Narrator
It was around seven in the morning on a Saturday, a day that seemed like any other. However, Paulina was in her bathroom, holding a pregnancy test, where a clear positive result shone before her eyes.
Paulina could hardly contain her excitement. She had been trying to get pregnant over the past year without success, but now, with that definitive result between her fingers, she could say that her family was about to be complete. Her heart was beating so fast she felt it might burst out of her chest.
It was no secret that she and Shanti wanted a big family, with many children—specifically eight. So, with the new member arriving in nine months, they would have seven kids... although deep down, Paulina hoped it would be twins, to reach the perfect number they had both envisioned in countless late-night conversations.
Feeling excitement coursing through her body, Paulina headed toward the kitchen. As she approached, she heard the commotion: her wife's voice mixed with the laughter of their children. Upon crossing the doorway, she encountered a scene that was both chaotic and adorable. The kids were making pancakes—or rather, creating a monumental mess of flour, eggs, and batter all over the kitchen—while Shanti tried to prevent them from hurting themselves in their "culinary experiment."
Oh my God… —Paulina thought, watching them roll around among the ingredients.
As soon as she stepped through the doorway and saw the total disaster, for a moment she forgot the news she had to share with her wife. She didn't know what to do in the face of such a scene: all the children were out of control, and before Shanti noticed her presence, Paulina saw the exact moment her wife gave up, aware that trying to stop them was pointless.
"Why scold them if the kitchen is already a mess?" Shanti thought, letting out a resigned sigh. Just then, she felt her wife's gaze fixed on her. She turned immediately, and seeing Paulina's stern face, she remembered why she should have maintained order. Because that look… was the look of absolute authority.
The commanding shout that followed echoed throughout the room:
"What do you think you're doing?"
The children froze. From the oldest to the youngest, they stood motionless. They knew, without a doubt, that their mom, Paulina, was the ultimate authority in the house.
"I only asked you to wait for ten minutes," she raised her voice, annoyed.
Everyone was scared; but the most frightened of all was her wife, who knew better than anyone Paulina's temper. That tone was terrifying when the children misbehaved.
"Shanti," she called, still upset.
Shanti swallowed and looked back at her, using her best puppy-dog eyes to try to soften her.
Paulina knew that look well, and although she usually gave in, this time would not be the exception. She approached her wife, calming her anger slightly, and muttered through her teeth:
"Take them to shower. Now," she ordered firmly.
Shanti didn't resist the command, and the children, without saying a word, obeyed instantly. They left the kitchen covered in flour, some with eggshells stuck in their hair, and their pajamas dirty from head to toe. They walked with the expression of scolded puppies… exactly the same expression Shanti wore at the end of the line.
Paulina watched the mess and began cleaning. With any luck, she would finish before they returned. Everyone knew Paulina was like a disaster-fixing machine: what would take anyone hours, she fixed immediately. And this time was no exception; in thirty minutes, she had cleaned up the chaos her children had made. Then, skillfully, she prepared breakfast for eight, including herself.
She was finishing serving the last plate when she heard the sound of her children's footsteps entering the dining room.
They came in line, like little soldiers: combed, bathed, and tidy. From the youngest to the oldest, they approached Paulina.
The first was Matt, the youngest, who, almost in a whisper, said:
"Sorry, mommy, I was bad," he apologized sincerely.
Before coming down, Shanti had made the children understand that they had misbehaved and that they needed to apologize to their mom, Paulina. The children nodded seriously, and so, one by one, they entered in line, ready to offer a sincere apology.
Paulina melted with love at the smallest one's gesture. She hugged and kissed her son tenderly, feeling all traces of anger disappear.
"It's okay, baby, but don't misbehave again," she said lovingly, leaving a kiss on his cheek.
Little Matt nodded happily and excitedly because his mom, Paulina, was no longer mad at him. Then, almost skipping, he went to the table.
Next were the twins, Kira and Lucas, who in unison said:
"Sorry, mommy," they apologized before hugging her legs.
It was supposed to be one at a time, but as twins, they seemed to think the same thing at the same time. Paulina said the same thing to them as she had to Matt, although they didn't skip toward the table; instead, they muttered to each other, arguing because one felt the other had interrupted their apology. Paulina couldn't help but smile at their little dispute.
Next were the twins, Camila and Lili, who, unlike the other twins, didn't apologize in sync. Camila went first… or maybe Lili spoke too late. Either way, within seconds they were blaming each other for having done it "wrong."
"Girls…" Paulina scolded them firmly.
But she couldn't stay mad at them, so she softened her expression and kissed each of them on the cheeks, which immediately calmed the little argument.
The last to approach was Soleil, who came to her mom very slowly. A little embarrassed, and in an almost inaudible whisper, she said:
"Sorry, mommy…"
Paulina smiled, melting at the sweetness of her eldest daughter, who had to apologize in that dialect for her mom to forgive her. She kissed her forehead, and Soleil, relieved and happy, ran to sit at the table.
As Paulina watched her daughter settle into her chair, she felt arms wrap around her waist. Arms she recognized better than her own. Her wife's soft voice enveloped her.
"Sorry, my love," Shanti apologized, leaving a kiss on her cheek.
Paulina looked at her with a silly smile that Shanti adored. Then, hand in hand, they went to the table to have breakfast with their children. Between laughter, small battles over syrup, and endless questions, they began to eat.
As usual, Soleil ended up with her cheeks full of food. No one knew how she managed to get so messy, but as always, Shanti cleaned her with infinite patience.
Paulina watched the tender scene, and it was then that she remembered she hadn't shared the big news yet. She didn't think much about it—in fact, she didn't think at all. The words simply came out of her mouth.
Seeing her wife cleaning their daughter, she said with a huge smile:
"You're going to be a mother again."
Shanti looked at her instantly, stopping what she was doing. Soleil also turned, curious, wearing the same surprised expression as her mom.
Paulina knew every expression of Shanti's: from the most intimate to the most superficial. She had seen them all in every possible situation. Yet, her wife always managed to surprise her whenever she announced that they would be mothers again.
The first time, Shanti had literally jumped for joy. For the second pregnancy, Paulina expected the same reaction, but Shanti remained still, taking several minutes to process it. Paulina had thought her wife didn't want more children, even though Shanti had told her otherwise many times.
Shanti had to deny that thought. It wasn't that she didn't want more; she was worried because Paulina hadn't fully recovered from the first pregnancy and was already pregnant again.
Paulina understood her concern and reassured her, assuring her that she was stronger than she thought and could handle another baby.
The third pregnancy was announced while they were in the bathtub. Paulina paused mid-kiss, dropped the news, and Shanti's eyes went wide, her mouth moving without forming a word. She had believed the next pregnancy would be several months later, not now, not so soon. Paulina wanted to surprise her… and she certainly did.
With the fourth pregnancy, the news came at Christmas, during a family trip to Alaska. Paulina took her wife's hand and, in front of everyone, said, "I'm pregnant." There was silence, followed by shouts and hugs. Johanna was the first to react with a "Wow, congratulations!" followed by everyone else. However, when they turned to Shanti, they discovered she was pale… and seconds later, she fainted. She woke up the next day, still in disbelief.
Shanti woke up in the early hours of Christmas, startled, thinking for a moment that what had happened the night before was a dream. But it wasn't. Everything came back to her clearly, and when she turned, she saw her wife sleeping beside her. A pang of guilt struck her: maybe Paulina thought she didn't want more children. Yet that couldn't have been further from the truth. Her fear wasn't motherhood; her fear was losing Paulina.
Shanti feared each pregnancy, not because of mood swings, irrational jealousy, or late-night trips for impossible cravings. Even those things seemed endearing to her. What really scared her was childbirth. Every time Paulina gave birth, Shanti felt her heart stop. The fear that something could happen to Paulina or the baby was enough to push her to the edge of panic.
Still, she tried to repeat the words her wife always said: "I'm not as weak as you think."And although those words helped her, they didn't completely erase the fear. But Shanti knew she had to trust.
That early morning, unable to sleep, she wrapped her arms around Paulina's warm body and gently caressed her belly with infinite tenderness. Then, she brought her lips to her ear and whispered:
"Thank you for my Christmas gift," she said softly, leaving a kiss on her shoulder.
Paulina, who had already been awake since her wife got up startled, smiled inevitably. In a murmur, she replied:
"I thought you didn't like it."
"I didn't like it… I loved it," Shanti whispered, kissing her shoulder again, her tone a mix of love and happiness.
Right now, Paulina didn't know how to interpret her wife's expression. Shanti's eyes were wide open and her mouth slightly parted, as if she had witnessed something shocking. Without a doubt, it was a perfect mix of surprise and disbelief. But what caught her attention the most was that Shanti wasn't the only one with that face: Soleil and the twins shared the same expression. They all knew exactly what it meant; it wasn't hard to deduce. New little siblings, more diapers, running after their moms for wipes, listening to the baby cry almost all day… and repeating a routine that, although filled with love, was also exhausting.
Shanti turned fully toward her wife and, with a trembling voice, asked:
"Mom… do you mean you're pregnant?" —she stammered a little.
"Yes," Paulina replied, happy and radiant.
"I thought this time you would tell me when you went to the doctor for the procedure," Shanti reminded her in a whisper, with a hint of reproach but also affection.
Paulina, as with her previous children—except Soleil—had wanted to surprise her wife. However, Shanti had asked that for the last two babies, she let her know so she could accompany her during the procedure and make sure she wouldn't do it all alone.
Still, Paulina knew her wife was always busy and didn't want to burden her with the pressure of rearranging her schedule to be there.
"I know, love, but I didn't want to overwhelm you. You've had so much work lately…" Paulina said gently.
"I know, love… but I wanted to be with you," Shanti complained, with a pout that only Paulina could read.
"Another little brother!" Soleil interrupted, alarmed—"Mommy's going to give us another little brother!" —she almost shouted.
Soleil couldn't believe it. History was about to repeat itself: sharing her moms, dividing hugs, taking turns, losing attention. She didn't want that, not again.
Paulina crouched down to speak to her. She explained, with the infinite patience only a mother possesses, that there would always be time for all her children, that love didn't divide—it multiplied. She also reminded her how much she enjoyed playing with her little siblings: how she came running from school to find them, how she laughed with them, how she defended them.
Soleil remembered those moments and slowly relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, her frown softened, she looked at her siblings, and smiled happily.
The day passed amid the usual chaos: toys on the floor, laughter in the hallways, excited shouts, small arguments quickly resolved with hugs. But in the midst of that joy, a fleeting thought crossed Shanti's mind. She stopped abruptly, looked at her wife with wide eyes, and asked:
"Love… it's one baby, right?"
Paulina looked at her, smiling with the calmness that always made Shanti feel safe.
"It's possible it's two," she replied happily.
Shanti laughed nervously, almost choking on her own saliva, and added:
"Let's hope it's two," she said with a wide, though slightly shaky, smile, then returned to the floor to continue playing with their children.
And although deep down she felt her heart racing a thousand beats per minute, she also knew there was no greater adventure than the family they were building together… even if it meant doubling diapers, cries, and sleepless nights. But it also meant doubling kisses, laughter, and tiny arms hugging them every morning. And for Shanti, that was worth everything.