Stress

Audrey

“Eleven weeks,” I said. “Annabelle and I went for the ultrasound on Friday.” I pulled out the picture to show her, and her face lit up.

“Look at that little peanut of a thing,” she cooed. “He looks adorable.”

“He?” I asked skeptically. “You can’t possibly tell that from the picture.”

Mom tutted. “Let me have my dream,” she said. “It would be good to have a little man around the household again. Besides, look at the way he’s positioned. He must be a boy.”

I tried not to laugh. “Maybe it’s a boy,” I said, glancing at Annabelle.

“Audrey’s hoping it’s a girl so that she can teach her to be a ballerina,” Annabelle said.

“The world could use more male ballerinas,” Mom said, winking at me. “I always wished that I would have a boy to balance out you girls.” She sounded wistful, and I suddenly realized that I had never known if two kids were all that she planned to have or if things just hadn’t worked out for more. It suddenly seemed like something that I should know.

Mom was wrapped up