35 weeks

Justin stretched in bed as he watched the sun dance through the slight opening in the curtains.  Brian was no longer in bed, having gotten up early to read his emails and work out.  At 27, Justin still had a high metabolism and only occasionally worked out.  It was not something that Brian appreciated since he had to spend a lot of time at the gym to keep his body in shape.  Today was going to be special and he didn't linger in bed.

He quickly showered, shaved and dressed in a pair of jeans and a deep blue Henley topped with a zip up hoody.  He may be a famous artist, but he was not going to dress up for a shopping trip to the mall. Making his way downstairs to look for Brian, he stopped in the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, putting cream and sugar in it.  After taking a few sips and enjoying the delicious aroma of the Hawaiian ground roast that Brian insisted they buy, he walked to the study where he thought he heard Brian talking on the phone.

"I'll get the preliminary boards finished this week, Leo, and then we can schedule a time to review them. ... Yes, I know there is a deadline.  How many years have we been working for Brown Athletics? .... That's right, 8 years and we've never let you down.  Now I've got to go.  We'll talk next week."  Brian hung up the phone and shook his head.

"I've been working with Leo Brown for over 8 years and he still worries over every campaign.  You'd think after all the campaigns we've done, it would be easy for him to trust us."

Justin smiled and kissed Brian before saying, "It's his company.  You want everything in your company to be overseen by you.  He's no different." 

Brian nodded his head in agreement and kissed Justin on the lips, smelling the delicious coffee.  "Any more of that left?" he asked as he leaned his head toward the coffee cup.

"Yes.  You about done here?  We have a lot to do today."

"Remind me again why we have to go to this baby store.  I'm sure I could order everything on line and it would take ½ the time."

"I told you.  My mom is having a baby shower for us and we have to register for what we want.  And a lot of this stuff is not something you would really buy on line."

"Why don't you and mother Taylor go "register" the items?  Who the hell "registers" items for a baby?  Are you really sure about this?  I mean it's a 7 pound human.  How much stuff does it really need?  You feed it, change its diaper and dress it.  Simple."

"Brian, I've explained this to you.  We are going to Babies R Us and pick out items we want for our child.  Cynthia is going to meet us there so she can give us some ideas of the things we will need.  We need to be there at 10:00 and it is almost 9:15 now.  We need to leave."  Justin walked to the kitchen, dumped the remaining coffee in the sink and placed the mug in the dishwasher.

Brian shut down his computer and checked his pocket for keys and phone.  He walked to the kitchen and watched as Justin grabbed a bagel from the fridge. 

"Ok.  I'm ready.  Let's do this.  At least Cynthia is going to be there.  She'll keep you in check."

They drove to the Toys R Us in Pittsburgh and Cynthia was waiting inside the store with several sheets of paper.  Brian looked at her, belly swollen with their child, face a little more round than normal and her eyes bright with anticipation.  Even though he preferred men, especially Justin, she did have a special glow to her.  He wondered if he was getting sentimental in his old age.  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"You look good.  Our baby is lucky to have you."

Cynthia frowned at Brian's words, choosing to focus on Justin.  She knew her boss was happy about the baby, but the specifics of the preparation he was none too thrilled about. She provided Justin with the list of items that she had printed out.

"I talked to my sister and she said these are the things you're going to need when the baby comes home."

"Told you Justin there was a list somewhere.  Tell me again, why we couldn't just go on line to buy everything?  We could be doing much more enjoyable things at the moment."

"Brian.   This shouldn't take more than a couple of hours and then we have the whole day to do whatever.  This is our child and we should choose the first items of its life in person.  Later, when it gets older, we can order stuff on line.  I want to do this together."   Justin kissed Brian lightly on the lips and gave him a genuine smile with the unmistakable look of pleading mixed with awe.

Brian made a big production of sighing as if this was a chore worse than the dentist but held out his hand to Cynthia to peruse the list.  As he read the list, he mentally checked off the items that he recognized; crib, diapers, wipes, blankets, car seat, but the list went on.

"What the hell is a Boppy?  And a swing- I know what a sling is but I cannot imagine a baby needing a swing. A Snugglie?  Who names these things and what are they for?"

"A Boppy is for your lap so when you feed the baby it is higher and much easier to position it.   You can also lay the baby on it for tummy time and .... ,"  Justin starts to explain.  He is using his PSA voice and Brian starts to feel the pressure behind his eyes as he realizes this trip may really take a few hours. 

"A Snugglie is a carrier that we strap to our chest to carry the baby.  The baby is calmed by our heartbeat and the familiarity of the position it was in when Cynthia was carrying it.  Babies like to be wrapped tightly; it provides comfort and security."  Justin starts to walk to the isle where the newborn items are shelved, going over to the Snugglies and choosing a few for Brian and him to look at.  On the front picture there is a woman with the baby securing strapped to her chest.

"No way in hell am I wearing that in public!"  Brian took the package and placed in back on the shelf.  "There has to be other ways to carry a baby."

Justin's smile faltered a little at Brian's outburst, but he knew Kinney speak well at this point in their relationship. While Brian was fully on board with having a child, the realities of existence with a newborn were still a little abstract for him.  Justin expected that when the baby was born, Brian would easily and happily step up to the plate to care for their child.  After all, he originally didn't want anything to do with Gus except provide the sperm and everyone knew how well that turned out.  Brian was extremely involved in Gus' life, even to the extent that Gus had wanted to live with them after the baby was born.  With this child, he expected Brian would be there for as much as he could.

"We can always just carry the baby or place the car seat in the cart at the store," Justin said, in a tone that brooked no question to his unhappiness with Brian's closed mind.

Brian didn't respond, recognizing Justin's tone.

Justin held the two packages and read the detailed description on the back of each.  He chose the one with the option to carry the baby on his back as it got older.  Placing the package in the cart, he walked down the aisle to the Boppy pillows.  Brian picked one up and looked at the pictures of a baby using the item at various stages. 

"I'm so glad that we do not have to put a campaign for this stuff together.  I can't imagine the advertising for it.  Sex sells, but how could I make a baby seat sexy?"

Justin smiled at Brian's remarks, knowing that he is finally accepting this outing.  When Brian starts connecting his work to any task, he knows that Brian is on board.

As they move to the bassinet area, Brian gets out his phone and starts swiping.  He quickly pulls up a comparison site of the best and safest basinets.  "According to Consumer reports, you shouldn't put a baby in a bassinet; I think we can take this off the list and move to the crib area."  Brian doesn't wait for a response from Cynthia or Justin, but looks for the sign indicating the correct part of the store.  Again he gets out his phone and begins his research, finding several web sites purporting the desired information. He reads diligently for several minutes and then looks at the cribs available.  Finally looking at Justin, he asks, "Which one do you like?"

"I really like the white one, but I don't think white is a great color for a baby.  Babies are messy."

Brian rolled his eyes; hoping that Justin was not going to evaluate every purchase for their child for the next 18 years.  "Consumer Reports states that all cribs have to meet specific safety standards and the choice is purely aesthetic.  Since we don't know if we are having a girl or a boy, I'd go with the coffee colored one.  It would go better with the colors in the room." 

They moved to the cribs in dark colors and chose an Eddie Bauer crib.  Brian took out his phone again and returned to the Consumer Reports web site to investigate mattresses.   Spending a few minutes looking at the material, he stated, "Mattresses are a little different.   Let's get the Simmons Kids Pampering Sleep Supreme 234 coil one.  It can be flipped when the kid is older and more likely to jump up and down."  He walked over to the display and picked up a card with the designated mattress name on it. They took the scanner that they'd been given by the courtesy clerk and scanned the information into the system. 

"I guess we need sheets and a mattress pad too."

"Actually, we don't need a pad, because the mattress is covered in plastic to repel moisture.  Kids pee and spit up a lot," Justin provided another PSA. 

Brian cringed when he thought of cleaning up after their child, but remained quiet.  He knew what he was getting into when he agreed to this.  He figured the kid would be at that stage for only a little while. 

They went to the bedding and picked out three sets of sheets and a comforter, scanning those items as well.

"Ok, if this kid is going to shit and puke all the time, he or she will have to get clean too.  I guess you are going to tell me there are special towels for a baby too," Brian said with a little sarcasm.

"Actually Brian you're right.  My sister said the towels with the little hoods keep their heads warm and are a great way to wrap the baby," Cynthia said as she walked toward that area.  Scanning a dozen choices they moved on to the next item on the list.

After two hours they had scanned over a hundred items for the newborn.  They took the scanner to the courtesy clerk and received a print out of the list.  "When your family and friends come in, they can go to the kiosk and get a print out of the items you want. That way they are buying what you have chosen for your baby.  As a thank you for choosing Baby's R Us, we're giving you $100 in coupons for future use.  Good luck with your baby and I can't wait to see you in the future," the young female clerk said as she cheerfully handed them the coupons.

Brian put his forefinger and thumb across his eyebrows as he massaged his brow.  Walking out of the store he glared at Cynthia and Justin.  "That was the longest two hours of my life. It was worse than seeing all the pictures Mickey and the doctor brought back from their trip to Paris," he said as they stood at the edge of the sidewalk to the side of the building.

He grabbed for his pack of cigarettes but they weren't in his pocket.  "Damn, I really need a cigarette.  Tell me again why I had to give them up."

"We talked about this.  Smoke is bad for the baby.  Babies who are around smoke can develop respiratory symptoms and get more colds and ear infections.  We want to provide our child with a healthy environment."

"I can still smoke my weed.   I'm not giving up everything for this baby."

"There are carcinogens in the weed too.  We agreed that we would only smoke outside or away from home."

"You're killing me here, Justin.  I think I'm going to look into building that little office off the garage so I can smoke in private.  It gets damn cold during Pittsburgh's winters.  And admit that you like a good joint too."

Justin nodded his agreement.  "That might work.  It would be a place where we can unwind and not place the child in danger.  Our own play room."

Brian got a gleam in his eye at mention of a play room. "I could have a sling put in and some other toys.  It would be our little retreat.  I'll call the contractor tomorrow.  We've got a month till the kid is born. That should be enough time."

Cynthia smiled at the two men and their playful banter.  She knew the child she was carrying for them would be loved and cared for.  She wondered who would win out in the upcoming discussions regarding wardrobe and toys.  Knowing Brian's penchant for indulging Gus as well as his attempts at spoiling Justin, she thought this baby would most likely have a more expensive wardrobe than she did and more toys than it would ever need.  She couldn't wait for it to be born and watch it grow up.

"So we have "registered" for all this shit, now what happens?"

"You'll see, we will be thankful we have it all.  At two o clock in the morning when the baby has spit up on the sheets for the third time in 24 hours, you will be really happy that we have another set and don't have to do laundry at that time of night."

"Sunshine, how do you know all about this shit?  You appear to be very knowledgeable and as far as I know, you don't have a hidden baby anywhere."

"I asked my mom and talked to Mel and Linds.  I decided they would be good resources.  My mom was the ultimate suburban housewife and mother.  My father wanted the very best for her. After all, his wife couldn't be seen with last year's baby items and she had to have the latest baby gear.  Then we have Mel and Linds who always seem to be short on cash.  They would be able to give me information about the absolute necessities and the items I could do without."

Brian nodded and reached out to pull Justin in for a hug.  "I love you," he whispered into his ear.  After their hug, he let Justin go and turned toward Cynthia. "Shopping expedition is over. I picked out all the stuff, do I have to attend the actual shindig?"

"Yes.  We're going to the shower.  The party is for our child and we will be attending.  It's in two weeks and we will be there.  All our friends are coming."

"Yes, dear," Brian said in falsetto tone, knowing it would irritate his husband.

Justin understood that Brian wasn't really against preparing for their baby, but he would rather not think about all the changes in their lives.  Instead of pushing him, he changed the topic of conversation.   "Let's go shopping for you now.  You've been hinting about the new line of Armani shirts that are coming out.  Let's go buy some."

Brian smiled and quickly walked to the car.  Justin hugged Cynthia and thanked her for her time and then followed Brian to the car.

TBC