way you kiss", by Faith Hill, everytime she heard that song it made her smile and think of how much she loved Craig, but not this time. This time she answered and promptly hung up. The ring tone went off two more times before she was able to call her sister Cassidi.

Cassidi wasn't your typical "Molly Mormon Mom." She had 3 children, and was a great mom, but there was always a messy table at her house and more often than not somone had to rummage through the dirty laundry to find a matching sock. But she loved playing with her kids and husband. And if anyone ever needed anything, she would drop what she was doing and rush to their aid. Cassidi was Jaci's best friend, accept for Craig of course and 'right now he was the second best friend not the first.', she thought

Jaci hadn't wanted to tell anyone about her pregnancy until she had broken the news to Craig and now? Now she was going to tell Cassidi the news first just to spite him. She was so hurt, and angry and scared and she wasn't being rational. 'Cassidi, answer your cell phone,' said Jaci through gritted teeth. But it didn't help. Cassidi didn't answer. Jaci knew there was only a 50/50 chance that she would get Cassidi to answer, and mostly that was because Cassidi could never find her phone. 'Great', Jaci thought 'just great!" and she caught a glimps of herself in the rear view mirror. She looked like a lunetic, a stark raving lunetic. And then it happened. She began to laugh. Jaci's laugh had always been the kind of belly laugh that was loud and contagious and if she was really tickled, she would even snort. She laughed until tears came out of her eyes, and her side hurt. She was laughing at the impossibleness of the situation, 45 and pregnant, husband gone 60 hours a week and her youngest 12. How funny she would feel in the obstitritions office with all the 20 year old first time moms. She was sure to be the brundt of some very funny jokes, only she wouldn't be laughing then. How she would look in maturnity clothes with grey hair. And the images in her mind got more and more far fetched and bizarre, which caused Jaci to roll to the floorboard of the car in hysterics. She laughed for probably 10 minutes more and finally had gained some composure, when her phone rang, looking at her caller id she saw that it was "The Dolphin Club," and for someone reason she laughed all the harder and answered mid-snort. "lo, I mean hello, yes, yes, this is Jaci Marks, Just a moment." she swallowed hard, "I'm so sorry something very funny just happened and . . . Well anyway, I am sorry I didn't call and cancel my reservation, Yes, please give our table to the charming young man who is going to pop the question to his girlfriend and please buy them my favorite desert, bananas foster on me as a congratulations from a 45 year old mother of 5, whose youngest child is 12, that just found out she is pregnant. I am old enough to have a son getting married and I am having a baby. No scratch that. Just buy them the desert and tell them thank you for giving me back my perspective again. Love is all that matters, Love and family isn't it." The man on the end of the line kindly listened until Jaci stopped talking and then he said, "Congratulations Ms. Marks, I am sure you will find joy in this new adventure. Tell Mr. Marks congrats from me also won't you. I'll just charge the desert to your tab. Will I see you next week, say Thursday at 6:00." Jaci was too busy catching her breath to say much, she just said, "that will be fine" and quickly hung up the phone.