Guides for the Pre-Engagement Life

"Why don't we hold a big Family party here?" I suggested through the phone.
Michael wasn't home, because he went to do a photo-shoot in Miami with a few others for Speedo. He had been in quite a rush since I told him my appointment for our first ultra sound was that very week. I teased him that he wouldn't be able to make it home before the appointment, but he tried to sweep through the photo-shoot because he wanted to see our 12-week old baby for the first time.
I noticed through his silence that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do on how we were going to announce the pregnancy to our Family. "Or are we going to be doing some travelling to Chicago and Long Beach?" I tapped my belly and looked down at the charm bracelet he gave me for my birthday.
He sighed and muttered, "I don't want to force you to flying around..."
"Honey, seriously, I don't mind. I can travel, you know," I reminded him. "And I'd want to tell my Mom and Dad separately, since they're both married with someone else. I wouldn't want their new spouse to feel uneasy."
I didn't want my Mom and Dad to fight over me since they've always wanted to get picked for favouritism, but I didn't want Michael to know that.
"Fine, we'll continue this when I get home," He said with a defeated tone.
"If you make it in time," I laughed.
"I'm going to make it," He insisted. "Don't go without me!" He added.
"I love you too," I chuckled. "We'll see, we'll see."
By the time we hung up, Michael sent me a picture of him pointing at the camera with a frown on his face. He wrote, "You better wait for me."

The Heartbeat

Day by day, I would stare at the mirror to check on my stomach, no bump yet, but there was definitely some little baby in there, I felt it, even though it was said to be quite tiny. I searched and read all about what happened in 12 weeks, and I got excited after I read that we could hear the heartbeat. But I wanted Michael there to hear it too.
My appointment for my ultrasound fell on a Friday afternoon, and Michael wasn't back yet. I wanted him around, of course, but he was caught up with all his commitments that I began to consider accepting the fact that he wasn't going to be around for most of my time being pregnant, which made me think whether or not it arrived at the right time...

"Herman, Herman, Herman," I yawned as the dog leaped on the edge of the bed and woke me up with his constant moving and quick barks. I peeked at the clock on the side table and saw it was seven in the morning. The dog really loved the morning walks we shared, but I recently slacked back on the morning walks a bit since I always felt exhausted on our way to the park and end up in the bathroom when we got there.
I gave the dog a pat on the head. "What do you want to do? Do you want to go for a walk? Or are you hungry?" I spoke to him as I sat up. He gave a small yelp before he lay down with his legs up in the air for me to rub his belly, which I did, because he tapped me with his paw. Though, as Herman stood up, I noticed that there was something tucked between his neck and doggy collar, and when I pulled it out, it revealed to be a rolled up piece of paper.
"What do you have here?" I mumbled as I opened the paper and there was Michael's handwriting. I slightly narrowed my eyes as I read it. The note read, "Anne, if you get this, it means Herman decided to wake you up instead of me. I'm just telling you that I'm sleeping in the spare bedroom. I got home really last night, and you were already asleep and I didn't want to wake you."
What? Was Michael really home?
I tossed the paper to the other end of the bed along with the blanket and rushed out of the bed. Herman led the way as we both went through the hallway and to the spare bedroom. I clutched the doorknob and motioned for the dog to be quiet before I turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. I caught a glimpse of Michael's luggage, and once the door was fully open, I spotted my boyfriend passed out on the bed and the blanket covered only the bottom of his half-naked form. The shirt he wore tossed over the computer chair and his arm covered his face. I smiled at the sight. He must've been exhausted since he told me that he had a full day of photo-shoot the day before and it was mainly in the pool, but when he said he would make it to the next flight back, I didn't know how serious he was.
I gave Herman a pat before he wandered away and I went inside the room. I gently and slowly closed the door behind me, and tiptoed my way over to him. I went from the edge of the bed and crawled over him, making my way up, and once I got to his chest, I leaned my head against him and lay on the gap between him and the wall.
"Anne?" Michael groaned as he began to shuffle his body around and turned to his side, his arm tossed over me as I plastered my head properly on the pillow and stared at his face. He had a croaky voice, his lips were dry and he looked really tired.
I slid my arm around his body and said, "You were really serious about coming back."
"Of course, I wouldn't want to miss a chance of finding out if we have something to tell our Family. Even if it meant catching the midnight flight," He mumbled.
He seemed to be half-asleep.
"If the baby is healthy, will you agree to going to Chicago for a few days, and then to Long Beach afterwards?" I persuaded. "I really don't want my Parents to be in the same room when we announce we're expecting. And I have a feeling they'll react differently."
His eyes blinked open. He looked me straight in the eyes and sighed. I knew instantly that I won against him. "Okay," He agreed. "We'll do it your way."
I grinned proudly and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "And that's why I love you."
"What time is the appointment?"
"In the afternoon, um, 3 o'clock."
"Then I can sleep a few more hours," He yawned before closing his eyes again.
"I'll go-" I was about to sit up, but he tightened his hold and I lay back down, giggling at his strength. I caressed the side of his face as he demanded, "You stay here."
"I wonder who the baby will take after," I thought out loud.
"It's a boy," He continued to insist. "So probably me, but I'll let him have your nose."
I laughed. "If he grows up to be persistent, I blame you, Michael," I teased and pinched his cheek. He briefly chuckled before he fell asleep again.

Michael didn't wake up until noon, and I managed to get out of his hold around nine, when I properly woke up. We went out to eat lunch, because he didn't want me to cook and it was more convenient to fill up my bladder, since I said that the Doctor recommended that I go to the appointment with a full bladder. But throughout the whole time we were at the café, he seemed really excited and began to get distracted a lot. He would drift off halfway through our conversation or not reply at all.
I pursed my lips together and slightly furrowed my brows. "What's gotten into you?" I asked as I put down my glass of juice. "Are you worried about something?"
"After today, it'll be confirmed that we're going to be bringing out a baby into the world and we're officially going to be Parents," He mumbled, sounding quite worried.
I fell silent and looked down. Michael was right. And it wasn't part of our plan, we intended to get engaged and married first, and when he retired from Swimming, it would be the right time to try making a baby. But the baby came first. What was going to happen?
"Anne," He called as he reached for my hand and stroked it with his thumb. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to have a baby with you. I'm just saying... Wow."
I weakly smiled. "Will you be okay with it?"
"Of course!" He nearly yelled. The people on the other tables briefly glanced our way before they continued what they were doing, and Michael only chuckled at their reactions. I only shook my head and asked, "Do you think we're we ready for this?"
"We've got each other," He sweetly replied.
It made me feel at ease.

Michael was always supportive of me when I made important decisions. Like, recently, I had suddenly decided that I wouldn't work in an office anymore and I wanted to continue writing my weekly columns and answering the relationship advices for Fulton's new Teen Magazine. And he only stated that I do what I feel was right.
I supported him too! Through the problems he had with the tabloids, his stress from the other commitments, the other decisions he made that meant changes to his life and mine, and obviously, his Swimming career. We both needed to support each other, especially since we were expecting a baby in our busy lifestyle.

By three o'clock, we were already in a private room in the clinic and waiting for the person to come and do the whole ultrasound process. I lay on their awkward seats and kept my hand at my belly, hoping that the little guy that swam about inside would be healthy and wouldn't have complications. Michael had been smiling the whole time, fidgeting at the things he could find around the room and even went quiet while reading through the pregnancy chart on the wall.
"Good afternoon, Mr and Mrs Phelps," A woman with a white Doctor coat greeted.
Holy crap! That sounded like it rolled out of her tongue when she walked right in. I felt red as a tomato when she said it, and Michael's expression showed that he was happy with the way it sounded. He managed to wink at me while the woman walked passed.
"Um, we're not married yet." I cleared my throat and corrected her.
"Oh, my apologies, so are you still Ms Miller?" She quizzed as she took a seat and fiddled with the monitor opposite her.
"She'll be Mrs Phelps soon," Michael interrupted which they then both shared a chuckle.
"I knew that it would be the Michael Phelps coming into this appointment," She confessed as she fully turned her attention to us. "And when I read Roxanne Miller, I was certain that I would get to meet the Olympian in person. My daughter loves both of you, and she hasn't stopped talking about you two since she stopped going to the swimming sessions."
Heck, I knew I recognized that woman!
"You're Millie's Mom," I said as my jaws dropped. "Oh wow, how is she?"
"Still a strong little girl," She replied. "The Doctors say that she's going to be allowed to go back to the swimming sessions after a few weeks, she's recently had an operation."
"I hope all is well. We miss Millie around at the Aquatic Club," Michael spoke up as he suddenly grabbed a hold of my hand and tightly gripped on it.
"Okay, let's not delay," She stated as she clapped her hands together and began explaining the process and instructing me about what I needed to do. It got to the point where she was about to apply the gel, and I tell you, it was freaking cold, to the point that my whole body froze. I squeezed Michael during the time of the gel application, but eased a bit when I got used to it.
"First of all, congratulations," Millie's Mom started as she pulled out some sort of scanner machine of some sort and pressed it on one area of my stomach. She hovered it about, smearing the gel and making it cold for me again. I shivered, but froze when I heard a 'thump'. Michael noticed it too and his focus was fully on the monitor, and he had a slight frown on his face from his concentration. It made me smile.
Another 'thump' had followed the more she went closer to the hem of my pants. "What was that?" I stammered. I turned to the monitor and saw a small white shape moving around. The noise continued to go and it got stronger when she stopped at one area of my body, and a wide smile on her face as she added, "Secondly, here is your healthy baby."
The heartbeat, the little fingers and toes that Millie's Mom pointed out and the cute little movements made me whimper. Michael was very quiet. I had to look at him to figure out what was happening, but he had a softened expression and his eyes looks teary.
"Your baby seems to be doing just fine, and I understand that you had an operation to cut off one of your fallopian tubes, right?" She asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, but then I was told there was a very low chance of getting pregnant."
"When you found out, you should've bought the lottery, you could've won," She joked as she pressed a button on the monitor. "Do you want a photo printed?"
"Can I have a copy of the video?" I heard my significant other suddenly ask. Both the woman and I were shocked at his loud tone, but the woman happily agreed and asked if he had some form of memory to save it on. Michael looked upset when he didn't, but he took out his phone and asked, "Can I save it in here?"
She chuckled and excused herself to print the photo and said that she would deal with the video when she got back, and she mentioned needing to do some report and wanted us to have time on our own.
Once she left, I had been wiping the gel off of me when Michael said, "That was-"
"-Really something," I ended with a smile as I sat up and pulled down my top. I looked up at him and grinned. "Healthy baby," I repeated. "Ah, I wanted to cry, you know, but I didn't want to cry in front of Millie's Mom."
"Thank you, Anne," He sternly stated before he leaned down and gave me a peck on the lips. "You ended up making a miracle baby."
"No, thank you, Michael, without your part in this, I wouldn't be pregnant," I teased which made him wrap his arms around me and hug me with a laugh coming out of him. "But really, Michael, I can't wait to tell the news."
"I can't wait too. And when I get that video, I'm going to show it off."
"Hmm, now we need to break the news to my Parents."
"I'm worried about what you'll Dad will say," He revealed. It wasn't the first time he ever mentioned that he was afraid of saying things to my Dad, though he tried his best to stay strong, he was, as he said, worried about what to say to my Dad.
"I have a cheeky idea, but we'll need to buy it on the way home," I mischievously grinned.
"Cheeky Anne," He said while shaking his head and leaning over to kiss me again.

I didn't like playing tricks on my Dad, but there were some things that needed a little prank to lighten up the mood. Mom was a crier, and Michael said his Mom would be the same.
Ah, time to reveal the biggest news.
So nerve-racking!!

The Phelps Women

Michael suggested that the video of our baby and the sound of the heartbeat was the first thing he really ever wanted to do when it came to announcing the confirmed pregnancy, and it was the way he wanted to tell his Mom and Sisters of the baby's existence. So when we went over to his Mom's home for dinner with everyone else in his Family, he gathered everyone to the living room after the meal and made everyone stare at the laptop screen.
"What is this all about, MP?" Hilary asked with her arms crossed.
"Hold on, it's just a video that I made with Anne," Michael replied as he pressed on one video that he named something else to trick his Family.
When the video appeared on the screen and the small baby was moving about with the heartbeat as the background music, his Mom was the first to react and began to cry with tears of joy and pull both Michael and I into a hug. She, especially, placed more attention to me as she couldn't figure out the right words to say. Hilary began to sob too. Whitney kept congratulating us, along with her husband. Her two children, Taylor and Connor, were asking what they were all excited about, since they didn't recognize what it looked like.
"We figured you were a few weeks back, but because you had an operation, we thought it was the side effects, so we didn't really push it as much as we did," Debbie finally said something. "Oh my God, congratulations, I don't know what to say. How many weeks has it been? Is the baby healthy?"
Michael wrapped an arm around me and nodded. "That 12 week old baby is perfectly fine and healthy. I'm more excited about finding out the gender though, but I feel like it's a boy!"
"MP's always wanted a boy," Whitney revealed. "Always saying that one day, he'd have a boy first and a girl second, but then he changed his mind when I had Connor and said he wanted all boys. So you should be prepared to have a house full of rowdy male Phelps."
I only laughed and tapped onto Michael's chest. He knew what gender he wanted, so he was only doing that knowing that I wasn't allowed to react in an over-powering way because his Family was there.
"Well, MP, you're going to be a Dad," Hilary pointed out before she let out a laugh. "Oh wow, I can't imagine our Baby Brother to be a Dad. How you've grown!"
"I'm 25, Hil," He grinned. "And I wouldn't have picked a perfect woman to be the Mom."
I blushed and remained silent, since both his Mom and Sisters were agreeing with him after he made that comment. Debbie pulled me into another hug and suddenly thanked me for making her boy happy, and I couldn't say anything else but a 'thank you' in response for being the one who brought him into the world.
All three Phelps women went on to make early plans, like an announcement party and a baby shower and what not, and I wasn't able to catch up to anything they said because I was distracted with the sight of Michael playing with his niece and nephew and began to imagine him and our baby. I couldn't wait to see the day our baby is born.

However, we still needed to break the news to my Parents.