lcionline Chapter 692 - 663: The Era of Second Children (Part 2)
Chapter 692 - 663: The Era of Second Children (Part 2)
Sienna Thornton felt both joyful and conflicted.Expecting twins, she was thrilled about having two more children in over eight months. However, the thought of enduring two to three months of morning sickness really depressed her.
Unexpectedly, the morning sickness she dreaded did not arrive as anticipated. This time, her early pregnancy symptoms were just severe drowsiness.
During the day at work, except for meetings and visits to companies where she couldn’t nap, she would secretly doze off with her chin propped up when she wasn’t too busy in the office, which was still manageable.
Coming home was even better. Little Victor, already attending kindergarten, would come back after school, and the nanny would be responsible for his homework and other cognitive and motor skills training. Simon Forrester would handle dinner, and once she got home, she would shower, then crawl onto the bed to sleep, feeling utterly exhausted.
Often, she would be in a drowsy state when Simon Forrester brought her meals upstairs. She’d eat a bit and then go back to sleep. Later at night, after Simon Forrester put the kids to bed and returned to their room, he would carry her to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.
And so three months passed.
By summer, she was sixteen weeks pregnant. Since she was carrying twins, even though the babies weren’t big and she wasn’t chubby, her belly was still quite noticeable, much larger than when she was pregnant with little Victor.
Old Master Forrester was so thrilled to know she was having twins that he nearly didn’t buy an ad on TV to announce it to the world. Instead, he spent the whole day on the phone sharing the good news with all the relatives and friends.
The relatives and friends who received his calls offered their congratulations outwardly, but internally, they might have thought, "Who hasn’t had a second child by now?"
Joyce Sutton advised Sienna Thornton to watch her diet, ensuring she absorbed enough nutrients for the two babies but also avoiding making the babies too big, fearing that if the babies grew too large, her old cesarean scar might rupture, endangering her life.
This was indeed a significant challenge—ensuring proper nutrition without gaining too much weight. Simon Forrester bought numerous cookbooks to study, but the more he studied, the less reliable they seemed, so he ended up hiring a nutritionist skilled in preparing meals for pregnant women to come to Fenmore Hill to prepare her three meals a day until she gave birth.
In the fall, as the maple leaves on Fenmore Hill turned red, the entire hill was blanketed with these red and yellow maple leaves, creating a romantic and warm scene.
Little Victor advanced to middle class and attended the most expensive international kindergarten in Brimfield. Simon Forrester would drop him off in the morning before work and pick him up after work.
After returning home, Simon Forrester and the nanny would take care of him, playing with him.
In the summer, Simon Forrester would take his son swimming in the outdoor pool; in the fall, they’d play soccer on the field; in the cold winter and spring, they’d swim in the third-floor heated pool.
Victor got exercise almost daily. As a result, he was very healthy, rarely fell ill, and was taller and stronger than other boys his age.
Old Master Forrester adored this precious great-grandson. Every time little Victor visited the old house on weekends, the elder would skip his usual bird walks, opting instead to take Victor for strolls, proudly telling everyone he was the spitting image of Simon Forrester, although he had to admit that Victor was even cleverer, with most of his intelligence inherited from his mother, having both wit and brains yet being very understanding and sensible.
Sienna Thornton was just over a month away from giving birth. Her belly was so large that going to work was inconvenient, and her workplace approved early maternity leave.
Carrying twins posed a significant challenge to an expectant mother’s body. Already slim and of advanced maternal age, Sienna Thornton had not felt comfortable since becoming pregnant with the second set.
She was tormented by drowsiness in early pregnancy, struggled with weight in mid-pregnancy, and began experiencing shortness of breath in late pregnancy.
Technically, living on the high-altitude Fenmore Hill was like a natural oxygen bar, yet even after spending whole days sitting in the pavilion breathing fresh air, she still felt short of breath.
Joyce Sutton suggested that perhaps the two babies had grown too large, compressing her organs and causing the shortness of breath, recommending oxygen therapy at home. Simon Forrester quickly equipped the bedroom, living room, and study with oxygen devices.
During her time at home awaiting labor, Simon Forrester had to shuttle the kids around and work, unable to stay with her every day. Fearing that something might happen while she was alone, he asked Auntie King and Melinda Linton to accompany her at the villa every day.
He was actually performing quite well as a husband, but every night, as Sienna Thornton suffered from the extreme discomfort brought on by the pregnancy, she would pinch his sleepwear and scold him, accusing him of being heartless for letting her carry twins.
Especially during baths, when she saw the stretch marks on her belly, she would break down and cry, lamenting that after delivering the second set, her stomach would look like a deflated balloon, ugly and loose.
Simon Forrester used every kind word he knew, offering all sorts of comfort, but Sienna Thornton still couldn’t stand the sight of the stretch marks on her belly. Every night after her bath, she’d lament in his ear for ages.
He would always laugh and hold her, kissing her tremendously large belly, promising to love it forever, even with stretch marks and despite its changed appearance.
The late pregnancy days slipped by in these nights of Sienna Thornton’s shortness of breath and tormenting of Simon Forrester over the stretch marks, and soon, it was time for her due date.
Since Sienna Thornton had a cesarean for her first child, and this time she was carrying twins, they had long scheduled the cesarean with Joyce Sutton.
Having been through one cesarean already, Sienna Thornton was not as confused this time, but Simon Forrester still invited Scott Langford from the distant South to provide support during Sienna’s cesarean surgery. As for Quentin Thorne, he arranged for the President of the City Hospital to personally participate in the surgery.
The same people from back then, the same operating room, even the anesthesiologist was the same as back then.
The day before the cesarean surgery, Sienna Thornton was admitted to the hospital room. Simon Forrester cared for his wife in preparation for birth while Sylvia Langley took care of little Victor.
The night before the surgery, Sylvia Langley brought little Victor to the hospital room to visit Sienna Thornton.
At four years old, little Victor was very sensible, seeing Sienna lying in the hospital bed with a big belly, understanding she was about to have a little sister. He tenderly patted his mother’s high belly with his little hands, then brought his tiny mouth close and said to her stomach, "Sister, I’m your brother, four years older than you. I’ll protect you, so you must be good tomorrow and not hurt Mom, or Brother won’t care for you."
After speaking to his sister, he stood on a short stool by the bed, sat beside Sienna, and held her hand, reassuring her, "Mom, you’ll give birth to my sister safely. Kyle will be waiting outside the surgery room for you tomorrow morning, don’t be afraid."
Moved to tears, Sienna Thornton quietly turned her face, just as she was about to reach for a tissue, Simon Forrester had already lifted one to wipe her tears.
"Our son has grown thoughtful," he smiled.
Sienna’s tears flowed even faster, like broken beads. Despite everything, she was still frightened, afraid of encountering some danger, afraid of an irreversible separation from her husband and son.