[RealWithRy]

Not long after our conversation with Tom, things started feeling much more serious. We'd gone from talking about the possibility of another child to actually making plans for one. My husband and I had another appointment with the doctor, talked through our options, and started paying much closer attention to my cycle. Since we were hoping for a winter baby, we realized our timing was going to be fairly tight.

Once we had a good idea of when my fertile window would be, we sat down with Tom and explained that we'd need him to stay with us for several days.

Tom smiled when we told him.

"So I'm officially part of the family calendar now?"

"Pretty much," my husband joked.

There was something exciting about having an actual plan. It made the whole situation feel much more real than all those late-night conversations we'd had before. Tom was completely comfortable with staying, and we agreed on a few days when the timing would be best.

When the week finally arrived, Tom came over with an overnight bag. We had dinner together that first night, and despite knowing exactly why he'd be staying, we tried to keep things normal. We talked, laughed, and enjoyed a long dinner together. But there was definitely an undercurrent of anticipation that none of us could ignore.

After dinner, we lingered around the table longer than usual. Eventually the conversation grew quieter, and the three of us knew it was time to stop talking about what might happen and simply let the evening unfold.

Sex always happens so naturally between us. There was never anything choreographed or planned, it just kind of happens. We headed up to our bedroom and my husband sat down at my vanity and Tom started rubbing my shoulders. The more relaxed everyone got, the more clothes started coming off. Eventually, I'm down to bra and underwear stroking Tom while he rubs me through my underwear.

Next, my last two garments of clothing come off and I end up laying on my back on the bed. I scoot my butt near the edge of the bed and spread my legs. Tom comes over and positions my legs upward ready to take him. He hesitates for a minute and asks if this is something we truly want to do. I reassure him it is and he begins pushing it inside of me.

He starts off slowly and we enjoy the moment, then starts to pick up speed. He gave it to me for probably 20 minutes and at the halfway point my husband came over and sat next to me. He held my hand and watched me take every inch before Tom just froze. He pushed it in as deep as he could, then finishes in me.

We all three just look at each other and giggle. He slowly pulls out and I close my legs and we lay on the bed for a while and talk.

The next couple of days had a strange combination of normalcy and excitement. We shared meals, watched movies, joked around, and spent plenty of private time together. There was an intimacy to having Tom in our home for several consecutive days that simply hadn't existed before. Instead of one carefully planned evening, we had time to relax into the situation and let things happen naturally.

By the time the few days were over, we'd made the most of the window we'd carefully planned. Then came the hardest part: waiting.

As Tom packed his things, we joked about how strange it was that we'd spent months talking about something that could potentially change our family forever, and now there was nothing left to do but see what happened.

After he drove away, my husband and I stood together at the window for a moment.

"Well," he said with a grin, "now we wait."

I laughed, but underneath that laughter was a mixture of excitement, nerves, and the realization that there was a very real possibility that our little family might be getting one member bigger before the year was over.

A few weeks passed, and the waiting somehow made every day feel longer. I tried not to read too much into every little change, but I couldn't help counting the days and wondering whether our carefully planned timing had actually worked.

One morning, before anyone else was awake, I finally decided it was time to take a test. I stood in the bathroom staring at those two little lines as they slowly appeared.

Positive.

For a few seconds, I just froze.

Then I walked back into the bedroom and woke my husband. He looked at me sleepily before noticing the test in my hand.

"Are you serious?"

I nodded, already smiling.

He pulled me into a hug, and suddenly everything we'd talked about for months, the planning, the uncertainty, the conversations with Tom, and our hopes for a winter baby felt real.

A little later that morning, after my husband and I had a chance to let the news sink in, I picked up my phone and called Tom. I was nervous even though I knew he'd been hoping for the best alongside us.

He answered with his usual cheerful, "Hey, what's going on?"

I couldn't keep the smile out of my voice.

"Tom, I have some news."

There was a pause.

"Good news?"

"Very good news."

I finally told him.

There was a moment of silence on the other end before he laughed.

"You're serious?"

"I'm serious. The test was positive."

His excitement came through immediately. He congratulated us and told me how happy he was for our family. He admitted that he'd been wondering about it himself ever since he'd left after those few days, but he'd deliberately tried not to ask because he didn't want to put any pressure on us.

We talked for quite a while about what the next few months might look like. Tom sounded genuinely happy, not only for us but about the possibility of being part of another chapter in our family's story. Before we hung up, he said something that really stuck with me:

"Whatever happens from here, I'm just glad you called me."

I hung up and looked over at my husband, who was smiling.

A few days after that positive test, I called the doctor's office and made an appointment. Sitting there with my husband, looking at the calendar and realizing that we were actually expecting another baby, made everything feel much more real. The first appointment went well. We left the office excited, a little overwhelmed, and already talking about how we were going to rearrange things at home for another child.

The first couple of weeks weren't exactly easy, though. Morning sickness hit me pretty hard, and despite the name, it definitely wasn't limited to mornings. There were days when the smell of coffee, cooking food, or even opening the refrigerator was enough to turn my stomach. My husband was incredibly patient, taking over more of the household chores and making sure I had plenty of crackers, water, and whatever food I happened to be able to tolerate that day. Thankfully, the rough stretch eventually passed.

After that, the pregnancy became surprisingly smooth. We had good checkups, watched the baby grow at each appointment, and slowly started preparing for another addition to our already busy household. We spent evenings talking about names, rearranging the kids' rooms, and imagining what it would be like to hold another newborn. Tom checked in regularly throughout the pregnancy and was genuinely excited every time we had another piece of good news to share.

As the months went by, everything continued to look healthy. By the time winter arrived, we were completely ready, or at least as ready as anyone can be for another baby.

Then, in early January, after months of waiting, planning, worrying, and wondering, we finally welcomed another*healthy baby into our family.

Holding our child for the first time was overwhelming in the best possible way. Our family suddenly felt complete in a way that was difficult to put into words.

Tom came to the hospital to meet the baby. He was visibly excited when he walked into the room, carrying a small gift and asking how everyone was doing. When he finally got to see the baby, there was a quiet moment where he just stood there smiling. It was a surprisingly emotional experience for all of us because this wasn't simply someone we'd met along the way anymore, Tom had become someone genuinely important to our family. Over the following year, that became even more obvious. He was around for birthdays, family dinners, ordinary weekends, and all the little moments that make up family life. He helped when we needed an extra set of hands, spent time with the kids, and remained someone my husband and I could count on. Looking back, that first year with our new baby was one of the happiest periods of our lives, and having Tom remain such a steady part of it made the whole journey feel even more special.