Bedtime Story (11/1/2017)

Maybe I'm just uber broody at the moment, but I've been thinking a lot about babies, lately.  Hence, this week's story is a funny one about an anticipated arrival!

Click here to listen to this story as a podcast.

"What's In Your Tum, Mum?!"

Shelly's Mum kept being sick.

"Someone fetch a doctor, quick!"

Shelly was worried her Mum wasn't well.

And that was before her stomach started to swell!

"What's in your tum, Mum?"

Shelly asked, day after day.

"If it's a bug, the doctor'll make it go away."

But Mum and Dad smiled and shook their heads.

And they whispered, as they put Shelly to bed:

"Soon you'll have a baby sister or brother,

And you'll be friends and play with each other!"

Shelly frowned, once her parents had gone.
Where was this new baby coming from?
Babies didn't grow on trees and what's more,
You couldn't order them online, Shelly was sure!

As time went on, Mum's belly began growing.
What was inside, Shelly had no way of knowing.
Imagine her shock when Dad gently kissed her
And told Shelly: "In Mum's belly is your brother or sister!"

Shelly was confused - did Mum eat a baby?!

And why was it making her eat trifle with gravy?!

You see, Mum had finally stopped being sick,

But she was eating weird stuff, like cheese with jam - ick!

"Is there really a baby in your tum, Mum?"

Shelly frowned, in a haze.

"And why is it making you so terribly strange?!"

Still, Mum's belly continued to grow.

And there were rides at the park on which Mum couldn't go.

Her tummy got bigger until it surely would pop!

Shelly worried that it might never stop.

And then one night before bed, whilst watching the telly,
Shelly noticed Mum grimace and clutch at her belly.
Before Shelly could say anything, Dad gave a shout:
"Quick, to the hospital!  The baby's coming out!"

Shelly was sent to stay with her Gran,
But there were still many things she didn't understand.
Mum's tummy was so huge, she looked like a glutton;
Would the baby pop out of her big belly button?!

Or maybe Mum would have to be sick,
And the baby would fly out of her mouth in a tick?!
The whole process seemed terribly queer.
How on Earth would this baby get here?!

"Is it still in your tum, Mum?"
Shelly whispered, before sleep.
"Will it go back inside, or is it ours to keep?!"

The next morning, Shelly went with her Gran
And her Grandpa to hospital in Grandpa's old van.
There, in Mum's arms, lay Shelly's new sister.
Shelly smiled, leaned forwards and tenderly kissed her.

Suddenly, all of the questions were gone from her head,
As Shelly watched the baby, tucked up on the bed.
She still wasn't sure how the baby got there,
But Shelly was suddenly too happy to care.

The baby was so cute, Shelly couldn't wait to hold her!
All those questions could wait, until Shelly was older.
They sat around together; a perfect family.
And all that was left in Mum's tum, was a nice cup of tea.

THE END