Some days, I could not believe that this was my life and that it was a real, tangible thing and not just a dream I'd dreamt. Granted, it was not the idyllic life of traveling and exploring and adventure-seeking I'd once professed to Zevulun that I'd wanted, but I was happy. It had been a long road to getting to this point, and I still had my melancholy days, but I was more content here in the Prairie - growing roots like an old oak tree - than I had been wandering alone.

Hael had made the difference. And Zevulun, of course, but Hael's arrival after the loss of my little prince had helped to heal a wound in my heart. It was still there, and I feared that it would always be a raw spot, but it was enough for me to look forward to the future. To how Hael would grow and mature, and to this new baby I now carried.

The one who was doing somersaults inside of me.

Wearily, I groaned and allowed a soft sigh of exasperation to leave me. I was personally of the opinion that this had to be a boy, if only because Hael had been such a sweetheart when I'd carried her. This one, I was pretty sure, would be born with legs three times longer than his body. Eventually the gymnastics eased and I allowed myself a single shake to reset my mind and body before meandering from beneath the shade tree I'd opted for an afternoon nap beneath. My energy levels had waned as the months of pregnancy wore on, and while I wanted a healthy baby more than anything, I was also beginning to wish this child was out of me so that I could finally get a real night's rest in.

"And what have you been up to?" I teased gently as I found my daughter, stretching to affectionately run my lips through her flopped-over mane. It was hard to believe she was nearing a year old already and would soon be a big sister. I often wondered what it would have been like for her to be a little sister to a brother that was here in more than just spirit, but I shied away from the heavier thoughts today. I didn't want to dwell on such things when it was such a nice day, and when Hael's last moments as an only survivng child were (hopefully) drawing so quickly to a close.