The boy took the baby’s hand and waved with it. Maybe he was officially a toddler. Was there a specific age to call them one or the other? This was all so new to me, and I would soon need to be more experienced with all things about babies since I’d be a mother soon.
I never had a younger sibling. When I moved from one home to another, in the system after my parents were killed, I was placed in homes with older kids, never babies or toddlers. They were adopted far faster than any older children.
“Andre, say hi,” the boy said.
“Hi!”
Oh.That little baby boy voice was too damn cute.
“Hi, Andre,” I said, sure that I was being too formal with a baby-maybe-toddler.
“I’m Misha.”
“Hi, Misha,” I told the boy. “I’m Sadie.”
The other boy came over and wedged onto the couch. “Move over, Emil,” he said. “I wanna meet your girlfriend too.”
“Jeez, Lev,” Emil said as he stood to let the boy have room on my other side. “Pushy much?”
“Sorry, Emil.” Lev smiled.
Misha took over. “Lev, her name is Sadie.”
Andre lunged out to grab at my arm and we all laughed.
“I think he wants to climb on your lap,” Lev said.
“I’m not sure there is much room,” I joked, awkwardly helping Misha hand over Andre, who wasveryinterested, as in stubborn, about getting on my lap to make his hello more personal. Bouncing and wiggling, he crawled over to me. No matter how I spotted him, I worried he’d fall.
The boys noticed.
“He’s quick,” Lev warned. “He’s faster when he crawls.” His hands stayed out to help Andre crawl over, but he wasn’t as jerky and stiff like I was. He was used to being around a baby.
“And he’s stubborn,” Misha added as he tried to keep Andre from climbing on my baby bump. “No, no, Andre. You know you have to be careful.”
I supposed they all had practice like this, keeping Andre from being too rough around Gabriella’s baby bump too.
“Whoa.” I reached forward to make sure Andre didn’t bounce on my lap and fall backward.
“And he’s wiggly,” Lev said, laughing.
“I just don’t want him to fall.”
“He won’t,” Misha said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
Misha shrugged. “I guess I don’t know. But he’s not as clumsy as he was when he was a smaller baby.”
“I didn’t like holding him then,” Lev said. “Everyone makes such a fuss about supporting his neck and all.”
“Well, I guess thatisimportant,” I said.
“Oh, yeah,” Misha said. “It is. Cuz their necks aren’t strong. You gotta hold them like a football.” He gestured.
“Maybe you can be my coach.”
Lev grinned. “Me too!”
