I mean, I have been offered that coaching position at Carter High School, but… I don’t know.
A feeble wail reaches me through the bathroom door and I sit up straight, straining to hear what I think is my daughter’s wake-up cry.
The sound grows with intensity, and yep, there she goes.
Checking my watch, I can’t help a small smile.
Right on time.
For such a young baby, she already runs like clockwork.
I’m so relieved she’s been the most chill of them all. Actually, she’s a lot like her oldest brother, Dom. He was our first and such a breeze. We didn’t understand why people complainedso much about parenting. Dominic slept well, fed well, was the calmest, coolest kid. So it was easy to decide to give him a sibling.
Jane came along and delighted us once again with her sweet nature and adorable giggles. Poor kid had a bit of a rough start, needing a hernia operation, but we made it through, and then Sebastian came along.
And… that’s when we understood the whole “parenting can be really tough” thing.
He was dynamite. Sleep? Nope, that was not on his agenda. Poor Satch nearly lost her mind. Three kids under five… yeah, she was done.
Or so we thought.
Charlotte was the biggest surprise. A bundle of joy, but seriously not planned.
Paris, on the other hand…
Well, what are you supposed to do when your toddler wishes for a little sister on her second birthday?
Standing tall, I walk out of the bathroom and head down the hall to the baby room. Paris and Charlotte share, but big sis is currently downstairs playing with Mommy, so I wander in and smile into the crib.
“Hey, petal.”
My daughter’s eyes pop open, a smile instantly forming at the sound of my voice. As predictable as ever, my heart turns to complete putty in my chest.
“You have a good sleep?” I rest my hand on her chest, still in awe of how my broad hand covers the width of her body so easily. She’s a tiny little thing. A dedicate flower. My little petal.
She gurgles at me, the sound musical and sweet, before her cute little face crumples and she lets out a squawk.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you, baby.”
Flapping her arms, she kicks those little legs and I lift her up, sniffing the soft fluff on her head and feeling that expanse of love bloom in my chest.
I keep talking softly to her as I change her diaper and get her all ready for a feed from Mommy. She sucks her knuckle, her fussing increasing the longer I take.
“Yeah, I’m going, I’m going.” I grin at her, gently picking her back up and cradling her in my arm.
As soon as I start walking out of the room, she lets out another happy squawk, like she knows I’m about to deliver her to the one person she wants most.
I take the stairs slowly, aware of my unreliable knee and the fact that I’m holding a precious package, but I make it down just fine, like I always do, and find Satch and Charlotte playing in the living room.
Charlotte has her teddy bears all set up for a picnic. The little tea set we bought her for Christmas is laid out on a blanket, and Satch is courageously drinking the watery sugar-milk our daughter insists is tea.
“So delicious.” Satch grins, licking her lips and making a big deal of it.
Charlotte’s grin is all pride, her face morphing into the sweetest look of excited adoration when she spots me and Paris.
“Daddy!” She jumps up, running across to me. “Do you want some tea?”
“Oh, yes, please.” I hold out my hand to help Satch up from the floor and wait until she’s seated on the couch before handing Paris over.
