Chapter 52

The very next day, Dayna went into labor, and later that night, another Blackhawk baby made his way into the world. Austin Matthew Seabrook was born at 8:25pm on June 18th, 7 lbs. 2 oz. 21 inches long. He was a spitting image of Brent. Austin and Easton are 8 days apart. And just like that, Stan was putting another announcement onto the Hawks website.

Easton had another check up with Dr. K, he was doing very well and he was also very healthy. His personality was starting to show and his smile was from ear to ear. After that appointment, Jon and I decided to drop the car off at home, put the stroller together and take a walk down the mile. We had started going out more as Easton was getting older, but this was the first time we decided to stroll down Michigan Ave. People had recognized Jon and said congratulations, but people were respectful and left us alone for the most part, which was what I loved about being out there, and I guess it would be anywhere else with professional athletes.

We were walking down the mile, about to walk into the Nike Store, when I see 2 very familiar faces, not two seconds later, the guy is yelling at Jon to get his attention

“Buff! What’s going on man?” Jon says, saying hi to Dustin, me saying hi to Emily
“Not much man, hey Jamie! How’s the baby?” He asks after giving me a hug
“He’s good! Oh and he’s awake,” I say, as I lift the blanket over the stroller
“Oh my gosh, he’s so cute!” Emily says
“Thanks!” I say
“How long are you guys here for?” Jon asks him
“Until Wednesday, we’re going up to Minnesota from here,”
“Well, we need to get lunch then! We’re leaving for New Mexico on Tuesday for 4th of July weekend,”
“Let’s do it! When’s good?” Dustin asks
“How about now?”
“Sounds good, does that work for you ladies?” He asks, looking at Emily and me
“Definitely!” We both say

So we make our way down to Rush, and decide to eat at Tavern. The walk down was nice, as Jon pushed the stroller while he and Dustin talked and Emily and I walked behind them, with Easton in my arms.

“So how’s life out here been?” Dustin asks as we all sit down at Tavern
“It’s been good, it’s different staying down here, but seeing my parents was good too,” Jon said
“Oh yeah, since you couldn’t fly, right?” Dustin asks me
“Yeah, since the middle of the 8th month was when my doctor cut me off,”
“Well, it’s for the best right,” Emily says
“Yep, and I was glad to see Jon’s parents too, I’m also excited to go home for a few days,” I say
“So you’ll be ok to fly then?”
“Yeah, we actually shouldn't even be flying until he's closer to 3 months, but he's doing good and this is our only summer trip,”
“I think I’m picking up on something here with all these questions,” Jon says suspiciously
“Well…” Emily says, trailing off
“Are you pregnant?!” I ask quietly
“Yes!” her and Dustin say with big smiles
“Ah how far are you?”
“12 weeks,”
“Aw, congratulations, that’s so exciting!”
“Thanks!”
“And you know Ladder’s about to be a dad too?”
“No way?” Jon says surprised
“Geez, talk about an NHL baby boom,” I say
“Yeah, Brandy is due next month I think,” Dustin says
“And Dayna had her baby too right?” Emily asks
“Yep, last night actually,” Jon said
“Boy or girl?”
“Boy, Austin Matthew,”
“How cute!”
“I know, he’s so cute, looks like Brent,”

Our lunch ended up dragging out for almost 3 hours, but it was good to catch up with the next soon to be new parents. A lot of girls never liked Emily, but I thought she was such a sweet girl, and I was glad to be able to meet her. Before we parted ways, the guys promised we would get together when the Hawks were in Atlanta, and Emily and I exchanged numbers to keep in touch also.

We walked back down to Michigan Ave with Easton asleep again, in my arms. Jon needed a new iPod so we went to the Apple store, he insisted on getting me a new one too, since my old one, which was nearly 4 years old, had seen better days. So we left with 2 new iPods in hand before we went back home to relax for the rest of the day. Jon transferred music while I fed Easton and then opted to take a nap with him on the couch.

Morning had come for us to head to New Mexico for a few days and I was a little stressed to make sure we had everything we needed for Easton, and ourselves. Jon had assured me that we had enough formula, clothes, bottles, pacifiers, etc. for him before we headed down to the car we were taking to the airport.

Easton had been doing good so far, I fed him before we left and then he passed out pretty quickly, so it made it easier on us to check in our bags and get through security. Once we were on the plane, I was glad that Jon was able to get the whole row of 3 seats to our selves, even though one was empty, we could spread out a little more. He had done better then I thought on the plane, with only waking up during take off and landing.

We had our successful first flight home with the baby and he couldn’t have done it better, especially for being so young. He was secured back in his car seat before we walked through the terminal to meet my parents on the other side of security

“Jamie, over here!” my mom halfway yells
“Hi!” I say, walking over and giving them both hugs
“How was the flight?” my dad asked
“Good! Easton took it well,” Jon said, shaking hands then hugs with my parents
“Let me see my grandson,”
“Here,” I say, lifting up the blanket to a sleeping baby
“Oh wow, he’s beautiful!”
“Thanks!” as we start walking to baggage claim
“Is he a good baby?”
“Yeah, really good actually, he only cries when he’s hungry, sleeps for like 4 hours at a time,”
“Wow, you guys lucked out,” my dad said
“Yeah, I took a nap with him on the couch the other day and it was amazing, I thought for sure he’d wake up,”
“We were able to borrow a crib while you guys are here, so he has somewhere to sleep, and then we have the new bed in your old room,”
“Awesome,”
“Everyone is excited to see you guys! Jason and Ellie are here and so are the Ducks and Katy and Lisa,”
“Oh wow, the whole group!”
“Yep! Are you guys hungry? There’s not much to eat at the house, so we could get an early dinner somewhere,”
“Can we actually go to Red Robin? Amy is there,”
“Yeah, that sounds good,”

So we end up going to my old work for food, it was good to see Amy, being that I haven’t seen her since the wedding, and she had only seen a picture of Easton, when I sent her one of the birth announcements. Only a few people that I worked with were still there. Amy was still in awe that I was a mom, because she always made me watch her boys, and said it would be good birth control. But she knew how happy I was with Jon and she liked him so she was happy to see us happy.

4th of July was the next day, and we were all getting ready to go to my aunt’s house for the family get together. Everyone was excited to see us and also see the baby for the first time. The protective momma in me came out when everyone kept asking to hold him, being that he was still young, I didn’t want him getting passed around. But they all understood, and looked on. He wouldn’t have gotten far anyways, he’s already a momma’s boy, and cried a few times when I wasn’t holding him.

Chapter 51

5 hours went by and I was still in labor, the contractions were getting stronger, but I wasn’t in any pain. When I was dilated 5 centimeters, Dr. K gave me the epidural. I was scared to death of needles and I had heard some scary myths about the epidural, so I was pretty scared for this. I leaned into Jon’s chest while he stood in front of me as the needle went into my back. The pushing started and it seemed like it was going to take forever.

Jon was standing next to me holding my hand, even though I was probably cutting off the circulation to his hand, he was there with me every step of the way

“Come on baby, almost there,” Jon said, kissing my forehead
“Alright Jamie, give me one more push, I can see his head,” Dr. K said

After one more big push, a crying baby is laid on my chest.



Easton Bryan
Born June 10th at 11:18pm
6 lbs. 8 oz. 20 ½ inches long

“Oh my gosh,” I say, grabbing a hold of him
“You did it baby!” Jon says, as I look up to him and give him a kiss
“No, we did it,” as he gives me another kiss

The nurse takes him to clean him up and brings him back for a while longer, before he goes off for the short surgery to take care of the boy parts to fix. Jon grabbed my phone and took a picture of him so I could send it to people back home. He brought his parents in the room and also called my parents, although I was sure they would be asleep, he got through to my mom on her cell phone to deliver the news.

Easton was back with us about an hour later, with care instructions for him from Dr. Stevens. Dr. K had hung out in the room with us, telling us what to do and answering any questions. Although it wasn’t an important one, I wanted to know how soon was too soon to travel with a new one, since we were planning on trying to go to New Mexico for 4th of July weekend, she informed us that it was ok, but not to go overboard, because it was always better until he was at least 3 months old so his immune system would be a little better developed. So being that Andree and Bryan were down here, we planned only one trip this summer.

Since I wasn’t going to be discharged until the morning sometime, Jon stayed with me while Andree and Bryan went back and slept at the house. Easton was taken to the nursery for the night so it was a quiet night…the last one for a while, that Jon and I would have.


“Good morning, momma!” Dr. K says happily walking in with Easton in her arms
“Morning!” I say sitting up on the bed
“Someone wants to see you,” She says, handing him over
“Aw, my baby!” I say as Jon gets up and sits on the bed with me
“He sure is a cutie, just wait til he’s an all star like his pops,”
“Absolutely, NHL is gonna have to watch out for him,” he says

“Knock, knock!” Dayna says as her and Brent walk into the room
“Hey guys!” I say
“Hey, congratulations guys!” They both say, as Brent hands me some flowers
“Thanks!” I say as Dr. K leaves to let us visit
“Oh, he’s beautiful! You guys did good,”
“Thanks, how are you feeling?” I ask D
“Good, ready for him to be here also,”
“I bet, he’ll be here before you know it,”

The four of us spend more time talking, not too much later, Andree and Bryan are back, and then Stan and Diana come by as well. Dr. K gave us the OK to be discharged a little after 1pm. Bryan went down to get the car while Jon and I talked to Dr. K and Dr. Stevens, both said not to hesitate and call with any questions.

Before we knew it, a week had gone by. Easton was such a good baby, although he doesn’t sleep the whole night, and that’s expected, he wasn’t much of a crier either, only when he was hungry. His head was full of dark brown hair, a good combination of Jon’s hair and mine.

Jon had talked to his agent, as well as Stan, to mainly let Pat know that the baby had been born. Typically, there were small announcements put on the team website when a team members baby was born. I remember the summer when I moved out here, there were announcements for Jake, Corey, and Soupy. So Stan wrote a small article announcing the new addition, knowing there would be another one not too much later.


The Chicago Blackhawks welcome a new addition to the hockey family
Captain Jonathan Toews and his wife, Jamie, welcomed their first child, a boy, named Easton Bryan on June 10 at 6 lbs. 8 oz. 20 ½ inches long. The future all star is eligible for the NHL Entry Draft in 2030. Mom and baby are doing great.


Patrick and Abby had come by with Evie and also to see Easton, since they were back visiting family when he was born,

“Hey guys!” Patrick says as Jon lets them in
“Hey! How was T-Bay?” Jon asks
“Good! Always good to be home for a while, how’s the little one?”
“Great! He just woke up from a nap,” I say as Abby sits next to me
“Can I hold him?” She asks as the guys join us on the couch
“Of course!” I say, so we trade babies, 6-month-old Evie looked so much like Pat, but she had Abby’s blonde hair
“How has he been?”
“Good! He doesn’t cry much, just when he’s hungry, he wakes up about every 3 hours,” Jon says
“That’s good! Evie was like that too, she’s been a quiet baby,”
“Good!”
“Have you guys gone anywhere yet?” Patrick asks
“Not yet, my parents just left 2 days ago,” Jon says
“Well, I’m going to give you the same advice that Carly and Lauren gave me, let your guys’ time be a priority still. Obviously, Easton will run the household, but making sure you guys still have “us” time is important, don’t stop your date nights. Have equal priority for each of you,” Abby said
“Thanks! We’ll remember that,” I say
“We’ve kinda been itching to get out of the house too, I’ve just gotten take out and brought it home,” Jon says
“Yeah, it’s good to stay in for a while with him, but you don’t want to stay locked up in here either, even if you just walk around the mile with him, it’s good to get out of the house.” Patrick adds
“And since we’re back, if you ever want to go on a date night, we will be happy to watch him,” Abby says happily
“Well, I HAVE been craving some oysters…” I say hinting to Jon with a smile
“We could go to McCormick’s,” Jon says
“Just name the day and time, and we will take Easton for a few hours,” Patrick says
“Are you guys sure?” I ask
“Yes! You guys helped out a lot when Evie was born, so now it’s our turn, you guys deserve a night out, and before you know it, you’ll be taking him out with you guys,”

So we plan our date night for the next night, Patrick, Abby and Evie come back to the house for a few hours. I wasn’t too worried, because Easton was a good baby, I was just nervous because we were leaving him for the first time, being only a week old. But Jon and I trusted Patrick and Abby and knew they would take good care of him. The night went great, I kept checking my phone before Jon grabbed it out of my hand saying that Easton was fine, even though I knew he was.

CHAPTER 50

***Cant believe this story has made it this far! Gotta thank all you lovely readers for sticking with me :) Let's cross our fingers for a game 7 win tonight? Can't wait to read ya'lls feedback! Enjoy :)
~J

Coach Q knew the guys were all together, so he talked to the guys from speaker phone, he addressed them and said he was proud of them for having another great season and he wished it hadn’t ended so soon, or the way it did. He also threw in that, minus the circumstances, he was glad that Jon and Brent would both be able to be with Dayna and I when the boys are born, as opposed to being out on the road somewhere. The guys decided to go to the United Center tomorrow for the last time until training camp to clean out their lockers and such.

Everyone left after they finished talking to coach, it was hard for the guys not to be upset, knowing that they were in this position for a while, but knowing Calgary played good and had the upper hand, they would be quick to put the past in the past. Phone calls were taken care of shortly after the guys left. My dad called as well as Jon’s parents. He had been so quiet still thinking everything over. Since I hadn’t been there a few years ago when the Ducks knocked them out of the playoffs, I didn’t really know how to handle it since it was much different then a losing a game. So I did all I could do, I pulled Jon into a hug as he sat on the couch with his head in his hands, after a few minutes, he put his arms around me before looking at me with tears in his eyes.

Jon didn’t sleep at all that night, he tossed and turned, kept waking up a few times. I didn’t sleep much either, between the uncomfortable stage starting and feeling so sad for the guys. The next morning, we woke up around 9 to get ready to head to the arena. It was starting to set in that the boys wouldn’t be flying to Vancouver tomorrow for the opening round of the playoffs.

There was a little more life in the locker room then I had expected. The guys were doing things while I talked with Dayna, Abby, Savannah and Mel

“Patrick didn’t sleep at all last night,” Abby says, handing Evie to me
“Neither did Jon, he tossed and turned all night,” I said
“Same here,” Savannah and Mel add
“I just feel bad, Jon was quiet all night, and I don’t blame him, but I mean, I’ve never dealt with something like this, so I didn’t really know what to do,”
“The best thing you can do is just be there, and you’ve done a fantastic job, it’s not easy being the captain’s wife, they get the most pressure,” Abby says
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing, I got him to smile this morning, and he’s been cheering up,”
“Yeah, it’ll get better over the next few days,” Dayna adds
“And Taylor already told the guys we’re having a reception/get together here, so the guys won’t be booking it out of here right away,” Savannah says
“Not like me or Dayna can go anywhere until the boys are born anyways,”
“True,” she says as we all laugh
“Oh, and Diana called me, we were going to have the baby shower for you girls next Wednesday, at her and Stan’s house if that works,”
“Yeah, it should,” Dayna and I say
“And then the reception will be Saturday,” Savannah says
“Ok, where will it be?”
“A banquet hall at the Sutton Place hotel, it’ll be just like a normal reception with dinner, cake and dancing,”
“Sounds fabulous, I can’t wait,”

Dayna and I’s baby shower was so much fun, especially since the guys were there, the food was amazing, and the games were fun. These little boys were going to have a lot of clothes and such to pick from. Kaner and his girlfriend, Bridget (yeah, that’s right…girlfriend) got Jon and I a little bathtub and a onesie that said, “My Uncle Pat is Awesome” ha ha, oh Kaner.

With the time Jon and I had, we got plastic drawers that stack and that would also fit under our bed to put Easton’s clothes in. Plus the room on the changing table that my parents had gotten us. So after the shower, I got to work on washing all the clothes and blankets and such so it would be ready for when Easton arrives in less then 2 months.

Days and weeks had gone by, the majority of the team had gone home for the summer, while the Seabrook’s stuck around in Chicago with us since we were grounded from flying. Between birthing classes and doctor’s appointments, we spent days walking around the mile and doing some more shopping. Since we started running out of things to do, the guys ended up putting the Stanley Cup playoffs on TV, it was the last round before the finals.

The guys had all kept in touch over the summer; Kaner had gone back to Buffalo, along with Bridget who had met his family, including his sisters, who all loved her (which is good, because they are always skeptical of the girls he dates). Pat and Abby went up to Thunder Bay, as did Taylor and Savannah. Jon had even talked to Buff, who had said that him and his wife were planning on making a trip up to Chicago.

Jon and I were hanging out at the house watching game 1 of the finals, between the Sharks and the Sabres, when there was a knock on the door…I get up to open it to a familiar, and unwelcome face.

“What the hell are you doing here,” I say to Laura
“I wanted to talk to you,” she says
“So you came all the way out to Chicago,”
“I’m out here anyways, with Megan and Shelly,”
“Oh god, if you’re smart you wont bring them around me,”
“Wow, can you listen?”
“No. I don’t want to hear what you have to say, nor do I care, so you can leave,”
“I just want to know one thing,”
“I’m not telling you anything about the baby,”
“It’s about Patrick,”
“That’s really none of your business, if he wanted to let you know how he was doing, he would tell you, but he’s busy with his own life,”
“Oh, well I…”
“He’s moved on, you should too, and you should also move on out of here,”
“Whatever, I don't even know why I came by here” S
"Me neither, because it was clearly a waste of time," I say as she walks away before I close the door

“Was that who I thought it was?” Jon asks as I sit with him on the couch
“Yep. She wanted to know about Patrick, I didn’t tell her anything because it’s none of her business. But I did say that he’s moved on and she needs to also,” I say
“And she came all the way out here?”
“She was out here anyways with those girls I don’t like,”
“Wow, she’s crazy,”
“Yeah, you’re telling me? She's the most stubborn person ever,”

The next day was another appointment, which were coming more often with my due date just around the corner. With 2 weeks left and a fully developed, healthy boy, I had already dilated 2 centimeters. I was getting more nervous now knowing he would be here any time, and the fact that my parents weren’t here either made me nervous too. Jon was talking to his mom when we got in the car afterwards and I broke down in tears. He hung up with her and talked to me to calm me down to ask what was wrong. I told him I was just nervous about it being so close and the labor and none of our parents being here, and that I was ready to not be pregnant anymore, I just wanted our son to be here, oh it was a whole bunch of things.

After I had calmed down, Jon handed me the phone when his mom called to ask if things were ok, I told her not to worry after I told her what I had just told Jon. That was when she told me that her and Bryan were going to fly down in 2 days, she didn’t want me to be nervous, and I know they wanted to be here when their grandson is born, so I didn’t argue with her, plus, it would probably be good for Jon and I.

It was the day before Jon’s parents would be here, and tonight, Jon was taking me on a date, he said he wanted to have one last night of “us” time since we didn’t know when Easton would be here. So we went to dinner at Carmine’s Steakhouse, then for desert at the Cheesecake Factory.

Andree & Bryan had been here for a few days. The guys had been watching the NHL and NBA playoffs one night when Andree and I were in the kitchen making dinner, chicken parmesan pasta, caesar salad and garlic toast when I hunched over the kitchen sink in pain.

“Honey? What’s wrong?” Andree asks as she turns off the stove
“Ah, I just got a really sharp pain in my back,” I respond as Jon rushes over
“Was it a contraction?” She asks
“I think so,” Jon rubs my back before I finish
“Ouch! There it is again,”
“Ok, where’s Dr. Kennedy’s number? I think we need to call her,” Bryan says
“On the fridge,” I point over, standing up straight
“Do you want to sit down babe?” Jon asks
“No, but…”

I don’t have a chance to finish as I look down at the floor to see a pool of water

“Your water broke! We need to get to the hospital right now!” Andree says
“Where’s the bag we had packed? I want the sweats out of it,”
“Right here, you want the Fighting Sioux ones?” Jon asks
“Yeah,”

All four of us go down to Jon’s car and head to the hospital, once we get there, Bryan lets us out while he goes to park the car. Dr. Kennedy is waiting for us as we walk in, she sits me in the wheelchair and we are on our way up to labor & delivery on the 4th floor.

Chapter 49

***Looks like this will go past 50! I just gotta think of more plot so it doesnt get boring...any ideas for what ya'll would like to see? &I thought I'd post this now because I'll be beyond nervous for game 5 tonight! As always--enjoy & cant wait to hear from ya'll :)
~J

St. Patty’s Day came and went, and so did my parents, who had went back home the following Monday. The end of March was right around the corner, which meant playoffs were around the corner as well. It was a busy day at the arena with the guys practicing, and the Better Halves working on a new charity project, with the inspiration of Dayna and I being new moms soon. We are going to have a clothing drive for other expectant mothers who are less fortunate. For the home game against Tampa Bay, we are asking people to bring baby items to the game and drop them off at our table in the concourse.

While Lauren, Mel, Dayna, Savannah and I were in the office organizing things for the charity event, I totally spaced that tonight’s game is against Florida…until there’s a knock on the door, I look up to see Jack standing there

“Ahh! Hi!” I say, a little excited
“Hi JJ! See I told you I’d be back!” He says hugging me then the girls
“Yeah, because you have to be,”
“Yeah, that too, but I just had to come say hi, I figured you’d be watching the guys practice,”
“We’re planning a charity event for next weeks game against the Lightning, and lost track of time, and I actually completely spaced out that tonight’s game is against your new team,”
“Wow, way to forget!” he says laughing
“Sorry, preggo brain is in full effect,”
“Preggo brain? Ha ha, ok well I told the guys I’m breaking some of their pre-game rituals so we can go to lunch, and all you ladies better be coming!”
“Breaking the rituals? How did you manage that? Especially with Jon, he never changes that,”
“Well, we’re leaving first thing in the morning, so it was either lunch before the game or dinner after,”
“You’d think that they would go for dinner after,” Dayna says
“Yeah, but if the game didn’t go how they want, they’d be in a bad mood,” Mel adds
“True, ok so when’s lunch?”
“Whenever the guys are done,”

The guys finished practice, and got cleaned up for lunch with Jack and all of us girls. It was good to catch up with him, he loved Florida, but it just wasn’t the same without the guys with him. Jack also added that he wanted to come back during the summer, for some playoff games, and also when the babies are born.

Speaking of playoffs, the guys kept relatively quiet about it, because they were still fighting for 8th, the Hawks were on a constant roller coaster between 6th and 8th place, we knew it would be a tough end to the season, but like we always do, we are hoping for the best.

Charity night during the game against Tampa Bay went very well, people were very willing and glad to help with donating items to less fortunate mothers. They were also very nice to Dayna and I, saying congratulations and giving hugs. Few tried to ask what we were both having, but we kept quiet on that subject, saying we were keeping it a secret until the babies were born, so they would tell us they were hoping for boys, so they could be all stars, like their dads…little did they know.

Regular season was coming to a close with 3 games left; the Hawks have been neck and neck on points with the Flames for the last week or so.

The stress had begun, and today of all days, on the last day of regular season. And let me tell you, being 7 months pregnant, and stressing about the fate of the boys playoff hopes, was not a fun time. But I managed to put on a happy face, and be there for Jon and the rest of the guys, as did Dayna.

The boys managed to get a win in the final game against the Blues. Now the hopes rested on the game between the Flames and the Avs. A loss from the Flames meant the Hawks are in the playoffs, but if they win, they own the tiebreaker and will therefore take the 8th and final playoff spot.

We closed out the season at home, and the guys were going back and forth about watching the game together, like they had done previous years, or watching it at their own homes. After some debates, it had been decided to watch it as a group, at Jon and I’s house. So with a few hours separating us from this important game, Jon went to clean up the house while Dayna joined me for a trip to the store for some food and drinks for the night. Let me tell you…sending 2 pregnant women to the grocery store was not the smart thing to do, I think we spent at least $200 on the most random stuff EVER.

The guys had gotten to our house about 30 minutes before the game; they were all in good spirits, which was good to see. Dayna, Abby and I had set out the veggie and fruit trays, along with all the other food we got. I had a brief phone call with my mom before the game started, I was trying to explain to her why this game is so important, but every time I did, the guys gave me dirty looks, so I told her to have dad explain it, and now she understood why I wouldn’t say anything.

The game was pretty fast paced; both teams knew what was on the line. The Avs got on the board first, with a goal by Duchene, and then scored again 4 minutes later. But the Flames cut the lead in half in the closing minute of the 1st period. Due to the fact of being uncomfortable, I couldn’t sit down for long, so my constant standing up and walking around made Jon and the guys even more nervous. I was finally able to get comfortable and managed to sit for the last period, it started with a 4-3 lead for the Avs.

The heartbreaking moment of the night was when the Flames got 2 goals 12 seconds apart…in the last 2 minutes of the game to take a 5-4 lead. The entire house was quiet. Colorado pulled their goalie with 1:20 left, hoping it would give them a last string of life. It didn’t. The Flames won, and bumped us out of the playoffs. It was a completely different atmosphere, no one got up or anything, we just sat in silence for a few minutes. Then the 2 emotional ones over here started crying, and that did it. The guys had been wishing something could have been done differently. But it couldn’t. The Hawks would be having an earlier summer vacation for the first time in a few years.

Chapter 48

Two weeks had gone by and it was the day before the 3pm deadline. I was in my office with Lauren, talking about the baby more then anything, when Stan called me into his office. So I walk over to his office and get in there to see Jack sitting on the couch.

“Hi Jamie,” Stan says when he sees me
“Hi, um I don’t think I like this,” I say look back and forth between him and Jack
“Don’t like what?” Stan asks, although he knows what I mean
“Jack is in here the day before the deadline…are you getting traded?” I ask him
“Jamie,” he says getting up from the couch, by then I knew it, and am in tears
“Are you?” I ask again, he shakes his head yes and pulls me into a hug
“JJ, please don’t cry, it’s making it harder,”
“I’m sorry, I’m extra emotional right now,” with my hand on my stomach
“Jack wanted you to be the first to know, before anyone else,” Stan says as I sit on the couch with Jack
“Aw, how thoughtful, but I kinda hate you right now,”
“Oh, but you wont hate me when you hear who your getting,”
“Wait, where are you going anyways?”
“Florida,”
“The Panthers? I don’t know anyone from them,”
“We already did another trade with the Panthers, that player is going to Washington,”
“We’re getting a crappy Capital? What do you mean Jack, I don’t like them!” I say laughing
“Well you don’t know,” Jack says
“As long as it’s not Ovie, but I still hate you for leaving,”
“Nope, I don’t think your THAT lucky,”
“So, who are we getting?” I ask Stan
“#52”
“Mike Green?! How did you manage that one?”
“With Boudreau getting fired, they are “cleaning house” I guess and doing some trades,”
“Wow, he’s a good player too, we all know I hate the Caps, but I’m a fan of him,”
“See, and you’ve forgotten all about me,”
“Not even Jack! I could never, but why so far away? You were supposed to be here when Easton is born!” I say standing up
“I’ll come back! No offense to my new team, but there’s no chance for the playoffs, so I’ll be out to visit again soon,”
“And if you forget about us, I’ll be so mad at you!”
“I won’t, I never could,” he says standing up to give me a hug, as Easton kicks
“Ouch! I felt that,”
“See! He knows so he’s mad at you too!”
“Smart boy there,”
“Why did you want to tell me first?”
“Because besides the guys, you’re the other person that I’m closest with, and I just wanted to tell you first,”
“So, why don’t we go to the locker room to tell everyone else, is that ok?” Stan asks

“You guys decent in there? Captain’s wife is with me,” Stan says slightly opening the locker room door, Jack laughing
“Psh, captain’s wife…way to make me sound all professional,” I say
“Well, it’s true! Come on, let’s go in,”

The 3 of us walk into the locker room, I go right over and sit in between Jon and Kaner, as Stan makes the announcement of Jack’s trade, causing me to tear up again. He also adds that Green will be joining the team, and will arrive in Chicago tomorrow afternoon. There’s mixed emotions in the locker room, happy to see Mike be a part of the defending champs, but also sad that Jack is leaving, he was closest with Jon and Kaner, and if you put him with Sharpie or Burish, it was a crazy handful of trouble.


I was at the 6-month mark, Dayna at 5½ months. Abby and Carly had been our saviors when it came to all the questions we had, and when Jon and Brent were busy with practice, they joined us to the birthing classes, which was awesome of them. I was getting more nervous for the arrival of Easton, but I was also excited. Dayna and I had done awesome at rocking the cute maternity clothes. Her and Brent were also planning a small summer wedding, before their son is born.

Mike had fit in well with the guys, they all got along right away; from talking to Mike, he was pretty happy to get out of Washington, he was a nice guy too, I knew he’d be a good fit here, even though I missed Jack. St. Patrick’s Day weekend was here and while the guys had practice, I drove out to O’Hare to pick up my parents, who I was beyond excited to see. The Canes are in town for the game tomorrow night, and then the Penguins would be here on Saturday.

My parents were excited to be out here for a few days, especially since they didn’t come out for Christmas, it’s always good to see them. Jon met up with us for lunch at Grand Lux after he finished at practice, then we all headed to the house to relax.

Game day against the Canes was a success, winning 4-3, and before we knew it, the Penguins were in town. My parents and I went to the arena that day for practice, because my dad wanted to meet some of the guys and knew that I know them, so I joked with him saying I was glad they only came out here to use me to meet the Pens.

“Here, go through here, and sit in the stands, I’ll go down and get the guys, if I can manage to steal them away for a few,” I tell my parents as we get to the ice
“Ok, just anywhere?” my mom asks
“Yeah, anywhere is fine,”

“Hey Kris!”
“Jamie, hey! You look great!” Kris says giving me a hug
“Oh, thanks! Hey listen, my parents are here and my dad is like itching to meet some of the guys, do you think I can steal a few of ya’ll for a couple minutes?”
“Yeah, we’re just hanging out waiting for your boys to finish, who does he want to meet?”
“I don’t know, he met you and Jordan at the wedding, so whoever you can get,”
“Ok, give me like 5 minutes,”

Exactly 5 minutes later, he comes out with TK, Neal, Talbot, Engelland and Jordan.

“Hey, look at you!” Jordan says with a hug
“JJ! You look amazing!” Max says, before I say hi to the rest of the guys
“Hi! Thanks guys!” I say as we walk to get back upstairs to ground level
“So, you said it’s a boy right?” TK asks
“Yep, he’s due June 18,”
“What are you guys naming him?” James asks
“Easton,” I say proudly
“Like the equipment?” Deryk asks
“Sure, I forgot about that until Soupy said something the other day, but I like it,”
“It’s a cool name, definitely different,” Kris says as we walk through the arena

We all get out to the seats and sit behind where my parents are, my dad is too into watching practice to even notice us behind them, when he finally turns around. They talk for a bit and joke around, and then Talbot hands a shirt to my dad, that’s signed by all the players, as well as Bylsma and Lemieux, pretty sure my dad’s day had been made.

After dinner at home with my parents, Jon had made his way to the arena to get ready for the game, my parents and I weren’t far behind him. We always ended up having to go to the arena early with Jon so we could still park in the players lot, where I always park, because they’ve been starting to close that gate earlier.

The game against the Pens started out fast, with both teams scoring 3 goals, by the end of the 3rd, it was tied at 5, and ended up going to a shootout. Jon and Kaner scored on the shootout, while Crosby scored the only one for the Pens. I heard it all from Jordan, who always gives me crap after we beat the Pens.

Chapter 47

“Hey kiddo!” my mom says after the 2nd ring
“Hi! Guess what?” I say
“What?”
“Your gonna have a grandson!”
“Oh it’s a boy! That’s great!”
“Yeah, we found out today, I have new pictures too,”
“How does it feel? It’s like more real now,”
“Yeah, well I think it was when he started kicking yesterday, and now we don’t have to call it ‘it’ anymore,”
“Any name ideas yet?”
“No, we haven’t really talked about it yet, but I mentioned the name Easton the other day, and Jon likes it too, because it’s not a common name,”
“Oh yeah, that’s a cute name! Have you guys figured out any room stuff?”
“Not yet, but we figured we would have the crib in our room until he gets older, then we will turn one of the extra rooms into his, we’re going to look at some cribs now,”
“Can we get anything for you guys?”
“Um, probably not now anyways, we want to get some things on our own, but I’ll let you know,”
“Ok, sounds good, well I gotta run, I’ll pass on the news ok, tell Jon we say hi”
“I will, tell dad we say hi, I’ll talk to you later,”

After I hang up with my mom, Jon calls his mom to share the news with them also. After that conversation, and with Jon and I talking for a while, we decided to name our son Easton. We send out a mass text to the guys on the team as well as some other people, before spending the rest of the day baby shopping. We ended up finding a crib that was 4 in 1, so it would be good use for a few years, and we got it in black so it would match everything. We also got a bedding set that was simple but still cute.


The Red Wings were in town the next day before the road trip to Canada, Phoenix and Dallas started. I was at the office again while the guys were practicing, Dayna and Mel had been there also, we got a little bit of work done, then decided to go watch practice.

“So, it’s a boy, eh?” Mel says, she was one of the people that got a text from me after confirming
“Yep! He’s due June 18,”
“That’s so exciting! Him and Cruise can play hockey together,”
“Yeah, Jon’s pretty excited about that, when do you guys find out?” I ask Dayna
“Tomorrow actually, we made an appointment before the long road trip,” she says
“Oh that’s exciting! Your coming on the road trip too, right?”
“Yeah,”
“Ok, good, her and Cruise are coming too,” I say, pointing to Mel
“Yeah, I’m excited to get out of here for a while,” Mel says as we hear some girls talking near by

“I can’t believe he knocked her up, what was he thinking?”
“Yeah, and Seabrook isn’t even married to that girl, imagine how that makes him look? She probably did it on purpose,”

Hell no I wasn’t going to listen to these girls talk with us right there, so I talked back

“Really? You are obviously talking loud enough that you want us to hear, so why don’t you just say it to our faces?” I say
“Yeah, and you don’t even know anything about me and Brent OR her and Jon so ya’ll need to keep your mouths shut!” Dayna adds
“Whatever, both of you are gold digging sluts! How dare you take these boys away from their game!” One of the girls says, now the guys on the ice are watching
“Away from their game? You don’t know what your talking about, plus that ugly pink jersey says it all! All the puck sluts wear those,”
“How did you get in here anyways? Practice isn’t open to the public, and the ice girls have higher standards, so you couldn’t be one of them,”

The girls are just staring at us in aw at everything we threw in their faces, before the security guard comes to escort them out

“Screw you! When are you going to tell Seabrook that your baby is his?” she yells to me

Wow, those girls are ridiculous, they were lucky I’m pregnant otherwise I woulda jumped over the bleachers and knocked them out. The rest of practice went peacefully, the girls were escorted off the property so we wouldn’t even have to worry about seeing them by the cars.

We were back at the arena in no time, and finally had time to catch up with Savannah, who had gone back to Thunder Bay with Taylor, for their small wedding ceremony, yep, she was officially Savannah Pyatt. We also caught up with Chelsea and Carmen Brouwer, oh and Carly, who was the mother of Jake’s little 2-year-old daughter, Brianna, who was a spitting image of Carly.

The game that night was an intense one, the Wings started out fast, scoring 4 goals in the first 9 minutes. We knew the boys wouldn’t be happy going into the locker room for the first intermission. They took advantage of a now tired Wings team, and came back to close the gap to one goal, before winning 5-4, and securing that one goal lead was not an easy task.

The next few days went by quick and after losing a close game in Vancouver, they went on to beat the Flames then the Oilers before heading to Dallas. Dayna and I had managed to handle all those flights without problems, which is a surprise for me since I have the worst luck with flying. Her and Brent also announced that they were having a boy also at the end of June; I have a feeling all this testosterone was going to be a bit of an overload. The road trip closed out on a 4-1-1 record, which the guys were happy about.

I had been doing so much work with the Better Halves, while still doing media stuff for the team, that I hadn’t even realized that the trade deadline was 2 weeks away. I wanted to talk to Stan to see if he could tell me anything about if any guys would be leaving or if we were getting new guys, he said it was something he was still working on. I knew I didn’t have to worry about Jon, or Kaner, with contracts locked up until the 2019-2020 season. He did, however, tell me that the contracts of Nik and Colby were renewed, who were the next 2 that would be free agents this summer, and he didn’t want either of them going anywhere, so they would be here until at least the 2018-2019 season. He couldn’t make promises on anyone else though.

Chapter 46

***Few things: 1)posting this in honor of the PENS victory! hope the HAWKS can get one too! 2)yes I know the diaper bags are pink, but they are cute lol...I wont spoil the rest...&3)the reason for the pic Jeff Skinner is because he makes an appearance in this chapter....and come on, he's just adorable!!
Enjoy! :)
~J

“You think you’ll be ok on the flight?” Jon asks me as we drive to the arena to go to the airport on the team bus
“I guess we’ll see! It’s the first long flight I’ll be taking, so I hope so,”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be fine, just rest on the bus ride over there,”
“I will,”
“So your parents were going to come out soon,”
“Yeah, but not until March, probably for the game against the Pens,”
“Oh that will be fun, and it’s St. Patrick’s day weekend right?”
“Yep, so they will finally see the green river,”

The 4-hour flight was an easy one; I got sick right after we took off, but then I passed out and slept the rest of the way, Dayna got sick when we landed. It was a beautiful day in Anaheim; much better then the cold back home.

Abby and Evie joined Dayna and I in the room we shared, she didn’t want us to be bothered by Evie waking up all the time, but we didn’t mind, besides, that will be us in a few months so we thought we might as well get used to it.

A few minutes after the girls and I got settled into the hotel room, my phone started ringing,

“Jordie!!” I say
“Hey Jay! Are you in Anaheim?”
“Yep! Me, Dayna and Abby and the baby are here! Are you here already?”
“Yeah, I’m with the guys and my brother and a few of the Canes players, one of your favorites too,”
“Oh my god, Skinner’s with you?”
“Duh, he made the roster,”
“Ah, ok I hate to sound like a crazy fan, but you know I think he’s such a good player, I want to meet him!”
“Ok, I guess I could allow that, just don’t turn into a cradle robber!”
“I won’t, besides I’m gonna be a momma so I have to behave,”
[[Silence]]
“Did I just hear that right?” he asks
“You sure did,”
“It’s about time! Congratulations!”
“Thanks!” I say as there’s a knock on the door
“Well where are your men? Let’s go to lunch,” he asks me as the guys walk in
“They actually just walked in, hold on. Babe, do you guys want to go to lunch with Jordan and the guys?”
“Sure! We haven’t seen those guys in a while and it’s always nice to catch up,”
“Ok, cool. Did you hear that Jordan? Think of a restaurant and gather the guys, and Skinner better be one of them!”
“Haha, ok, Ill call you in a few,”

“So who’s all coming?” Jon asks as we’re walking out
“Jordan, and whatever Pens are here, Eric and Jeff Skinner, not sure who else,” I say
“Babe, if you turn into a crazy 16 year old when you see Skinner like he’s Justin Bieber or something, I will walk away,” he says with a smile
“Ha, that would be hilarious!” Nik says
“K first off, I can’t stand Justin Bieber, and second, I just think he’s an amazing player! You gotta admit it, and he’s like 20, too young for me, not to mention I’m happily married,”
“With a bun in the oven!” Kaner yells
“Yeah that too,”

Walking out of the hotel, we see the guys across the street, so they whistle at each other, then we end up meeting at the corner.

“You don’t look pregnant!” Jordan says, so I turn to the side and pull my shirt back so he can see my growing belly
“Nice to see you too, Jordan!”
“Hi! It’s good to see you guys!” he says giving me a hug then shaking hands with the guys
“Hey Skins, this girl loves you,” Jordan tells him after introducing us
“Wow Jordan, really? Sorry but I’m really not, I just think you’re an amazing hockey player,”
“Well thanks, and it’s probably good, cause if you were, Tazer might remember that and run me into the boards,” he says with a laugh and hugging me
“Yeah! You young ones still have a lot to learn,” Jon says laughing
“Yeah…from me,” Jeff adds

We decide to eat at the steakhouse nearby, after running into a few dozen fans that were mesmerized at seeing guys from 3 different teams all together. From the Pens it was Jordan, Kris, Geno, Sid and Flower, from the Canes it was Eric, Jeff, Chad LaRose and Brandon Sutter. Plus adding Sid’s fiancé, Geno and Flower’s girlfriends, Eric’s and Chad’s wives, there were 23 of us.

The mock draft was that night, the skills day was the next and the game was on Sunday. It was Team Toews with Sid and Mike Green as alternates; Kaner and Brent were on that team, while the rest of the guys were on Team Staal. It was a fun weekend, but it made for a long one. While the guys had practice and things, the girls and I all got together and did some shopping and went to lunch.

Back in Chicago, the guys were heading out for a 2 game trip, while Dayna and I decided to skip this one. We spent one of the days shopping and walking around downtown, and people were definitely talking. We knew it would happen eventually, I mean, we couldn’t hide it anymore now. At one point we even heard a group of girls talking and wondering if the 4 of us were in the same room when we decided to get pregnant, another girl said it could have been a four-some, then we wouldn’t even know who the dads were…seriously? Ridiculous!

The guys had gotten wind about what Dayna and I heard, and they weren’t too happy about it, which we would have figured, because we weren’t either. We were all hoping it would calm down; none of us needed that added stress, especially not me or Dayna.

They beat the Flyers 5-3 before losing in a shootout to the Capitals, and got back home early Saturday morning. I made another appointment for Monday, so we could finally find out what we’re having, since the baby didn’t corporate at last weeks appointment when it’s legs were crossed. Coach Q held a short morning skate at the Ice House; I went with them for a bit to watch them before our appointment.

“Ahh!” I said standing in the locker room waiting for Jon
“What?” he says looking at me nervously
“The baby kicked!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, give me your hand,” I say, causing a few other guys to come over
“Here, now wait a sec, feel that?”
“Yeah!” Jon says
“That’s the baby!”
“I wanna see!” Jack says happily, aw, gotta love him
“Here, put your hand right here,”
“Woah! Does it hurt?” he asks
“Not really, it’s just that you don’t expect it,”


“Hi guys!” Dr. K says as she walks in
“Hi,” Jon and I say
“How’s the baby?” she asks, motioning for me to lay down
“Growing, and kicking now too,”
“That’s good! You ready to find out what it is?”
“Yes!” I say as she puts the gel on my stomach
“What are you guys hoping for?”
“I want a boy, but as long as it’s healthy, I don’t care,”
“I want a boy too, so he can be a hockey player just like me,” Jon says with a smile
“Well, let’s see here. Looks good, growing at the rate it should be. There’s the heartbeat. And the verdict is…It’s a boy!”
“Really?”
“That’s awesome!”
“Yep, you can see right there, and he’s looking as healthy as can be!” she says pointing to him on the screen,
“Aww look at him!”
“That’s our baby!” Jon says, kissing my forehead
“Congratulations! Looks like we’ll have another Toews to look for on the ice,”
“Sure do!”
“Now we can finally say he or him instead of it,”
“Definitely! Well let me clean you off here and get these new pictures printed for you,”
“Thanks!”