I began to dress Leigh in her "going home" outfit and I hushed her as she fussed, "It's okay, Leigh," I said, putting her small pink pants on her. "I'm almost done."
"Hey." Jim came in the room and looked down to Leigh. "Hey there."
"Do you have everything put in the car?" I asked as I fixed Leigh's top and slipped her into her one-piece coat.
"Yeah," Jim nodded. "Everything is in the car."
"Okay, we should be ready soon." I picked up Leigh carefully and set her in the carrier. "Is it bad out?"
"Not really, the streets are pretty cleared up." Jim said, handing me her pink heavy blanket.
"Thank you." I said as I took the blanket and covered her up. "All righty, we're set to go." I smiled at Jim.
"This is it, we're going home as a family this time." Jim smiled back and kissed me.
"Yup," I nodded and looked down to Leigh who was now sleeping in the carrier.
"Ready?" Jim asked he grabbed the car keys.
"Yeah." I nodded and picked up the carrier carefully, not wanting to wake the baby up.
"Pete and Laura are coming tommorrow, if that's okay with you." Jim said as he pushed the elevator button.
"That's fine." I shook my head. "I don't mind seeing them."
"Are you sure?" Jim asked. "Because I heard that women get be tired after once babies are born."
"Yeah, I'll be fine and besides Tyler is going to be excited when he sees his little cousin for the first time." I smiled.
"Yeah, I know." Jim smiled as we walked out of the elevator into the lobby.
"I'm gonna sit in the back with her." I said as I opened the door of the car.
"Okay," Jim nodded. "Do you need help with the seat?" He asked as I fiddled with the sealbelt.
"I think I got it." I said, after struggling with the seatbelt through the carrier seat. "Okay got it." I finally buckled the belt.
"Okay." Jim nodded and shut the door.
"We're finally going home, Leigh." I said to the baby who was sleeping peacefully.
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Later that day, I headed to the family room where I saw Jim sleeping on the couch with Leigh curled up on top of his chest. So I took my sketchbook out of the bag and began to draw the perfect scene of father and daughter sleeping. Then once I was finished with the drawing, I kissed Jim on the forehead.
"Mmm." Jim mumbled and opened his eyes. "Hey."
"Hi." I whispered.
"Sorry, we overslept." He smiled as he looked down to our sleeping daughter and caressed her small back.
"It's okay." I smiled.
"What time is it?" Jim asked.
"It's 7:30." I looked over to the clock and back at Jim. "I should get her into feeding before she heads to bed."
"Okay." Jim nodded as he carefully picked up Leigh and put her into my arms. "Got her?"
"Yep." I nodded and smiled as I headed to the nursery. "Can you hand me her towel?" I asked as I sat on the rocker.
"Yeah." Jim said and then handed me her white towel.
"Thank you." I said then unbuttoned my shirt to feed her. I bit my lip and felt the tears brimming my eyes as the baby start sucking.
Jim laid his hand on my shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I sniffled. "I just have to get used to this."
"Do you want to switch to the bottles?" He asked.
"No, I'm okay. I just have to do this only for few weeks." I said.
"Okay." Jim kissed my temple and sighed, "I'm glad she's home."
"Me too." I looked up at Jim and then looked down to Leigh.
"I'm gonna take a shower, so I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay." I nodded as I looked up to him and he kissed me on the forehead.
"Just yell out if you need me." Jim said as he headed the doorway.
"Yup." I said and then looked down to Leigh for a moment. "You are one hungry little girl." I smiled as I caressed her small long fingers. "And you got long fingers like just Daddy's."
"But I say that, she looks like you." Jim appeared at the door.
"Usually daughters wind up looking like their fathers as they grow up." I said as Jim walked over to us. "And be Daddy's girl."
"True." Jim smiled as he looked down to Leigh. "But she will always be your girl too." Jim said.
"I know." I said as I caressed her little forearm and then her hands. "There will be times, we'll dress up and talk about boys."
"OH, no, no, no.." Jim wagged his finger, "She's not going to date until she's 30." Jim said.
"That's long time." I chuckled. "See? Daddy wants to keep you away from the boys." I smiled at Leigh and then propped her up to burp.
"Don't give her some ideas yet, Pam." Jim folded his arms and laughed softly.
"I know." I smiled as she gave out a soft burp. "Good girl." Then I laid her back into my arms.
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Leigh began to fuss, "What's the matter?" Jim hushed her.
"Here, let me get her." I held out my hands.
"Mommy is gonna change you." Jim put Leigh carefully in my arms.
"It's okay, I'm gonna get you cleaned up." I put the baby on the changing table.
"Here's her diaper." Jim handed the diaper to me.
"Thanks." I said. "It's gonna be okay, Leigh." I cleaned her as Leigh cried then I held her in my arms carefully. She began to whimper and then began to quiet down.
"There you go." I smiled. "All settled and cleaned." I kissed her head.
"She's a good girl." Jim smiled as he caressed her fingers, "Say?" He kissed her hand.
"She is." I smiled as I swayed slowly. "I'm gonna take a shower before your brother's family comes." I said to Jim.
"Okay." Jim nodded as I carefully handed the baby to him.
"I'll be out in 5 minutes." I said as I fixed her sleeves. "Be right back." I kissed her hand, "Mommy loves you." Once after I was done and dressed, I headed downstairs where Jim and Leigh was.
"See that? He's the guard, he protects the ball away from the other team." Jim pointed at the Sixers as they played basketball on tv. I smiled as Jim explained what is the meaning of a basketball game to Leigh, even though she's only a few days old. It was just so cute and I could defintely see Jim teaching her as she grows up and shooting baskets on the driveway together. "Now, the referee is saying that he walked." Jim continued, "One of the rules of basketball, you can't walk while having the ball. You must dribble as you go across the floor."
"Hey." I interupped as I sat down next to them.
"Hey." Jim looked over.
"I see the basketball game is on." I smiled as I cuddled with Jim and Leigh carefully.
"I was telling her what is basketball is like." Jim said. "Maybe teaching her later."
"I would like to see that." I said as I caressed Leigh's little feet. "And I could maybe teach her some volleyball too."
"Yeah." Jim lifted his eyebrows at the thought. "Maybe we'll beat Charles' team together.
"Ha, that would be awesome." I laughed and then smiled. "What time are they coming?" I asked.
"Around 12, I think." Jim said. "They have to do something with Tyler first."
"I should get her changed into her outifit before they come." I said.
"Okay." Jim nodded and put Leigh into my arms carefully.
"Let's get you out of your pj's," I smiled at Leigh as I walked into the nursery. "You're going to have some visitors today." I laid Leigh down on the changing table and carefully unsnapped her pajamas. Leigh looked up at me curiously and made mewing sounds. "Sounds like you can't wait, girly girl." I smiled and kissed her head then continued to dress her into her "Daddy's Girl" shirt and pink pants along with a pink ribbon headband. "You look so pretty," I smiled as I picked her up carefully and kissed her forehead. When I came downstairs, there were voices in the family room:
"Hi Unk Jin." Tyler smiled.
"Where's Pete?" Jim asked.
"He's getting the things out of the car." Laura said, "Where's Pam and the baby?"
"She's upstairs, dressing the baby and will be downstairs in a minute." Jim said.
"Hey, guys." I said as I came into the room.
"Hey!" Laura smiled as she hugged me carefully. "Oh, Pam. She's beautiful!" Laura gasped.
"Thank you." I smiled as I caressed her small long fingers. "Do you want to hold her?" I asked.
"Yes, please." Laura nodded.
"There you go." I carefully put Leigh in Laura's arms.
"Hi there." Laura cooed. "She looks like you, Pam." Laura looked at me.
"Mommy, is that the baby?" Tyler asked.
"Yes, it is." Laura nodded. "Isn't she pretty?"
"Yeah." Tyler nodded.
"Hey, little brother." Pete appeared at the doorway of the living area.
"Hey." Jim smiled and shook his hand.
"How are you?" Pete asked.
"Good." Jim nodded.
"Aw, she's gorgegous." Pete smiled as he held her small hand. "Baby keeping you awake?" Pete smirked as he pointed at the baby.
"Yes, she is." Jim said. "Every night."
"That's how, Ty was." Leigh said. "By 6 months, he was sleeping good."
"Mommy, can I hold her?" Tyler asked.
"If that's okay with Aunt Pam." Laura said.
"Sure," I nodded and picked up Tyler to sit on the sofa.
"Here, put your arms out." Laura said as she brought the baby over to Tyler. "And hold her head, like this." Laura postioned him as he held Leigh. "There you go."
"Leigh likes you, Tyler." I smiled as I sat next to him and fixed her small pants.
"Tiny." Tyler said.
"You were tiny too, Tyler." Laura said as she caressed Leigh's small face.
"You too, Mommy?" Tyler asked.
"Yes, I was tiny too." Laura said as Leigh began to scrunch up and began to cry.
"Let me get her." I said, taking the baby from Tyler. "Oh, what's the matter?" I hushed and bounced her softly.
"Is she okay?" Jim asked.
"Yeah, she's probably getting hungry." I said. "I'm gonna head into living room, so I can feed her where it's a bit quiet.
"Okay." Jim nodded. "Will you be okay?"
"Yeah." I nodded as I continued to bounce her softly, "Thank you."
"If you need me, I'll be in here." Jim said.
"Okay." I nodded and went into the room. "It's okay, Leigh." I hushed her as I opened my shirt to feed her. Then she stop crying as soon she went into feeding, "You must have been hungry, little one." I smiled as I wiped her tears. "I assume it'll be your nap soon," I said as I looked at the clock, it was shortly after 1.
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Later at night around 2:30 in the morning, Leigh was screaming her lungs out as I tried to shush her by bouncing her softly, "It's okay, it's okay. You don't want to wake Daddy up. He's like Grumpy from Snow White at times. It's not pretty."
Then Jim came at the door of the nursery, looking sleepy. "Too late now."
"I'm sorry." I sighed, "And I don't know why she's crying. I checked her diaper, it's clean and I just fed her. I tried singing to her and--"
"Here, let me have her." Jim said.
"Okay." I carefully put the crying baby in Jim's arms.
"WAHHHHHHH!" Leigh went even more screaming.
"Whoa, where did those lungs come from?" Jim looked down to Leigh.
"She doesn't a fever. And--" I said, starting to cry.
"Oh, Pam." Jim went to me.
"I'm a bad mom already." I started to sob. "She just came home."
"No, you're not." Jim said, swaying to keep Leigh calm. "You're an amazing mom, what I have seen."
"Do you think so?" I looked up to him.
"Yeah," Jim nodded and kissed my head. "Changing clothes, diapers, bathing her and feeding her."
"Thanks Jim." I smiled.
"There's a smile that I want to see." Jim said as he wiped my tears and kissed me."Do you have the baby book with you?" He asked me as he walked around and shushing Leigh.
"Yeah, it's in here." I went to look for the book that I bought before Leigh was born.
"It's okay, Leigh." Jim rubbed her small back and bounced her softly. "Shhhh..."
"It says if your baby is crying for almost three hours straight or 3 times a week, it's due to colic." I read the description. "We can try putting her in the car." I looked up at Jim. "It's something, I haven't tried yet."
"Okay," Jim nodded. "I'll take her for a ride, you go on to bed." Jim nodded forward to the bedroom.
"But--" I interupped.
"You need some sleep especially after the babies are born, that's what Pete and Laura said when Tyler was born." Jim said as he walked to the family room.
"Okay." I nodded and sniffled.
"Everything will be okay, Pam." He said as he put her in the seat, "We're going for a ride, Leigh." He said as he buckled and then rocked the seat to calm her.
"I know." I said as I walked to the door with him.
"I'll be right back." Jim said as he opened the screendoor.
"Okay." I nodded. "Love you."
Jim nodded as he walked quickly to the car then I shut the door and headed to our bedroom.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Sumtastic for the beta!! You rock! =)
