Kim had somewhat of an easy pregnancy except for the first trimester where she unfortunately had all day sickness as oppose to morning sickness. She was on a diet of saltine crackers and French fries for the first trimester that Gerald was worried.  She didn’t gain weight but the doctors didn’t seem to worry.  Kim was always tired so Gerald just made sure she rested.  Gerald tried to get Kim to stop working but she wouldn’t hear of it however they made a pact that if she felt tired that she would come to his office to rest on the couch which she often did. 

Gerald and Kim had a great time preparing for their baby.  Because they turned the entire 5^th floor of their home into their master bedroom, bathroom, office, his and her closets.  They decided to turn the office into the nursery.  They were lucky it was big enough for a nursery and the baby’s closet. Because they didn’t want to find out the of the baby, they decided to decorate the room in neutral colors with a theme of Disney babies. They had a muralist paint the walls with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto as babies. It was perfect.  What they enjoyed the most was planning on how to tell their families.  They decided to hold on to their news until Thanksgiving when they invited everyone to spend Thanksgiving in New York with them.  All their family and friends came and stayed at the house. They loved having the house full.

At Thanksgiving dinner, they had a sit-down dinner and enjoyed all the ts of Thanksgiving, including some favorite Filipino dishes.  When it was time for dessert, everyone was about to head to the family room but Gerald told them all to wait a minute.

Gerald: Hi everyone! Before we move to the family room to relax and our pants to breath, I have a gift for all of you. But before you open your gift, Kim and I just want to say how happy all of you are here with us for Thanksgiving.  It is beautiful to sit at this table and look at all the people who are extremely important to us and who we love. We are definitely blessed. Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone else: Happy Thanksgiving!

Gerald: So I’m jumping ahead… I would like to take the time for each of us to say 1 thing we are thankful for this year.

Everyone went ahead and began to share the one thing they are most thankful for. It was emotional, it was funny but most of all it was heartfelt.

Gerald: So back to our gift to you guys.  On you place mat, there is a gift underneath if you flip it.

Everyone took their placemat and flipped it over to find a picture of a sonogram taped to the placemat with Anderson written in the top right corner. Everyone gasped and looked up at Kim and Gerald. Mrs. Anderson cried, as did Tanya, Mel and Kim’s sisters. Kim’s and Gerald’s dads were both speechless. The guys all stood and gave Gerald high fives. On Tanya’s, Mel’s, Matt’s, Jon’s, Fred’s and Jamila’s sonogram pictures, it said either ‘Hi Ninong!’ or ‘Hi Ninang!’

Kim: Gerald and I are thankful for this blessing. We are sorry but we didn’t want to tell you guys over the phone. 

Mel: Pinsan! How far along are you?

Tanya: I knew something was up.  I noticed you weren’t drinking wine with us. You don’t look pregnant.

Kim: (laughing through her tears)  I’ll take that as a compliment but I’m starting to feel very pregnant.  I’m about 5 months along.

Mrs. Anderson: 5 months!!! And we’re just now finding out. Wait. You don’t look like you’ve gained weight. Is everything okay?

Kim: I had a somewhat challenging first 3 months.  I was basically on a saltine crackers, French fries diet. So I lost weight instead of gain.  I am slowly gaining.  But my belly is now coming out. The doctor said that everything is going well. All my tests so far have come back positively.

Gerald placed his hand on Kim’s belly pulling her loose flowy dress closer to her body. Everyone saw Kim’s small bulge and began talking all at once. Everyone was so happy. Kim’s dad could not stop hugging Kim. Gerald’s dad could not stop hugging Kim. They all wanted to know the of the baby.

Gerald: Sorry guys but Kim and I decided to go old-fashioned. We don’t want to know the of the baby because we are happy with whatever God grants us.

Four months later… Kim and Gerald had a baby boy. Julian Randolph Chiu Anderson, III.  Gerald was so supportive and strong during the whole delivery process but almost passed out after it was all over.  Kim did great but for awhile didn’t think she could do it. When everything was all done and all the tests done and taken care of, and it was just the three of them left in the hospital room, Gerald slipped into the hospital bed next to Kim, holding their son in their arms. They were both looking down at their son.

Gerald: Thank you so much baby.

Kim: Thank you baby.  We have a son. (tearing)

Gerald: It’s amazing babe. You were amazing.

Kim: Are you okay?  You almost passed out. (giggling)

Gerald: Hey! I did good. And the important word is ‘almost’. (laughing)

Kim: Sssshhh. Do you think we are going to be good parents?

Gerald: We had good parents as great examples.  I think we’ll do fine. We won’t be perfect but we’ll definitely do our best.

Kim: I don’t want him spoiled babe.

Gerald: Too late. Do you realize that your family and my family is on their way right now?  I think Tanya and Jon and Matt and Mel are going to try to fly in this weekend.  Once they confirm, I’m sending the plane to get them. It’s going to be great to have their help so that we can settle in. 

Kim: I know. Your mom is staying with us for awhile.

Gerald: Are you okay with that?

Kim: I am more than okay. I am grateful!! (silence)  Baby… this is surreal. 

Gerald: I know. I know what you mean. Baby, you have given me everything I could hope for in my life. None of this would be special if it was not with you. Only with you would my life be complete. Thank you.  (pausing)  Oh. Before I forget, I have a gift for you. 

Gerald pulled out a white gold necklace with a round pendant, with a single birthstone at the center, hanging off of it.  Engraved on the pendant was Julian’s name and on the other side was his birth date.

Kim: When did you do this? We just had the baby.

Gerald: Well… I had Philip go pick it up from the jeweler. He just dropped it off.

Kim: Thank you babe. It’s perfect.

Gerald: You’re perfect. I love you Kimberly Sue Chiu Anderson.

Kim: And I love you Gerald Randolph Opsima Anderson, Jr.

Gerald gave Kim a kiss filled with such tenderness that it brought tears to both of their eyes. And there they stayed holding on to their son and to each other.

There life together was filled with tenderness, lots of love and many more blessings. They had two more children, another boy and girl.  They traveled the world as a family. They lived in Paris at their Parisian apartment with the kids.  They moved to Italy for a year to support some of their hotels that were struggling. They moved to California for some time so that the children could get to know Kim’s family and friends a little bit better.  They even stayed in China to see how the Urumqi Hotel was running. They visited the Philippines and went on many trips as a family. The children were students of the world and blossomed under all their experiences despite moving every once in awhile. They settled back in New York when the children were getting a little bit older and needed some stability especially when they entered their elementary years. Kim and Gerald worked hard in moving Andersons International Inc. at the forefront of hospitality world wide.  They grew the business and were successful in all their projects. They had a few bumps along the way in their marriage but they always worked through their problems together. Their love and passion for each other never ebbed. It grew. They had a life filled with many blessings. Gerald and Kim found love but what’s most important is that they lived their life, keeping their love.