The next nine months passed us by in the blink of an eye. Of course, there were some times when you'd be in pain, or having mood swings. Morning sickness was also a thing. But besides that, you always said it was a major blessing to be pregnant. 

When we reached the two month mark, we decided it's time to tell everyone. I wanted something creative, so I spent quite a bit of time thinking about it. I didn't tell you anything until the idea was fully formed though, so you could think I thought up of it quickly. Sometimes I did get jealous that you were so much smarter than me. 

Then came the day we posted the picture I thought so hard about. We wore a white t-shirt, both with a "1" in the middle. You had on jean shorts and blue flip flops. I wore regular jeans and white sneakers. Out of your shirt came a baby's arm, which was actually the arm of a mutated doll we found in the toy box at the thrift shop. Where the plastic met fabric, the shirt was dyed red. The hand held a sheet of paper that sloppily wrote "+1" on it. We leaned against the brick wall of our apartment building. On the wall, written on chalk, was a "+" and an "=3". You stood in front of the "+" and I stood between that and the "=3". We looked at each other in mock surprise as the self-timed camera snapped the shot. 

The response we got was mostly positive, of course, some of your relatives were concerned about having a child before marriage. Your sister commented that your mother had seen it and liked it. Do Kyungsoo congratulated us in both his and his wife's place. Byun Baekhyun and Kim Jongin congratulated us, mostly me, with some erse undertone. Minseok's wife, Taeyeon also sent her best regards and hoped our child and hers could grow up to be friends. 

For about a month before the due date, your mother came to the city to live with us and take care of you while I worked. I had originally planned to take a leave for a bit, but she insisted on my working so that I could still bring money back home. As long as you weren't alone all day, I was happy to oblige. 

One day, late January, when I got home from a wedding I'd been hired for, I found your mother asleep on the couch in front of the TV and heard your muffled cries of pain. I dropped everything and ran to our room where I saw you sitting up in bed, clutching your stomach. You looked up with tears in your eyes and said, "It's here!" 

I ran back to the living room to wake up your mother. "Eommeo-nim! Seulyoung says the baby's here!" I yelled. She woke up and went straight to the car as I ran back to our room. 

I picked you up, an arm under your knees and the other supporting your back. You held on to my neck as I got you into the car's front passenger seat. You put your seatbelt on as I hurried to the driver's side, simultaneously taking out my phone to call the hospital. 

"Seoul National Hospital, how may I help you?" the woman on the other end said. 

"Hi, umm, my girlfriend Min Seulyoung, she's supposed to be registered. She's umm, going into labour I think." I glanced at you as I drove about eighteen kilometres over the speed limit. You nodded, and went back to gasping for air as you tried hard to hold in your screams. 

"Chanyeol-ah, don't drive so fast, we're going to crash!" your mother instructed from the back seat. I loosened my push on the gas pedal. 

I hung up the phone. "They're going to be waiting for us, you'll be okay, it'll be fine and over really quick, okay?" I comforted you. 

You whimpered and when I looked at you again I saw that you were in a night gown. Good thing we've been keeping your "going home" clothes in the car for the last few days. 

"Here we are, it'll be fine now." I told you as we pulled into the hospital parking lot. There were some nurses waiting with stretchers. 

They got you in and rolled you inside, your mother followed you while I parked the car. I bolted into the hospital after that and found your mother not far down the hallway. I reached your side and took your hand for you to squeeze. You squeezed hard. 

They took you into a room and told your mother and I to stay outside. We waited together, holding hands and praying for a safe, complication-free birth. Sometime when the prayers began to get redundant I started to pace back and forth. Then I got tired and took out my phone. I posted an SNS update, telling everyone you were in labour and to pray for you. 

I sat back down next to your mother after another bout of pacing and dismissing horrible thoughts, and we leaned our heads together and started to fall asleep. Just then, the doctor came out of the room. I stood up. 

"Is she okay? Is the child okay?" We never found out the gender of the child. We wanted it to be a surprise. 

"Min Seulyoung and your son are both well and healthy. There were no complications in the birth." The doctor offered a smile and walked past me as I walked into the room. 

"Seulyoung?" I whispered in the room. You were asleep on the bed, a result of the painkillers. You looked beautiful and at peace. I your hair and you stirred, your eyebrows furrowing. When you calmed down again, I smoothed out the wrinkles. A nurse turned around and bowed. I hadn't noticed her before. 

"Are you the father?" she asked. I nodded. "Your son is here. Congratulations. He's very healthy." I made my way towards the little bed as she watched me. As soon as I saw the little boy's face, just as peaceful and serene as his mother's, it dawned on me that I was a father. I'm a father! Holy crap, I'm a father! 

I started to shake with laughter, careful not to make any noise. At the same time, tears were flowing from my eyes to my chin. My heart was beating way too fast and I felt like I was walking on a cloud. 

Then your moth