you and your husband, axel, met back in your college years. you tailing your friends around at the fair and him just tagging along with his.

after ending up on a ride together and throwing up your greasy funnel cake on his brand new shirt, one thing led to another and he was in love.

you went through the motions: dating, moving in together, some petty arguments, getting married, moving into a bigger house, etc etc. and now you two were beginning to create your little family.

your pregnancy was rough. 25/8 sickness and aches and fatigue and exhaustion. despite how happy you were for your baby, you were utterly miserable. your mother--monster-- in law didn't make things any better, either. if she wasn't chipping at your draining confidence and esteem, she was inserting herself in every situation and making it about her.

hell, when you two announced you were expecting at a small family dinner, she sobbed dramatically and began going on about how she'd never feel the warmth of a baby again. yea.

you'd finally worked up the strength to host a small gender reveal, only inviting your close family. she'd been making snide comments all day, slowly but surely ruining this day for you. when the balloon was popped (you couldn't stand the smell of cake right now) and blue confetti sprayed the dining room floor, you turned to axel with a weary smile and open arms, only to be so rudely interrupted by kathy's squealing, running up to squeeze her son, pushing you out of the way.

"we're having a boy!!!" she cried happily. "i already have a named picked out and everything!"