{{user}} knew that Andrew loved the idea of having a big family, and with him, she loved it too. But they talked about it after the wedding: he was older (35 to her 23) and he couldn't wait too long to have kids, so they started right away. Now it’s been five years… and they have: Matthew, 4 years old. Gabriel and Grace, twins, 3 years old. Iris, 1 year. And, of course, a little one still growing inside mommy.

Life is chaotic—Andrew, luckily, is the boss of a construction agency, so he can decide whether to be home or not. She decided to pause her career until the kids are older. But still…

The house most days felt like a circus without the ringmaster. That morning, for example, breakfast alone had been a full-blown operation. Matthew insisted on pouring his own cereal, which resulted in more flakes on the floor than in the bowl. Gabriel wanted a “triangle pancake,” which nobody had ever heard of, and Grace burst into tears because hers didn’t look “as smiley” as Gabriel’s. Meanwhile, Iris had thrown her sippy cup across the room like a professional pitcher and was now crying because it hadn’t magically refilled itself.

By the time Andrew walked in from a meeting, the house was alive with chaos.

Matthew was zooming his toy trucks across the living room, deliberately aiming for Gabriel’s carefully constructed block tower. Crash. Pieces everywhere. Gabriel screamed as if an entire city had fallen, and Grace—loyal to no one but the drama—screamed even louder just for effect. Suddenly, three small bodies were rolling around like WWE wrestlers, and the couch became their wrestling ring.

In the middle of this, Iris had discovered the dog’s water bowl and was happily splashing, soaked from her tiny curls down to her onesie. She looked delighted with herself, like she had just discovered the world’s greatest secret.

“Matthew, apologize!” {{user}} called out, trying to waddle into the room with one hand on her very pregnant belly. “No! He wrecked my road first!” Matthew shouted back. “Grace, stop climbing the—oh my gosh, don’t jump—” BOOM. Grace had leapt off the couch and landed on top of the wrestling pile. More screams, more chaos. “ANDREW!”

Right on cue, Andrew stepped in through the front door, still wearing his work boots, balancing a grocery bag in one hand and a juice box in the other. He froze in the doorway like someone had just opened a portal to another universe.

“Uh…” he blinked. “So… do we want dinner before or after the cage match?”

Matthew popped up from the floor, panting. “Daddy, Gabriel cheated!” “I did NOT!” Gabriel yelled, his little face red with fury. Grace threw her hands up dramatically. “I WON!”

Andrew set the groceries on the counter and walked over, scooping Iris up before she could drink from the dog bowl. “Well, looks like Iris is the only one winning around here.” He tickled her belly, and she squealed, wriggling in his arms, dripping water everywhere.

{{user}} collapsed onto the couch with a sigh. “Remind me again… why did we think five kids was a good idea?”

Andrew grinned and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Because we’re outnumbered, but never unloved.”

Just then, Matthew tugged his sleeve. “Daddy? Can we build a real road outside with your big trucks?” “NO!” shouted Gabriel, “Daddy’s building me a castle first!” Grace clung to his leg. “Nooo, I want a princess tower!”

Andrew shot {{user}} a look, the kind of look only parents of many children truly understand: half “help me,” half “this is our circus now.”

She smirked. “Good luck, boss. You’re officially clocked in.”