Not Totally Insensitive

Brian and I have been together for nearly 10 years now. I learned in that time that he is just not the romantic type. He doesn't send flowers. He doesn't plan surprise romantic dinners. He just doesn't know how to be that kind of person.

This afternoon, I got a call from him at work. It took a bit to find out what he was calling about (he has a tendency to mess around when he calls, refusing to say why he called and usually, turning it around and asking me why I called him).
"Did you get your package?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Somebody told me you're getting a package today."
"I didn't stop home at lunch."
"I didn't ask you that. You didn't get your package?"
"Wait. Do you have tracking information for 'this package' and that's why you're asking me this?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll go downstairs and see if it's in the Comptroller's Office."

Any packages that come into our building go through the Comptroller's Office. Usually, they'll call to tell you if there's a package waiting for you, but apparently, they hadn't gotten around to it. Sure enough, on the top of the pile was a box for me from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Seeing this, the ladies insisted I open it right away. This is what was inside the box:

Of course, they all oohed and aahed over it. I couldn't stop beaming. This is not the Brian I know, that's for sure. I tried dropping hints 3 or 4 years ago about the Vermont Teddy Bear thing, but last year was when I pretty much gave up hope of him ever doing anything like this.

I read the card: "Happy first Mother's day!! I can't wait to meet you. Love, Peep (hopefully Daddy will pick a name soon)"

Aha... Now I think I know why this came. A couple days ago, we had a bit of a disagreement regarding Mother's Day. Brian wants to work on my truck on Mother's Day and I had said something about how we should be celebrating. He responded that I'm not a mother yet and that it's a day for kids to give their moms gifts. I'll let that sink in.... .... ....I was not too happy with his response. Ever since I lost Arabella in July, I've struggled with societal definitions of things like motherhood, knowing that I really am a mom already, even if I don't have a child to show for it yet. I've now nurtured 2 children (only to lose 1 of them). That's no small feat in and of itself, as anyone who has ever been pregnant knows. I've also learned that life starts long before birth. I feel I've been a mother ever since we discovered I was pregnant with Arabella. Apparently, he didn't feel that way. It made the bedroom quite uncomfortable that night. I'm not one who demands a make-up gift, and I can't say I've ever received one before. So whether this was prompted by the discussion the other night, or he thought it up on his own regardless, I'm grateful. There was definitely thought behind this gesture. Maybe there's hope for him yet. ;)