Limestone Cove Community Centre
Limestone Maternity Class (26 couples)
Teacher: Melinda Quinn Greystone ‘Mel’
- Liling ’ Laken ’ Chen & Savannah Chloe Halford (exp. Ophelia Mei or Damon Bo Chen-Halford)
- Calanthe “Calley” Blake Greystone & Nicholas “Nick” Basil Walters (exp: Mirielle Quinn Greystone-Walters)
- Carlene ‘Carly’ Marjorie Jones-Hemsworth and Richard ‘Richie’ Ernest Jones-Hemsworth (exp. Elizabeth Jane or Elvis Stanley)
- Isaiah Pascal Matthews and Joy Linda Sinclair (exp: Jesslyn Caroline or Merrick Elian)
- Soledad Raquel and Leonard " Max " Maxwell Ferrier Jr. (exp. Yara Elodie or Sebastiano Alec Ferrier)
- Alice Narnia Hillhouse ( exp. Margaret Gioia or Tatiana Beatrix Hillhouse )
- Ilaria ’ Lara ’ Delfina Mazzocco and Yu-Shen ’ Pierce ’ Zhao (exp. Vallea Lei-Jing or Amaranta Qinyang Zhao)
- Bowen “Bowie” Vincent Farrell and Jesse Walker McCune (Exp. Delilah Sue)
- Rosemarie Skylar Shan and Zachery ’ Zac ‘ Tate (exp. Natalia Violet)
- Alisha Caliana Abbas & Natheer ‘Nat’ Yossef Abbas (EXP: Imtithal Firdaus & Muhanned Fallou)
- Christine ‘ Chrissa ’ Janice Shan & Evan Darius Dalton (Exp: Thyme Devin)
- Jeremy “Jem” Lucas Thackeray & Ashley Louise (exp: Harbor James)
- Kendra Yvaine Leiper (exp. Emmanuel Baird or Paris Neilina Leiper )
The next couple consists of a 24-year-old woman and her 28-year-old husband. She is actually the sister of Arwen Vera Askew-McGuire and prior to getting pregnant with her son she worked as a hospice nurse. She hopes to go back into the workforce as soon as humanely possible because she really misses her patients and wants to continue taking care of them, being naturally altruistic. However, she knows her baby boy is now the one who needs her the most so she really invests a lot of time into preparing for parenting. Along with this maternity class she also reads a lot of books about parenting and stays up-to-date with the week-by-week development of her body during this special time.
Just like her sister Arwen , she was adopted - but was not taken in as early as her sister and the process of her actual adoption from foster care lasted over 4 years, given that her biological mom was in and out of rehab , either swearing that she’s gonna change or refusing treatment at all. This led to an emotional roller-coaster that the woman is still processing today. Her husband admits that despite having the most loving moms and siblings she still had a lot of difficulty trusting him when they were getting into a relationship. The 28-year-old accountant is however more than happy to have won her heart eventually. He also appreaciates the fact that his mother’s-in-law remained supportive when he was struggling with shynesss and having trouble figuring out how to propose.
Their wedding was very much a product of Jacqueline and Joanna 's expertise in the subject. The newlyweds, both loving the rustic , cottagecore lifestyle , were happy to be married in a small Presbyterian church near Nashville and have the wedding in a barn , with numerous contests for the guests including rodeo and apple bobbing. The husband is a typical cowboy born in Bell Buckle. TN , and has moved to New Jersey with his then-fiancee to look for business opportunities in his field - being a Hospitality major and gaining a lot of experience thanks to New Jersey’s rich tourism. He plans on quitting his job as an accountant and picking something more in line with his educational background in the future.
They both have a rather modern taste in names - with Mason , Boone , Nash and Paxton being on their “like but not love” list. They’ve picked two final names for their little boy but are waiting until they see him to make their final choice.
The husband has a short beard , blond hair with barely noticeable light brown highlights as well as a slightly tanned complexion which really nicely showcases his blue-green eyes and charming smile with dimples. The other participants of the class like to comment on his accent.
His wife has long legs just like Arwen but doesn’t like them much and so prefers really long, flowy skirts to hide them. She is also a fan of loose flannel shirts - either checked or in flowery patterns. Wide brim fedoras tend to be the one fashion item she never parts with because she feels like they showcase her adventurous personality. She has freckles and also blond hair - albeit in a darker tone than her husband and without natural highlights.
Arwen Vera Askew-McGuire - @kitkatcookie
Summary
The next student belongs to the school netball team and is a dedicated player, which unfortunately means her homework track record isn’t the finest thanks to wanting to keep herself at peak physical condition. Mr. Talavér is one of the few teachers to consistently get assignments off her, as she respects him for how he once stepped in when a (now former) colleague began asking intrusive questions about her life as as adopted child; something even this girl, who’s known for handling drama and arguments well, found incredibly upsetting - as it highlighted how little she knew of her biological relatives. She was only two months old at the time of being taken in by her parents, something she’s incredibly grateful for to this day, as she’s always had a strong support network and loving family unit to help her through life; including her recent realisation that she wants to become a dietician, meaning sciences are her top academic priority. Her mom’s - Jacqueline and Joanna - heard every joke possible about naming all their kids with matching J names, and this created a resolve in them to never comply, not even using J’s for middle names: something this student remains thankful of, as anything too saccharine makes her uncomfortable, in spite of all her usually easygoing nature. This student has two older siblings: her twenty year old brother who’s studying business management in Pennsylvania, and her twenty-four year old sister who’s an expectant mother living in nearby Limestone Creek, currently on maternity leave from her work as a hospice nurse.
As the youngest in her family, she’s come to loathe being babied - her sister was particularly bad at this - and strives for independence; cooking dinner for herself frequently, as well as obtaining her drivers license the second possible, and she also does odd jobs around the house for her parents when asked. They run a successful wedding planning business together - Joanna focusing on venues and entertainment; Jacqueline catering, decorating and personalised touches - which has also turned their daughter away from rushing into relationships after hearing about the chaos they’ve witnessed. She’s had a few casual dates with people but right now isn’t phased, knowing there’s time to settle down later, and doesn’t think it’s fair on anyone due to her dedication to netball and family; as she frequently visits her older sister to help her prepare for the baby’s impending arrival. She has a pet peeve about letting people down which influences this decision strongly too, something she admits stems from when she first learned about being adopted and severely struggled - refusing to properly speak to her parents, all the while obsessing over why she was given up and who those people were. Now she admits she doesn’t particularly want to know her biological parents, feeling she still holds too much insecurity and pain inside over their decision, which she speaks about to the school guidance counsellor on a semi-regular basis, at the suggestion of her mom’s.
Tall at 5’9", she’s got a slender build and is very flexible in spite of her long limbs, carrying herself with easy grace. Her sunny blonde hair is cut at the middle of her back and when not in the neatest ponytail imaginable, she goes for y2k inspired hairdtyled, especially loving a spikey bun or half-up do that shows off the varying shades of her hair. There’s a slight tan to her complexion, attributed to her Siberian heritage, which is most pronounced after she’s been out in the summer: loving a warm climate and regularly spending time lounging in the garden. Aesthetically she favours a 90s influenced blend of sporty and feminine: towelling fabrics (especially in the form of dresses), tennis shoes and skirts, lots of acrylic jewelry and blue serves as the prominent colour throughout her looks. Often she’ll tie her cardigans around her shoulders or cover them with a trusty windbreaker, using nude tights to ensure her looks always feel completed. Her makeup is simple yet highlights the bright sapphire of her eyes perfectly, especially her soft pink combo of lipstick and gloss. She always carries a mini bowling bag around too, thinking they’re the cutest and is proud of how her style combines her love of athletics with the fashion her mom - Jacqueline - got her interested in. Only her earlobes are pierced (twice) and she’s upfront about not wanting any others done or tattoos for that matter, feeling her self-expression is completely through what she has now.
Rya is a dear friend of hers and they’ve known each other since they were ten, having been referred to the same program on account of her self-imposed isolation from her family and the other girls habit of getting into trouble. She’s been glad to see her friend leave behind those habits and firmly supports Rya’s dreams of studying medicine, having successfully bought her into the group she hangs around with - mostly fellow netball players - after things got better; being relieved Rya proved assumptions wrong and continues to do so. Thanks to being generally affable and chilled, she can get along with most people and simply chooses to avoid those who get on her nerves, finding it’s fruitless to become embroiled in bickering that has no real meaning to her. Her house is always open to those who need a break as she truthfully enjoys the company thanks to her mom’s being so busy - now feeling comfortable leaving their youngest to her own devices as she’s a teenager and can fend for herself. They do own a Russian Blue named Dastan, but he’s infamously antisocial and vanishes frequently, something this student and her siblings bemoaned together as children. Her mom recently announced they’ll be adopting another cat soon, which she, her siblings and all her friends are very excited about; spending their trips to the mall or park based picnics discussing the type of feline it might be - but the likely choice will be a kitten (which everyone’s justifiably excited about).
Now knowing a little more about her heritage thanks to her mama doing some digging, she thinks she’d like to go to Siberia at some point and is learning Russian too: having been surprised by how easily she picked it up, as other language classes baffled her. She keeps a journal to express these varying thoughts and feelings which is also weighed down by photos, doodles and stickers she adornes it with: admitting she’s artistically lackluster but collages have always appealed to her, feeling they perfectly capture the complexities and sporadicness of her own thoughts. Her laugh is also considered pretty infectious and can be heard frequently, as her best friend is renowned for their deadpan sarcasm which she’s always cheered up by, no matter the circumstances. Running and tennis are other athletic pastimes she engages in, the latter of which she does with some of her friends; even if they love to joke she’s much more competitive, thanks to her netball competitions - having a lot of natural energy she enjoys burning off frequently.