Whirl Wind

3 Years Later…. (April 3 2019)

“It’s a boy!” The Doctor tells Sidney and I and I smile leaning back into the chair and trying to catch my breath.

Sidney kisses my hand and then my check. “I’m so proud of you.” I smile at him and squeeze his hand in response.

The doctor takes our baby away to make sure he is healthy and okay.

“Liam Daniel Crosby.” I say to Sidney and he breaks into a smile looking at me.

“I love you, you did so well.” Sidney tells me.

“I love you too.” I respond.

So I lot has happened in the three years since, during christmas break last year for Sidney and I we got engaged. In September before that Sidney and I had found out we were pregnant and I had decided to move to Pittsburgh in September as I had stopped playing for the Toronto Furies because of my pregnancy. Today, on April 3, we have jus welcomed our first child, Liam Daniel Crosby at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. I was very nervous that the baby wasn’t going to be here before the playoffs which start in about ten days and where Sidney were first in the Metropolitan, it would be too nerve racking for me to go into labour and Sidney not being here. Thank goodness they don’t have a game tonight, they do have one tomorrow at home which I hope Sidney will go but I’m not sure yet.

Taylor is playing for the New York Riveters in the NWHL and is living with her boyfriend Sam Reinhart, a centre for Buffalo Sabres. They have just recently started seeing each other but they are so cute from what I have seen and what she has told me about. It sucks the three amigos don’t really live near each other anymore but I guess we all have to grow up.

Kath and Riley now live in Vancouver as Riley signed a contract with the Canucks where he is currently playing. Kath hasn’t been able to play much hockey but is hoping to join the NWHL with the new Seattle team coming in two years. Kath and Riley are engaged and are going to be married next month, Kath is also pregnant to be due in late June so little Liam will either have a best friend or a future girlfriend as our kids will only be two months apart. Kath and I text everyday and call each other every other day as it was lonely when our fiancees are on the road and we are at home pregnant.

For Sidney and I’s first christmas together, I got him a golden retriever puppy named Rocket. Us both growing up Habs fans I thought it was better than naming him Gretzky although I think our next pet we will probably name him Gretzky or Wayne. So now when Sid is on road trips Rocket keeps me company and takes care of me.

This upcoming October the NWHL has expanded and keeps expanding and there will now be a team in Pittsburgh. I have signed with the organization so I am able to still play hockey and live with Sidney. We will see how hard it is with having to leave Liam while I go on road trips and when Sidney has to go on road trips. Sidney has told me to not stress about it but I know I am going to be very stressed with figuring out who I trust to take care of Liam. Luckily the NWHL’s schedule is not as gruelling as the NHL because there are only a handful of teams right now.

“Babe, honey wake up.” Sidney whispers in my ear.

I smile and open my eyes. “Whaaaat.”

“I think Liam is hungry.” Sidney sheepishly smiles. We are still at the hospital and Sidney does have a game tonight which I doubt he is going to. I think Sid is really nervous with Liam because yesterday the first time he held Liam he almost had a death grip on him and I had to remind him that there was nothing to worry about.

“Okay.” I have decided to breast feed Liam for only a couple months because if I am away for hockey he will have to use a bottle and I want him to be used to it. “Are you going to the game?” I ask Sid as start to feed Liam. This is only my third time doing it so I’m still new to it all but I find taking my mind off of it by talking helps.

“I don’t think so. Everyone tells me to not to, but I’m the captain, but I’m also a dad now.” Sid smiles. “It’s decided I won’t go so maybe we will get to go home later today. Does that sound good?” Sid leans over to peck my lips as I nod.

“Did you hear that Liam? Daddy said we might get to see our house tonight and your new room.” I tell Liam who is almost finished and I will have to burp him after.

“I love you both, you know that?” Sid tells me and I smile at him. “I’m just so thankful that you gave me Liam babe. I’m so proud of you.”

“Hey I mean, you had a part in it too right?” I tease Sid to try and lighten the mood, sometimes Sid is too serious but I love what he said and I secretly melt inside.

2 years later…. June 17, 2021

“It’s a girl.” The doctor tells Sidney and I. It has been two years since Liam was born and Sidney and I are now welcoming our second child, a girl this time.
I had been wanting a girl but I would have been happy with another boy too.

Liam is two and has a large interest in hockey and sports. He isn’t able to play yet but he likes to shoot on him little net with his dad. Liam also likes dinosaurs and cars, typical for a two year old and plays with his toy cars and has a giant plush dinosaur in his room. Liam and Sidney are attached at the hip, Liam really adores his dad and looks up to him. When Sid is home they do everything together, Sidney and I barely get any time to ourselves.

I am still involved with the Pittsburgh NWHL team and I run the social media’s for my job and help out with articles and such. Its a really fun job but I just always felt sick to my stomach when we had to leave Liam with the nanny or Vero would take him. I did play for one season and led the team in points which was a very good achievement for me and I’m proud of that, I just wanted to be home with my son and husband too.

The year we had Liam, Sidney won the Stanley cup for the second time and we were ecstatic. We got the cliche photos of Liam in a Stanley cup and Liam has it up in his room and will show anyone who comes into our house. This year, Sidney has lost in the conference finals to Montreal who I hope wins for the second time in a row. Sidney wasn’t too sad about it but he knows that Pittsburgh will have to find some new younger players as Flower, Geno, Tanger, Duper, Kuni, Phil, and him are fairly old for the league. So it was good he won another one back in 2019.

Sidney and I got married the August after we had Liam and Sidney and I spent our “honeymoon” at his house in Nova Scotia on the lake. We felt like we should wait to go on our honeymoon because Liam was only a couple months old and we didn’t really want to leave him then. We still haven’t gotten around to doing that yet either.

I was so excited to have a girl because now I have a best friend and company when Liam and Sid run off to play together.

“She looks like you honey.” Sidney says to me and I smile.

“Well Liam looks like you so were even.” I joke with him. The doctor has just came back from making sure she was okay and brought her to us.

“Sophia Kennedy Crosby, you are so beautiful just like your mommy.” Sidney talks to our new daughter. I smile, I am in love with my life. We had decided on Sophia for her name because that was Sidney’s great grandmother’s name. “Should we go get your big brother so you can meet him?” Sidney keeps talking to Sophia. He walks over and hands Sophia to me and kisses her and my forehead. “I’m going to go get Liam okay? and our parents and everyone.”

“Sounds good.” I smile at him and look at the new centre of attention, Sophia. I’m excited to see how Liam reacts to Sophia as he was really excited to be a big brother.

Soon enough a two year old toddler comes barreling into the hospital room. “MOMMY, HI.”

“Hi baby, do you want to meet your little sister?” I ask him as Sidney, his parents, my parents, Kath, and Taylor come into the room. The toddler nods and climbs into the hospital bed. “This is Sophia, your little sister. Say hi.”
“Hi ‘ia.” I guess Liam has a little trouble saying Sophia, so he just called her “ia”. “Can I touch her mommy?” Liam asks.

“Yes be gentle, like when you pet Rocket.” The toddler barely grazes Sophia’s check probably scared of hurting her.

Now everyone takes a look at Sophia and congratulates Sidney and I.

“I have a niece now!!.” Kath cheers, she calls herself an honorary aunt to Liam and Sophia.

“Me too!!” Taylor cheers, I love my best friends. They both came down last week to stay with us until I had a baby. Sam and Riley are here too. Kath had a girl in June the same year we had Liam so Nadia will be Liam’s future girlfriend, they just don’t know it yet. Nadia is a spitting image of her mother with her blonde hair but has her dad’s brown eyes, Nadia is almost more sassy than her mom which is very hard.

“Where is Sam, Riley, and Nadia?” I ask.

“They went to the park but I think they will be back soon.” Tay replies. “Char, Sophia looks like you so much.”

“Thats what Sid said. I guess since everyone thought Liam looked like Sid, now Sophia looks like me.” I chuckle.

“She is going to be a princess.” Kath smiles. “And a best friend to Nadia.”

____

“Sid, can you pack Liam’s bag? Sophia is ready, I’m getting Nolan dressed now.” I call to Sid as the smiling one year old, Nolan is laying on his back looking at me.

Yes we had another child almost a year ago. We had a boy, and we named him Nolan Michael Crosby which Michael is my dad’s name. Liam is now 4 and he has started to play hockey in Pittsburgh. Sophia is 2 and is really into princesses but also likes to watch hockey and play with her older brother and her dad. Both Sophia and Liam have curly brown hair, Sophia’s being almost shoulder length and Liam’s curling around his ears. Nolan is 1 and has been quite the handful, he looks like Sidney and Trina tells me Nolan acts like how his dad did when he was a toddler. Nolan is growing curly brown hair that is wild, but he seems to not have a lot of hair just yet.

Kath and Riley gave birth to a boy, Sean so know Nadia has a little brother.

“Sure babe.” Sidney yells back to me. I think he is downstairs with Liam, that is where they always hang out. That is where Liam’s hockey bag is and I hope he is actually packing Liam’s bag because we have to go. I finish getting Nolan dressed and put him on my hip as I pick Sophia up and put her on my other hip.

We walk out to the driveway and to my jeep. I refuse to get a mom van so we have three car seats in the back of our jeep and Sidney has some for his range rover too. I buckle Liam in first and try to corral Sophia to get into her car seat

“C’mon Soph, honey get in the jeep, Liam has to get to hockey.” I groan.

Sidney and Liam come trudging out of the house, Liam has his stick in his hand and Sidney is carrying Liam’s hockey bag.

“Hi Mommy!” Liam chirps as he gets into the jeep without a fuss and I buckle him up.

“Ready for hockey sweetie?” I ask Liam. “Can you get Soph, Sid? She isn’t listening.” I ask Sid who is just putting Liam’s bag in the back of the jeep.

“Yeah.” Liam and Sid say at the same time. I hear Sophia running around and Sid run and grab her and lift her into the jeep.

“C’mon Soph we have to get to Liam’s hockey.” Sidney tells Sophia as she gets out about being put in her car seat. I look over to Nolan in the back seat and see he is fast asleep. This will be good for Liam’s game as we only will have to look after Sophia. Sidney hasn’t started with Pittsburgh yet as it is only the middle of September so he gets to watch Liam play his first couple of hockey games which I think makes Liam happy. I hope Liam doesn’t feel pressure about Sidney watching his games, Sid just likes to see him have fun out on the ice as do I.

Sophia adores her father and listens to him so well, she is his princess and will basically just follow him around to no end. Sophia with me thinks it’s funny to not listen or run away from me which is frustrating but my mom tells me that I was just like that when I was Sophia’s age.

“Why do I have to go Daddy?” Sophia pouts as Sid is buckling her into her car seat.

“Because you will get to Liam play hockey like daddy does. And Scarlett, Estelle, and Vero will be there.” Sid tells her and kisses her forehead before getting into the front seat to drive to the rink.

“Aunty Vero? What about Flower and Henry?” Liam pipes up from his seat.

“Yeah, Henry gets to play goalie today.” Henry is a year older than Liam but they are on the same hockey team because of the groupings this year. Henry is like his dad and wants to be goalie like Marc too.

“Soph, sweetie do you want to play with Scarlett?” Sid asks her and looks in the rearview mirror to find our daughter sound asleep.

“I’m so happy they are sleeping.” I mutter and Sidney reaches across the console to squeeze my knee.

“When we get there I will take Liam in and you can stay in here and wait until Soph wakes up or isn’t cranky from waking up. I think Nolan will be asleep for awhile.” Sid suggests as Liam and his team are asked to come early so they have time to warm up and get all their equipment on so we will probably have 45 minutes before Liam’s game starts so I can stay in the car.

“Sounds good.” I tell him as we pull into the rink parking lot. “Goodluck honey.” I tell Liam and kiss Sid’s cheek as they both climb out of the jeep while I wait for Sophia, the princess in the family to wake up.

Thirty minutes later we’re walking into in rink with a pouty two year old, Sophia and a sleeping peacefully one year old, Nolan. Sidney likes to help out with Liam’s team and give Liam pointers as he is just starting out into hockey. We had taught Liam how to skate when he was three with our pond in the backyard where he spends everyday during the winter on it. So Sidney and I have taught him the shooting skills and the talent of our little one as came naturally like with Sidney and I. Liam has expressed his interest in being centre just like his daddy, but on his team there aren’t really specific positions as for most of them it is their first year of hockey.

I find Vero talking with some other hockey moms and walk over to her. Nolan is still in his carrier and Sophia is holding onto my hand. “Hey guys.” I smile at the group of moms who probably think I’m insane with the running I have to do for the hooligans. A lot of Sid’s teammates have their kids come and play here so there’s Vero and Marc, Geno and Anna, and David and Vanessa and many other couples which is nice.

I have really found a good fit here in Pittsburgh with Sid and the kids. Being the captain’s wife, I put it on myself to make sure the mood in the WAGS suite is happy and that new girlfriends or wives are welcome. I organize events and usually have to hold them at our house as the same time that Sid has dinners at our house. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a family and I am lucky to be apart of it. If it wasn’t for Taylor introducing me to Sidney after our game 8 years ago I wouldn’t have my crazy three children and be married to the love of my life. I am truly fortunate for the life I have, from being in the CWHL, NWHL and now being involved with the NWHL in Pittsburgh. My life has changed and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I surround myself with great people who support me and my family, and my decisions in life.

That day in the arena was one of the proudest moments I have ever had, seeing Liam score his first hockey goal ever and being able to keep the puck. Hockey mom, hockey wife means a happy hockey life. Cheers.